“Now that temperatures have soared toward triple digits I can't wait to spend hours tending a hot grill or cranking up my stove,” said no one ever. That's why this month's recipe turns down the heat and results in a delicious sweat-free side dish. Whether you choose to add meat and make it a meal or serve a light salad on the side, there isn't a veggie combination this easy vinaigrette won't enhance. Vinaigrette is derived from the French word “vinaigre.” But the English translation (sour wine!) doesn't have quite as elegant a ring to it, so vinaigrette remains the universal standard. Most versions consist of 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar, but this recipe enhances the sweetness factor (perfect for summer salads) by using a 50/50 ratio. Try experimenting with red wine vinegar (the preference of restaurants stateside) and apple cider vinegar (the standard in northern France) to see whether your palate prefers tartness or a more robust flavor.      

Lisa's Easy Vinaigrette Dressing

Grab a medium salad bowl. Shake salt lightly over the bottom of the bowl so you can see that it is there. Cover salt with pepper; you can use same amount of pepper or less (whatever your taste buds are craving).

Crush two cloves of garlic and put in bowl. With the back of a spoon mash the crushed garlic with the salt and pepper mixture and make sure you spread the mixture around the bottom and side of the bowl for flavor.

Add 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar.

Add 2 tablespoons your choice of oil.

Mix all together.

You can also add a heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise to make it a creamy dressing.  

You can adjust this recipe to your taste buds. If you feel like you want more garlic or mayonnaise you can add that.

After you have mixed this all together, you can put your veggies in the bottom of the bowl to marinate in the dressing (your choice: mushrooms, celery, green onion, red pepper, etc).

Add lettuce on top.

Mix before serving.

Yummy!