Dirty Thirty #17: Fat-Free Salad Dressings

So, you made yourself a beautiful green salad for lunch, chock full of nutrients, and you top it with just balsamic vinegar in your best effort to "be good," right? WRONG! All those wonderful nutrients in your greens and other vegetables are actually fat-soluble, meaning that your body won't absorb any of them without fat. Feel free to add avocado, raw nuts and salad dressing made with a high-quality extra-virgin olive oil (see Dirty Thirty #2).

Salad dressing is one of the easiest things to make, and you avoid any preservatives by making it yourself. The typical ratio of vinegar to oil is 1:3, but I actually prefer the extra acidity in a 1:1 ratio as represented in the recipes below. Feel free to adjust to your own taste.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
½ cup balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 sprig rosemary
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
fine sea salt, to taste
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
½ cup high-quality extra-virgin olive oil

Equipment:
medium bowl
chef's knife
cutting board
fork
small whisk

Directions:
1. Add balsamic vinegar to the bowl.
2. Finely mince garlic, add ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt and, with the fork, mash it until a fine paste. Add to the vinegar.
3. Remove the leaves from the rosemary sprig and finely chop. Add to the vinegar.
4. Add turmeric, ground black pepper and additional salt as needed. Whisk together. There should be a balance between the acidity of the vinegar and the alkalinity of the salt. Be sure to add a little salt at a time until you achieve this balance.
5. Whisk in the mustard. (This acts to emulsify the dressing and keeps it together longer.)
6. Whisking constantly, slowly add in the olive oil, at first, by drops, then by a thin stream.

Greek Dressing

Ingredients:
3-4 lemons
1 clove garlic
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
fine sea salt, to taste
½ cup high-quality extra-virgin olive oil

Equipment:
chef's knife
cutting board
lemon juicer
liquid measuring cup
medium bowl
fork
small whisk

Directions:
1. Roll lemons on cutting board, pressing firmly, to release their juices. Cut in half crosswise, and squeeze into measuring cup until you have ½ cup of lemon juice.
2. Finely mince garlic, add ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt and, with the fork, mash it until a fine paste. Add to the lemon juice.
3. Crush the oregano in your hands to release the oils and add to the lemon juice.
4. Add turmeric, cumin, ground black pepper and additional salt as needed. Whisk together. There should be a balance between the acidity of the lemon juice and the alkalinity of the salt. Be sure to add a little salt at a time until you achieve this balance.
6. Whisking constantly, slowly add in the olive oil, at first, by drops, then by a thin stream. (Because this dressing lacks an emulsifier, the oil and vinegar will separate pretty quickly. I like to store it in a jar and shake just before dressing my salad.)

There you have it: two easy and delicious dressing recipes that will help your body absorb all those wonderful nutrients!

Check back tomorrow for another Dirty Thirty!