Things I Don't Buy Part One: Salad Dressing

In just a few minutes, you can have dressing that tastes better than what's in the bottle

This is the first post in a new series on Makans of a Chef. Things I Don’t Buy will show you how to incorporate more homemade food items into your cooking, without spending a lot of money or time. Cooking more from scratch helps you learn about where your food comes from and allows you to control what goes into it, while keeping the chemcials from processed foods out. Plus, it tastes better.

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You need something healthy to go with dinner. You open the fridge and survey the inside with a sigh. You know where this is going. After a moment of chastising yourself for not eating enough green things in general, you grab the unopened plastic bag of salad that’s been hiding on the back of the shelf longer than you care to admit, and the bottle of Italian dressing that’s lived on the inside of the fridge door even longer. At the end of the meal, you look down at what’s left of the limp iceberg you soaked in salty dressing just to make it edible and slide the rest into the garbage with dissatisfaction. You deserved better.

Sure, it’s convenient to grab a bottle of salad dressing off the shelf at the grocery store. But most of the premade dressings you can buy are packed with preservatives and tons of extra salt. Making your own salad dressing takes 5-10 minutes and you get tons of benefits for your effort. Your salads will taste better, you’ll feel better, and you can make something that’s customized to your liking. In this first installment of Things I Don’t Buy, I’m sharing three easy salad dressing recipes that will take your WFH or office lunch to the next level.

If you don’t have some 16 oz mason jars lying around at home, I highly recommend picking some up online or the next time you’re at the grocery store. They will keep your salad dressing fresh for longer and have so many other kitchen and household uses.

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My Favorite Greek Salad Dressing

You will need:

• 1/4 c olive oil

• 2 TB red wine vinegar

• 2 cloves garlic, peeled & finely minced

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Put all ingredients in a mason jar or other airtight container and shake until combined. A note: this recipe only yields about 5 oz (which is the perfect amount for my partner’s lunch salads for the week). Double or triple the amounts listed above for a crowd.

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Lemon Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

You will need:

• 2/3 c olive oil

• 1/2 shallot, peeled and roughly chopped (this helps the blender do its work)

• 1/4 c lemon juice (about 2 whole lemons)

• 1 1/2 TB dijon mustard

• 1 TB honey

• 2 TB apple cider vinegar

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Put all ingredients except for olive oil in blender and blend on high until emulsified. You don’t want chunks of garlic or shallot in this dressing. Lower blender speed and either slowly pour in olive oil, or pour small amounts of oil in at a time, covering and blending on high in between. Adjust salt & pepper if necessary. Store in mason jar or other airtight container. Yield: ~12 oz.

Creamy Green Goddess Dressing

You will need:

• Flesh of 1 avocado

• 1 handful fresh parsley

• 1 handful fresh basil

• 2 green onion stalks (cut off white bottoms)

• 1 shallot, peeled and roughly chopped (this helps the blender do its work)

• 2 garlic cloves

• Juice of 1 lemon + zest of the whole lemon

• 2-3 slices of fresh ginger (optional, but worth it. No need to peel)

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

• 3 TB olive oil

• 1/2 c water (plus more if you like thinner dressing)

Combine all ingredients in blender on high. Adjust salt, pepper, and water amounts to preference. Store in mason jar or other airtight container. Yield: ~16 oz.

Final Thoughts

If salads are a part of your weekly lunch or dinner routine, it’s 100% worth it to make your own dressing. It’s also worth it to ditch the prepackaged salad mixes. They’re a scam. It’s cheaper and easier to buy a head of lettuce or a bunch of spinach and spend a few minutes cutting it up and washing it at home. I think I bought my salad spinner for $5 at the grocery store. You could do 15 minutes of prep to get a week’s worth of salads that are more fresh, delicious, and healthy than the “easier” options. Drop your favorite salad recipe below and let me know how these dressings worked for you!