Happy New Year, my friends!  After eating like it’s my job over the past month, I know I’m ready to start taking better care of myself again!  So tonight for dinner, my family had one of our old favorites.  I hadn’t made it in a while, and I had forgotten just how easy it is!  A friend shared this recipe with me years ago, and I remember being surprised by what went into the dressing:  just three ingredients, and you will probably have them all on hand!

Most of the time I am in a hurry to get dinner on the table and I just grab a bottle of salad dressing, but I think a salad with homemade dressing really is so much better.  And this dressing takes about 60 seconds to whip up–I need to make this more often!! It’s really light and sweet, so it pairs well with any kind of fruit… I often add apples, kiwi, berries, pears, dried apricots, Craisins, etc.  Nuts are a good addition as well–here, I added sunflower nuts, but I also love to lightly brown pine nuts over heat (no oil or butter added)… yum!  Just be sure to watch the pine nuts closely because they can burn easily.

We also add grilled chicken quite often.  Tonight I served it with chicken that I dipped in egg and then bread crumbs before sautéing it in olive oil.  The kids ate their chicken on the side with ketchup (as always!) but my husband and I added the chicken to our salad.

This would make a perfect dish to serve at a luncheon or summer cookout!  It’s been a hit for me at many showers and parties, and people always ask for the recipe… it’s so easy, it’s almost embarrassing!  But those are the recipes I love most–simple and good!

Give it a try… I really think you’ll like it!  And a little of this dressing goes a long way, so you barely need any.  This is definitely something to add to your rotation for a healthier 2013!  :)

Start with one sugar… I just grabbed a small spoon to use as a measurement.  If I am making a very large salad for a party, I might use 1/4 cup as my measurement.

I just used the same spoon.  :)

Add three (spoonfuls) vinegar.  Yes, just regular ol’ white vinegar!

I just used the same spoon yet again as my measurement, so I poured in three spoonfuls.

It really is so good!  Light and healthy!  :)

Get the printable recipe here.  (This is pretty easy, though, so you might even be able to remember it!)  :)

Mix up your own dressing with a ratio as follows:

1 sugar

1 Extra Light (Tasting) Olive Oil

3 white vinegar

Shake well.

That’s it!  I usually use a spoon from my silverware when it’s just our young family.  If it’s a slightly larger crowd (maybe 5+ adults) I use the big spoon from my silverware.  For a party-sized group (enormous), I will grab my 1/4 cup.  (Meaning that I would use 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup oil, and 3/4 cup vinegar… make sense?)  It really goes a long way, but then again, I don’t like soggy salad.  Speaking of that, this really won’t keep well–it will be soggy by the next day… bummer!  In fact, if I take this to a party, I don’t mix it until serving time.  I will bring everything in little plastic bags and assemble it there so it’s as fresh as possible.

Some ideas for the salad… it’s sweet, so we personally like it better with fruit than with vegetables:

Green Leaf or Romaine Lettuce are our favorites for this one

Fruit of any kind:  apples, berries, pears, kiwi, dried fruit (we like apricots and Craisins), etc.  Whatever you have on hand!

Grilled or Breaded Chicken

Nuts:  Sunflower Nuts, Almond Accents, lightly browned pine nuts (warm over heat only–no butter or oil needed), etc.

You could also add feta cheese…

Get creative!  :)  Those are just some ideas!

I hope this salad recipe helps you get (and stay) on track for a healthy 2013!

What do you love to toss into your salad?  I welcome your ideas in the comments!  :)

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