All Dressed Up!

     Learning to be creative with condiments and dressings is essential to keeping garden salads, slaws and meat/egg salads interesting. Stock your fridge with a few different homemade dressings, and the flavor combinations for salads are endless! Making dressing from scratch sounds like a lot of work at first, but it just takes a few minutes; once you try it you'll never go back to the pre-packaged junk!

 The basic foundation for any great homemade dressing begins with a few simple ingredients, EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) and Lemon Juice or Organic Apple Cider Vinegar

Although the use of Vinegar and Unpasteurized Honey are to be limited on the Paleo plan, I think the health benefits of the two far outweigh the consequences of their use. In my opinion, the small amounts of each are acceptable in moderation.
These are just a few of my favorites:

Creamy Basil Dressing  

• 3 Tbsp. Leeks, chopped (just the white part)
• 3 Tbsp. Sesame Tahini (ground sesame seeds)
• 1 Cup EVOO
• 1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar or 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp. Raw Unpasturized Honey
• 1 1/2 Cups Fresh Basil Leaves
• 1/2 to 1 Cup Water
• Salt-Free Lemon Pepper Spice mix

Tomato Chili Vinaigrette

• 1 Cup EVOO
• 1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar or 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
• 2 tsp.Dried Dillweed
• 1/2 tsp. Celery Seed
• 2 Tbsp. Chili Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Pepper
• 1-5.5oz tin Tomato Paste (find the one that is just tomato no additives)
• 1-1 1/2 Cup Water 

Anyberry Vinaigrette

• 1 Cup fresh or frozen berries of your choice
• 1/2 Cup EVOO
• 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
• 2 Tbsp. Leeks, chopped (just the white part)
• 1/2-3/4 tsp. Mustard Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Basil, dried & 1/2 tsp. Dillweed, dried
• Pinch of Rosemary, dried

Procedure is the same for all 3:

1. Combine all ingredients in blender, puree until smooth
2. Add water to achieve desired thickness
3. Keep in a sealed container for up to 1 week in the fridge
4. Creamy dressings may thicken when chilled, just add a bit of water or Lemon Juice to loosen them up!

These dressings also make great sauces for grilled fish and chicken!

HAPPY BLENDING!