Salad dressing doesn’t have to come in a bottle you could make salad dressing from scratch. And it took me a long time to learn that many of the bottled dressings you buy are loaded with a ton of ingredients to keep it where it can live in that bottle and ingesting all those additives, especially at home, where there are choices. Give this recipe a try— you’ll be amazed by the flavor a fresh dressing can add to your favorite salad.
Plum Sauce
½ pound (about 2) black plums, pitted and chopped
¼ cup organic apple juice
Freshly squeezed lemon juice, optional
1. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, pour in the chopped black plums and apple juice. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Next, pour the plum mixture into a blender and pulse until smooth.
2. If you like, you can run the mixture through a strainer. If the plum sauce is too thick, add a bit more apple juice until you’ve reached your desired consistency. To add a bit more tartness, mix in the juice from a lemon.
Avocado Dressing
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 avocado, pitted and peeled
1 tablespoon vegan mayonnaise
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
Sea salt
1. Combine the water, apple cider vinegar, avocado, vegan mayonnaise, nutritional yeast, and pinch of sea salt in a blender. Pulse until smooth, about 1 minute. Adjust the salt according to taste.
Lemon Dressing
Juice from 2 lemons (about 3 tablespoons)
⅓ cup olive oil
Pinch of sea salt
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, and a pinch of sea salt.
Herbed Dressing
¼ cup olive oil
4 fresh basil leaves
2 fresh sage leaves
Leaves from 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch of sea salt
Juice from ½ lemon, optional
1. In a small bowl or mason jar, add the olive oil, basil, sage, rosemary leaves, oregano, and sea salt. Cover with plastic wrap or lid and allow to marinate for at least 4 hours, or up to 24 hours. Toss the dressing in a salad with a squeeze of half a lemon.
Teriyaki Sauce
½ cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon agave nectar
½-inch knob ginger, grated
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, agave, ginger, and scallion.
Maple Cider Sauce
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Pinch of sea salt or Sea Veg
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and sea salt.
Recipes by Lucelle 