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Why purchase bottled dressings that contain low-quality, hard-to-digest oils, empty calories and don’t contribute in a positive way to good health? In just a few minutes you can create delicious dressings that contribute flavor while they enhance the nutritional value of the salads you make.
With these 5 quick and easy salad dressings, you achieve flavor by breaking down food with a blender or by whisking the ingredients into liquids and purees with rich, pleasing tastes and textures.
1—Simple Mango Tomato Dressing/Sauce
There are many types of mangoes. To avoid the ‘stringiness’ of the large ones commonly sold in supermarkets, look for ‘Atualfo’ mangoes, they are smaller and have a cute little curve in them.
Ingredients
1 Roma Tomato, roughly chopped
1 small Mango, peeled, pitted, roughly chopped
Directions
Blend until smooth. Serves 1-2 generously.
Options: you can add a dash of sea salt and a bit of onion or garlic, or for a sweeter taste, a dash of cinnamon, tumeric and or ginger. A bit of flax oil will change the taste and texture of this simple dressing, and allow it to cling to your greens.
2—Fruity French Dressing
This dressing is lovely served with assorted fruits-either used as a dip or drizzled over a fruit appetizer or dessert.
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons fresh-squeezed grapefruit or orange juice
2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons maple sprinkles or date sugar (stevia can be substituted)
Pinch sea salt
6 Tablespoons flax, walnut, or olive oil
Directions
Whisk fruit juices and spices together thoroughly. Gradually add oil. Refrigerate. Yields 3/4 cup.
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3—Bruschetta Sauce
In most Italian restaurants, when bruschetta is ordered we have come to expect toasted rounds of Italian bread topped with chopped raw tomatoes, basil and garlic. But bruschetta actually only means grilled bread. Nonetheless, this tasty tomato topping is called bruschetta because of common usage. Bruschetta is delicious served on vegetable burgers or on loaves, pates, or simply over pasta made from zucchini.
Ingredients
2 cups chopped tomatoes, drained
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
4 Tablespoons chopped basil
Pinch of sea salt
1 garlic clove, finely minced
Pinch of maple sprinkles or other sweetener
Dash of black pepper
Directions
Chop tomatoes. Add the sea salt and drain in a sieve for 15-30 minutes. Place in a bowl, add remaining ingredients and toss. Yields 2 cups. Note: If preferred, seed tomatoes.
4—Daily Flax Dressing
Most people are very deficient in Omega 3 fatty acids; Flax oil is an important vegetarian source of Omega 3. If you are just starting out on a healthy diet or have been told you are deficient, you might want to eat this every day. You can also use Hemp oil, or a combination oil such as Udo’s oil.
Ingredients
4 Tablespoons High Lignan Flaxseed oil (Barlean’s brand recommended)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon Nama Shoyu (similar to Tamari or soy sauce but wheat free)
Optional: ½ teaspoon maple syrup
Directions
Whisk together with a fork. Use immediately over fresh organic baby greens. Serves 1.
note: Maple syrup is not a raw food.
note: For a more gourmet flavor, substitute lemon juice with Balsamic vinegar (not raw)
5—Berry Dressing
This dressing is lovely served with assorted fruits-either used as a dip or drizzled over a fruit appetizer or dessert. Serves 8-10
Adapted from “Raw Food Celebrations” by Shannon and Duruz, this dressing is lovely served with assorted fruits-either used as a dip or drizzled over a fruit appetizer or dessert.
Ingredients
1 Tablespoon lemon zest*
4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
16 Medium strawberries
40 raspberries (fresh or frozen)
4 Tablespoon agave syrup or other sweetener
4 Tablespoons flax oil, hemp oil or extra virgin olive oil
4 fresh basil leaves, chopped
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of fresh ground black pepper (optional)
Directions
Remove lemon zest prior to juicing lemon. Blend all ingredients until smooth.
Note: also very tasty with a salad of greens with some fresh berries thrown
in for a nice surprise
* Zest: The outside, colored part of citrus fruits (lemons, limes, oranges). Using a fine grater, or a tool made for this task called a zester, gently grate just the colorful part of the skin into a bowl. Be careful not to use the white pith, it will taste very bitter.
My simple go-to is as follows:
fresh-squeezed lemons, olive or avocado oil, a small bunch of cilantro leaves roughly hewn, garlic, sea salt and ground pepper. A dash of cayenne gives it a little spice. Either shake it up in a mason jar or pulse in the blender. Voila!