White Balsamic Vinaigrette (Low-Sodium)

You'll want to keep this White Balsamic Vinaigrette recipe handy because it's delicious and low in sodium! Keep a jar in the fridge for a quick salad or a light sauce for fish or chicken!

For years, I've tried to make a tasty oil and vinegar salad dressing that I could keep on hand. The problem was, the dressing separated because oil and vinegar don't really like each other.

I finally found the secret to making a vinaigrette that actually emulsifies and keeps well in the fridge!

Why you'll love this recipe!

• Low-sodium/Healthy: most bottled vinaigrettes contain a plethora of ingredients including emulsifiers and sodium. A typical oil and vinegar dressing contains 270- 320 mg per 2 tablespoons; this recipe contains 1 mg of sodium per 2 tablespoons, which naturally occurs in dried mustard.
• Versatile: you can put your own spin on this basic vinaigrette dressing by using different herbs and spices
• Stores well: due to the specific ratios of ingredients in this recipe, the dressing doesn't separate as much as other oil and vinegar combinations; one quick shake of it and it's smooth!

Here's what you'll need:

White Balsamic Vinegar, Extra Virgin Olive oil, Italian seasonings (dried), dried mustard, lemon juice and sugar (optional.)

How to make it:

Easy. Just mix the oil and vinegar in a bowl; whisk; add remaining ingredients; whisk again and you're done!

Why this recipe works:

Without going into a dissertation on food chemistry, let's just note that fats and oils are non-polar and hydrophobic-meaning they don't like water.

Vinegar, on the other hand is just the opposite - polar and hydrophilic- which means vinegar likes water.

So, you can see that these two ingredients are at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to mixing well and getting along.

What they need is something to bring them together...a catalyst. In this instance, that "secret something" is Balsamic Vinegar and dry mustard.

Balsamic vinegars, both dark and white, are made from cooked grapes. As the grapes cook and brown, they produce polymers called melanoidins.

Melanoidins have emulsifying properties which help bind the oil and vinegar.

Dry mustard also has emulsifying properties. So, the inclusion of these two ingredients in this White Balsamic vinaigrette allow the two opposite ingredients to combine and produce a nice, smooth vinaigrette.

Now that I've bored you with the details of WHY...(you can only imagine how popular I am at cocktail parties:)...let's whip up a batch of this dressing!

Tips:

• Do not substitute the balsamic vinegar with distilled or apple cider
• Use a high-quality olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice from concentrate is equivalent to the juice from half of a large lemon
• Sugar is optional
• Switch out the herbs if you prefer; if using fresh herbs, you'll want to use twice as much of the fresh, because dried herbs are stronger than fresh

Storage:

Store this white Balsamic vinaigrette in a well-sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to three weeks. 

Related recipes:

• Easy Herb Cream Sauce
• Blue Cheese Dressing
• All-Purpose Salad Dressing
• Caesar Salad Dressing
• Low Sodium Mississippi Pot Roast