a salad dressing tutorial

As I am eating healthier I am eating alot more salads. But I am not talking lettuce smothered with ranch dressing, bacon bits, and croutons. I am talking real salads with a variety of fruits, veg, nuts, and whole grains. When you start making these types of salads the old bottled dressings are out. They are expensive, plus they full of things that I do not need in my body. They are usually calorie laden and full of salt and sugar; much of it corn syrup. (Yes, there is corn syrup in many dressings.) You may think that a lite dressing is better, they are usually even more loaded up with sugar and salt to make up for the lack of flavorful oils, not to mention they are all loaded with preservatives. Do yourself a favor and begin experimenting with making your own dressings, your body will thank you.

There was a time when everyone made their own dressing for salads. Now days, many people think that it is something you buy, and making your own seems rather hard and impossible. Nothing is further from the truth. 




Making your own dressing is as easy as 1, 2, 3. 


1. ACID This can be vinegar, lemon, lime, orange etc. I love balsamic vinegar, or rice wine vinegars right now.

2. FAT  This can be olive oil, grape seed oil, sesame oil, pumpkin seed oil, avocado, ground nuts, etc.

3. FLAVORINGS  This can be salt and pepper, garlic, onion, herbs, spices, mustard etc. 
For sweetness, honey, jam, or  maple syrup can do the trick.
for a creamy dressing, Greek yogurt, sour cream, buttermilk or mayo can do the trick

Whisk ingredients together and you have a salad dressing.

The amount of fat to acid can vary upon taste.  I know one of the standards that it taught is 2 parts oil to 1 part acid. I find that I like it a bit less oily, I tend to go equal or even opposite of that with 2 parts acid to one part oil. experiment until you find what you like. Experimenting with flavors is part of the fun in cooking.

Here are some examples of how easy salad dressings can be.


Poppyseed dressing
1 Tablespoons sesame seed
1 Tablespoon poppyseeds
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon very finely chopped or grated onion

whisk or blend together.

This is good served on a bed of spinach and fruit, like strawberries and Mandarin oranges. Top with some nuts, and maybe some Parmesan cheese, it is lovely.


Ranch dressing

1 cup mayo
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tablespoon dried minced onion
1 Tablespoon parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried dill
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Blend ingredients together and serve over your favorite salad




Sesame Ginger Dressing

1 tablespoon sesame seeds  (toasted in a hot skillet if you like)
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 scallion, finely chopped
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1/3 cup canola or other neutral flavored oil
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 Tablespoon honey


whisk or blend everything together in a blender and serve on your favorite salad, or use as a dip for egg rolls etc.

If you have been following the blog for a while, you will remember that I made mustard for Christmas gifts. It is a great addition to our salad dressings.  A link to that post is below

making mustard

Dinner planner has some great salad dressing recipes that are easy to make. The link is below

dinner planner

I hope you will begin to make your own dressings. It is so easy and it makes for very happy taste buds. Happy cooking.