Ingredients:
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 1 cup; 16 servings
Cost Per Serving: $0.20
Difficulty Level: Easy
A good salad dressing provides valuable nutrients and inspires you to eat more vegetables. This reduced-fat dressing boosts your intake of omega-3 fats. The distinctive flavor of the flax oil is muted by the extra-virgin olive oil, making it easy to sneak past your family’s “it’s-healthy-so-it-can’t-be-good” radar. If you don’t have flax oil, replace it with a different oil.
Note: The pectin can be omitted. It thickens the dressing and helps keep the oil from separating. It is sold with the jam-making supplies and sugar at the supermarket.
½ cup water
¼ cup fresh lemon or lime juice
2 tablespoons powdered no-sugar-needed pectin, such as Sure-Jel (optional)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon flax seed oil
1 teaspoon minced shallot or red onion
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed
¼ teaspoon dried basil leaves, crushed
Directions:
Shake all ingredients together in a jar with a tight-fitting lid until well mixed. Refrigerate up to two weeks. Shake before serving.
Tip: An easy way to mince the shallot is to press a small piece through a sturdy garlic press.
Nutritional Information:
Per serving: 36 calories, 3 grams fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 2 grams carbohydrate, 0 grams protein
Heather Reseck is a certified wellness coach; a dietitian specializing in vegetarian nutrition and food sensitivities; and a cookbook editor. She is author of Fix-it-Fast Vegetarian Cookbook.
