A bright and flavorful Citrus Shallot dressing made with just a few simple ingredients is a healthy salad dressing or marinade you can easily make at home! (dairy-free, nut-free, gluten-free)
Have you ever looked at the label on the back of a bottle of salad dressing? It’s a little crazy what’s in your favorite dressing sometimes. And I’m not even talking something that is not traditionally healthy, like ranch. Even something seemingly virtuous and simple is actually not.
Most salad dressings contains loads of salt (that’s no surprise), but also sugar, less than desirable oils and emulsifiers. Companies have taken something that’s supposed to be super simple and added a laundry list of ingredients to make it both shelf stable and to fit the tastes of consumers used to overly salted and overly sweetened packaged foods.
I don’t tell you all of this to scare you or make you swear off salad dressing. There are some decent options available now, and I’m not into the whole fear mongering thing. I just want you to read the label some time, and then realize how easily you can make your own dressing at home.
In my opinion, salad dressing should be one of the simplest of foods. Basics like olive oil, vinegar and aromatics or spices are just about all I need in a salad dressing, which is why I usually choose to make my own. Not only can you leave out all the yucky ingredients you don’t need, but you can customize it to fit your taste and exactly how much you need. And salad dressing is super simple to make at home.
One of my favorite dressings to make at home is this citrus shallot dressing. It’s made with just a handful of simple ingredients: heart healthy olive oil, fresh squeezed orange juice, shallot, parsley and dijon mustard. Just blend everything up in the blender and you’ve got a simple, delicious dressing that is way cheaper and has way less sugar and sodium in it than store-bought dressings. It also tastes amazing on pretty much everything! I love this citrus shallot dressing with my shaved brussels sprout salad, and it’s a delicious marinade for chicken, fish, or on vegetables. Once you make it, you won’t go back to store-bought dressing!
Have you ever made salad dressing at home? What is your favorite kind to make?
A bright and flavorful Citrus Shallot dressing made with just a few simple ingredients is a healthy salad dressing or marinade you can easily make at home! (dairy-free, nut-free, gluten-free)
Ingredients
- Juice from 2 medium oranges
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot (about 1/4 cup chopped)
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley leaves
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. (I use my Nutribullet.)*
- Blend until smooth. Pour in a jar and use to dress your favorite salad or as a marinade.
- Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Notes
*Use link to get $20 off your purchase of a NutriBullet.
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The only thing I don’t like about ready-made salad dressing is the involvement of unnecessary ingredients. Just like you addressed in the post, they contain lots of sugar, salt, and oil. Thanks for sharing a wonderful option for homemade salad dressing. I’ll give it a try!
Thanks Liz! Enjoy!