I have a lot of pet peeves. One of them is salad dressing, specifically store-bought salad dressing. As I get older, I am more conscious of my health and nutrition. I follow a healthy diet, and I read the ingredients on the packaged products I buy at the store. There are so many gross and nasty components that go into canned foods, and store-bought salad dressings are the biggest offender.
Don’t get me wrong here, I am not one of those people who eat salads all day, every day. But when I do, it has to be substantial with a combination of greens and a protein. I do love vegetables, but they can be very boring, tasteless, and not very filling. If you’re not careful, you may find yourself hungry again very soon after eating a salad, and you may not be able to resist the temptation of a slice of cake. They need to be spiced up just a bit. A good dressing can do that for you, and I think it is the most important ingredient in the salad.
Most of the store-bought ones contain poor quality products that are cheap and unhealthy, even though they’re marketed as light and low-calorie. For example, if you read the label you will find that all of them contain unhealthy oils, such as soybean and canola. They also have lots of fillers and preservatives. There are too many added sugars, even the low-fat kind. The sugar translates into too many calories.
It is so easy to make your own dressing, and it is a cheap (and healthy!) option. All you need are a few ingredients:
An oil – Many oils will work, but try olive, walnut, grapeseed, avocado, or hazelnut.
A vinegar- You can use balsamic, white-wine, champagne, or apple cider. Fresh lemon or lime can be used to heighten up the flavor even more.
A thickener- Mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, brown seed mustard (my favorite), avocado, or tahini are all great choices. This acts as an emulsifier to help the oil and vinegar combine properly.
The basic rule for making your own vinaigrette is three parts oil to one-part vinegar. I prefer to use less oil and use more of the vinegar, but you can make your own ratios to taste. Don’t forget the salt and pepper! The possibilities are endless. Use some minced shallots, garlic, or better yet- both. Any fresh herb or poppy seeds will add another flavorful dimension.
Most importantly, do not overdress the salad. It will become a soggy, unappealing, mushy mess. Pour the dressing in little by little and taste as you go. You will see that you do not need a lot to make it taste great.
This is one of my favorite salads. It is so light, yet packs in a lot of flavor and is so satisfying too. Any protein such as chicken, steak, or shrimp can be substituted for the tuna. Do not buy the tuna in the can. If you can, purchase bottled tuna from Italy–the quality is much better, and you don’t have all those nasty preservatives in it. In this salad, the tuna, eggs, and apple combine nicely to make this salad hearty and satisfying. The Granny Smith apple, celery, and red onion adds nice tang and crunch. Pickle relish also takes this salad over the edge, giving it additional deliciousness. The dressing is the star of this salad. It has a wonderful crunch from the mustard seeds, tangy goodness from the lemon, and creaminess from the mayonnaise.
This simple recipe is my own and will make 8 servings for a summertime barbeque.
Ingredients for the Best Tuna Salad:
3 (6-ounce) cans white meat tuna packed in water, drained
3 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 red onion, minced
2 teaspoon minced flat-leaf parsley
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and cubed
5 hard boiled eggs
4 tablespoons pickle relish
1/3 cup prepared mayonnaise
4 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Drain the tuna and mix with a fork to separate tuna so it is flaky.
Place in bowl and add the next ingredients.
Mix to combine.
Slowly pour the dressing over the salad and mix well so all the ingredients are dressed.
It’s that simple!
Herbs looking good this year!
