Dressing is one of those things that can make or break your relationship with your salad.
But, when they’re oil-free, guilt-free, delicious, and actually add to the healthy-ness of your salad, then I’d say you’re winning.
Not only is oil a refined food, but it’s also 100% fat, and a huge amount of calories with little nutrients per calorie. We want to get as close to natural, whole foods as possible. So having a dressing that is oil-free will allow you to douse your salads with even more nutrition, rather than taking away from the nutrition of the goods in your bowl (think McDonald’s caesar salad smothered in thousands of empty calories of creaminess… no buenos).
Let’s face it. It’s best if we all make friends with salad.
Salad is packed with raw vegetables, fruits, seeds, you name it, all in their natural, nutrient-dense state. The greens are essential for you and your glowing skin. The digestive enzymes coming from the raw foods in the never-big-enough salad bowl are what will you live that long healthy life. Not to mention the antioxidants boosting your immunity high up on the pedestal.
Salads can either be the most boring part of the meal, oooooorrr they can be the most talked about delicious and most awesome part of the meal. This all depends on the fixin’s and the DRESSING.
If you’re in a conundrum and you cannot, for the life of you, come up with an idea for dinner, all you need to do is dive into your fridge, chop things up, throw them in a bowl, add some seeds (maybe some beans too, if you’re feelin’ it), and pour over one of these yummy dressings (which will be ready and waiting for you in a mason jar in your fridge, am I right?). I get my crispy heads of romaine from www.spud.ca directly to my door step. So local. So easy.
(Use my code CRVAN-MURJUB for 20$ off your first order if you please!)
Make that salad BIG and call it dinner.
DO make friends with sa-lad, do make friends with SA-lad. (Sing it). You get my drift.
These are some of my go-to, oil-free dressings for the massive, mega-salads I love to create.
Each of these can be made ahead, then store in the fridge for salads to come. Each makes enough for about 3 salads!
Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette
This tastes like dessert. A decadent, fancy salad with orange, red onion, arugula, spinach and pine nuts will do the trick.
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette
- 3 tbsp water
Combine in mason jar. Shake it up!
French Lemony Dijon
A go-to easy dressing for your quick weeknight salad. Think chopped avocado, tomatoes, green onion, romaine, red leaf lettuce and pear.
- Juice of 1 large lemon
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 to 1 tsp coconut nectar (or maple syrup)
Combine in mason jar. Shake it up!
Tomango Basil Tango
Fresh, sweet and fruity. Good for a summer salad. Think endives, peaches, green onion, spinach.
- 1 mango
- 1 tomato
- 3 sprigs fresh basil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Blend all together until smooth.
Cheezy Dill Tahini Glory Bowl Dressing
Can be used for a Caesar-like salad, or even for a rice, bean, sweet potato glory bowl.
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 sprigs of fresh dill(or 1 tsp dry)
- 2 tbsp water
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
Blend all together until smooth
Alternatively: Combine water and tahini in jar, make a paste by mashing or wisking. Add rest of ingredients, lid on. Shake it up!
Nutty Ginger Miso Vinaigrette
This is pad-thai-ish. Yummy with some red cabbage, grated carrots, mixed greens, green onion and tomatoe.
- 1.5 tsp organic soy sauce
- t tbsp miso
- t tbsp rice vinegar
- t tbsp coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp almond butter
Blend all ingredients in small food processor, or magic bullet.
Alternatively: Combine water, miso, and almond butter to make a paste with a wisk or fork. Then add the rest of the ingredients in a mason jar. Shake it up!