3 REASONS TO EAT MORE SALADS and… 3 STEPS TO A BASIC SALAD DRESSING!

Accidentally created a butterfly 🦋 with the pickled gherkin, beets and olives in last night’s dinner-box!😅

I’m trying to incorporate more raw foods in my diet these days so naturally, I’m starting with salads! Bought a box of organic mixed salad greens for $6 the other day. You may think it’s pricey but I think it’s reasonable considering it lasted me for 2 dinners – ate half a box at a time!

That’s $3+ depending on what else I add into the meal. Tonight it was 2 slices of grassfed beef so about $4! My family ate at the local Kopitiam (foodcourt in Singapore) and the average price for a meal there was $5!

(Who says eating organic veggies and pasture raised protein has to be expensive! 😄)

By the way most store bought salad dressings aren’t as healthy as you think. One look at the ingredients list and you can often find things like vegetable oils, additives, preservatives, etc. Besides, it’s way healthier, simple and fun to make your own each time! My chef-to-be sister @lisaaaatfl was teaching me the fundamentals of a basic salad dressing and it turns out it’s terribly easy!

BASIC SALAD DRESSING IN 3 STEPS

1. Add some (healthy) oils
   • I recommend adding raw olive oil but coconut or avocado oil is also fine
   • I usually add 2-3 tbsp of olive oil to 1 tbsp of vinegar (see next point)
   • At the moment I’m using this brand of olive oil
   • Look for organic, extra-virgin and cold-pressed ones that come with an opaque bottle as sunlight increased oxidation of the oils [1]
2. Add something acidic
   • I rotate amongst one of the following:
     • 1 tbsp organic, raw Apple Cider Vinegar
     • 1 tbsp organic Balsamic Vinegar
     • Juice of 1/2 an organic lemon
     • Juice of 4-5 small limes
   • The acidic-ness of theses will be balanced out by the oils added
   • Some aged balsamic vinegars are so flavorful that they taste like some sweet glaze too
3. Add the extras and toppings
   • In our home, olive oil and balsamic vinegar is usually enough. Sometimes I add the following to spice things up a little:
     • Sauerkraut / Fasskraut
     • Kefir
     • Soy-sauce substitutes like Fish Sauce or Coconut Aminos (amazon, iHerb)
     • Chopped hard-boiled, ‘Kampong’ (free-range) eggs
     • Olives or pickled vegetables
     • Properly prepared nuts and seeds
     • Nitrate-free chopped bacon bits!

TOP 3 REASONS TO EAT MORE SALADS!

1. Its extremely time efficient: 5-10 mins prep time!

2. Salads are healthy– 🙄 duh right… Well, raw foods have lots more enzymes, vitamins and minerals as they haven’t been damaged by the cooking process (oxidation and heat). Also, food and particularly vegetables, in its raw form, are great prebiotics which feed the good bacteria in yr gut!

3. Salads get your creative juices flowing because you get to experiment with a new combination and flavour each time!

Have another simple salad dressing recipe to share? I’d love to hear about it!

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