Healthy Homemade Salad Dressings

truebff

Hi! I just wigged out when I saw soy in so many of my foods, so I am finding the joy of homemade salad dressings is pretty cool! And I have more to learn!

I would love it if anyone has a favorite soy-free salad dressing they want to share here.

jacee

Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette



1/4 c. Balsamic vinegar

1-2 T. Brown sugar

1 T. Chopped garlic

1/2 t. Salt

1/2 t. Freshly ground pepper

3/4 c. Olive oil



Beat vinegar in bowl with sugar! Garlic, salt and pepper till sugar dissolves. Then slowly add oil while whisking.

Kicks

Red cole slaw dressing (Southern). Could be used on any salad.



Catchup
Mayo
Sour Cream

Vinegar

Pinch of cane sugar

Garlic salt (I like Lawry's) or Seasoned Salt (Lawry's)

A bit of horseraddish

Powdered mustard or Dijon/English/Chinese/etc. (Whatever real mustard you like/have

but not 'American baby poop')

A bit of olive oil to get it to 'stick'.



I don't have exact measurements as I just use some of this and that and taste and make adjustments to taste as needed. Catchup/mayo/sour cream are approx equal amounts but again it's to taste.

apple

I actually rarely 'make' a dressing.

I add fresh herbs and garlic to the top of the salad.. salt and pepper and a mixture of oil (olive oil a fancy nut oil, sesame oil  and an acid - a bit of flavored  vinegar, lemon or lime juice and then toss. 

It is usually good.  If i want an emulsifier i usually start with dijon mustard and add oil and vinegar.

I also love lemon juice, milk, a bit of mayo and fresh herbs.. it's surprisinglylight and delish. you can use yogurt  instead of the lemon juice and milk.

LuvRVing

I just checked my box of Good Seasons Italian, no soy in the packages.  Just add your favorite oil and vinegar along with a bit of water.  My grandkids are fussy - this is the only salad dressing they will touch...lol.

truebff

These are great! Keep them coming!

I found soy in my old-fav raspberry-vinegar dressing  so when I threw it out, I sort of started playing around and below is one of my first experiments:

(Like Kicks I didn't really measure.)

2 TBSps (approx) of Walnut oil (so good for you and tasty and meant for non-cooked recipes)

about twice and a half that (approx. - to taste) of rice vinegar (in the cupboard and hadn't tried it yet -but one recipe I looked up said if you didn't have raspberry vinegar, substitute this and it did turn out to be pretty good!)

1/2-1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (good kind)

pepper

grated lemon peel (a little)

a spoonful of chopped up stewed tomatoes

a few dabs of Whole Foods sun-dried tomato fat-free marinade (in cooler section)

mix-mix-mix

>mad scientist with good ingredients<

glostagirl

In addition to soy there are many preservatives, hidden salt, sugar and even gluten in prepared dressings.  Once you get used to making your own dressing you'll never go back to packaged dressing.  

Apple I love to make salads that way too.  I have a salad bowl that is more of a deep V shaped bowl, I throw all my dressing ingredients in, mix them about with a fork or small wisk, add the salad ingredients and just before serving toss it all together, works really well. 

Here's one of my favorite simple fancy dressings, awesome on a simple salad of romaine or bib lettuce and red onions. 

Orange & Blue Cheese Dressing

Add to a blender or food processor 

3/4 cup tarragon vinegar

1-1/2 cups good EV olive oil

a small package of blue cheese

half an orange with peelings.  Using a vegetable peeler, peel the orange skin ~ toss in blender, peel the remaining thick skin off and discard. 

some celery seed, white pepper and salt to taste

Blend until smooth (I sometimes save out a little of the cheese, crumble it up and add it at the end so it's still a bit chunky, just my preference)

I have to go get some work done; but will soon post a wonderful recipe for homemade marinated mushrooms. 

Claire_in_Seattle

I don't understand why anyone would buy commercial salad glop.  Never did.  Most of it has vile stuff in it, or is made of inferior ingredients. 

It's so easy to mix up one part balsamic to two parts extra virgin olive oil.  You can add Dijon mustard, and you can add dried herbs if you want.  But not necessary.  I have a screw top bottle I keep for this purpose.  When I make a salad, I give it a shake and put dressing on top of the salad.  Then mix.

Having said this, I do admit I like Girl and the Fig dressing, but super expensive.  So I made my own the other day.  Same ratio of oil/vinegar with extra Dijon, and some fig jam.  It was amazing on my steak salad.

Mayonnaise is a different story.  My ex got the mayonnaise maker.  Making that from scratch is DANGEROUS.  Yes, it's the best mayo you have ever tasted, and that is the problem.  You should not be eating the whole batch.  I buy a good quality to keep portions to something sensible.

Anyway, glad salad season is here!

truebff

I'd love to know what kind of mayo is good and where to buy.

But, also how to make it.

I tried to make my own once (after realizing soy was in my brand-bad!) and it was a huge huge mess and I used the wrong kind of oil and it didn't taste so good either and also made too much, which only lasts about 4-5 days...

So if anyone has a small, fairly easy, or at least great tasting mayo recipe...

I'd Love It!

PS My husband found this 12 year old aged raspberry vinegar and it is so dense it goes a long, long way. I made a dressing with two parts walnut oil, one part raspberry vinegar, one part rice vinegar, two parts water, pepper and spices, and Dijon mustard.

Blessings2011

Love the taste of balsamic vinegar, but unfortunately, I can't have it because it contains sulfites.

I am sensitive to any type of preservatives - sulfites, nitrites, nitrates, and other additives such as MSG. They bring on symptoms such as asthma and itching, and migraine auras and visual disturbances.

The sulfites in balsamic vinegar occur naturally, as it is made from wine.

But if you are sensitive, you may want to watch out.

Goodie

Most commcercial mayos have soybean oil in them!  Whole Foods store brand does not!  Check your labels.  Also, vegetable oil is usually soybean oil too.  I am amazed at all of the foods that thay some type of soy in them!  Ugh.  Even triscuits!  but Kashi has one that doesn't have soybean oil! 

 Here's a ranch dip/dressing:

1 cup mayo

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp dried chives

1/2 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp dried dill weed

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

Mix all together and let flavors blend.  I ususally add a little milk/half & half to thin out if I'm using it as a salad dressing.  It is an awesome dip! 

truebff

Goodie, What kind of mayo (without soy oil) do you use? I am having trouble finding a mayo that is any good without soy oil.

glostagirl

A popular mayo in New England is Cain's, it's made with Canola oil.  Don't know if it's available everywhere.  

Edited to add recipe.

Years ago I used to make my own mayonnaise, but now I'm concerned about the raw egg.   Here's a recipe and a few hints for making it.  Most important is to use really good ingredients, especially the olive oil, it's gotta be a good one, and your egg should be as fresh as you can get.

Mayonnaise

1 egg 

1/2 tsp sea salt (regular salt is ok)

1/2 tsp dry mustard

2 tsp cider vinegar

1-1/2 TBS lemon juice

1/8 tsp Tabasco or dash of Cayenne pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup vegetable oil  (your favorite)

if needed: 1 TBS hot water

Put the first 6 ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.  With the blender still on, gradually pour in all the oil in a smooth, steady stream. If the mayo starts becoming thick immediately push it down with a spatula.  Continue blending at high speed until all the oil is emulsified.  Add the TBS of hot water is the sauce shows signs of separating.  Store in the frig, does not keep long.  Makes about 1-1/2 cups.

All ingredients should be at room temp, so take your egg and lemon out of the frig well in advance.  The egg must be beaten to a creamy consistency before the oil is added.  Lastly, if you blend it too long it will get thin again.  Much like beating egg whites, there's a point of no return!

Add some fresh herbs or pesto to your mayo ~ yum.  

  

glostagirl

Marinated Mushrooms

1 lb. fresh white or baby Bella mushrooms

1-1/2 cups water & 1-1/2 cups cider or white vinegar

1 TBS. pickling spice

Dressing:

2-1/2 TBS EVOO

1/4 tsp basil, crushed

1/4 tsp oregano, crushed

pinch of thyme 

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped 

salt & pepper to taste 

Wash & trim the mushrooms, if large cut them in half.  Put them in a non-aluminum pan and cover with equal parts H20 & vinegar. Add the pickling spices in a muslin or cheesecloth bag.  

Cover the pot and bring to a boil, boil for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat, leave mushrooms covered for an hour or two.

Drain & rinse, pat dry.  Put them in a bowl and toss with the dressing ingredients.  Can be served chilled or room temp. Great added to a salad.

I often make these to bring to parties, they are quickly gobbled up and I'm always asked for the recipe.  I've made these so often I don't usually measure the ingredients, a few things I've learned is to not over do the garlic, fresh or dried herbs work equally well, you can use just about any kind of vinegar (I prefer cider) and you don't need to add vinegar to the dressing because the mushrooms absorb enough in the cooking.  Also, I usually double the recipe, because the mushrooms shrink up quite a bit when cooked.  I've had marinated mushrooms that weren't cooked and they're bland compared to these.  These will keep for a good while in the frig, they actually get better with time.  In a cute little jar they make a nice hostess gift.

If you don't have pickling spice you can make your own blend with cloves, peppercorns, mustard seeds, cinnamon, rosemary and bay.   

Bon Appetit 

SpecialK

Easy salad dressing - equal parts red wine vinegar, dijon mustard and olive oil.  Salt and pepper can be added, but I don't find it necessary. You can also add garlic and/or herbs of choice, or use white wine or champagne vinegar.

Here is a link to a homemade mayo recipe:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Homemade-Mayonnaise-241868

dlb823

Bolthouse Farms makes some really good salad dressings.  One I have on hand now is Extra Virgin Olive Oil Vinaigrette, made with a base of apple juice, a short list of recognizable ingredients, and only 30 calories in 2 Tbs.      

truebff

Oh Ladies, I love your recipes and suggestions!

IslandGirl50

Can't wait to give these a try!

glostagirl

How about sharing our favorite summer salads, with home made dressings of course!

Islandgirl...Love your avatar!  Looks like Francis Bay, St. John.  Mine is Gloucester, MA

IslandGirl50

Glostagirl - it's Trunk Bay, St John. Love that place!

Momine

I usually do what Apple does. But sometimes I put a bunch of parsley, clove garlic, juice of a lemon and olive oil, salt and pepper in the blender. It can be used as a cold sauce on fish or chicken or as a salad dressing.



Another easy salad is to slice raw mushrooms, white or portobello, thinly (I use the processor), the toss with salt, pepper, squeezed garlic, balsamic and a little olive oil. Some finely chopped parsley is nice too. It will keep well for several days and is nice as a salad/condiment with many things or on top of baby spinach.

Momine

Today's salad: arugula, artichoke hearts, cold chicken, a little feta, sliced hazel nuts, lemon juice and olive oil, salt and pepper. It was good and filling.

nancyjac

I never use bottled store bought salad dressings.  Home made salad dressing is so easy, way cheaper, and way better for you.  I don't keep track of salad dressing recipes per se, but here is my rule of thumb for salad dressings:

 Yogurt

Vinegar

Fruit jucie

With these 3 ingredients you can make an infinite variety of salad dressings.  Use flavored or plain yogurt, fat free or lite versions if you like.  If you like a creamier dressing, use more yogurt and less fruit juice.  Use any type of vinegar.  Use any type of fruit juice.  If you like a tart dressing, use more vinigar, if you like a sweeter dressing use more fruit juice and less vinegar.  Optional ingrediets to taste:  EVOO, including flavored ones infused with fruits or herbs, herbs and spices, fresh or dry. capers, minced veggies such as onions, peppers, spinach, etc.

 I use a similar rule of thumb for dips and home made hummus:

Beans and/or yogurt

Vinegar 

Oil

Same theory.  Any type of beans and/or yogurt, any type of vinegar and oil.  Puree beans and vinegar and other liquid (water, lemon juice, broth) together and then stir in any desired herbs, spices, hot sauce, and oil.  Use more or less liquid to make desired consistancy.  You can use this as a base for soups and salad dressings as well by simply thinning with water or broth.

There are quite a few additional things that I nerver buy pre-made because it is just as easy and certainly less expensive, heathier, and better tasting to make your own.

beegee

These are such great recipes and ideas!  Will be giving many of them a try.  Here's what I do for a quick easy easy dressing.  About a tsp each vinegar and honey, and a little squirt of mustard--that's it.

jenn333

I always keep a batch of this in the fridge:



1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tsp dried onion

1/4 tsp paprika

1-2 tbsp brown sugar



Put it all together in a leak proof container and give it a good shake.

leggo

Don't know the exact amounts, just add together 'til they taste good.

olive oil, dijon mustard, lots of garlic, lemon juice. Delicious on greens and pasta salads.