All Purpose Mustard Dressing

As simple as it gets, this All Purpose Mustard Dressing is a wonderful make-ahead dish to keep in the fridge. While it’d be nice to live in a world where cooking every night is possible, that’s not realistic for a lot of us. After a busy day at work, or when something pops up in the evening, or those nights where you’re feeling unenergized and the thought of cooking a big meal feels like the last thing you want to do, having an easy salad dressing ready to go in the fridge can be a great relief.

This dressing can be served simply with greens, raw or cooked veggies, and even meats and fish. Check it out with this easy Simplest Slaw recipe! It’s also great with leaner meats like turkey and white fish as it can provide some much needed fat, flavor and moisture. One of my fav ways to enjoy is as a sauce with brown rice, black beans, spinach, and leftover chicken.

Notes for All Purpose Mustard Dressing

• Use your favorite mustard! Whole grain, Dijon, the classic yellow stuff, any mustard you like or have on hand is fine.
• Part of me struggles with writing down measurements on a recipe like this. With something so basic, I encourage you to play around and switch up the ingredients as you like. For example, if you like champagne vinegar or it’s all you have on hand and not sherry, don’t make a trip to the store! Use what you have. Since not all vinegars are created equally, for example champagne vinegar is a bit softer and sweeter, you might want to use a bit more in the case of this swap. Or if your tastes are different – for example, I tend to like my dressings more acidic and sweet – I usually add a bit more vinegar and honey than the recipes call for. If you like less acidity, use a bit more oil. The conclusion from this giant messy paragraph: dressings are forgiving, making salads is not a science like baking is, so be a mad scientist and experiment with ingredients and amounts, and craft your food how YOU like it.
• Use this dressing to replace those old, half empty bottles in your fridge door. Don’t lie to me, I know they’re in there!
• Filling a small mason jar with this stuff makes for a practical, homemade gift. You could even slap a bow on top if you’re giving it to someone you really like! Since it doesn’t have the preservatives that bottled dressings have though, you’ll want to keep it refrigerated.