Homemade Salad Dressing

You have probably realized by now, I eat a lot of salads.  Typically one of my meals each day is a main course salad...nothing boring of course!

You may have also noticed, I don't buy salad dressing from the store…ever…I always make my own. It's so easy! This way I don't get stuck with a whole bottle of dressing that I may or may not like, I can change the flavor with each salad (which I think makes eating salads more interesting and delicious), and I get to decide what ingredients get used.  And did I mention it's easy?

I mostly make vinaigrettes (with oil, vinegar, and seasonings) ...sometimes I replace the vinegar with another acid (lemon, lime, or orange juice). The type of oil, vinegar (or citrus juice), and seasonings I use varies depending on the type of salad that I am making.  For example:

Mediterranean - olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper
Asian - canola oil and peanut/sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, honey, salt or soy sauce, cilantro, ginger
Mexican - lime juice, canola oil, cumin, cilantro, salt and pepper

   

The possibilities are endless.  Some of my favorites from DG include:

Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette
Strawberry Vinaigrette
Lemon Balsamic Vinaigrette
Creamy Feta-Red Wine Vinegar Dressing …one of my FAVES!
Lemon-Oregano Vinaigrette

Most chefs would recommend using a 3:1 or 2:1 ratio of oil to vinegar...that would make for a dressing that is higher in calories and fat than I want on a daily basis. I use a 1:1 ratio...if I use 1/4 cup of vinegar I also use 1/4 cup of oil.  And I try to only use 2-3 tablespoons of dressing or less for a good sized salad (per person).

For a basic dressing made with 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard (plus salt and pepper) the nutrition info would look like this:

Per 2 tablespoons - 112 cal, 12 g fat (2 g saturated); counted as 2.5 fat exchanges

It may seem like a lot of fat, but its healthy (unsaturated) fat and this is where I choose to get my fat from each day (along with nuts/nut butter, fish, avocado, eggs, and some dairy). We all need fat to stay healthy. If you buy fat-free everything you may not be getting enough fat in your diet and your body won't be able to function efficiently.
 
 

All of the following recipes are for salad dressings...a few are higher in fat/calories than others, but all are healthy. Some have several ingredients, some only have a few.

Honestly, I don't follow a recipe - I use the 1:1 ratio and then add what ever I feel like adding.  I typically make salad dressing by shaking all of the ingredients in a small jar (I save mustard jars or small jelly jars).

I keep on hand several oils (sesame, olive, canola, walnut), vinegars (red wine, white wine, balsamic, rice wine, apple cider, sherry) and mustards (Dijon and whole grain), plus lemons...this way I can make a variety of dressings all the time.

For some of the recipes I've provided a link to a salad that the dressing can be paired with, but you could easily create your own.

And if you do buy bottled dressing, read here for the best ones.

Dijon-Lemon Vinaigrette -

• Per 2 tablespoons - 50 calories, 4.8 g fat (0.6 g saturated), 2 g carbohydrate, 0.2 g protein (exchanges: 1 fat)
• Notes - This is a great base for other vinaigrettes…experiment by adding other vinegars, juices, spices, herbs, etc
• Can be used with:
  - Seared Tuna Salad with Lemon-Caper Vinaigrette and Feta Quesadillas
  - Cheddar-Jalapeño Quesadilla Salad with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette
  - Lemon-Rosemary Chicken Quesadilla Salad with Shallot-Mustard Vinaigrette
  - Flank Steak-and-Blue Cheese Quesadilla Salad

Honey Vinaigrette -

• Per 2 tablespoons - 52 calories, 3.8 g fat (0.6 g saturated), 4.4 g carbohydrate, 0.4 g protein (exchanges: 1 fat)
• Can be used with:
  - Garden Salad with Honey Vinaigrette

Green Goddess Dressing -

• Per 2 tablespoons - 30 calories, 2 g fat, 2 g carbohydrate, 1 g protein (exchanges: 1/2 fat)
• Can be used with:
  - Tomatoes with Green Goddess Dressing

Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette -

• Per 2 tablespoons - 19 calories, 1 g fat (0 g saturated), 1 g carbohydrate, 0 g protein (exchanges: free food)
• Notes - Use caution when blending hot mixtures…make sure you leave the lid slightly open to let hot air escape

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette -

• Per 2 tablespoons - 106 calories, 12 g fat (2 g saturated), 2 g carbohydrate, 0 g protein (exchanges: 2 1/2 fat)

Creamy Caesar Dressing -

• Per 2 tablespoons - 52 calories, 3.6 g fat (0.4 g saturated), 3.2 g carbohydrate, 1.6 g protein (exchanges: 1 fat)
• Can be used with:
  - Caesar Salad with Bagel Croutons

Balsamic Vinaigrette -

• Per 2 tablespoons - 37 calories, 1.7 g fat (0.2 g saturated), 5.8 g carbohydrate, 0.3 g protein (exchanges: 1/2 fat)
• Can be used with:
  - Balsamic Vinaigrette Chicken over Gourmet Greens

Lagniappe...

Here is an interesting article on the history of our relationship with fat.