One of the requirements of the MIND diet is using olive oil as the primary oil. The main place I use oil is in salad dressing. Now that I am eating a big green salad almost every day, I use even more oil that way (although I usually use only 1 TBSP on a side salad).
When I looked for store-bought salad dressings using olive oil, I didn’t see anything that looked good to me. I decided it was time to stop being lazy and try making my own. I had been using Kraft Balsamic Vinaigrette most recently, so that is what I tried to imitate. Since I am also trying to cut down on calories, too, I am trying to make a light version.
I started with this recipe for Light Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad
Dressing. It’s actually pretty close, but a little heavy on the vinegar. I added a TBSP of brown sugar this time. Next time, I will try a little less vinegar and a little more water.
Olive Oil Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 1 TBSP Dijon Mustard
- 2 TBSP brown sugar
- 2 tsp minced garlic (I use a microplane grater)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
I just whisk it all together. With that little bit of oil in it, you don’t have to worry much about getting it emulsified.
This recipe makes 3/4 cup. Add a little water if needed to make this amount. This is 12 TBSP. I use 1 TBSP on a small dinner salad and 2 TBSP for a salad that is the whole meal.
One serving (1 TBSP) has 24 calories.
I am keeping this in the refrigerator, but I think this is just a habit. The ingredients wouldn’t have to be refrigerated individually and I will have it used up within 2 weeks at the most.
I considered using sweetener for at least half of the sugar, but it is pretty low calorie the way it is. I can never decide which is worse – sugar or sweetener.
This recipe doesn’t have much olive oil in it: 1/12 of a TBSP (1/4 tsp) per serving. I am assuming that it is not the consumption of olive oil that is the benefit but the fact that it is replacing the consumption of other oils. At least with this as my salad dressing, I can say that olive oil is my primary oil. I probably need to do more research on this.
Next, I need to tackle olive oil-based mayo.