Your New Favorite Salad!

I don't know about you guys, but for me to eat a salad, ranch dressing used to be a requirement. No. Questions. Asked. And not just any ranch dressing, but the ranch dressing from restaurants. Particularly Cheddars, Buckheads, and Texas Roadhouse. NOM.
Well, a couple of months ago I started to feel really guilty about eating ranch. I was really focusing on eating clean and the kind you buy at the store has SO much JUNK in it. I began to check the ingredients of vinegar-based dressings to see if they were possible to make at home. Guess what? It is possible!  
The three basic ingredients for a dressing are an oil, an acid, and a liquid sweetener, all preferably organic. For the oil, olive is your best bet. If you are already shaking your head because it is too fattening and you don't want the extra calories, you stop. Right now! It is full of healthy fat.
DON'T BE AFRAID OF FAT. We need fat to lose fat.
But we need GOOD fat. I give you permission to be afraid of the fat from cupcakes and crappy oils (canola, soybean, peanut, etc...)Read more here about why many vegetable oils should be avoided.
If you are a vinegar-based dressing lover, I just want to tell you now not to get your hopes up. This dressing recipe does not contain vinegar. It is really hard for me to enjoy my salad if it is too tart, which is why I decided to choose a different type of acid-base for my dressing: organic lemon juice.
It is so refreshing and not too tart. For my liquid sweetener, I like to use honey. You could use agave syrup, or maple syrup (the good-for-you kind, not Aunt Jemima's Butter Lite).
Now follow this recipe:

1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
1 T Organic Lemon Juice
1 T Honey

Mix together with a fork. Taste test. If it is too thick, add a bit more lemon juice. If it is too thin, add a bit more honey or EVOO. Voila! You have a fantastic DIY salad dressing. Coming from a girl who has been ranch-only her entire life, you know this dressing is good.


If you don't like lemon juice or honey, here is a list of substitutions:

For honey: agave syrup, maple syrup
For lemon juice: lime juice, apple cider vinegar (ACV), dilluted orange juice

I do want to tell you to ALWAYS CHECK YOUR INGREDIENTS. The lemon and lime juice you can buy that come in plastic lemon/limes are a bit more tart and artificial than if you purchase organic. I like the Santa Cruz Organic Pure Lemon Juice. Bragg's ACV is probably one of the best you can get, and don't get the crap orange juice with artificial sweeteners.
It is just one tablespoon people! You can sacrifice a couple of calories for the real stuff. I promise you won't shrivel up and die. Or gain two pounds.
See how easy this is? I haven't purchased pre-made dressing since I made this dressing for the first time. You know what you are putting into your body and you are saving money! Also, you won't ever experience that terrible moment where you over-pour your dressing again.
This dressing goes great on top of my favorite salad: baby spinach, a little bit of arugula, and trail mix with unsweetened fruit, nuts, and seeds. This recipe was inspired by one of my favorites, The Wholesome Chef!

Enjoy this recipe, guys! In the meantime, eat more salads. And keep it sassy.