all dressed up

by Diane Lofshult

Food for Thought:

Health-conscious consumers who order salads to cut calories are defeating themselves once they coat those greens with fat-laden, store-bought salad dressings. But you can easily make your own healthy salad dressings at home with little cost or effort.

Here are two simple recipes you can use as is or build on to invent your own memorable vinaigrettes.

Whisk ingredients together by hand or in a blender, or put them all into a small container with a tight lid and shake vigorously. Makes about 1 cup or 16 tablespoons (tbs). Use 2 tbs to dress approximately 4 cups of salad.

Classic Vinaigrette

2 tbs Dijon mustard

3 tbs red wine vinegar

freshly ground pepper

¹/4 teaspoon (tsp) salt

2 tsp honey

1 small shallot, minced

¹/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Per Serving (2 tbs): 140 calories; 160 mg sodium.

Greek Vinaigrette

2 tbs fresh lemon juice

3 tbs orange juice