Sun-Dried Tomato Vinagrette

The theme for No Croutons Required this month is dressings. Wednesday is the deadline for entries, so there are still a few more days left to get your entries in. As salads are a staple item on most dinner tables, the more recipes on hand for homemade dressing the better.

For my contribution this month, I settled on a creamy Sun-dried Tomato Vinaigrette. For the salad base, I tossed together some leafy greens, sliced red pepper, pitted olives, chopped tomatoes from my garden, and a few chopped cremini mushrooms. I sprinkled each serving with some chunks of feta cheese and drizzled on the vinaigrette.

Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette

1/3 cup of sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes
1/2 cup of the reserved soaking liquid from the tomatoes
2 - 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper
pinch of sea salt
1/3 cup of olive oil

Drain the sun-dried tomatoes, reserving 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid. Finely chop the tomatoes and transfer to a small bowl. Add the reserved soaking liquid, balsamic vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper and olive oil. Whisk vigorously, until well combined.

Yields roughly 1 1/2 cups of dressing.