Healthy Homemade Salad Dressing Ideas

Lookie what’s growing in my garden! Those cute little lettuce leaves will soon be cute big lettuce leaves.  I can’t wait!

I was very excited to see that Tammy is hosting a special recipe swap featuring lettuce recipes.  Also, Allyson is hosting A Slew of Summer Salads carnival as a way to learn more main dish salad ideas.  Between the two, none of us shall ever be lacking a salad recipe again!!

I don’t actually have an exciting salad recipe for you.  I’m not terribly creative like that.  My salad recipes almost always look something like:

1. Wash and tear up a bunch of lettuce or spinach and put it in a bowl.
2. Add whatever other raw veggies you have.
3. If you’re feeling especially crazy, throw in some dried cranberries or raisins.
4. If you want your salad to be your main dish, add some chicken, cheese and hard boiled egg.
5. Grab a fork.

This is why I’m so excited about the above carnivals.  However, I do have a fun idea for a salad dressing that I discovered one day when I was dinking around in the kitchen.  Are you ready?  It’s a novel idea.

Orange juice.  The juice from an orange.  Fresh squeezed orange juicy goodness.

It’s refreshingly simple.  And yummy.  And it contains no high fructose corn syrup or MSG. 

Now that I’ve shared that enlightening salad tid-bit…I’m very excited to share another healthy salad dressing idea!

Rhonda sent me a wonderful Ranch Dressing Mix recipe!!  I used to use Simply Organic brand because I trust it more than other brands.  But now, thanks to Rhonda, I can make a super healthy (and much, much less expensive) Ranch Dressing any time I need to!

Ranch Dressing Mix 

5 Tablespoons dried minced onions
7 teaspoon parsley flakes
4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix together and store in an air tight container.

For dressing: Mix 2 Tablespoons dry mix with 1 cup mayonnaise and 1 cup buttermilk or sour cream.  (I use buttermilk.)

For dip:  Mix 2 Tablespoons dry mix with 2 cups sour cream or kreme fresh.

Mix up a few hours before serving, so the flavors all blend nicely.

The jar on the right is the mix, which costs pennies compared to a packaged mix!  The jar on the left is the ranch dressing all made up and ready to go on our salad.

You HAVE to try this dressing!  It tastes so…so real.  And fresh.  And pure.  It’s delicious, simple and healthy!  And…obviously…you eat it on lettuce and other veggies…so that gives you wonderful, healthy…healthiness.  (And of course, great servings of more fruits and veggies!)

Rhonda even suggested using this ranch dressing mix in my Ranch Potato Wedges recipe.  It works GREAT!

I shall never buy another ranch dressing packet again.  Rhonda…you rock!

And try squeezing an orange onto your salad sometime!  See what you think!  (Ever tried it before?)

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