My family always makes our own salad dressings. We have a ridiculous collection of oils and vinegars that we mix together to make dressing. We don’t buy any of that over-processed, bottled stuff that’s full of corn syrup and preservatives. Making your own salad dressing is a healthy choice. In this recipe, the addition of poppy seeds adds a little crunch and nutmeg adds a fragrant undertone. The dressing is mild and light, but a little tangy.
Poppy Seed Salad Dressing
serves 3
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons light olive oil
1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Combine vinegar, mustard and honey in a small bowl. Whisking quickly, add the olive oil in a slow stream until the dressing is emulsified.
- Stir in poppy seeds and ground nutmeg.
- Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed.
- Another way to make salad dressing is to combine all ingredients in a small jar, close the lid tightly, and shake vigorously until everything is combined, about 10 seconds.
To make the emulsion, whisk vigorously while slowly streaming the oil into the vinegar.
The Salad
serves 3
4 handfuls baby spinach leaves
1 small bell pepper, chopped
1 small cucumber, sliced
1/4 red onion, sliced
- Toss all ingredients together with the poppy seed dressing and serve.
- This dressing would also go well with some kind of fruit in the salad, such as sliced strawberries or raisins.
This light and mild poppy seed dressing is great on any salad – I just threw together some onion, pepper, cucumber and baby spinach.
The Jersey Cook 