So I make my own. For like, nickels. Using old spice jars I can make what I need for 2 Big Salads and change up the recipe any way I like.
My favorite 'whip up' is dressing made from the delicious leftover vinegar from Trader Joe's Kalamata olives. Perfect vinaigrette starter.
After you've eaten all the olives (or fed them to the squirrels), you'll have about a third of a jar of Kalamata olive-infused white wine vinegar.
To the jar of vinegar I add:
- A couple squirts O lemon juice
- About a tsp of garlic powder
- About a tsp of fresh ground pepper
- Some dried oregano if I have it
- A few squirts of organic yellow mustard (or a tsp of dijon)
- Then fill the jar with Kalamata olive oil
- Put the lid back on - tightly - and shake it
- Shake it like you mean it
- Keep shaking it
Enjoy.
The other thing you can do, which I've been doing more often these days...
Forget waiting until you've used up the olives. If you have a magic bullet thingie - use the same ingredients above - though you'll have to add some vinegar to make up for the leftover amount you don't yet have, as well as 6 or 8 olives, and blend all that together in the small magic bullet container and the olives help emulsify everything and add that much more delicious 'olivey' flavor. Blend however long depending on how invisible you want the olives to be.
If you like other herbs in your dressing, add 'em. If you don't have a jar of Kalamata olives, get one. You'll have enough dressing for several salads this way, which saves some time. And everyone loves saving time, in a jar of olives.
It'll separate after sitting in the fridge for a while, but just repeat the last two bullets above and it'll blend right back up again. If the oil sets up too much (our stupid fridge keeps freezing shit) just nuke it for 15 seconds or so, just enough to get the oil liquid again.
Also, please don't feed olives to squirrels. Not only are they too salty, they don't keep well underground through the winter.