Favorite Easy Dressings and Condiments
I like to keep my meal prep and recipes simple, but delicious with fresh and local ingredients whenever possible. For variety I keep a few homemade dressings and sauces on hand so I’m not bored mid-week.
Prep once and enjoy for the rest of the week! Read on for my favorite sauces and condiments right now.
Check out the label on store-bought dressings and condiments next time you’re at the grocery store. Most of them contain unnecessary sugars and inflammatory oils. Yup, even savory dressings often have ~1 teaspoon of sugar per serving. WHY!?
And “healthy” choices that proudly display gluten-free, dairy free on the front of their label sneak in cheap canola oil, vegetable oil, peanut oil, and more. These cheap oils are great for manufacturers’ wallets, but NOT for our bodies.
AVOID THESE OILS LIKE THE PLAGUE
The following are toxic, highly processed “Frankenfats” or oils extracted using high heat, solvents and other chemicals. They go rancid easily and are full of inflammatory, cancer-encouraging free radicals.
- CaNOla oil (it’s everywhere and in most store-bought dressings and condiments)
- “Vegetable” oil
- Soybean oil
- Peanut oil
- Corn oil
- Grapeseed oil
- Sunflower oil
- Safflower oil
- Shortening (made from any of the above)
- Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils (think fake “butter” substitutes and margarines like Earth Balance and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter).
MAKING SIMPLE HEALTHY DRESSINGS
I promise that homemade dressings don’t have to be fancy or complicated! A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle of sea salt and black pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice is fast and delicious.
You could take it a step further by whisking together ~1tsp of red wine vinegar, olive oil, 1tsp of mustard together. Just a few ingredients all of which you could pronounce — just as a dressing should be!
Below are a few of my favorites dressings and sauces right now that I use on everything from salads and burgers to eggs and steak or roasted potatoes.
Horseradish Chive Dressing I can’t take credit for this one! I first tried this dressing from Teri at No Crumbs Left atop a flank steak salad and realized it was the perfect topping for roasted breakfast potatoes, on burgers and more. Grab some chives, quality mayo, and horseradish and whip it up in your blender in no time. Grab the recipe
And don’t miss Teri’s amazing Marinated Red Onions while you’re at it! Try them over eggs, salads and beyond.
Easy Chimichurri Recipe
Chimichurri is such a versatile sauce. It's perfect on steak, potatoes, seafood, eggs, stirred into mayo...and pretty inexpensive to make! I like to process a double batch and freeze some of it in an ice cube tray for later. (Of course, I go through a lot of it in our house)!
INGREDIENTS
1c tightly packed cilantro (about 1 bunch)
1c tightly packed flat leaf parsley (about 1 bunch, leaves only)
1/2c extra virgin olive oil
2Tbsp red wine vinegar (OR the juice of 1 lemon or lime)
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped (so that it doesn’t get caught under the blender blades)
1/2tsp ground cumin
2tsp dried oregano
1/4tsp red pepper flakes (optional - use more/less depending on your taste!)
1/2tsp sea salt
1/4tsp freshly ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth or leave a little chunky with some texture if you prefer.
- Season to taste with more salt and pepper or red pepper flakes.
- Store in a glass jar in your refrigerator for up to one week, or freeze leftovers in a silicone ice cube tray.
