I have a confession to make….

As much as I love cooking and baking, I am lazy. Especially after working and commuting, I don’t want to stand around in my kitchen and cook something. So my ultimate lazy meal after work ends up being salads. Just wash the veggies, chop and slice them up, toss it all in a bowl, add dressing – stuffing of face ensues.

So, since I default to salads for dinner quite often, this also means I go through dressing really quick. And not only is making your own better than buying store dressing, it’s cheaper and tastier!

This dressing has NINE ingredients. Shallots, garlic, white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, basil, honey, salt, black pepper, and olive oil. This recipe makes a lot of dressing, but it can also be used as a marinade for chicken or pork.

You start by adding everything except the honey, salt, pepper, and oil into the blender. And blitz it until everything is chopped. I sort of quarter up my shallots to help them along, but you don’t have to. Then you add the honey, salt, pepper and let it blend for a bit. Add the olive oil, blend for a few minutes…And you’re done. It makes about 8 cups of dressing, so if you eat a lot of salads, you’ll be set for a bit! Or you can give a jar to a coworker or friend.

Balsamic Basil Honey Dressing

Ingredients:

• 4 cups fresh sweet Italian basil leaves, loosely packed
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 shallots, quartered
• 4 cloves fresh garlic
• ½ cup white wine vinegar
• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup honey (or agave nectar for vegan version)
• 2 cups olive oil

Steps:

1. Put basil leaves, shallots, garlic, white wine vinegar, and balsamic vinegar into a blender. Pulse 9-10 times.
2. Add honey, salt, and pepper. Blend for about a minute to get the honey really mixed in there.
3. Add in the olive oil and blend for approximately three minutes.
4. Pour into a jar and store in the fridge. Let it come to room temperature before use.

Some salad dressing recipes have a 2:1 oil to vinegar/acid ratio. But I like a bit more vinegar to my dressings. Plus the honey in this recipe sweetens it up enough where it isn’t harsh on the palate.