5 vinaigrettes for your post-Super Bowl week

So you went hard this weekend celebrating the Patriots’ win or emotionally eating after the Seahawks’ loss. We understand. Now back to that New Year’s diet. You don’t have to eat just boring greens in an effort to counteract all those chicken wings and barbecue potato chips from the game. Try making these vinaigrettes to add some flavor to your salads or dress up meats:

Honey garlic vinaigrette
For a sweeter flavor than your typical vinaigrette, try this recipe from allrecipes.com. Creator DAWNER119 uses vegetable oil and apple cider vinegar as the base and adds garlic and honey for a sweetened Italian dressing. She mixes the ingredients together thoroughly and then leaves it in the fridge for 45 minutes before serving to allow time for the flavors to combine. This is great to drizzle over a mozzarella, tomato and basil salad.

Smoked paprika vinaigrette
Most vinaigrettes have a vinegar-y bite to them. This dressing recipe from Bon Appetit has a smokey flavor and is well-paired with red meat or a salad of dark greens and onions. Heat vegetable oil and paprika in a pan and then let the duo sit until it has cooled. Use a sieve with cheesecloth to strain out the paprika and then add the remaining ingredients to the liquid. Cover a steak or drizzle the dressing over a salad for a delicious take on vinaigrette.

Maple balsamic vinaigrette
Eating Well’s recipe for maple balsamic vinaigrette is another example of how to sweeten up the intense vinegar taste of vinaigrettes. Maple syrup and whole grain mustard help to dilute the strong flavor of the balsamic while adding their own unique hints of sweetness. This dressing is perfect for salad that accompanies salmon or chicken.

Classic vinaigrette
Cooking Light’s classic vinaigrette recipe involves red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper and shallots. For a little extra flavor, it adds Dijon mustard. Simply combine the ingredients and stir until mixed. This is a great recipe to throw together when you want a quick salad dressing that requires only ingredients you’d have stocked in your kitchen.

Raspberry vinaigrette
Martha Stewart’s raspberry vinaigrette recipe requires hand-straining fresh raspberries through a wire strainer and then pureeing them with lemon juice, sugar and vinegar. Hand whisk the other ingredients into the mix and you’ve got a red, slightly-sweet dressing to dip veggies in or use as a marinade for halibut or lamb.