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Looking for a super easy way to increase your intake of dark leafy greens and vegetables? I personally think that having a go-to collection of sensational homemade salad dressing recipes could just be the ultimate answer…
If you are familiar with Clean Cuisine or have read our Clean Cuisine book, you already know salads, vegetables and greens play a foundational role in our anti-inflammatory nutrition program. And since Clean Cuisine is also purposely rich in flavor-enhancing anti-inflammatory and phytonutrient-rich herbs and spices and because we definitely do not advocate a “fat free” or “low fat” way of eating, our daily salad is always dressed to the max with one of our homemade salad dressing recipes.
From Ho-Hum….to YUM!
In more cases than not, I’ve found that it is really the dressing that makes (or breaks!) the salad. When a salad is properly dressed, every single ingredient is enhanced. Not only does a good dressing help lettuce come alive and make the vegetables taste sweeter, but it totally transforms the texture and “mouthfeel” of the entire salad.
While the word “mouthfeel” might just seem like a mouthful, it really is a very important component in whether or not a food tastes good or bad. In order to have a desirable “mouthfeel”, a food must contain fat or oil. In fact, because of the fat-free fiasco back in the 80’s and 90’s, food studies were done showing that people rated “low-fat” or “fat-free” foods as less desirable. In order for a salad to really taste good….and in order for you to want to actually eat it… you need to add some fat.
Since bacon bits are not exactly “Clean Cuisine, homemade salad dressing recipes (and Salad “Boosters“) are my answer to adding healthful fats to my salads.
As important as I feel a delicious dressing is to adding the finish touch to a salad, the good news is you don’t need to spend very much time making one. In fact, making any of the homemade salad dressing recipes below is often less complicated than chopping up all of the salad ingredients!
As long as you use a high-quality stable oil, such as a really good extra virgin olive oil, you can make and keep your homemade salad dressing recipes for four to five days if stored in a glass jar (by the way, my favorite way to store my dressings is in the Ball-Heritage Collection, pictured left).
What About Using Bottled Salad Dressing?
Unfortunately, I have yet to discover a truly great mass-marketed bottled salad dressing that I can confidently recommend.
It’s not just that bottled salad dressings don’t taste all that good, the low-quality and refined/ highly processed oils used to make them are highly pro-inflammatory. I actually did an entire article explaining the many issues associated with the refined / highly processed oils found in conventional bottled salad dressings. Click HERE to read more.
“Whole Fat” Sources of Fat Yield Rich & Creamy Results
In some instances I either do not use any oil at all (such as in the Creamy Italian Salad Dressing recipe below) and instead rely on “whole fat” sources such as avocado, raw nuts or raw seeds in order to make a creamy dressing. In addition to the amazing texture they provide, raw “whole fats” have an even better nutritional profile than the highest quality oil. Click HERE to read more.
Having a high speed blender (my favorite is Vitamix) is a huge help if you really want to get into making rich and creamy homemade salad dressing recipes.
5 Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes to Try…
I promise that once you see how easy it is to make your own, you will never buy another bottled salad dressing again!
Note: The following recipes should keep well if stored in the refrigerator in a mason jar for at least four days.
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Prep Time:
PrintIngredients
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons hemp seeds
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 2 cloves chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons raw honey
- 3 pitted dates
- 3 tablespoons water
- Unrefined sea salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender (such as a Vitamix) and process until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt, if necessary. Transfer to a mason jar and refrigerate until serving time.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons raw pine nuts
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons minced sundried tomatoes
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon Mrs. Dash Italian Seasoning
- ¼ cup raw apple cider vinegar (such as Bragg’s)
- ½ teaspoon anchovy paste
- ¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons water
- Unrefined salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender (such as a Vitamix) and process until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt, if necessary. Transfer to a mason jar and refrigerate until serving time.
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw walnuts
- 1 cup chopped cilantro leaves (stems removed)
- 1 tablespoon chopped shallots
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon raw honey
- 3 to 4 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Place walnuts in the bowl of a food processor; process until fine. Add cilantro, shallots, garlic, salt, lime juice, oil, honey and 1 tablespoon of water; blend to make a thick sauce, adding in water a tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency. Taste, and correct seasoning with salt, if necessary. Transfer to a mason jar and refrigerate until ready to use.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves chopped garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
- Unrefined sea salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in a high-speed blender; process until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt, if necessary. Transfer to a mason jar and refrigerate until ready to use.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 4 garlic cloves (chopped)
- Unrefined sea salt (to taste)
- Freshly ground pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a high speed blender; process until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt, if necessary. Transfer to a mason jar and refrigerate until ready to use.
Ivy,
Thank you so much for the delicious and healthy salad dressings! I love garlic but I don’t love the bad breath that comes with it! I notice many of the clean cuisine recipes have garlic in them. Do you have suggestions for the garlic breath problem?
Thanks!
So glad you like the recipes Jen! Thank you for letting me know 😉 And yes! I do have a remedy for the garlic breath—I make a hot “tea” of cinnamon, cardamom, a bit of coconut milk and lemon (the cinnamon, cardamom and lemon all help neutralize the garlic breath–the cinnamon and cardamom are great for energy too, btw) –also, chewing on fresh parsley is a big help.
Oh! And turmeric is another great garlic neutralizer. You can make a “turmeric tea” (which has amazing anti-inflammatory benefits) with 1 teaspoon turmeric, a bit of coconut milk, lemon juice and fresh ginger.
Hope these ideas help? Please do let me know!!
When you say coconut milk…do you mean the can type or the ones the sell as an alternative to cows milk?
Oh this is a great question we have been getting a lot lately Giselle! I should make a note to start specifying on the recipes. I use the canned ones that they sell unrefrigerated because the other ones in the refrigerated section are not nearly as rich and creamy and typically have other ingredients added.
I tried the creamy lime and honey dressing the other day. It was delicious, however it seemed like such a small amount for the big vitamix. When I went to blend it it flew all over the container and I feel like I left half of it in the container trying to scrape the small amount out of the bottom. Is this just how it works when you make it or did I do something wrong? Maybe Vitamix makes a small container?
Thanks!
Hi Stephanie, Oh no!! what a disaster =( I honestly am not sure what in the world went wrong? I have found that as long as I use at least 1/4 cup oil (or liquid of some sort) when making sauces, etc. in the Vitamix that it is usually fine. I know for sure if you doubled the recipe there would be NO problem. The only other thing I would suggest is trying it in a mini food processor (which I use a lot too, actually) But no, the Vitamix only has one container. So sorry again for what happened to you, but thank you for sharing.