Anyone in my family will tell you that I don’t eat green things. I’m much more likely to dive into a box of Oreos. But I recently decided to make some changes to my diet and include more fresh foods. I watched a YouTube video encouraging one big salad a day and figured I could handle that.
A big reason why I don’t like salad is that I don’t like iceberg lettuce or the thick, gloppy salad dressings that gather like unwelcome guests, a quarter full, forgotten on the refrigerator door. I opted for mixed spring greens and created my own dressing using flavors I like!
Following is the salad dressing recipe I came up with that I can’t seem to get enough of. I’ve actually been having a second salad after my main salad. I wish I could make you understand how out of character this is for me. I sent a picture of one of my beautiful salads to my sister and she sent back the joy emoji.
5 ingredient salad dressing
- Apple cider vinegar
- Rice vinegar
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
- Fresh ginger root
In a jar or salad dressing shaker, combine two parts apple cider vinegar to one part rice vinegar and one part olive oil (or more if you prefer an oilier texture with less of a vinegar bite).
Grate or finely slice ginger root to taste. I love ginger, so I add about a teaspoon to a half cup of liquid. Add a pinch of sea salt and shake well.
You can use this dressing right away, though it will be more flavorful if you let it rest a while.
A note on ratios: This is the combination I like, but please adjust the amounts of vinegar and oil, taking into consideration your own flavor preferences and what type of greens you’re putting this on!
I pour this over mixed greens with sunflower kernels, almonds, cracked black pepper, kalamata olives, and sometimes Vault 5 Cheddar (a wonderfully nutty cheddar I get at Aldi), tomatoes if I’m feeling indulgent, and maybe warm sliced egg. The dressing is also good over spinach. I’ve made it without rice vinegar, but I don’t think it tastes bright enough.
Never in my life have I craved salad, but I’m starting to. I don’t like cooking either. It takes far way much time for the payoff of actually sitting down to eat. I can have a salad ready in five minutes! It’s been about two and a half weeks of big, daily salads and I swear my skin looks better. I thought I would be hungry having a salad for lunch, but with enough fat on it, I’m not hungry at all.
Note: I believe this dressing would be considered keto friendly, but I am no expert.