Salad Dressing Recipes

As I started to move my family away from over-processed grocery store foods to whole foods, one of the first steps I took, was to start making my own salad dressings, condiments (some of them) and marinades.

This is a great way to ease yourself into natural and whole food eating.It's also a GREAT way to cut out things like High Fructose Corn Syrup, Canola or Soybean Oil (more on the dangers of soy to come), refined sugar, corn derivatives, and many other genetically-engineered ingredients out of your diet!

One of my favorite Salad Dressings is Italian Dressing. Here is a list of ingredients in Kraft’s Classic Italian Dressing (found on their website)

WATER, VINEGAR, SOYBEAN AND/OR CANOLA OIL, CORN SYRUP, SUGAR, SALT, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF SPICE, GARLIC*, ONIONS*, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, CITRIC ACID, XANTHAN GUM, PHOSPHORIC ACID, PARSLEY*, VITAMIN E, NATURAL FLAVOR, OLEORESIN PAPRIKA. *DRIED.

Canola and Soybean oil, Corn Syrup, sugar, all in the first 5 ingredients! That there is enough to make me never eat the store bought dressings again. Plus, it’s super easy and fun to make your own! I save old containers or jars to put these in.

Below are a few of my favorite recipes. If you have any, please feel free to share them!

Balsamic Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup olive oil

Mix together and enjoy (we quickly pulse ours in our Magic Bullet to infuse the flavors together)

Ranch (Dairy Free, Gluten Free!) :
(from thespunkycoconut.com)

Add to blender:

1/2 cup cooked white beans

1/4 cup almond or cashew milk

1 tbsp Vegenaise Grapeseed Oil ( I use Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/8 tsp xanthan gum OR Chia Seed

1/4 tsp Sea Salt

1/4 tsp dried dill

1/8 tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp garlic powder

Blend till smooth and creamy.

Italian Dressing:
(from heavenlyhomemaker.com):

2 T Dry Italian Dressing Mix (recipe below)

¼ Cup Vinegar

2 t. water

½ Cup Olive Oil (or extra-virgin)

Mix well. Enjoy!

Dry Italian Dressing Mix:
1 1/2 t. garlic powder
1 T. onion powder
2 t. oregano
1 T. dried parsley
2 t. sea salt
1 t. pepper
1/4 t. thyme
1/2 t. dried celery flakes

Shake ingredients together and store in a jar!

BBQ Sauce (Our Favorite!):(from heavenlyhomemaker.com):
3/4 cup ketchup
2 T. minced onion (really finely minced, or you can omit altogether)
1/4 t. garlic powder
1 t. liquid smoke
1 T. molasses, honey or sucanat

Mix ingredients in a small sauce pan.  Simmer for a few minutes until flavors are blended.

Cashew Sour Cream (the most delicious recipe in the world!)(from SpunkyCoconut)

 Soak 1 cup of cashews about 8 hours. Strain, rinse in fresh water & strain again.

Add to the food processor or blender with:

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

3 to 4 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp water

1/4 to 1/2 tsp sea salt or Herbamare seasoning

1/8 garlic powder

1/4 tsp dill

Puree till creamy and smooth.

I hope you enjoy these easy-to-make recipes and are inspired to try a few!