Fresh Salads

There are many ways to make a salad and I would like to share a few great ideas, but I'm going to begin with a basic one. Salads are a wonderful way to get fresh veggies in your diet, but all the "additives" can add up and what about the dressing. Nothing beats a good ranch dressing on a basic lettuce and veggie salad. Well, with this recipe you will be screaming for more. Ellie Krieger from Food Network has a lighter, fresh way of making your own Ranch dressing at home and it truely beats the store bought stuff. My hubby even prefers this over any store bought dressing and it is simple to make. Remember, all the veggies can be fresh from the garden and local in the summer, organic or bought from a local merchant in winter so experiment with different veggies. Just remember to go light on things like cheese, boiled eggs and meats in a salad.

Fresh Garden Salad with Ranch Dressing

Combine your favorite fresh veggies such as:
Lettuce (Dark lettuces like green leaf and romaine have more nutrition), Spinich,
Tomatos, cucumber, onions, carrots, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, squash, zucchini, etc.

For the dressing

Ingredients
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt, or 1/3 cup nonfat Greek style yogurt
1/3 cup lowfat buttermilk
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice (fresh is best, but sometimes I just don't have lemons, so I have used the bottled stuff)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives (You can grow these in a pot at home in the summer)
salt

Directions

If using plain yogurt, place it in a strainer lined with a paper towel and place the strainer over a bowl. Let the yogurt drain and thicken for 20 minutes.
In a medium bowl, combine the strained or Greek-style yogurt and the rest of the ingredients. Add salt, to taste.


Give it a try and let me know what you think.