DIY Salad Dressing & Marinades

There are some things that are worth spending money to have other people do or make for you. A haircut. Movers. Your wedding cake.  A bikini wax. (Ouch!)

Salad dressing is not one of these things. Yet, we are constantly wasting money on expensive "natural" salad dressings that can cost upwards of $9. Or we buy extremely inexpensive marinades or dressings that are made from ingredients that can probably used in plastic manufacturing or are some type of chemical plant byproduct. 

STOP it. 

Making your own dressing or marinade is much healthier because you know exactly what is going into it. It's less expensive, because the ingredients are simple and can be purchased in bulk. And it's just as easy. Seriously, swirling around 4 different ingredients in a jar is NOT rocket science. (And you get to say, "Oh, yes, I made the marinade myself" Oh you fancy, huh?)

Today we have two recipes that can be used as a dressing for salads or as a marinade for fish, chicken or shrimp. 

Balsamic Vinaigrette

(Makes 8 servings, about 6 tsp each)

 Ingredients:

6 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tsp honey or pure maple syrup

2 tsp Dijon mustard

6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

Combine vinegar, lemon juice, and honey in a medium bowl. Whisk to blend. 

Stir mustard and mix well.

Slowly add oil while whisking, mix well. Store leftover dressing in a covered container in the fridge. Dressing may thicken when cold. Hold at room temperature for 30 minutes and stir before serving.

That's LITERALLY it. 

And the second recipe is a wonderful, high-fructose corn syrup-free Honey Mustard Dressing:

Honey Mustard Dressing or Marinade

Ingredients

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 T yellow mustard

1 1/2 T raw honey

1 T lemon juice

Method:

Whisk all the ingredients in a bowl. Done. BOOM!

Whip up a batch of these recipes and give  them a try this weekend. Creating delicious, complex flavors for your healthier food options is as easy as reading this blog!