Cilantro Vinaigrette

The piece of paper says that it serves 75...but I don't think so.  Here's the recipe:

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup canola oil (or a mixture of canola oil and olive oil)
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 fresh jalapeno - very finely copped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Okay, so a couple of weeks ago, at the last brunch, Chef pulled me by the sleeve of my jacket (my nicely pressed jacked, mind you), and shoved this recipe into my hand. "Here.  You've made salad dressing before, right?"  Oh gosh,...not again....

Yes, along with the omelets giving me nightmares, it's the salad dressing and the taunting that comes with it that keeps me awake the night before an event.

Here's my first tip...even when the recipe calls for Olive Oil, DON'T use it.  Use the canola / olive oil blend, or all you will taste is oil.  Don't try using the olive oil at home. Save yourself some time and heartache...believe me. 

Hold back a little of that lime juice or you'll be jacking around with that concoction till the cows come home. It will only frustrate you.  Put the ingredients into the blender and go to town.  You'll never get the kick the jalapeno provides if you don't pulverize it.  Again....it's that trust thing.

You can always add...much more difficult to remove spices once they are in there.  The cumin....go easy. 

Oh, and another tip.  Toss the salad with the dressing. Everything gets a little dressing on it and a little bit goes a long way.

Enjoy!