Salad dressings are not only a good way to dress up your greens, but you can even season your chicken or fish with them. The problem is that many store-bought dressings contain too much sugar or fat, so they cancel out the whole being "healthy" part. One of the best ways to prevent this fom happening is by controlling what goes into your dressing.
In other words, the best way to do this is by making your own salad dressing! If you've never experimented with this before then you're going to love our ideas. They're quite simple and delicious!
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This concept can even apply to your creamy dressings which are usually shunned by healthy eaters everywhere. Yep, you can have your favorite ceasar salad dressing as long as you add essential healthy ingredients first. What makes creating your own dressings so great is the fact that you will save money too! I don't know about you but the fact that it saves me an extra 5 bucks on my groceries can make a big difference.
You'd be surprised the many dressings you can create simply by mixing together some ingredients that you already have at home. From Balsamic, to ranch, to regular olive oil, there are so many to choose from that you can't get bored. Don't be surprised if they taste EVEN better than the store-bought versions!
Below we've come up with some yummy and creative ways to create your own blends at home. Enjoy!
Image via Yummysugar.com
Balsamic Herb Vinaigrette
This classic dressing pairs perfectly with your mixed greens salad and contains lot of herbs which make a big part of the flavoring.
Ingredients:
- 4 cloves of minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves or 1 tablespoon of minced fresh oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves or 1 tablespoon of minced fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Follow this homemade recipe's directions here to create your own version.
Dijon Vinaigrette
This is a great dressing if you like the flavoring of dijon mustard but want to make it into a vinaigrette. It also has garlic which will give it a rich bite.
Ingredients:
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2 cloves garlic, mince1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard
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1 tablespoon lemon juice, or more to taste
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3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
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Salt, to taste
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Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Follow this recipe with your favorite dijon mustard!
Caeser dressing
Ceaser dressing is classic with most salads but they tend to be creamy and fattening which makes it far from healthy. This one is on the lighter side and STILL yummy.
Ingredients:
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1/3 cup 2% Greek yogurt
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2 tablespoons olive oil
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1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese, (plus 1-ounce for sprinkling over the top; optional.)
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2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
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1 small clove garlic, minced
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Juice of ½ lemon
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2 chopped anchovy fillets
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1/8 teaspoon sea salt
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freshly ground pepper, to taste
Follow this easy homemade recipe idea here.
Ranch dressing
As one of the fattiest and creamiest dressings, ranch can be hard to resist. However there is a sneaky way to make ranch dressing healthy. The secret is to add Greek yogurt in place of buttermilk!
- ½ to ¾ cup Plain Full Fat Yogurt or Greek Yogurt
- 1 tsp (or more to taste) of dried dill weed
- Sprinkle of salt and pepper to taste
- 1 small clove of garlic
- 6 TBSP olive oil
- 2 TBSP parmesan
Follow this recipe for a great way to copy the taste of ranch dressing but with a healthier flavoring.
Creamy avocado dressing
Avocado is a healthy fat that is a great base for creamy dressings. You can make them sweet or a little spicy and they are a perfect match for your biggest salad.
Ingredients:
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1 large avocado
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1 Tbsp tahini
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2 tsp tamari
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1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
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2 tsp maple syrup (or agave)
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2 tsp oil (walnut, EVOO, pumpkinseed, other))
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1 small jalapeno, stem removed (if you don't like too spicy – scrape away the seeds)
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a nice amount of fine black pepper – to taste
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fresh herbs: 1/3 cup cilantro or parsley (optional)
Check out the directions to this recipe and another for avocado dressing ideas!
