Dress Your Salad RightJun. 7th

When it gets too hot to cook…don’t. Make a salad. Salads are a no-brainer. Plus, with the abundance of salad greens and fresh veggies at local farmers’ markets, there is no excuse to not eat healthy this summer.

Dressing...Cherry Hemp, Italian, Radical Homemaker, Asian Garlic Chive

Key elements to great salads…

1. Fresh organic greens – lettuce, spinach, arugula, kale, swiss chard, etc… rinsed and dried.
2. Hearty toppings – anything from veggies, beans and grains, to cheese, nuts and fresh fruit.
3. Homemade dressings – such as the ones below.

Believe it or not homemade salad dressing is one of the easiest things one can make. Far more nutritious than the ones you’ll find in the store. The next time you wrap your hand around a pre-made bottle take a look at the ingredients – many use soy and canola oil and maltodextrin (corn)…hello GMOs. Plus, other additives and preservatives you simply don’t need to put into your body. Once you start making your own, you’ll never go back.

The basic recipe for most dressings is three-parts oil to one-part vinegar. Salad dressing can also be used on cold grain and pasta salads as well. My preference is to make enough to fill a jar…so all we need to do is whip it out and pour it on.

Radical Homemaker House Dressing
This is so good! Great for salads, a must for kale – Jen’s favorite!
1 cup Stolor Organics Sunflower Oil
1 tablespoon Lakewood Pure Lemon Juice
1 tablespoon Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Vinegar or Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar
2-4 cloves organic garlic (mince if not using mini blender)
½ tablespoon Simply Organic Onion Powder
½ tablespoon Simply Organic Garlic Powder
1-2 tablespoons Bragg Nutritional Yeast
½ teaspoon Eden French Celtic Sea Salt
Combine all ingredients in a mini blender or jar; mix to combine. Store leftovers in fridge.

Asian Garlic Chive Dressing
Toast some sesame seeds for added flair, delicious on salad, asparagus and fiddle heads.
1 cup Stony Brook Delicata Squash Oil (takes similar to sesame oil)
1 tablespoon Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Vinegar or Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tablespoon Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Aminos
½ – 1 tablespoon Dawes Hill Honey Wildflower Honey
2-4 cloves organic garlic (mince if not using mini blender)
¼-½ cup organic garlic chives (chop if not using mini blender)
Combine all ingredients in a mini blender or jar; mix to combine. Store leftovers in fridge.

Italian House Dressing
Have you tried Italian Quinoa Salad? If not, you should…
1 cup Bionaturae Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼-½ cup Bionaturae Balsamic Vinegar
2-4 cloves organic garlic (mince if not using mini blender)
½ teaspoon Simply Organic Black Pepper
½ teaspoon Simply Organic Onion Powder
½ teaspoon Simply Organic Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Simply Organic Italian Seasoning (or fresh oregano, parsley, sage, thyme, basil and rosemary)
½ teaspoon Eden French Celtic Sea Salt
Combine all ingredients in a mini blender or jar; mix to combine. Store leftovers in fridge.

Cherry Hemp Dressing
A must for Beet Slaw…
1 cup Nutiva Hemp Oil
¼ cup Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Vinegar or Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar
6-8 tablespoons Food for Thought Cherry Honey Mustard
2-4 cloves organic garlic (mince if not using mini blender)
½ teaspoon Eden French Celtic Sea Salt
Combine all ingredients in a mini blender or jar; mix to combine. Store leftovers in fridge.

If you need other ideas check out our Pinterest Board “Salads” or Salad Pride – a blog dedicated to…salads!