Sensational Summer Salad Dressings
There are so many ways to create a salad and make it spectacular - tossed with dressings below of your choice.
Summer is approaching - yay! It’s a great time to indulge in delicious, refreshing salads to increase your nutrient intake and cool down on a hot day.
Salad can be combined with different types of proteins to create a balanced meal. Enjoy these salad ideas below for your lunches and evening meals.
Note: Keep salad dressings clean and fresh. Focus on healthy fats and natural seasonings.
Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing - Nut free, dairy free, and fish free
1 cup vegenaise
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp tamari or Bragg liquid aminos
½ fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves - chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
2 heads romaine lettuce - chopped
Optional: croutons
Whisk all ingredients together or blend
Pour the dressing over a large bowl of salad or desired amount and toss until salad is fully coated
Optional: sprinkle herb croutons over the salad just before serving
Ginger Root
Ginger Miso Lemon Salad Dressing
Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine use ginger extensively for upset stomachs, nausea, and more… read my tips below.
½ inch ginger root
1 tsp raw honey
1 tbsp organic miso paste
2 tbsp organic sunflower or avocado oil
1 tbsp water
Pinch of black pepper
Optional: a few squeezes of a fresh lemon
Whisk and enjoy over your own salad
Double or triple the dressing for a larger salad
Growing my own herbs and veggies are rewarding and simple.
Basil Salad Dressing
This is a citrus salad with a tinge of sweetness. Basil has many health benefits, including clearing of the lungs, better respiration, better digestion, and has a calming effect - used as a sleep aid. Holy Basil - a.k.a. tulsa or hot basil (because of its peppery taste) - can come in tea or capsules.
Hand full of basil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp dijon mustard
3 tbsp avocado oil
1 sweet orange - freshly squeezed
1 lime - freshly squeezed
Combine all ingredients in blender
My favorite Ume Vinegar for salads and grains.
Ume Plum Dressing
Ume, short for umeboshi vinegar, is one of my favorite seasonings for salads, roasted and steamed veggies, and grains. Ume is used in macrobiotic cooking and medicinal drinks because of its alkaline properties. It has a sour, salty, and sweet taste, and can be purchased as a condiment, paste or pickled plum. It’s known to improve focus, increase energy, calm an upset stomach, and relax the mind. The Japanese pickled plum (umeboshi) has medicinal properties such as reducing headaches - place a small piece of the plum or paste under your tongue and enjoy the taste as it relaxes your mind and relieves your headache.
This recipe yields 1½ cups.
⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
⅓ cup ume plum vinegar
2 cloves garlic - chopped
1 medium onion - chopped
3 tbsp fresh parsley or basil - chopped
¼ cup brown rice vinegar
optional: 1 tbsp maple syrup if you want to add a tinge of sweetness
Place all ingredients in a blender until smooth
Toss the salad with the dressing right before serving
Genia’s Spoon Me Tips
Every morning I start my day with a hot glass/cup of ginger tea. I grate approximately 1 tbsp of ginger root into my water. Sometimes I make a pot of boiling water with many slices of ginger root to last me a whole day. Why do I drink ginger tea first thing in the morning? Ginger increases the digestive fire and stimulates appetite. Ginger supports the digestive process, detoxifies the body, heals congestion and sore throat, reduces inflammation in the airways, and creates a healthy respiratory system. I truly feel the benefits!
These salad dressings can be stored up to a week in a tightly sealed glass jar, in the fridge.
Summer love and peace to all,
Genia