We love salads and fresh homemade salad dressings, especially in the hot summer months. Lisa loves this vinaigrette, so we decided to share a salad recipe for one of our 3 days of PINK lunches.
For the salad, I start with a big bowl of super greens made of spinach, kale, and beet greens. You can usually find this prepackaged in the grocery store. Adjust your portions according to your family size. I then add as much as I like of chopped cucumbers, chopped green onions, Spanish Manzanilla green olives, and chopped walnuts. Do you see the healthy fats in this salad?
I then steam 3 salmon fillets in a skillet, skin side down, for about 6-8 minutes. Salmon is an easy quick fix and makes a great leftover. You can cook it the night before and take it for lunch the next day. It’s great cold on a salad. Once the salmon fillets are done, I put my premixed salad in individual large bowls for serving and place my salmon (skin removed) on top of the salad. I then pour the Lemon Vinaigrette over the salad, and lunch is ready! Here’s the recipe for the vinaigrette.
1/4 cup red wine, apple cider or white vinegar (personal preference)
1 Tab. Dijon mustard (This can be adjusted. I only use about 1 tsp. mustard)
1 tsp. oregano (dried or fresh)
1 tsp. lemon thyme or regular thyme (dried or fresh)
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tabs. fresh lemon juice
pinch of Stevia, Xylitol, (optional), or 1 tsp. of honey
Whisk vinegar, Dijon mustard, oregano, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly stream in olive oil while you are mixing briskly. Beat your lemon juice into the mixture. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add pinch of sweetener if needed.
Pour into jar or bottle and shake until well emulsified.
All oils are not created equal. Typically “store-bought” dressings are not made with the best types of oils and they often contain a lot of unnecessary ingredients. It doesn’t take that long to whip up a great salad dressing. Use olive oils, avocado or nut oils in order to get the best types of healthy fats.
Thanks Lisa for the great recipe!