I’m in California! We are visiting Cody’s family, and eating lots of good food, and I have instagrammed exactly one photo of my travels because family distracts me better than anything. But this vinaigrette is important, so here I am blogging for you.

Smoked paprika is almost kind of trendy I think. Reminds me of tapas at restaurants where the plates are deceptively cheap (only 8 dollars per plate!) but the servers recommend 3-4 per person. So I’m inclined to be annoyed by the association, but smoked paprika is legitimately good. It has kind of an in-your-face flavor that pairs well with other in-your face flavors, like garlic and vinegar. So we naturally come to this vinaigrette, which is very good on many things and also happily vegan. Honestly it is rare for a vinaigrette to not be vegan, but the smoke in this paprika reads deceptively rich and maybe almost meaty? Without the mouth coating fattiness of actual smoked meat.

I made this vinaigrette specifically for a really awesome power bowl that will be coming at you very soon (like probably tomorrow) and it completely makes the bowl. I was inspired to create it as sort of a Nando’s Piri Piri hummus with paprika drizzle tribute (spoiler: the power bowl has hummus). So it goes awesomely with hummus, but also with greens of all kinds, avocado, and roasted winter squashes. So I recommend making a batch and using it liberally.

Smoked Paprika Vinaigrette

Makes enough for 2 power bowls or one big salad

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced or grated

1/2 tsp smoked paprika (more is ok if you are a smoked paprika freak, just taste before you go crazy)

2 tsp honey

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar (or sherry vinegar)

1/2 tsp kosher salt

black pepper to taste

Method:

1. In a small glass bowl, combine olive oil, paprika, and garlic.

2. Microwave the olive oil, paprika, and garlic for 30 seconds to bring out the flavors in the paprika and garlic.

3. Add honey, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and whisk well to combine.

4. Use as a salad dressing, hummus topping, or marinade for grilled or roasted veggies or meat.

Up next: Power bowls with quinoa, avocado, hummus, and smoked paprika vinaigrette. Stay tuned!