Strawberry Vinaigrette Healthy Salad Dressing

One of the questions I’m asked most often about my diet is “What do you eat!?” Well the answer to that is the most obvious one: salads. [Add typical “scoff” response here.] But before you brush me off, let me explain that my salads are never boring! Actually, nothing I eat is boring. My meals are filled with bright colors and bold flavors.

I love salads, and there are so many things that can be done to keep them exciting.

Let me emphasize that I don’t mean the mayo-y kind. Or the pasta kind. Or the tuna/chicken/potato kind. My salads are healthy and full of life (so no animal products allowed). For a salad to be beneficial to you, to contain all those wonderful vitamins, minerals, and enzymes, it must be made mostly of greens. It is not topped with meat either. Adding a chicken breast or a skewer of shrimp only adds too many calories, fat, and HDL (bad) cholesterol. So stick with greens and veggies!

Salad dressing is many people’s favorite part of the salad. It is what makes non-veggie lovers tolerate a bowl of chopped vegetables. Go look at your favorite dressing in your refrigerator right now. Read the ingredients. Do you still think it’s healthy? Most store-bought dressings are not much more than expensive sugar-water and contain ingredients you can’t determine the origin of or even pronounce. These dressings are almost always bad for you. Stop smothering your healthy greens with high fructose corn syrup, and make your own healthy salad dressing with simple ingredients and tons of flavor.

There are two typical types of salad dressings: the oil/vinegar kind and the creamy kind. Try some healthy cold-pressed oils such as olive, coconut, or flax seed oil mixed with apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to make your own oil-based salad dressing. Make creamy dressings by blending in ingredients such as raw nuts, avocado, or tahini.

Remember, not all salads are created equal. They might not be as healthy as you think!

Try this quick and easy Strawberry Vinaigrette healthy salad dressing recipe to spruce up your next salad! (Yes, I am still working on eating all those strawberries!) It blends the sweetness of berries with the tartness of vinegar for an awesome combination.

Strawberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
makes 1 cup

10-12 strawberries (fresh or frozen)
4 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp lime juice
pinch black pepper
6 Tbsp cold-pressed olive oil

• Puree first 5 ingredients in a blender until smooth.
• Slowly add olive oil to running blender. Process an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute to slightly thicken.
• Pour over a bowl of dark greens and your favorite chopped veggies. Try sprinkling sesame, poppy, or sunflower seeds on top.

Dressing will keep in the fridge in a sealed container for 7-10 days.