A few years ago when my family was vacationing in Kelowna we learned about a farmers market at a winery walking distance from our place.

As my girls and I were browsing through the stalls, we came across a new business selling salad dressing. We fell in love! It was so delicious and perfect for any summer salad. We purchased a bottle and took it home to enjoy.

Once we were home, we realized that this new business was so teeny that we could only purchase the dressing in Kelowna! Yowza, that was a sad moment for us.

Since we weren’t planning to travel back any time soon, we decided to spend hours in the kitchen doing our best to replicate it before we ran out.

The ingredients aren’t the same, and neither is the taste, but it’s close enough! The main ingredient we changed was using olive oil instead of canola oil. Canola oil is a trade name for low-erucic acid rapeseed oil that has been bred in a lab. Erucic acid is a toxic substance that has been linked to some health issues. Olive oil is a healthier, tastier oil to use in dressings.

My family and I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.

What you’ll love about this recipe:

Simple to prepare and easy to adjust to your preferences. Gather the ingredients, blend them up, taste, adjust, done!
Nutritional yeast. Also known as “nooch”, nutritional yeast is an inactive type of yeast made from sugarcane and beet molasses. Nutritional yeast is often used as a condiment due to its savoury, “cheesy” taste and is often used to emulate cheese in vegan dishes and thicken sauces and dressings. It can give an additional boost in nutrients as it contains fibre, protein, B vitamins, zinc, and more. For vegans, choosing a fortified version can help boost nutrient levels such as B12.
Maple syrup. Maple syrup can be a good alternative to processed cane sugar, especially since most of us consume too much processed sugar. The total antioxidant content of natural sweeteners compared to refined sugar products (like white sugar or corn syrup), shows that maple syrup is shown to have higher antioxidant capacity. Maple syrup is derived from the sap of maple trees which makes it a more natural, unrefined product than refined cane sugar which undergoes a long, complex process to be condensed into crystalized sugar.
Garlic. Garlic has been shown to lower blood pressure, regulate cholesterol, and stimulate immunity.
Lemon. Lemons are a good source of vitamin C, an important nutrient that’s been linked to increased immune health. Citrus Flavonoids found in lemons may help to protect against Cardiovascular Disease. Flavonoids are powerful antioxidant agents (Antioxidants help your body fight off potentially harmful substances in your body).

Oil & Vinegar Salad Dressing

Prep time: 20 minutes
Servings: 400 mL dressing bottle

INGREDIENTS

¾ cup olive oil
4 tbsp apple cider vinegar (organic, with the mother)
3 tbsp water
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
2.5 tbsp soya sauce (try tamari or Braggs)
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp garlic powder (or fresh garlic for a stronger punch)
1 tsp lemon juice (fresh!)
½ tsp salt

DIRECTIONS

Measure all ingredients except olive oil into a blender.
Blend on high until smooth.
Add olive oil slowly while the blender is on low-medium, allowing the dressing to emulsify.
Season to taste, adding oil or water if the dressing is too thick.
Pour into a salad dressing bottle and refrigerate.
Use dressing at room temperature as the olive oil may solidify in storage.

TIPS

Your dressing will be smoother if you use a high-speed blender such as Vitamix or Blendtec.

A higher quality olive oil will result in a superior taste.

Do you have a favourite salad dressing recipe? I would love to hear about it!

Krista

xo