Homemade salad dressing is a cinch to make, cheap and most importantly, delicious. Today, I took five minutes and whipped up a robust, mustardy vinaigrette that contains apple cider vinegar, which several studies have shown can lower blood sugar levels when consumed before a meal.
In the studies, participants ingested a tablespoon of cider vinegar before meals, resulting in a post meal blood glucose lowered up to 30 percent. Some people drink the vinegar mixed in water; that sounds awful to me. I do love my salads, however, and the idea of digging into a large bowl of crisp greens tossed with homemade dressing containing sweet apple cider vinegar and olive oil sounded good.
And, it was.
What I especially like is that apple cider vinegar isn’t a controversial ingredient. If lowers my blood sugar – great. If it doesn’t – no harm or big expense. At the worst, the dressing offers a frugal alternative to bottled dressings loaded with preservatives and carbs.
To make this dressing, I adapted a recipe from www.healthy seasonal recipes.com. The original recipe called for a higher proportion of oil as well as the addition of honey. I decided to increase the amount of vinegar to oil to a 1:1 ratio; that way I could enjoy a generous amount of salad dressing and get a full tablespoon of vinegar. If the dressing seems too vinegary, add an additional one or two tablespoons of olive oil. I forgot to add the honey specified in the recipe; after tasting the dressing, I don’t think it needs it.
The dressing is robust and tart, a perfect foil for a hearty main dish salad. In the photo above, I started with a big bed of romaine lettuce and added reduced-fat feta cheese, garbanzo beans, turkey pepperoni, chopped artichoke hearts and carrots. For “croutons,” I toasted a small portion of lavash (a type of thin flatbread) and crumbled it into the salad.
This dressing would also be tasty mixed into roasted Brussels sprouts, on a side salad topped with walnuts or as a topping for a cold roast beef sandwich
Apple Cider Vinagrette
Makes a generous five servings of two tablespoons each
Ingredients
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 small shallot, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
MIx all ingredients together and blend (immersion blender works fine). Taste; if too tart, add one or two tablespoons of olive oil.
Pour into small container and refrigerate after using.
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