Cold salads are delicious all year long but seem particularly crispy and refreshing during the hot summer months. I’m always experimenting with my salad ingredients and dressings because…why not? Salads usually have fuss-free recipes that even the worst cooks can put together quickly and with minimal effort. Plus, when you use fresh ingredients and make them yourself, they’re healthy. (Beware: not all salads are of equal nutritional value.)
I thought I’d share a simple recipe for salad dressing that I’ve been enjoying lately. It involves only four ingredients that many already have in their kitchens. Like most recipes, you might want to play around with the increments to satisfy your palate or fit the servings you intend to make.
The first step is building the salad. This time around I went meatless, including only romaine lettuce, curly kale, tomato, cucumber, green bell pepper, mushroom, red onion and chia seeds. Pretty basic. Nothing too fancy, you already know.
For the dressing, you’ll need lemon juice, coconut oil, red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. That’s it. Four ingredients that mix and mingle well.
I had about two cups of salad to dress and used approximately half the juice of one small lemon, one tablespoon of coconut oil, one teaspoon of red wine vinegar and two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Experiment with the amounts and taste test as you go.
If you want a little more kick, increase the lemon juice or red wine vinegar. If you love the subtle taste of coconut oil, add more. If you’re not as enthusiastic about EVOO as everyone else, use less. You might even consider adding in fresh herbs or spices for more flavor. This is a simple base that is meant to be customized.
How do you like to dress up your salads? What are you favorite salad recipes?