Four delicious heart-healthy salad dressing recipes to spice up your salads and make eating veggies a lot more exciting.
Is it just me, or is bottled salad dressing sketchy AF? Don’t get me wrong, you better believe as a teenager I ate ranch-dipped-everything, but once I got a little older and my digestive system became a little less forgiving, bottled salad dressings started giving me the heebie jeebies.
One of the first things I started doing when I got comfortable experimenting in the kitchen was making my own salad dressing. At first, I started off pretty basic – a standard balsamic and olive oil situation. But after awhile, that got boring. I missed the old-school salad dressing flavor, but wanted it sans the weird ingredients and crazy-long shelf-life.
Plus, I am sure we have all read those articles saying that loading up a little too much at the salad bar will set you back as many calories as a Big Mac. Usually things like croutons, cheeses and heavy dressings are the culprits. You know, all the good stuff.
I don’t believe in labeling foods as good or bad, in fact I’m not into food or dietary labels at all. However, if a food choice seems less than legit, I will definitely create a more nutritious alternative so I can feel good about eating, and good about feeding my loved ones. Case in point: salad dressing.
These days, I whip up sauces and dressings on a weekly basis to keep things interesting in the veggie department. Since so many store-bought dressings can be full of ingredients that are hard on our hearts such as refined vegetable oils and MSG, I wanted to do a 180 and share some recipes that are good for your ticker. Getting plenty of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) in your diet can help maintain heart health (here’s a great study for all my fellow nutrition nerds out there). To get the most bang for my nutritional buck, I used Thrive Culinary Algae Oil.
As you guys may know, I am an oil fanatic. I love using oil for everything from my skincare routine, to baking and everything in between. As I learn more and more about nutrition, the importance of nutritious fats is always at the front of my mind. Thrive is made from algae, and has more MUFAs than any other oil including coconut and olive oil, and less saturated fat than any other oil. In fact, one tablespoon of algae oil has as much monounsaturated fat as an entire avocado. Ummm yes. Gimme.
And I will also say, there is nothing fishy about algae oil. I pinky swear. This is coming from a girl who is very picky about fishy-things, and can’t even handle a California roll because I its too fishy. Algae oil is totally neutral.
So whether you’re meal prepping your salads for the week, or are taking a big bowl of leafy greens to your next BBQ, I know you will love all of these dressings. Here’s what we’ve got:
Garlic Basil Dressing
Garlic Basil Dressing
Prep time
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 1 Cup of Fresh Basil, Packed
- Juice and Zest of 1 Lemon (~1/3 Cup Lemon Juice)
- 2 Cloves of Garlic, Chopped
- 3 Tablespoons Thrive Culinary Algae Oil
- 2-4 Tablespoons of Water (depending on consistency)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a high-speed blender, combine basil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, salt and pepper until blended.
- Reduce the blender speed to low, and slowly stream in the oil.
- Blend in water one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.
- Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Herby Vegan Ranch Dressing
Herby Vegan Ranch Dressing
Prep time
Total time
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- ½ Shallot, roughly chopped
- ½ Cup Hemp Seeds
- Handful of Fresh Parsley (~1/4 - ⅓ Cup), chopped
- 1 Clove of Garlic, roughly chopped
- Juice of 1 Lemon
- 1 Tablespoon Thrive Culinary Algae Oil
- ¼ Cup Water
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
- Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Zesty Avocado Cilantro Dressing
Zesty Avocado Cilantro Dressing
Prep time
Total time
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- ½ Avocado
- ½ Cup Cilantro, chopped
- 3 Tablespoons of Lime Juice
- 1 Clove of Garlic, Chopped
- 2 Tablespoons Thrive Culinary Algae Oil
- ¼ Cup Water
- Pinch of Salt
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth. If the dressing is too thick, add more water one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.
- Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Citrus Maple Cayenne Dressing
Citrus Maple Cayenne Dressing
Prep time
Total time
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 1 Shallot, chopped
- Juice and Zest of 1 Lemon
- Juice of 1 Orange
- 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
- 2 Tablespoons Thrive Culinary Algae Oil
- Hefty shake of cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you'd like it to be!)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth.
- Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
4 Heart Healthy Salad Dressings for your summer salad
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Your Turn:
- What foods do you prefer making yourself instead of buying it pre-made?
This post is sponsored by Thrive Algae Oil. I only work with brands that I trust and recommend. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that allow me to keep The Balanced Berry going. <3
