Top 5 Simple Salad Dressing Recipes We Use On The Regular
If you knew how much salad we ate you would think we were crazy.
It has become the foundation for pretty much everything. Pasta, potatoes, rice, beans, tortillas, just everything my friends.
It takes almost no time to prepare, it’s a boss way to pack in a mountain of diverse phytonutrients and get our suggested 30 different veggies a week covered (GAH! that’s a lot of vegetable variety am I right!?), and above all that, salad is delicious…
Especially if you have good dressing!
If you’re just starting out making your own dressings, these will be super doable and you will feel really great about making them. I don’t think making tasty things needs to be complicated or take a lot of work, and making your own salad dressing in a great place to start in the kitchen! It’s a bit like being a mad scientist (why do I always go with mad scientist, why not just a regular scientist?) and a bit like being a boss.
Ugh, I know nobody reads this bit on a recipe blog, so I really have no idea why I wrote it all.😄Never mind!
Get into it!
Basic Balsamic
This is our favourite. We have some made AT ALL TIMES.
½ Cup Olive Oil
½ Cup Balsamic Vinegar - We like to use a good aged one with the most basic ingredients that is deep and dark and delicious. To me the flavour of a good balsamic is happiness. ;D
*Feel free to use ¼ cup balsamic and ¼ cup white wine vinegar if you would like to make it more cost effective.
1 TBSP Dijon Mustard - look for a brand that has really basic ingredients. Mustard seed, vinegar, salt.
1 TBSP Maple Syrup
Pinch of salt and pepper
Feel free to add in other things; like garlic powder or a squished clove of garlic. Or maybe some fresh or dried herbs like basil or thyme or oregano… whatever.
Put all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake it. Shake it like a polaroid picture, hey ya, hey ya… Anyone? I’m weird.
We put this on everything. Seriously, it goes good on pretty much any salad including but not limited to: tuna, chicken, nuts and seeds, simple greens, roasted veggies, eggs, pork, steak or ground beef, beans, hummus, avocado, and salmon.
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Lemon Zing
This is delicious on any kind of slaw type salad, or simple greens that you want to shine like the sun.
½ Cup Olive Oil
Juice From 1 Fresh Lemon (approx ⅓ - ½ cup)
2 TBSP Water (Optional)
1 - 2 TBSP Raw Honey, depending on taste
Salt and Pepper
*(Make this Honey Dijon Dressing by simply adding in an extra 2 TBSP Honey and 1-2 TBSP Dijon Mustard! Feel free to swap 1 TBSP of dijon mustard for regular mustard for that bright yellow vibe. Great with baked chicken strips!)
Put all ingredients in a large jar, or I use the measuring cup that came with my handheld immersion blender and blend until smooth and emulsified.
This goes so good on a simple slaw with shredded carrots, green and red cabbage, thinly sliced apples or mango, and some fresh cilantro or parsley. It’s delicious on chicken and avocado salad, and brings roasted carrots and beets to a whole new level.
Basically put it on anything that you want to taste like the sunshine showed up and gave you a kiss. ;)
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Apple Cider Vinegar For Feeling Like A Boss
This is just a classic. It’s great when you’re just getting into the jam with making salad dressing and want a classic go with everything option. It’s also great for you!
½ Cup Olive Oil
⅓ Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 TBSP Dijon Mustard
1 TBSP Raw Honey
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder. Feel free to use a fresh clove of garlic here if you like, or use a full tsp of the garlic powder. I don’t tolerate garlic very well so need to go gently.
Salt and Pepper to taste (approx ¼ tsp each)
You can also add in any extra herbs you might like. Maybe ¾ tsp of fresh oregano, thyme, or chives? Or use 1/2 tsp if using dried herbs.
I like using the handheld immersion blender for this. Just put all the ingredients in the 2 cup measuring cup that comes with it (or a large mason jar) and blend until smooth. Or try it in a small blender. It really helps create that lovely emulsification of the ingredients.
This dressing goes great with pretty much everything.
It’s sharp and has a zing so it’s great in a salad with apples or other sweet fruit, roasted veggies, or use in a slaw. It’s also delicious with chicken or fish or prawns.
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Creamy Cashew and Herb Dream Dressing
You can make this extra thick like a dip or perfect for a creamy and delicious dressing. Kids love it and so do I.
1 Cup Raw Cashews, soaked for 4 hours, or overnight. If you’re in a real pinch and REALLY want creamy cashew dressing I’ve soaked them for 20 minutes in boiling water in a pinch.
1 Cup water (¾ for dip)
½ Cup Olive OIl
¼ Cup Lemon Juice
1 Cloves Garlic - more if you love garlic!
1 tsp Fresh Thyme
1 tsp Fresh Basil
1 tsp Fresh Oregano
½ tsp Dried Dill
½ tsp sea salt
Drain and rinse soaked cashews. Put all ingredients in a high speed blender.
Blend until smooth and creamy and herb-a-licious. If you would prefer you could add the herbs at the end and pulse until chopped into the mix. This will keep it from going a very light shade of green and instead have flecks of green.
This goes great with all the things. In particular, shredded or sliced chicken on salad, crisp fresh greens and salmon, romain and sliced boiled eggs and crispy bacon.
It’s also a favourite for dipping veggies.
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Herby Goodness - AIP Flavour Maximizer
This is a summer staple. I make lots when fresh herbs are all over the place and just freeze it.
2 Cups Fresh Herbs and/or greens, loosely packed. You can mix this all up any way you like! Try mixing or using any of the following green things: Basil, parsley, chives, cilantro, dandelion greens, kale, arugula, spinach… whatever!
1 - 2 cloves of garlic if you like.
½ Cup Olive oil
¼ Cup White Wine Vinegar, or whatever you have on hand
2 TBSP Lemon Juice, fresh
Salt and pepper to taste
Put all the ingredients in a large mason jar or use your 2 cup immersion blender measuring cup and mash the herbs down. Blend until smooth and like a beautiful splash of summer.
I have tried this recipe in my vitamix and it doesn’t work well, but you might have better results! If you double this it would probably work great in a vitamix.
Now you might have noticed that this is very much like a pesto recipe so feel free to add nuts or seeds of your choice. I like to make it basic like this and then if I want I can chop up some pumpkin seeds or almonds and add them into whatever I’m making.
Serve this over roasted veggies, chicken, steak, egg dishes, any meat and fish really. Drizzle it over salad for a burst of flavour and happiness or splash some on top of your steamed or sauteed veggies.
It became a staple in our house while doing the strict AIP diet because it adds a lovely fresh flavour to all the things.
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There you have it. Simple, easy, and basic. There is nothing fancy or elaborate about any of these; and that’s because these are dressings that I make in a flash on an average day.
These are recipes that I don’t really measure, it’s more about using them as a starting point and working towards a flavour you LOVE.
Maybe you like things less or more sweet, or perhaps you strongly dislike thyme but love basil? Maybe you don’t like dijon but do like the classic turmeric yellow mustard. It’s all good!
Experiment and create your own flavour. Test out new vinegars and see how they taste. Try using pomegranate vinegar in place of ACV or balsamic vinegar. Use avocado oil instead of olive oil for a more mild flavour. Try maple syrup instead of honey…
You get the picture.
Let me know if you try one and if you make and tweaks! I love hearing from you and I’m grateful you’re here.
If you make a delicious salad with one of these dressings please tag me on social media (if that’s your jam) and help me grow this community of happy healthy guts! ;)
Kindness for a lifetime,
Gwen
