Red Wine Vinaigrette

This is the best vinaigrette I've ever made and is yummy on all kinds of salads. Can't wait to try it on an orzo salad or a Greek salad! I'll bet you could use it to marinate chicken or shrimp, too. It's based on this recipe, but scaled down big time because who needs a gallon of salad dressing? The first time I tried making it, the red wine vinegar was VERY strong (and we love vinegar!), but I've tinkered with the recipe and now it's great and only gets better as it sits in the fridge. I also substituted vegetable oil for some of the olive oil because as much as I love olive oil, I've found that it can get overpowering in vinaigrettes.


Red Wine Vinaigrette

1 C red wine vinegar
1 T sugar
1 t pepper
1 1/2 t garlic powder
1 1/2 t dried oregano
1 1/2 t dried basil
2 t salt
2 t onion powder
2 t dijon mustard
1 C vegetable oil
3/4 C extra virgin olive oil

Place everything but the oils in a blender and blend to combine. With blender running, pour in the oils in a very thin stream. This will take a couple of minutes. Blend another minute or so after all the oil has been added. Store in a 1 quart glass jar in the refrigerator and shake before using. Keeps for about two weeks.  It's still safe to eat after that, but something weird happens and the texture gets really funky.

Yield: about 3 cups