Why is the Ketchup Red? It saw the salad dressing....

Ok I remember that from first grade but salad dressings can make or break your veggies.  My favorite is the vinegrette which is a mix of an acid, oil, an emulsifier (optional) and seasonings.  It's flexible fast and fun (oh yeah and yummy too).

Basic recipe is 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil, pinch of salt, pinch of sugar 1/2 tsp of mustard (emulsifier to keep the dressing from breaking into component parts) and 1 tsp of dried herbs.  What herbs do you say?  Basically anything that you like from the historically classical Italian seasoning mix to any single herb or combo that you like.  You can also easily substitute fresh herbs if you have them (thanks to the deck garden we do).  My secret is that if you use dried herbs soak them in the vinegar for about 10 minutes pre mixing.  This will both perfume the vinegar and hydrate the herbs.
Now I am sure you have seen a cooking show where they slowly drizzle (not a Snoop Dog refrence here) the oil in and whisk furiously at the same time.  You so don't need to do that.  Just add the oil in three parts and beat it in between.  If you use a blender like the Magic Bullet (love that little critter) or an immersion blender then ignore the stages part.  The most awesomest part is that this is also one of the worlds best bread dips.
I did mention that the emulsifier is optional before, if you don't add it in then your dressing will slowly break into it's component parts as vinegar like water doesn't like oil all that much.  If this is OK with you then it's OK with me.  I do it both ways depending on my mood and how much bread I have handy for dunking.
Oil is importaint here.  You will be tasing the raw oil so pay attention to flavor.  Olive is the standard but nut oils like hazelnut or pecan can be wonderful as well.  For a totally neutral flavor try safflower or grapeseed oil.  I usually like olive oil because I can get good oil from the bulk food store at a reasonably good price.
My Balsamic Vinagrette
1 tblsp balsamic vinegar, 2 tblsp Extra Virgin Olive oil, (balsamic vinegar is sweeter than most vinegars so you don't need as much oil just remember when in doubt taste). 1 tsp fresh herbs finely chopped (oregano, rosemary and thyme), pinch sugar, salt & garlic powder.  1/2 tsp dijon style mustard (the fancy brown stuff).  Test by dipping in a piece of lettuce.  Adjust as needed, you should be able to taste everything but the mustard which should dissapear under the other strong flavors.  Enjoy.