Salads can be one of the healthiest meals as long as they’re made properly. It’s all about what goes in and on top of it.

The basics to a great salad are:

1. Variety of greens for nutrients and flavor
2. Lean protein to stay fuller, longer
3. Tiny bit of cheese for calcium
4. Colorful variety of veggies for vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants
5. Small amount of nuts or seeds for crunch and healthy fat
6. And last but not least - an oil-based dressing

At restaurants, you’ll often get a beautiful salad with lots of seasonal veggies, but if you don’t pick the right dressing, your salad could have just as many calories and saturated fats as that BBQ Burger you passed up for the salad!

And if you’re making your salad at home with a store-bought dressing you could also be getting a dose of chemicals, fats, salts, sugars, and artificial colors. YUCK! No one signed up to put that on their salad.

GOOD NEWS!

It’s sooooo easy to make your own dressing. Once you get the formula down - you’ll be on your way to creating your very own healthy and delicious signature dressings!

Here’s my secret dressing formula and my 3 favorite homemade dressings. Try them out and let me know what you think in the comments below or make your own and share the recipe with all of us salad dressing lovers! Have fun!

So the basics are to get a 3:1 oil-to-acid ratio and then toss in a little extra for sweetness, flavor, and so forth. You can fun with these as there are some great options to choose from.

• For oils: I like extra virgin olive oil, grapeseed oil, sesame oil, avocado oil, and nut oils.
• For acids: I like red wine vinegar, white balsamic vinegar, balsamic vinegar, rice vinegar, sherry, and lemon juice.
• For extras: I like fresh herbs like basil and mint, garlic, shallots, ginger, soy sauce, tahini, and mustards. Sometimes I’ll throw just a touch of sweetener in there too by using honey or agave.

Garlic Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• 1 garlic clove, smashed, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon agave
• salt & pepper, to taste

Directions: Place all ingredients in glass jar and cover, letting garlic infuse for at least 5 minutes. Shake it up and pour it on. A little goes a long way, so you can get 2-3 servings from this recipe. Dressing will keep for one week in refrigerator.

Orange Poppy Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 Tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
• salt, to taste

Directions: Place all ingredients in glass jar, cover, and shake well. Makes 3-4 servings. Dressing will keep for one week in refrigerator.

Oregano Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2.5 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1.5 teaspoons dried oregano
• pinch of red pepper flakes

Directions: Place all ingredients in glass jar, cover, and shake well. Makes 4 servings. Dressing will keep for one week in refrigerator.

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Also check out my latest video where I make Lime Garlic Vinaigrette! -> Click here to Watch!

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