Six Easy Salad Dressing Recipes

Six Easy Salad Dressing Recipes

It probably wouldn't occur to you to try to make your own salad dressings. You would be surprised at how many distinct types of salad dressings you can make from ingredients you already have on hand. They are easy to prepare, and you can't beat the taste. Try one of these recipes and you won't go back to store bought salad dressings again!

Creamy Garlic & Dill Dressing

Chicken Salad

1 cup milk
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp. Dried dill weed
Salt and pepper

Blend milk, parsley, and garlic in a blender until smooth. Pour milk blend into a bowl and add mayonnaise, dill weed, salt, and pepper. Whisk until blended.

Fresh Basil Dressing

1 3/4 cups olive oil
1 handful fresh basil leaves, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Oriental Dressing

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp. Oriental sesame oil
1 tbsp. Rice vinegar
1 tbsp. Soy sauce
1/2 tsp. Ground ginger
1/2 tsp. Sugar

Combine oils. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp. Sugar
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper

Blend ingredients, mixing well.

Ranch Dressing

2 tsp. Onion, minced
1/8 tsp. Garlic powder
1 tbsp. Dried parsley
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup buttermilk

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together mayonnaise and buttermilk. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Cucumber Dressing

3 medium cucumbers
2 small onions
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 tsp. Garlic powder
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 quart mayonnaise

Process cucumbers and onions in a food processor. Stir in sugar, lemon juice, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce. In a medium-sized bowl, integrate cucumber blend and mayonnaise.

Six Easy Salad Dressing Recipes

Cajun Pork Tenderloin With Pineapple Salad and Citrus Honey Dressing

Cajun Pork Tenderloin With Pineapple Salad and Citrus Honey Dressing

Roasted pork tenderloins sliced and served over salad greens. Tenderloins are roasted over high heat to sear the outside and lock in the juices. Salad greens are mixed with pineapple chunks, red bell pepper, and walnuts. The salad is tossed with a fresh lime and honey dressing. This is a great dish to serve as a light supper any time of year.

Cook's Notes:
You should all the time cook pork to an internal climatic characteristic approaching 160 F. To insure that all potentially harmful germs are killed.

Chicken Salad

Cajun Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple Salad and Citrus Honey Dressing

Ingredients:

Pork:
1 or 2 Pork Tenderloins (2 pounds total)
Olive Oil Cooking Spray
1 tablespoon Cajun Seasoning

Pineapple Salad:
1 (16 ounces) can Pineapple Chunks
1/2 cup Pineapple or Apple Juice
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
4 cups Mixed Greens (baby spinach or spring mix)
1 cup of chopped Black Walnuts
1/2 Cantaloupe, sliced thinly

Dressing:
1 teaspoon Fresh Lime Zest
1/4 cup Fresh Lime Juice
1 tablespoon Honey
1 teaspoon Cajun Seasoning
pinch Cayenne Pepper

Preparation:

Pork Tenderloins:

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.

2. Spray the tenderloins with olive oil spray. Coat all sides with Cajun seasoning.

3. Place tenderloins in baking dish and roast 30-40 minutes or until a meat thermometer in the town of one tenderloin reaches 160 F.

Salad:

1. Place cantaloupe slices across half of supper plate in fan pattern.

2. Add pineapple chunks, walnuts, diced bell pepper and salad green to large salad bowl.

3. Add fresh lime zest, fresh lime juice, honey, Cajun seasoning, and cayenne pepper to blender. Blend until smooth.

4. Pour half the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.

5. Spoon salad onto plate opposite cantaloupe.
6. Slice tenderloin crosswise into ½" thick slices.

7. Fan pork slices over salad greens. Drizzle remaining dressing over pork.

Cajun Pork Tenderloin With Pineapple Salad and Citrus Honey Dressing

Sugar-Free, Low-Fat Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes

Sugar-Free, Low-Fat Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes

The following are a group of very tasty homemade salad dressings that are quick, easy, and healthy. Exquisite for diabetics and dieters, too. Using your popular salad greens, make a tasty salad for your family and friends, showing off your "home-cooking" abilities! An easy way to impress your guests.

Dijon-Lemon Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

Tuna Salad Recipe

3 tbsp water
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in a jar and cover tightly. Shake jar vigorously to mix ingredients well. Store in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Per a 1 tbsp serving: 25 cal, 1 g carbs, 0 protein

Using the above recipe, you can also make the following dressings as variations of the original.

Variations: Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette: Use 1/4 cup of the above recipe and add 2 tablespoons minced cilantro and 1 tablespoon lime juice.

Lemon Caper Vinaigrette: Use 2 tablespoons of the Dijon-Lemon Vinaigrette and add the following: 2 tablespoons reduced fat mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind, 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons capers, drained, 1/8 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. This is good over a green salad that is topped with grilled chicken or tuna.

Low-Fat Homemade Thousand Island Salad Dressing

1/4 cup plain, unsweetened low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup nonfat buttermilk
1 tbsp fat-free mayonnaise
1 tbsp chopped dill pickle
1 tbsp catsup
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley
1/8 tsp seasoned salt

In a small mixing bowl, combine yogurt, buttermilk, and mayonnaise, stirring until blended. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate. Serve after completely chilled.

Yield: roughly 3/4 cup

1 serving of 2 tablespoons = 34 cal, 3 g carbs, 1 g protein

Enjoy!

Sugar-Free, Low-Fat Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes

Almond-Orange Salad With Honey Mustard Dressing

Almond-Orange Salad With Honey Mustard Dressing

Okay, so everyone likes easy and delicious. And this salad is easy and delicious. My grandchildren love this salad...especially the Mandarin oranges in the salad. If you have children or grandchildren and want to serve this almond-orange salad, you'd best plan on some of the oranges disappearing before it's time to eat.

This salad is great with just about anything, but it is especially good with some good old comfort food like good old Southern fried chicken, biscuits, corn, mashed potatoes and gravy...my favorite!

Chicken Salad

Here's all you do:

6 Servings

1 head Romaine lettuce

1. Wash and break the lettuce into bite size pieces, and then spin them dry in a salad spinner. Place the lettuce in a salad bowl.

1 10.4 ounce can Mandarin orange sections, drained (and hidden from the children)

2. Mix the above orange slices in with the Romaine lettuce in the bowl.

Honey mustard dressing (see below)
Toasted sliced or slivered almonds

3. Place the lettuce and Mandarin orange mixture on private serving plates and pour on the honey mustard dressing (see below), then sprinkle with almonds to your liking. I like a lot of almonds, but just a few sprinkled on top looks better. It's not a bad idea to leave a small bowl of almonds on the table so diners can add what they want.

Honey Mustard Dressing

1 16 ounce bottle House Italian salad dressing (I use Kraft)

1/4 cup mustard

3/4 cup honey, or more to taste

1. Mix the above ingredients well with a wire whisk.

This almond-orange salad not only goes well with fried chicken, but it is also goes particularly well with pork dishes, such as pork tenderloin, pork chops, and is amazing with any Mexican pork dish.

Yes, I know these are all high-calorie dishes, but why not take a minute vacation from your diet once in a while and enjoy?

Almond-Orange Salad With Honey Mustard Dressing