DIY Salad Dressing

The dressing is your salad's demise. A perfectly good, nutrient rich, heaping mound of colorful goodness...turned ugly by loads of calories and/or garbage ingredients. Ever looked at the ingredient list in salad dressing? Sugar, hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, xanthan gum, sodium benzoate, calcium disodium, EDTA, Yellow 5, sodium casseinate, monosodium glutamate...well you get the point. Rule of Thumb: If a first grader can't pronounce it, your body probably can't process it. (Side Bar, if you are interested in learning what all of these additives are and what they do, download an app called "Additives.") If it was derived in a chemistry lab in the past 50 years, chances are, our bodies, after having evolved over 10,000 years, are unfamiliar with it, dont know what to do with it and thusly respond to it with force as if it were a foreign intruder.

So, ditch the store bought dressing and do-it-yourself! A few months ago, we discovered a great dressing at Whole Foods that we loved - but it was expensive of course and we went through it fast. I looked at the ingredients and it was just a few whole ingredients that most people have on hand everyday. So i said, "Hey i can make this myself!"...And so can you with this simple recipe...

DIY Lemon Garlic Salad Dressing
1 part Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 part Lemon Juice (freshly squeezed or real lemon juice in a bottle, but beware of additives - it should just say "lemon juice" in the ingredients)
1 garlic glove

You can also substitute the lemon for any seasonal juice you may love. Try peach, strawberry, orange, whatever - pretty much anything will work! Toss it in a nice little artisan bottle (like mine in the picture) and add a sprig of rosemary or whatever fresh herbs you may have on hand and you're done! Now you've got a delicious, healthy and trustworthy dressing that actually adds value to your already amazing salad!

Eat Real Food and Enjoy! - Grant