When I have really fresh delicate crispy greens I do a dressing I found somewhere years ago - mash and then finely chop a garlic clove, add a big pinch of sugar, a good slug of buttermilk, salt, and fresh ground pepper. You want just enough dressing to slick all the greens. You can add some halved cherry tomatoes and/or fresh radish slices and if you have fresh tarragon and/or fresh Italian parsley that's nice, too.

One of the faves around my house is a bit of salsa (changing up the types of salsa changes the dressing up. Lately I've been loving on a pineapple cillantro salsa) and some sour cream. Toss some chicken on, crumble some tortilla chips, and you're all set to go!

We've been having a lot of this buttermilk dressing from Smitten Kitchen. It's creamy, but not rich, tangy, and good on sturdy, crispy greens. Adding a few blue cheese crumbles spins this into fancy-impressive. I do halve the sugar, by the way.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/07/napa-cabbage-salad-with-buttermilk-dressing/

My favorite is this classic vinaigrette:

http://www.lanascooking.com/2009/04/22/fresh-salad-greens-with-classic-vinaigrette/

if your dressing is getting boring, make your salad more exciting! the best salads for me have fruit (oranges, apple slices, dried cranberries), cheese (whatever you have), some kind of nut, and some kind of onion (scallion, red onion, shallot). the combination of salty, sweet, and crunchy make your salads more interesting! this way your basic vinaigarette will seem new!

Though I'm not a "tamari & nutritional yeast" kind of guy, I love
"crack": http://www.goodrealfood.com/2010/05/17/fondly-called-crack/.

A childhood favourite of mine was always homemade jam, preferably strawberry, thinned out with a little bit of orange juice. That was placed on the stove, or microwave until it turned into a bubbling, deliciously sticky and gelatinous napalm. Then fresh shallots and parsley and the tiniest squirt of dijon were whisked in, along with the best olive oil you can get your hands on. Finish with a bit of lemon or orange zest.

Best on salads, chicken, leather shoes, anything you can pour it over and shove as quickly into your mouth as possible.

I love to use the house dressing from Moosewood Restaurants: it's got milk (or buttermilk) with pureed spinach and basil leaves to make it green and creamy.

Green Goddess

You can try a variation on the vinaigrette this is in parts:
1:1:2 soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and grapeseed oil (instead of olive oil to bring out more of the balsamic flavor.
You can do a more asian taste adding rice vinegar and a tsp of sesame seed oil and toasted sesame seeds.
also:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/dining/22mlist.html
for great salad and dressing recipes.

Here ya go -- I've got a few up my sleeve!

http://operagirlcooks.com/category/dressings-and-marinades/

My favorite (easy) dressing comes from the Veganomicon cookbook:

1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup miso
1/3 cup water (or more to achieve desired consistency)

Sometimes I throw a few splashes of soy sauce in but it generally doesn't need it!

Does anyone know how to make a homemade creamy "Greek" (not the oil, red wine vinegar and oregano kind) dressing? I can't find a good recipe anywhere.

it's easy to mix together some spices, oil and vinegar. i like using garlic, balsamic and olive oil. add some mustard, salt and pepper and shake together. you can use your favorite combo, it's that easy.

http://thekosherfoodies.com/2010/03/26/easy-balsamic-salad-dressing/

I really like the dressing in this recipe, you could use it with a lot of different stuff- http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mandarin-Mixed-Green-Salad/Detail.aspx

My favorite salad dressing is olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper, all put directly on the salad - toss and serve! Couldn't be easier or more delicious. But when I do make a dressing, I really like this Grainy Mustard Vinaigrette:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Endive-and-Chicory-Salad-with-Grainy-Mustard-Vinaigrette-233964

My two vinaigrette variations:
1. Olive oil and champagne vinegar with fresh minced garlic, mustard powder, salt and pepper. I use a mortar and pestle to make the dressing in. This is a good all around dressing.

2. Olive oil and apple cider vinegar, with honey, mustard powder, salt and pepper. This is good on a green salad that has fruit in it such as dried cranberries, or pears, with some nuts. I especially like pecans.

I like a homemade poppy seed dressing:
2-3 green onions
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup cider vinegar

blitz in the blender and drizzle in 1 cup oil until emulsified.

Stir in a couple T poppy seeds.

This keeps for a couple of weeks in the fridge and is great with greens and even better when you add fruit and nuts to the mix.

I like to make my salads into meals by adding protein. My latest favorite is bbq duck from China Town. It goes great with Fennel root and carrots with a peanut dressing.

My absolute favorite salad dressing is from one of John Robbins' books, although my version of it here may or may not be exactly like his. Can't remember what he called it, I call it THE dressing. I tend to be very popular at pot-lucks when I bring this on a big green veggie salad. It's so delicious and suitable for vegans.

1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup Braggs liquid aminos (or soy sauce)
1/2 cup olive oil (I also use canola)
1/3 cup tahini

Add any or all of these to taste: black pepper, hot sauce, garlic, a little grated onion, toasted sesame oil.

Blend till smooth and thin it out with up to 1/4 cup water until desired consistency. This dressing is supposed to last a week in the fridge, but never has in my house.

Note: sometimes I leave out the water or only put in a few tablespoons and use as a spread for toast or dip for veggies.

My new favorite dressing is also a Moosewood (from Cooking For Health.) Saute shallots in olive oil with salt and pepper until soft. Add the shallots to a blender with a little more olive oil, red wine vinegar, a little garlic, salt, pepper and some fresh herbs.

It's really hearty, so it goes well with a roasted vegetable salad. :)

Current favorite dressing, just add homemade croutons to lettuce and its delicious!!

Creamy Parmesan Dressing from Real Simple magazine:

makes 1 1/4 cup (serves 8)

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
salt & pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, Parmesan, sour cream, vinegar, 2 tablespoons water and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper

sometimes i top my salads with salad and hummus or cottage cheese when i'm lazy. but my favorite dressing to make is this maple dijon balsamic:
http://theactorsdiet.wordpress.com/2009/11/01/lynn-howl-ween-the-puparazzi/

I love just simple olive oil, rock salt and lemon.

This really brings the greens through. Good olive oil is a must, good salt and meyer lemon. Just a tablespoon of olive oil, a good squeeze of the lemon, pinch of salt and mix well throw the greens right in and toss well..should be enough for two you just want to slightly coat nor drench.

Also, very into lemon tahini dressing I love this in a chopped veggie salad, great on pita with cherry tomatoes and house made falafel..also makes pile of steamed veggies and brown rice more exciting.
I make a batch and use it on salads and many other dishes, great it on bib lettus, shredded beets, carrots, green onions.
2/3 cup tahini
juice of three lemons
zest of one lemon
3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup olive oil

Pull out your blender. (The Chef has taught me that making dressings in a blender makes them much, much better than stirring them with a fork!) Throw in the tahini, lemon juice, lemon zest, balsamic vinegar, and salt. Pulse in the blender until all the ingredients have become one. Taste. Add more of anything you feel it needs.

Slowly, through the top of the blender — ideally, you have a lid with a hole in it for this purpose — add the olive oil in a drizzle. Continue to add it until the dressing reaches the consistency you desire. If you leave it a little thick, this makes an excellent dip. If you keep adding oil, you will have a silky-smooth dressing in a few moments. Even when it has reached the consistency you wish, let the blender run for awhile, which will allow the oil to truly blend with the rest of the ingredients.

Makes two cups of dressing, which should keep in the refrigerator for a few weeks.

I love the preserved lemon vinaigrette from Canal House Vol. 1. Simple and so bright and tangy. Great as a marinade too.

Also, the buttermilk dressing from Tom Douglas' Mac and Cheese Pasta Salad is delicious. And if you like, a little of your favorite blue cheese crumbled into it makes it a double duty recipe.

@jrossi1217 - if you take your Greek vinaigrette dressing recipe and make it in a blender it will be creamy. I've done this and it works beautifully. All that you're doing is emulsifying the ingredients together. It will stay creamy even if you need to store it in the fridge for a week or something.

David Lebovitz does a nice tutorial on French vinaigrette here: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2009/11/how_to_make_french_vinaigrette.html

I make variations of it all the time (I like to add a little sugar or honey to the mix)

My favorite homemade salad dressing is also insanely simple and I've always got the ingredients. It's an old *recipe* that we've all called "Grandma's Dressing" for the last 20 years.

Mayonnaise, vinegar, pepper.

Just mess with it until it's smooth and more or less pourable/spoonable. It's so incredibly good and different, yet it holds a familiar taste, with a little bite.

One of my favorites is the dressing from this recipe:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/08/warm-chicken-salad-with-arugula-capers-pine-nuts-recipe.html

super simple, i love doing:lime or lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper, mustard and olive oil. put into a bottle and shake. you can also add honey.

jrossi1217 -- Here's my favorite creamy Greek dressing. It's from the Complete Book of Greek Cooking, a really super community cookbook by the Recipe Club of Saint Paul's Greek Orthodox Cathedral.

It's a huge recipe. Makes 2 quarts, but it keeps very well. We go through a ton in the summer on Greek salads.

2 cups mayonnaise (they prefer homemade, but I use Hellmans)
1 T minced garlic
1/2 c red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 T olive oil
2 cups crumbled feta

Combine everything except feta and blend well. Add feta. Refrigerate.

Hope this is what you're looking for.

Oops, sorry -- one quart!

My homemade Sunshine Dressing follows:
1/2 C o oil
1/4 cider or rice wine vinegar
1T orange juice concentrate
1T Dijon mustard
1T maple syrup
Shake well, emulsifies thoroughly so you can keep it in fridge for ages.

I use this on my Sunshine Salad:
mixed greens inc. some peppery stuff
finely chopped roasted red peppers (homemade, of course)
coarsely chopped orange
toasted sunflower seeds
cuke slices opt.

I think Emily the Cat and I have the same idea - dampen the greens with a little oil, add salt and pepper, and you're set!

I think spring mix would be a nice "bed" for a salad niçoise. On top of the bed of greens, present some good quality, olive oil-packed tuna, sliced hard boiled eggs, green beans, black olives, and pan fried potato wedges.

We made a vinaigrette at the cafe where I work on Thursday night that would be lovely with this salad. We threw some fresh garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, a splash of red wine vinegar, fresh parsley, dill, and tarragon in the food processor with olive oil.

Best dressing ever, if I do say so myself, goes great w mediterranean salads (think feta and green peppers):

Toast 2 Tbsp gorund cumin in a pan until fragrant. Add 1/8 cup oil for next step.

Chop 3-4 garlic cloves, cook in 1/8 cup oil, making sure to remove from heat before they sizzle. You are cooking out bitterness, not cooking the garlic.

Mix cumin garlic oil together with juice of 1-2 lemons (to taste) and 2-3 Tbsp wine vinegar. Add up to 1/8 cup more oil, salt and pepper. Whisk together and toss with salad.

I'd totally recommend Penzey's Salad lovers gift box. It is eight different blends that just call for basic ingredients (buttermilk, olive oil etc.) to whip up great dressings.

http://www.penzeys.com/scstore/giftboxes/new/saladLovers8jar.html

Sweet Cream
Salt
Pepper
Honey
Olive Oil
Lemon or Lime Juice
Paprika (powder)
maybe some Mustrard

May I suggest a Creamy Cilantro Vinaigrette dressing?

Creamy Cilantro Vinaigrette

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil base- mayonnaise

1 clove crushed garlic

1/3 cup diced cilantro

Salt & Pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a blender, mix until the mixture is creamy and uniform.

-Anna at Tiny Kitchen Creations

My go-to super easy dressing is:

about equal parts vinegar (any kind) and olive oil
a good dollop of hot/dijon mustard
and a little bit of sugar (any kind...brown, white, honey, maple).

Shake in a jar or stir in a jar with a fork.

You can also whisk in the bottom of your salad bowl before the greens go in to avoid dirtying an additional bowl.

Apple cider viniaigrette! It goes with EVERYTHING. Greens (delicate or crispy), sliced mushrooms, cooked potatoes, corn. I always have a batch mixed up in a little mustard jar in the fridge, so I guess it's our "house" dressing!

I also like a creamy lemon dressing for robust, crunchy greens. The acid of the lemon curdles the cream, creating a sort of mascarpone-like texture.

Juice of 2 lemon
Cream to your preferred consistency (start with 1/4 cup, wait for it to thicken, then add more cream if it's too thick)
Salt
Fresh pepper

If you leave it thicker, it makes a great dip. My favorite salad using this dressing (so far) is romaine lettuce, smoked almonds, and some parmesan curls.

How long do home made vinaigrettes last? Should they be stored in the fridge or on the counter? I put mine in the fridge and the olive oil solidified...

Green Goddess is delicious dressing to add to your salad repertoire. Also, a good way to use up your produce not only with the lettuces but in the dressing.
http://eat-drink-garden.com/2010/05/green-goddess-dressing/

my Go-To dressing is so simple and delicious:

1 part dijon mustard
1 part flax oil (olive oil works fine, too)
1/4 part water
salt & pepper

put all of the above into a container with a lid. put the lid on and shake until smooth.

i sometimes add 1/2 to 1 part honey for a sweeter, honey-mustard-y dressing.

my new go-to, especially for spicy or bitterish greens is

maybe a quarter cup of orange juice
a similar amt of olive oil
a glug of balsamic
salt n pepper

easy, bright tasting, and you probably have it all!

Bobby Flay, in the newest Food and Wine, the roasted garlic dressing. Very good.