“How can a salad be unhealthy?” Sally Fallon Morell asks in her discussion about fats. The answer is that it can be unhealthy when it is topped with a salad dressing made with processed and rancid polyunsaturated vegetable oils like soybean oil or canola oil. These two oils which make up most commercial salad dressings are particularly dangerous because they are also genetically modified if they are not organic.
It is so easy to make your own salad dressing — it is a no brainer. Just purchase the best oils and vinegar to make up the ingredients, shake and voila! You have a healthy dressing for you salad that will not be detrimental to your health.
This recipe calls for walnut oil which is high in omega 3 fatty acids. While unrefined walnut oil is best, it is very expensive and very delicate. In this case the refined walnut oil is acceptable.
To be sure the balsamic vinegar is “legal” on SCD and GAPS just make sure it is aged at least ten years. It will say so on the label. It is more expensive, but so worth it. It is very smooth like a fine wine!
Ingredients
8 ounces refined (or unrefined) walnut oil (where to buy walnut oil)
2 ounces balsamic vinegar (aged at least 10 years)
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Use an old salad dressing bottle or other appropriate bottle
- Measure out 8 ounces of the oil
- Measure out 2 ounces of the balsamic vinegar (it is roughly a 4:1 ratio, oil to vinegar)
- Add the dijon mustard
- Add the salt and pepper
- Cap the bottle and shake
Variations
- Use organic extra virgin olive oil (where to buy high quality extra virgin olive oil)
- Add other spices to your taste
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
thanks for the info on balsamic, i’ve been meaning to find out if there is such a thing as ‘legal’ balsamic on GAPs.
I tell people all the time, if you’re trying to eat healthy when dining out, don’t eat a salad. The oils are always bad. We stopped buying salad dressings a long time ago, the hunt for one that used extra virgin olive oil was so fruitless, I just gave up and discovered how easy it is to mix it fresh at home. I can use various oils, vinegars, juices, fresh herbs…the possibilities are endless and delicious!
Hi Judy,
Yes, eating out is the worst. The salad dressings are always made with poor oils. I even wonder if the olive oil that they bring separately to the table is real olive oil. As you may know, there are some unscrupulous companies that use soybean oil mixed into a little olive oil and sell it as olive oil…
I’ve been meaning to buy walnut oil and now you’ve given me the perfect excuse.
I love a good balsamic dressing.. this sounds so good!
Yum!! Making everything from scratch and then covering the side salad in ‘dressing of unknown origin’ is such a step backwards! Homemade dressing is the best!
certainly the easiest yummiest dressing ever!
Blessings
http://bit.ly/qyod56
Now I’m going to look for walnut oil and aged balsamic vinegar. Thanks for sharing this, Jill.
I didn’t even realize you could get aged balsamic vinegar. Awesome, thanks!
I would love to feature this, but I don’t see a link-back!
http://www.naturalfamilyawareness.com/health/index.php/2011/09/02/whole-health-weekend-link-up-92/
Hi Jill,
This is a great Dressing, I love the combination of flavors. Hope you are having a great week end and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come back soon!
Miz Helen
I have *got* to try this – it looks so delicious!
Thank you for your submission on Nourishing Treasure’s Whole Health Weekend Link-Up.
Check back on Friday when the new link-up is running to see if you were one of the top 3 featured posts!
I love this recipe. I am a big fan of Balsamic dressings and I never tried it with walnut oil.
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