Easy! Make Your Own Salad Dressing

Summer is the perfect time for cool, crisp salad. As convenient as bottled dressing is, why waste those lovely greens on plain old ranch? All you need is a blender and a few ingredients to bypass the bottled for chef-approved, easy dressings.

Spicy Tomato Salsa
3 roma tomatoes
2 tomatillos
1/4 white or yellow onion
2 jalapenos
1/2 habanero
juice from 1/2 a lime
handful cilantro

Wash and roughly chop all ingredients, put in a blender and pulse for 20 seconds, less if you want it a bit more chunky.

Savory Tahini Dressing
1/4 cup tahini
1 tablespoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 clove garlic
water to thin it out, if desired

Put all ingredients in a blender and mix, or whisk with a fork until combined. Tahini is sesame seed butter, found in the international aisle or peanut butter aisle at the grocer. It's used mainly in middle eastern food like hummus, or to top falafel. It has a light and earthy flavor. This dressing is super rich and almost cheesy, and works great on heavier greens like kale and collards.


Raspberry Dressing
1 cup fresh or frozen berries
1 packet stevia
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
juice from 1/2 an orange or one clementine

Put all ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth. This sweet and tart dressing is great with spinach, red onions and blue cheese.

Basic ingredients can combine in hundreds of ways to make new enjoyable dressings. Mix and match a fruit or vegetable with fat (oil, nut butter, avocado) and an acid (vinegar, lemon or lime juice) and blend. Salad dressing is really that simple. See what you come up with, you may surprise yourself with a new favorite! Enjoy your summer lunches, and until next time, keep it clean!