[quick, easy homemade vinaigrettes] in her blog All Things Trader Joe's, my friend jamie has requested, "can you post your honey mustard vinaigrette on your blog?" i feel almost embarrassed to admit how simple this vinaigrette is (but that's what makes it one of my favorites!) so here goes...

for the  honey mustard vinaigrette, i use two parts olive oil to one part balsamic vinegar and as binding agent (see notes below) one part honey mustard (ken's steakhouse honey mustard is a favorite) - one of my favorite salads (which inspired jamie's blog post request) combines honey mustard vinaigrette, vine-ripened tomatoes, spring mix salad greens, garlic croutons and cubed fresh mozzarella...

jamie's specific request was in reference to a salmon salad posted on her blog: All Things Trader Joe's: Salmon Salad which might do even better if the vinaigrette had an asian influence - i might suggest an asian teriyaki vinaigrette, using two parts olive oil to one part balsamic vinegar and as binding agent, one part teriyaki sauce (yoshida's gourmet sauce is a favorite...) 

recently, i had success serving a salad variation using a lighter asian vinaigrette (it also landed a request for the recipe, usually a good sign) - for the asian vinaigrette, i used two parts olive oil (an extra dash of sesame oil makes it even more special) to one part rice wine vinegar and one part light corn syrup as binding agent - i started with marinating sliced green onion, slightly crushed toasted almonds (intentionally chunky) and one can of mandarine oranges in the asian vinaigrette, then added spring mix salad greens and croutons...

notes:

1. •whenever i make any vinaigrette (as opposed to using a bottled dressing) i start by making the vinaigrette right in the bowl in which i will be serving the salad (this makes whisking easy)
   

2. •second, for most vinaigrettes, i use approximately two parts olive oil to one part vinegar and add at least one part of a binding agent (to keep the vinaigrette mixed together after i've whisked the ingredients thoroughly - see examples above)
   

3. •next, i layer in all the remaining salad ingredients in the bowl, starting with the ingredients that i want to leave soaking in the dressing as a sort of marinade and ending with the croutons usually on top - in order to keep the salad fresh and crisp, i do not toss the ingredients until we are close to serving the salad 
   

4. 
   

enjoy...because it matters,

jayne