Orange Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
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When someone tells me that they don’t like salads, I always think that they might be using the wrong dressing. Of course I don’t tell them that as I don’t like giving out unsolicited advice (except here on this blog. Here it is really not unsolicited, is it? You are reading out of your free will 
). I think some of those store bought readymade salad dressings can turn someone off of salads forever! And let’s not even get into the health factor. Most of these prepackaged dressings contain tons of preservatives and artificial ingredients. I think the fat free ones are the worst as the fat is often replaced with sugar. It is so easy to whip up a basic vinaigrette at home; I wonder how some of these companies even manage to stay in business!
A basic salad dressing can be made with common ingredients you have at home –all you need is a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and some fresh lemon/lime juice along with some crushed garlic and salt and pepper. You can take it to the next step by adding some honey, vinegar, mustard, fruit juices, chopped herbs, spices etc to the basic recipe. There are so many combinations possible that you can really get some variety in there. Here is a very simple recipe that I love, it is a bit on the sweet side, but the sweetness is from all natural honey and orange juice, so it is actually good for you! Orange juice is reduced down to a glaze before mixing the other ingredients in, so you get that real concentrated orange flavor.
I used some mixed field greens and Jicama and bell peppers in the salad. Jicama is one of my favorite salad ingredients. If you’ve never had Jicama before, please look for it in the grocery stores. It is an ugly looking root vegetable, but the taste more than make up for the looks. It is sweet and has a nice crunchy texture that goes well in salads; I think it tastes somewhat like a pear. Topped with some grilled chicken, this salad made a wholesome dinner.
Orange Honey Mustard Dressing
Ingredients
- Freshly squeezed juice from two Oranges
- 1 tbsp whole grain mustard (Dijon mustard)
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method
Place the orange juice in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce it down to a very thick liquid, almost like a glaze. Stir frequently with a wooden spoon. Remove from the stove and let it cool.
Add the mustard, honey lemon juice to the sauce pan with the orange juice and whisk well. Now add the salt and pepper and mix well. Pour in olive oil while whisking constantly till the mixture is emulsified.
Isn’t that simpler than reaching for a jar of honey mustard dressing from that top shelf in the store?
More like this..
Category: Oranges and Kumquats, Soups and Salads
Yes, it is lot simpler and healthier too. You know what goes in there so you would feel good. I love salads even more now
I should send my daughtet to you, she don’t even take a bit of any salade to my utter frusration.
If we go to Mac she takes even the salade leave of of that.
I love that dressing, looks beautiful, not runny not to thick, yumm.
I have to tell you I really don’t like salads and its not always about the salad dressing. I just don’t particularly enjoy eating lots of raw vegetables, especially the leafy kind.
Yeah, and I’m a vegetarian.
But this dressing can make a salad excellent. How do I know? Coincidence!
Will you believe I made this dressing last weekend (no lemon juice) by putting to gether whatever I had on hand? A
But my salad had no leaves, just veggies and apples.
omg! the charred chicken! OMG!
* quickly gets up and leaves to make a nice dinner *
I am one of those who need ideas to make a good salad dressing. Still salad is a part of the meal for me, not the meal itself!
Half the liking for a salad is in the looks
This one here dressing or no dressing will be gobbled up.
Dear,
http://www.kitchentantra.com/2009/09/plagiarism-updated.html
Malar
This is one of my favorite dressings that i make
minus the honey though. I didnt pack a salad today wish i coukld eat off the screen 
I am one of those too who doesn’t quite “like” having salads..:).I totally agree with Aparna on this,somehow eating raw veggies is not my idea of health food.Though I am not averse to having a bowl.Being on a diet throughout the year[lol],I am forced to introduce salads in my meal plan..this could be a tasty alternative to the bland dressing I make:)
Sig, that is one pretty salad. I completely agree with you on the dressing perking up the salad. I wasn’t a big fan of salads until I started making dressings at home. Have you tried storing this dressing in the fridge – does it keep well? I have lots of oranges at home and would love to prepare the glaze all at once.
Hey Mamatha, I don’t know if the salad dressing will be fresh if you keep it for a while, but you can of course reduce the orange juice to a glaze and keep that in the fridge.
can i come over and eat it? charred chicken and all..
OK- i’m the one helping keep the salad dressing guys in business. Please don’t judge me
I love salads. I eat salad lunches often. For me it doesn’t matter if its store bought/homemade dressings–anything goes– as long as its the slightly sweeter kind. This one look great. I’d love to try it.
I love homemade dressing! Nice addition of oj!
You know back home the Jicamas would be a must for puja prasad:) we get them regularly here at the mexican grocery.. the other groceries don’t keep them regularly.
I don’t know how anyone can not like salads (may be their definition is just lettuce & onions?). I practically live on them..anyway, this dressing is so “my” kind..refreshing orange, spicy mustard & olive oil .. could not ask for more.
Citrus flavored dressings are so inviting… and the lovely Jicama! Nicely done.
Wow! reduced orange juice is the kick here! I am not of a big salad fan and people at home never eat salad and I do enjoy eye-candying all blog friend’s salads. This one is really different!
Thanks Sig, for one tangy and sweet dressing..sure this is make us eat more salads..
Thanks for the recipe- looks delicious.
How many tsps of the dressing to use to qualify it as a healthy dressing? My biggest problem is I tend to douse my greens in dressing,which I hear is unhealthy- how do you dress yours?
Thanks
Hi Amy, I never really measure the dressing, but I add it little by little, toss the salad and once all the leaves are coated with the dressing (just barely wet, not completely drenched) I stop. Sorry, I don’t have an exact ratio for you, I just go with the guts. I don’t like salads doused in dressing, so this helps
Also, if you make the dressing yourself and you know what exactly is in it, I think its okay to go a bit overboard, if that’s how you like your salads 
Mmmmm, the combination of flavours sounds amazing ! Never tried with orange juice…I try hard to make interesting salads, but with a husband who will not even look at a salad, the incentive to make one is really low…
I’ve given up oil for lunch – since Monday
so this will have to wait. For now, the meal is veggies with two cubes worth of feta, lime juice, garlic, seasoning. I love dressings, can never get it right, though!
But why Sra? A little bit of olive oil will ensure those fat-soluble vitamins in your greens and veggies are well absorbed by your body.
I am making this for dinner tonight! Thanks for the recipe!
[...] Orange Honey Mustard Salad Dressing – This recipe looks amazing and I’m sure that you could use it for many food items [...]
I am always on the lookout for interesting salad combinations, and so I tried this yesterday and loved it. Both the salad as well as the dressing. Your flavor intuitions are always so good!
I could not agree with you more regarding the salad dressing bit! I’ve vowed off store bought salad dressing for a year now and could not be happier with the results. Most of the ingredients for salad dressing are on hand in almost everyone’s pantry and you’re right, thee are unlimited flavor combinations. I hadn’t been back to your site for a while. I love the new design!