Great Oil. Great Salad.

Most of us are aware that olive oil has some fantastic health benefits.  However, you’d be hard pressed to find olive oil as the main ingredient in any store bought salad dressing. 

Seriously.  Give this a try. 

Instead, most salad dressings are made with canola oil.  Despite the relatively high amount of healthy Omega 3 fats found in the unrefined version of canola oil, processing typically removes them to preserve shelf life.

Since Omega 3s tend to degrade when exposed to heat and light, leaving them unrefrigerated on a shelf in a clear plastic bottle would allow them to go rancid.  They need to be refined to allow the product to last longer.  The result is a lower grade processed oil without the beneficial properties initially touted as part of the reason for choosing canola oil in the first place.

Instead, you’d be better off to use extra virgin olive oil to create your own salad dressings.  Unlike canola oil, extra virgin olive oil is a heart healthy monounsaturated fat.  There are no Omega 3s so there is no risk of spoilage and it does not have to be refined.  In fact, the words “extra virgin” mean that the product has not been processed.

In place of commercial salad dressings you can just whip up a couple batches of simple olive oil dressings to keep handy at home.  Store them in containers to be used conveniently whenever needed.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 part balsamic vinegar
1 part extra virgin olive oil
Add a little basil, oregano, and sea salt if desired

Raspberry Vinaigrette

2 parts raspberry vinegar
1 part extra virgin olive oil
Splenda or Stevia to taste

 
Bon appetite!

Add comment January 9th, 2008