Simple Salad Dressings

It doesn't get much more sustainable than this: making your own salad dressing. By reusing jars and bottles to make you own, or simply making your own in the bottom of your salad bowl, you will not only have a topping for a delicioius salad, but you will also be reducing your carbon footprint.

Even though recycling plastics and glass is cheaper and less draining on the earth's resources than creating new ones, it still costs money and therefore uses unnecessary resources to get the glass and plastic to the recycling plant as well as the resources used in the recycling process. Finding any way to reuse is always the better way to go. And in this case, the health benefits are hard to ignore as you won't be consuming a product that contains preservatives or corn syrup.

The economic benefit can not be ignored either. The average bottle of salad dressing costs between $2 and $4. The following recipes averaged less than a $1 a piece and can be kept in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Making your own salad dressing is one of the simplest things to do. Following are two recipes I came up with on my own. They are family favorites.

Juice of one orange

1Tbsp. Bragg's Liquid Aminos

1Tbsp. Spicy Mustard

1 Tbsp. Honey

1/4 cup Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 Tbsp. Bragg's Liquid Aminos

1 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar

1 tsp. Garlic Powder (or add fresh minced garlic or a minced shallot)

1 tsp. Lime Juice

1/4 cup Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Simply place all of the ingredients in a jar, or reuse an old salad dressing bottle. Once you're done, shake it up and pour it on your salad. And, again, these dressings can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

To dress a large salad, you can also reduce the ingredients by half, place them in the bottom of the salad bowl and whisk together. Then build your salad on top and toss to coat with the dressing before serving.

Be sure to share any recipes you come up with.  The sky's the limit!