With warmer weather and beautiful fresh greens at our local farmer’s markets, salads become front and center in our minds and on our plates. Fresh lemon juice and olive or flax oil are really all you need to toss on your greens, but sometimes a new dressing can spark renewed interest in salads and you might increase your consumption of health-supporting greens. Homemade dressings are easy to make and much healthier than most bottled type dressings.

Buttermilk and Blue Cheese Dressing
Wonderful with arugula, beets, and toasted sunflowers.

2/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled
Dash of sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Place buttermilk, blue cheese, salt and pepper in a jar and shake well.

Avocado Dressing
This hearty dressing is so versatile. Great on greens or raw veggies.
Makes 1 cup. Serves 4

1 medium tomato or 1/4 cup salsa
1 large lemon, juiced
1/4 cup water
1 large avocado
2 cloves garlic, 1/2-inch thick
2 tablespoons parsley, de-stemmed
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon miso, optional
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Place all ingredients, except salt and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth.
Add sea salt and pepper if needed. You may add a little water if it’s too thick.

Chipotle Dressing
Wonderful on a taco salad or a baked potato or on a sandwich or dip or…
Servings: 8
Yield: 2 cups

1/2 pound silken tofu
1/4 cup sunflower or olive oil
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey, or agave
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
½ to 1 whole chipotle chile canned in adobo, or to taste.
3 tablespoons red onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
3 cloves garlic, minced

Mix all together in a blender or food processor. If you like you may leave the onions diced.

Mustard Vinaigrette
A perfect basic dressing.

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon, juiced
3/4 cup olive oil, can also use flax oil

In a bowl or jar, place mustard, chopped shallots, chopped garlic, and lemon juice. Mix with a spoon, then slowly pour in olive oil and whisk or shake.

Ranch Dressing

I discovered that almost all kids love Ranch dressing, so here’s a delicious and much healthier version to make at home.

1 cup sour cream or yogurt cheese*
½ cup buttermilk
½ teaspoon dried dill weed
½ teaspoon dried chives
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper

Mix all together and store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for one week. Be sure to use fresh herbs in the summer!

*To make yogurt cheese, line a colander with cheesecloth, place a quart of plain yogurt in the colander, cover with cheesecloth and let drain over a bowl, refrigerated, overnight. The remaining yogurt is now thick and can be used to replace sour cream.

For more salad recipes, see Patty’s book, More Vegetables, Please!