This tangy and sweet salad dressing will encourage you to eat lots of healthy veggies. It’s working in our home.

‘Tis the season to begin replacing the overload of holiday sweets with heathful fruits and vegetables. I can’t say all the sweets are gone, but Jack and I are certainly shifting the balance away from the cookies and pastries. Ok, we admit it. Our diet was entirely too rich. It was only a matter of time before the decadent butter, hedonistic heavy cream, fabulously fatty fried chicken thighs and all the rest of it were going to get us. We’ve been pretty good about not going crazy with portions over the years, but we realize it’s time for a more realistic and healthful change.

I’ve been researching recipes and recipe books which earn the description “healthy.” I’m not too excited about what I’m finding thus far. I was looking for gourmet recipes which meet my standards and also will pass our would-you-be-happy-if-you-got-this-in-a-restaurant test. So, it looks like I have a new quest – the showcasing and creation of healthful gourmet recipes. Sounds like fun to me!

We love salads – especially those big, fill-a-dinner-plate mixes crowded with a variety of color and lots of tasty ingredients. This salad dressing recipe is not fat free, salt free or taste free. It was borne out the desire to use apple cider vinegar as opposed to my favorite, balsamic vinegar. Quality balsamic is expensive and elusive in Ulaanbaatar. Apple cider vinegar is abundant. I mixed onion, freshly cracked pepper and a pinch of salt into the standard oil and vinegar dressing ratio. I then added Dijon mustard to emulsify the dressing and mixed in honey to balance the acid in the vinegar. Voila, a delicious dressing. Tonight it is going on a layered salad stacked with romaine lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, English cucumbers, and spring squash. It’s topped with Jack’s roasted skinless chicken thighs, pine nuts, sun dried tomatoes and a few flavorful shaves of parmesan cheese. Served with a mellow glass of wine and a slice of French bread, and we have ourselves a heart-healthy meal that passes the would-you-be-happy-if-you-got-this-in-a-restaurant test.

Honey Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 tbsp dried onions
• pinch salt

Directions

1. Put all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake vigorously.
2. Store unused dressing in a glass container with a tight fitting lid in the refrigerator.