Mixed Greens and Fruit Salad with Sweet Fruity Salad Dressing

February 2, 2012 /
One of my cooking goals this year is to make various kinds of salad dressing.  I love a good deal in the grocery store, and certainly bottled salad dressing is one of the things that you can buy very inexpensively, with sales and coupons.  However, I’ve noticed that most of the kinds on sale expire within a couple of months, so stocking up proves to be rather pointless.  And, I’m not always fond of the ingredients listed on the back of the bottle.  With just a few basic ingredients, you can make a ton of different kinds of dressings that taste wonderful, are fresh, and are satisfying because you made them with your own two hands!
As I go a bit further into my salad dressing making process, I’ll share a post with you on some of the basic ingredients to have on hand if you’re looking to make mostly your own dressings.

The first dressing I’m sharing is one that I’ve used countless times, changing it up a bit each time.  The main ingredient in this one is:  Jam.  And, this dressing works best on a salad that mixes greens with fruit, perfect for any time of year, even in the winter when you can combine some fresh fruits with canned or dried ones.  I recommend making this salad on individual plates, but you could also mix it together in a large serving bowl.  When I’ve tried it this way, sometimes the fruit tends to drop to the bottom of the bowl, but that may be solved by mixing the dressing in with the salad in the bowl.  

Mixed Greens & Fruit Salad with Sweet Fruity Salad Dressing 
Dressing:
1/4 cup jam {I have used strawberry, raspberry and peach–all homemade, but store bought would work fine too}
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil {or olive oil.  I prefer the vegetable simply because it holds up better once refrigerated}
salt and pepper to taste
In a small bowl, or jar with a tight fitting lid, combine all ingredients except for the oil.  Whisk together, or shake in the jar until well combined.  
Add oil and shake again.  
Save olive oil jars and other glass jars for mixing and storing dressing.
Refrigerate until needed.  Pour over salad.
Salad
Mixed Greens, torn into bite sized pieces
A mixture of any of the following:
Craisins
Mandarin Oranges, from a can {you can also use segments of fresh oranges}
Blueberries
Strawberries, sliced
Toasted almonds
caramelized pecans
Place greens onto individual salad plates.  Top with fruits and nuts of choice.  Drizzle salad dressing over top.

5 Comments

  • sherri lynn

    February 2, 2012 at 2:26 pm

    What a pretty salad! I also want to try making my own dressings – I’ve never heard of jam in a dressing but I bet it tastes so good! I wish Caleb liked salad more; I’m always afraid my produce will go bad before I can eat all of it.

  • Claire

    February 3, 2012 at 1:38 am

    Looking forward to trying this recipe and looking forward to your future posts on making your own dressings!

  • Amanda

    February 3, 2012 at 1:30 pm

    This is really great, Lauren. Thank you so much for sharing and I will be interested in hearing about other salad dressings that you make. I have the Pampered Chef Salad Dressing Mix/Pour, so I’d like to get more use out of that and this will be perfect for it.