Recipe: Lemon-Balsamic Vinaigrette

Happy Wednesday! I wanted to share a recipe for a great salad dressing that I've been using lately! Since I started counting my calories in January, I've been eating a salad for lunch almost every work day, and I've found that the key to preventing yourself from getting bored with salads every day is to vary the dressings that you use (and the toppings, but I'll post about that some other time).

This recipes isn't of my own creation, and the original can be found at Country Living. It's a great, light recipe that can handle changes in seasoning, depending on your mood and taste preferences.

Lemon-Balsamic Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

"Combine lemon juice, vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, add the oil in a thin stream. Remove the garlic and serve or store refrigerated for up to 1 week."

This is how Country Living instructs you to make the dressing; I, however, just toss everything into a mason jar, close the lid and shake the hell out of it. I don't always have fresh garlic on hand, so a 1/4 tsp of garlic powder will do just fine. I also don't add salt, to cut back on the sodium. Another option to vary the flavor profile is to use red wine vinegar instead of the balsamic! SO MANY OPTIONS!

A tip for this recipe to cut calories is to use 1/4 cup of EVOO and 1/4 cup of water. I haven't tried this, but I'd think that between the lemon juice and vinegar, it would still taste pretty fabulous! Generally speaking though, if your salad is loaded with veggies, I wouldn't worry too much about cutting calories. EVOO is a healthy fat that your body needs, and the ratio of lemon juice and vinegar to olive oil isn't too bad.

Enjoy!