Healthy salad dressings

I am tired of my lemon, olive oil emulsion dressing... Any good salad dressings I can make a week ahead & take to work in a jar?

Everyday Kosher
  • 3448 views
  • 14 Comments

14 Comments

boymeetsgirlmeetsfood
boymeetsgirlmeetsfood January 19, 2016
Our go to is: EVOO, apple cider vinegar, lemon, honey and mustard. I'll sometimes add garlic or chili to switch it up, but it's a great starting point with tons of flavour!
 
Jona @.
Jona @. January 16, 2016
I usually add some balsamic vinegar to the dressing you are using and a pinch of mustard. I usually don't like mustard, but in here it's quite pleasant ( I am talking about good quality french mustard). I also like the idea of adding avocado to the dressing, makes it super creamy. And then there's the greek yoghurt that makes everything better, even a simple dressing :)
 
sexyLAMBCHOPx
sexyLAMBCHOPx January 14, 2016
How about Avcado salad dressing? http://www.popsugar.com/food/Avocado-Dressing-Recipe-37273847
 
LeBec F.
LeBec F. January 14, 2016
leslie, innovative salad dressings (w/o mayo or dairy) have long been a major interest of mine. Two of mine are among my 52 recipes (click on my name to get to my profile, and scroll through my recipes). A couple of important words: Vinegars
and Oils..There are a vast array of vinegars to play with (including Sherry, Raspberry, Rice, Tarragon, any herb or fruit...) and wines (port, madeira, white and red wine, verjus). Oils incl. walnut, hazelnut, sesame.... And then there are the flavorings like ginger, garlic, assorted mustards, shallots, chives, soy sauce.....As usual, google is your best friend. Just putting in a search for "sherry vinegar and salad dressing" will start the torrents flowing!
 
CanadaDan
CanadaDan January 13, 2016
Miso dressing is delicious and lasts forever...white miso, rice vinegar, honey, peanut or canola oil...super easy and healthy oils plus tons of umami. I also make a great sesame dressing with canola oil, rice vinegar, a little sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds, a little soy sauce and grated ginger and honey, and some garlic powder. Blend it all and strain it to get it smooth, adding water to get to a good consistency. Delicious and nutritious.
 
Everyday K.
Everyday K. January 13, 2016
Sounds delicious thank you
 
HalfPint
HalfPint January 13, 2016
How about a ponzu dressing like this one: https://food52.com/blog/13460-a-good-reason-to-make-your-own-ponzu-put-your-pantry-clean-out-on-hold
 

Voted the Best Reply!

Nancy
Nancy January 13, 2016
The basil buttermilk dressing in the recipe section here.
 
Regine
Regine January 13, 2016
Another good one is adapted from Nordstrom Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette.

Put it all in a blender. 1/3 cup rice or other vinegar + 1/4 cup lime + 2 tbsp honey + 1 tsp garlic + 1/2 tsp kosher salt (remember kosher is less salty than table salt) + 3/4 cup canola oil + 1 cup cilantro.
 
Regine
Regine January 13, 2016
1/4 cup each orange, lemon and grapefruit juice. Simmer till reduced to 1/4 cup. Measure if necessary. Cool a bit then add 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard, 1/4 cup vinegar (a clear one of your choice), 1 minced small shallot. Then whisk 1/2 cup oil (olive or vegetable or canola), 1 1/4 tsp table salt, 1/2 tsp sugar and black pepper to taste. Use 2 tbsp for each 4 oz of salad.
 
Everyday K.
Everyday K. January 13, 2016
Lots of delicious zest I need to try this! Thank you
 
702551
702551 January 13, 2016
Stick with something simple. You can't much healthier than lemon and olive oil.

I keep a jar of homemade dressing at work as well. It's usually balsamic vinegar + olive oil, a little mustard to emulsify. That's almost as healthy as yours. People tend to use more of thicker dressings (to coat the greens), so you should consider avoiding those.

Of course, the best practice for health is portion control of the dressing itself. Just use less dressing. If you are having problems with the coverage on the greens, you might consider adding a bit of water to your dressing, but for sure, you aren't going to get any healthier than lemon juice and olive oil.

Good luck.
 
Everyday K.
Everyday K. January 13, 2016
Thank you sounds yum
 
702551
702551 January 14, 2016
You can use many kinds of acidic liquids in place of the lemon juice, balsamic is just one example. Red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, rice wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar are all examples.

When I make a jar to take to work, I just leave it out at room temperature; it's usually consumed in a week or two. By sticking with a simple dressing, I avoid the need to refrigerate (more of a convenience thing for me than anything else since there is a fridge at my office).

Of course, you can also mix up the oil as well. There are myriad varieties of olive oil and each harvest is different. You can change the flavor profile of your dressing simply by selecting a different olive oil. Some stores will let you taste olive oils, so it's really up to you to investigate this more fully.

I've made my own infused vinegars (tarragon, lemon peel, etc.) before, that's always a change of pace too.
 
Recommended by Food52

Popular on Food52