Make it Yourself — Salad Dressings

Posted by Kelly Davis on 15 March 2011

I have had many salad dressing flops, mainly because I didn’t know how to combine ingredients together to get the right taste.  A great salad dressing has a taste that can stand alone, but also complements the flavors of the vegetables in my salads. I found that by researching salad dressing recipes, following them, learning what flavors go together, creating just the right texture for a light splash of flavor in every bite, I finally got the hang of it. 

So why make your own salad dressing when it’s so easy to pick up a bottle at the grocery store? Well, have you ever read the ingredient list on those bottled dressings? Here’s the ingredient list of one of America’s most popular brands of Ranch dressing:

Vegetable oil, egg yolk, sugar, salt, buttermilk, spices, garlic, onion, vinegar, phosphoric acid, xanthan gum, modified food starch, MSG, artificial flavors, disodium phosphate, sorbic acid, calcium disodium EDTA, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate.

They lost me after vinegar. 

And what about those fat free dressings?  They’ve got to be healthier and more nutritious, right?

Think again. Their ingredient list is even longer and more confusing to make up for the lost flavor when the fat was removed. Here is the ingredient list of the same brand of ranch dressing as listed above, only this is the fat-free version:

Water, Corn Syrup, Maltoexrin Sugar, Modified Food Starch, Buttermilk (Adds A Trivial Amount of Cholesterol), Salt, less than 2% of Vinegar, Garlic Puree, Onion, Garlic (Dried), Green Onion (Dried), Spice, Sour Cream (Cream, Nonfat Milk, Cultures) (Adds A Trival Amount of Cholesterol), Xanthan Gum, Lecthin, Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil and/or Soybean Oil) (Adds A Trival Amount of Fat), Monosodium Gluctamate, Lactric Acid, Phosphoric Acid, Disodium Phosphate With Potassium Sobrate, Sodium Benzoate, Tbh and Calcium Disodium EDTA As Preservatives, Alaph Tocopherol (Vitamin E).

So what’s a salad lover to do?  Here are two quick and easy salad dressings that will make you love eating your veggies and win you over to do-it-yourself salad dressings.

Green Tahini Dressing
This is a stand-alone dressing. The tahini adds a richness that makes this dressing perfect for dressing a simple salad of mixed greens.   

2 Tbsp. Tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
5 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley
4 Tbsp. water
½ tsp. sea salt

Wisk all ingredients together or blend in a blender for a smoother dressing. 

Raspberry Vinaigrette
This dressing goes beautifully with a green salad tossed with fruit like green apples, oranges, or more raspberries. So spring-like and refreshing, you’ll love it!

¼ cup raspberries (can use frozen, but thaw first)
3  Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. grape seed oil (or other neutral tasting oil)
3 Tbsp. water

Mix all ingredients in a blender and serve. 

Be creative! Try others’ recipes and make up your own! It’s so easy and simple. You can make a dressing with something as basic as lemon juice and honey (my favorite). Just think about all of the preservatives and weird ingredients you will be saving yourself from eating — you’ll be happy you did!

Like what you see? Check out Kelly’s blog, foodiefresh.com, for more recipes and ramblings.