Wellness Recipe: Salad Days

Make every day a salad day.

Here’s the recipe I prepared on Channel 18 WLEX-TV today. To view the video go to www.wlextv.com and click on ‘Wellness Cooking with Susie Quick.’

The best thing you can do for your health is to make sure you eat a wide variety of colors. The easiest way to do this is to eat a large salad for your lunch or dinner.

But prepared salad dressings are chock full of bad things like high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oil, and all sorts of artificial ingredients. One of the biggest diet mistakes is making yourself a nice healthy salad and then ruining it with a glob of processed dressing (that’s likely been sitting on the store shelf a year or even two).

Instead, make your own jar of salad dressing once or twice a week – it’s cheaper too – and keep it in the fridge and ready for your next tasty and nutritious salad. And some day soon your greens will be even fresher and more delicious once the local produce arrives. Enjoy.

Simple Vinaigrette

This is my favorite vinaigrette. Rice wine vinegar is less acidic so you can use more vinegar and less oil for your salads. If you wish, add a couple of teaspoons of finely minced fresh herbs or substitute a different flavored vinegar. You can double or triple the recipe if you like.

Makes about 1/2 cup

1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (from about 1/2 lemon)
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Whisk together the garlic, mustard, salt, pepper, vinegar, and lemon juice until blended. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the oil (this helps it emulsify). Dressing will keep, refrigerated, about 1 week. Use a small amount to drizzle over your favorite salad and toss lightly before serving.