Homemade salad dressing..who is making them?

[smilesfor2]

Hey all! I love salads but I also love the dressing, who has a healthy homemade salad dressing? Something that is easy on calories but still tastes good. 

Thank you!!

[tamado]

I honestly love high end olive oils and balsamics.  The better balsamics are glazes (reduced to be thicker and less tart).  I like a nice herb mix on top, often one with roasted garlic.  I usually either eat a taco salad and just use a lot of salsa as a dressing and maybe some guacamole and srirachia to turn it up a notch or I do the oil and balsamic thing.  I like buying them seperate so I can do a very light drizzle of oil and go much heavier with the balsamic saving some fat calories.  

For my Canadian friends, these are my favorites.

http://www.olivtastingroom.ca/Locations

[Mcore]

I have one @smilesfor2! I love this salad dressing since it's different and has an amazing taste. 

Honey-Balsamic vinaigrette:

• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

I bet you will like it very much. Happy Holidays!

[PastorTerryJ]

We were in Truckee yesterday and found a wonderful shop of Olive Oils & Vinegars. "Tahoe Oil & Spice". Using a variety of oils you can use less dressings on your salads. Plus Olive Oil is a healthier alternative to many others.

[smilesfor2]

Are all balsamics created equal? Lol...I guess is there a brand out there thats known for its taste? I'm going to make this over the weekend, thank you!

[PastorTerryJ]

Depending on who is making the vinegar they come in a variety of tastes depending on the imagination. Hope this helps. Terry

[tamado]

I came across this and made it yesterday.  Not as low cal as an oil and balsamic but still pretty reasonable.  I made the salad without chicken as a side dish and absolutely loved it.  I didn't have any dijon so I used some regular mustard and srirachia as I'm not a huge dijon fan anyway and it was amazing!  I can't take credit, it just rolled past my news feed on facebook but I'm glad I grabbed it.

I'm going to use the leftover dressing tonight and make a warm kale mix salad (sautee a mix of kale, brussell sprouts, broccoli, etc) and add the almonds, craisins and this dressing - I think that will be great too.  I've got some plank cut sweet potatoes in the oven and some tenderloins ready to go on the grill as I type.  Eating like this, it's tough to feel like I'm dieting.  I am doing portion control and healthy substitutions but I am finding some amazing flavour and just controlling carbs and fat.  

Happy Eating

Cranberry Avocado Spinach Salad with Chicken and Orange Poppy Seed Dressing

Ingredients
Dressing
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 tsp orange zest
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 2 tsp dijon mustard (I like Emeril's)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp poppy seeds
Salad
• 453 g chicken, grilled
• 255 grams baby spinach
• 2 medium avocados, cored and diced
• 3/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries

[Mcore]

Oh wow @tamado, that sounds really good, specially since it has avocado in it, I love it! Thanks.

[smilesfor2]

This looks great, Thanks so much!

[BrianaElissa]

I use extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar. I love the flavor it gives my salads.

[betpchem]

I saw a Rachel Ray recipe once for oil, balsamic vinegar and a little strawberry jam. I have been known to do that, or I just buy strawberry balsamic vinegar and mix it with a little olive oil. I just bought a blood orange balsamic vinegar and it is delicious. I highly recommend it.

[EmersonFitbit]

@BrianaElissa I really like tangy, almost-sour types of dressings. Do you think I'd be into your combo?

[BrianaElissa]

Yes! However many tablespoons of olive oil I use, I use half of that amount in red wine vinegar. This to me gives it exactly the taste/flavor you're describing. You can always increase the amount of vinegar if that isn't tangy enough for you.

[MonkeyMonkey]

I love making salad dressing.  Pick a vinegar, toss in some herbs and a dab of mustard, olive oil and hit it with the stick blender. I think the secret to really good homemade dressing is a stick blender.  You can really emulsify the dressing and it's so quick.  The downside of homemade is that I never use a recipe, so I can never create the same thing twice. 

If you like creamy dressing....plain greek yogurt mixed with salsa is super yummy on a taco salad. 

[tamado]

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@MonkeyMonkey wrote:

I love making salad dressing.  Pick a vinegar, toss in some herbs and a dab of mustard, olive oil and hit it with the stick blender. I think the secret to really good homemade dressing is a stick blender.  You can really emulsify the dressing and it's so quick.  The downside of homemade is that I never use a recipe, so I can never create the same thing twice. 

If you like creamy dressing....plain greek yogurt mixed with salsa is super yummy on a taco salad. 

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It never gets boring if it's never the same twice :-).  That's the way I always cook.

[Mcore]

You guys are right! Creativity in the kitchen is the best thing to have. I was that type of person who cooked a recipe by the book until my husband, a chef, thought me how to not be scared and try new ingredients while cooking. Now, I love creating new dishes with new ingredients and surprising myself and my hubby with delicious meals.