Homemade Salad Dressings Made Easy

Food Kuel Category Expert: Janet Neustedter

Salads!  It is summer and salads are so popular! The weather is hot and hot food just doesn’t sound appealing.

“salad dressing is a SIMPLE combination of a fat and an acid with other flavors thrown in”

I have heard from many that buying a prepared salad is a preference to making your own. The stigma of making the salad dressing seems to be a major block for many people.

I am here to tell you that a salad dressing is a SIMPLE combination of a fat and an acid with other flavors thrown in.

My Basic Salad Dressing:

Olive oil (bought from the local merchant) and either a white balsamic or dark balsamic vinegar. To that some Dijon mustard for spice, a little sea salt and pepper. 

• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup balsamic
• 1 Tbs Dijon
• Sea Salt and Pepper

Additions & Alternatives

“Make sure your oils are not 6 months (or years) old!”

The acid element can be switched to citrus, such as lemon or orange. Want to make it creamy? Add 1 Tbs of avocado mayonnaise (not a mayonnaise with vegetable, soy, or canola oil). 

The fat – the oil – can be olive, coconut or avocado. Make sure your oils are not 6 months (or years) old! Get a good brand that you love.

To make it a little more of an effort? Add 1 Tbs diced shallot, 1 clove garlic, and grab some fresh herbs such as basil, rosemary or thyme.

Need a marinade? Make a little extra salad dressing and then sprinkle it on fish for 30 minutes prior to cooking or on some chicken.

Use spices like chipotle and make a delicious chipotle vinaigrette.

Add Healthy Fats And Creaminess

Blend an avocado then:

• 1 Tbs avocado mayonnaise
• ¼ cup olive oil,
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard,
• dash of cayenne,
• sea salt and pepper

Use that beautiful creamy dressing for coleslaw!

Join Janet In Her Kitchen

Enjoy this video of me showing you how to make a Ceasar Salad dressing!

 

About the Author:

Janet is a restaurant trained chef, who has always had a healthy cooking interest. After being exposed to the term Functional Medicine, Janet became energized with the connection of food being medicine and food potentially being harmful (in the case of allergies). That connection inspired her to become certified in Functional Medicine Health Coaching. Functional Medicine is about identifying and addressing the root cause of diseases. Food is often a part of that link. People with stomach “issues” may just need a simple adjustment in the food they eat to have less pain. People trying to lose weight can do it without 100 burpees or running marathons. As a certified Functional Medicine coach, she helps clients identify what foods can help meet specific health goals. You can learn more about Janet on her site – Here4You.