You take your time in the produce section of the grocery store, carefully selecting fresh ingredients to make a healthy and delicious salad. Next, you get the produce home and take the time to wash and cut it.
Then, you select just the right ingredients to concoct the perfect salad mixture to please your tastebuds and stay on track with your clean-eating goals at the same time.
Now it’s time to add the dressing. This is the most important step! Why? Because it can ROCK or RUIN the health of your salad!
THE PROBLEM WITH COMMERCIAL SALAD DRESSINGS
Have you ever looked at the labels of the prepackaged salad dressings sold in stores? Typically, the list of ingredients is extremely long and full of words you won’t even recognize.
Not only do these dressings tend to be loaded with processed ingredients and chemical preservatives, they are also drowning in sugar, unhealthy fat and sodium. Once you dump these dressings on top of your carefully-crafted salad, the health benefits are basically ruined. WHAT A RIP-OFF!
To avoid this, I recommend making your own delicious salad dressing with simple, healthy ingredients.
My favorite DIY salad dressing recipes are easy, delicious and customizable. Plus, they help save you money and prevent waste by allowing you to only making dressing when you need it. SCORE!
STEP 1: CHOOSE YOUR BASE
Your DIY salad dressing will be based with oil, vinegar or water. Or, you can use a combination of the 3 depending on your liking.
Don’t worry, I’m hooking you up with several recipes below. But first, I want to show you that it’s easy to customize your dressing and make a nice variety using the options below:
- Oil base
- Avocado Oil
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil (WARNING! There are many EVOO imposters on the market. Be sure to buy a pure, high-quality EVOO like this one.)
- Sesame Oil (Great for an Asian flare.)
- Vinegar base
- Apple Cider Vinegar (Make sure to buy ACV like this that’s raw, unpasteurized and states “with the mother” on the label.)
- Balsamic vinegar (Invest in balsamic vinegar like this with no preservatives.)
- Red Wine Vinegar
- White Wine vinegar
- Rice Vinegar
- Water base
STEP 2: CHOOSE YOUR FLAVORS
After you’ve decided on a base, you’ll choose the flavors you’d like in your dressing.
Citrus
If you’d like to add a citrus flare to your dressing, you can use freshly squeezed lemons, limes or oranges. If you’re not a fan of fresh squeezing or you don’t want to worry about having fresh citrus on-hand, you can buy bottled juice that’s organic and 100% pure:
Sauces
- Dijon Mustard
- Honey Mustard
- Coconut Aminos (Tastes like soy and tempura sauces, but it’s healthy!)
Sweeteners
STEP 3: CHOOSE YOUR HERBS & SPICES
Below are my favorite spices to use when making my own salad dressing. It’s important to invest in organic spices to avoid toxic chemicals like pesticides and herbicides. Also, I recommend buying your spices in bulk to save money:
DIY RECIPES & PREPARATION
The following DIY recipes are MUCH easier to prepare with a salad dressing shaker that has a pour spout. I use and love this one. I also like these dressing containers for taking my salad dressings and other toppings on the go!
Now it’s time for some recipes! As you read them, keep in mind that you can add or subtract ingredients to your liking. You can also play with the amounts to accommodate the number of people you’re serving.
If you have leftover dressing, it will keep for around 3 days in the refrigerator. You’ll need to shake it well before reusing it, as the ingredients will settle.
Asian Ginger Vinaigrette (makes about 4 servings)
- 2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Tablespoons of Rice Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons of Coconut Aminos
- 1/2 Teaspoon of Sesame Oil
- 1/2 Teaspoon of Pure Maple Syrup or Raw Honey
- 1/2 Teaspoon of Garlic Granules or 1/2 a Garlic Clove Finely Chopped
- 1/2 Teaspoon of Ginger Powder or 1/2 Piece of Fresh Gingher Peeled & Finely Chopped
Balsamic Vinaigrette (makes about 4 servings)
- 3 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 Tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice
- 1/2 Teaspoon of Pure Maple Syrup or Raw Honey
- 1 Tablespoon of Dijon Mustard
Kandi’s Super Simple Spicy Honey Mustard Dressing (makes about 2 servings)
- 1 Tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon of Honey Mustard
- 1 Tablespoon of Filtered Water
- 1/2 Teaspoon of Pure Maple Syrup or Raw Honey
- 1/4 Teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
- Salt & Pepper to Taste
Kandi’s Super Simple Cumin Vinaigrette (makes about 3 servings)
- 1 Tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon of Lime Juice
- 1 Tablespoon of Dijon Mustard
- 1/2 Teaspoon of Cumin
- Salt & Pepper to Taste
Kandi’s Super Simple Apple Cider Vinaigrette (makes about 3 servings)
- 3 Tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon of Purified Water
- 1 Tablespoon of Coconut Sugar
- 1/2 Tablespoon of Garlic Granules
- Salt & Pepper to Taste
Lime-Basil Vinaigrette (makes about 3 servings)
- 3 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Tablespoons of Lime Juice
- 2 Tablespoons of Dijon Mustard
- 3 Finely Chopped Basil Leaves
- Salt & Pepper to Taste
Orange-Lemon Vinaigrette (makes about 3 servings)
- 2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Tablespoons of Orange Juice
- 2 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice
- 1 Teaspoon of Dijon Mustard
- 1 Teaspoon of Raw Honey or Pure Maple Syrup
OTHER HEALTHY DRESSING OPTIONS
If you’re not a fan of oil, vinegar or water-based dressings or if you just don’t feel like making your own, I’ve got you covered!
Below are my favorite healthy options for ready-to-go salad dressings that you’ll want to have in your kitchen anyway, because you can use them for many other things:
- Organic Guacamole
- Organic Hummus – click here for my favorite DIY recipe
- Organic Mustard
- Organic Salsa
WANT TO SAVE MONEY ON HEALTHY PANTRY STAPLES LIKE THOSE FOUND IN THESE RECIPES?
You can save a nice chunk of change on healthy pantry staples by getting a membership to an online marketplace called Thrive Market. Their prices are an average of 35% cheaper than retail. (Think Whole Foods selection meets Costco pricing.)
Everything is delivered right to your door instead of you having to hunt around for what you need. SCORE! Click here to learn more.
Cheers to enjoying salad dressing that’s healthy, natural and delicious!
With love and gratitude,
Kandi
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