The classic vinaigrette is 3 parts oil and 1 part vinegar. I make it 2:1, I like the vinegar taste. Wine and lemon juice are suitable substitutes for vinegar.

From there, mess around, have fun! Throw in whatever looks good. The usual for me can be:
Salt
Pepper
Garlic
Coleman’s mustard powder
Whatever mustard you have in your fridge
Basil

If Trader Joe’s is near you, see if they have frozen crushed garlic. And frozen crushed basil. Little herb ice cubes, they are AWESOME! you will keep them in your freezer always.

Buttermilk
Blue Cheese crumbles
Small curd cottage cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
Minced pimento
*blend it all together and let it chill overnight or until thickened.

Nonfat plain yogurt, vegetarian mayo (like Vegenaise) and buttermilk are nice bases for lots of different creamy style dressings.

Here’s one for a Ranch Style dressing.

This one would be very good for a fruit salad with strawberries, grapes, apples and pineapple!

Here’s a delicious sounding recipe for Basil Pesto, and if you scroll down you will see the recipe for salad dressing using the pesto. You can also use the straight pesto to make a terrific pasta salad (with penne, grape tomatoes, kalamata olives and fresh mozzarella balls).

Here’s one for a Balsamic Vinaigrette

Here’s one for what we Americans call French Dressing

And here’s one for Greek Vinaigrette that would taste great with chopped hearts of romaine, sliced red onion, grape tomatoes, kalamata olives, sliced banana peppers and crumbled feta cheese.

Here’s one for home made Thousand Island dressing. But if you want to have it taste almost identical, but without all the cholesterol of regular mayo, try making it with Vegenaise Original. It tastes almost identical to regular mayo and much better than some of the low cal regular mayos. Vegenaise is also great for making egg salad (regular or eggless tofu salad) and apple Waldorf salad.

Here’s one for a Spicy Asian that would work well for a plate of Baby Greens with thinly sliced bell peppers, sliced water chestnuts and mandarin orange slices, as well as for a Chinese Chicken salad or a Cold Noodle salad with tofu, blanched broccoli, pea pods, cilantro and chopped peanuts. If you are allergic to anchovies, or would prefer a vegetarian version, omit the anchovy paste and substitute a little bit of miso instead.

And here’s one for a Bleu Cheese vinaigrette with White Balsamic Vinegar.

And here’s a Mexican Caesar dressing with pepitas like the one they serve at El Torito.

I don’t know if I can be much help but when I make my own salad dressing I like a basic olive oil and vinegar dressing. The vinegar I like, actually, absolutely love to use is La Posada. It’s a sherry wine vinegar rather than a balsamic and it’s delicious. A a couple of the grocery stores in my area carry it but not all of them so if you want to try it you may have to look around a bit or at least keep your eye out. You can put just about anything you want in the basic dressing from just a bit of garlic to garlic and herbs and spices of your choosing. That’s what I like about a basic oil and vinegar dressing. You can do whatever you want with it. But sometimes I just sprinkle a little vinegar on the salad, then some olive oil, then toss it and that’s enough.