Basil Vinaigrette

This simple, delicious basil vinaigrette is a delicious salad dressing and is also great drizzled over vegetables, chicken, seafood, pasta, and steak.  

I had a bag of fresh basil in the refrigerator that was about to go bad, and I was thinking about making pesto, but changed my mind when I found this easy basil vinaigrette recipe on The Mediterranean Dish that sounded tasty. It was interesting that the recipe has you blanch the basil before making the vinaigrette to preserve its bright green color, so I decided to give it a try. This delicious basil vinaigrette was simple to make and tasted fresh, tangy, and flavorful drizzled over a simple salad.

Basil Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• ½ cup good olive oil
• 2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 small shallot, diced
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

 How to Make Basil Vinaigrette:

Place a bowl filled with ice cubes & cold water next to the stove.

Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the basil leaves and blanch for 5-10 seconds, then remove them with a slotted spoon and place them directly into the prepared ice water. Remove the basil leaves from the ice water and place them on some paper towels. Roll up and squeeze out the excess water.

Combine the blanched basil leaves, olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, lime juice, shallot, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper in a high-powered blender and blend for 60 seconds until very smooth. Side Note: You can also use an immersion blender or food processor.

Drizzle over your salad or protein of choice and serve immediately. Enjoy.