Zesty Salad Dressing

The lovely Mrs. Wade requested a homemade alternative to the "Zesty Italian Dressing" used in Marinated Veggie Salad.  This has sent me on quite the hunt... unfortunately, "Zesty Italian Dressing" is simply a creative marketing title rather than a description of a commonly used dressing recipe.  So, I decided to look up the ingredients in Kraft's dressing and compare them to my TK cookbooks dressing recipes.

This is the ingredient list in Kraft's Zesty Italian:
Water, Soybean and/or Canola Oil, Vinegar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Salt, Contains less than 2% of Garlic (Dried), Garlic, Red Bell Peppers (Dried), Onions (Dried), Xanthan Gum, Spice, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Calcium Disodium Edta and Sulfiting Agents As Preservatives, Oleoresin Paprika.


This is what we're replacing it with:


3/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbs. red or white wine vinegar
2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 tsp. minced red onion
1/2 tsp. dried herb (tarragon, dill, basil, or oregano)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 red bell pepper chopped
Salt and Pepper


Process in a blender or food processor until smooth.  Let me know what you think!