Salads are amazing as a meal in themselves or accompanying another dish and are a great way to up your daily fiber intake. Try and have a side salad every day with your main meal. Leaves I love include butterhead, lollo rosso, spinach, gem, lambs lettuce, beetroot leaves. Pepper can be found in rocket, mizuna, watercress. Bitterness from some radicchio and don’t forget about the less well known leaves and cabbages such as Savoy, Chinese Leaves and even Kale if you chop it finely and let it sit in the dressing for a while.

Oils and Vinegar
I use extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) or Avocado oil for dressings and when a vegetable oil is called for I use a rapeseed or sunflower (especially for mayonnaises as 100% olive oil would be too strong). If I’m making mayonnaise I often infuse some of my oil with some chilli or even some chorizo oil. Nut oils are great for adding interest to dressings and combined with some of the vinegar suggested below.  Hazelnut is wonderful with a bit of orange zest, sesame oil and then some toasted sesame seeds make a great addition. As with other oils it is best to store them in a cool dark place.

Balsamic vinegar is one of my favourite – intense, sweet and sour, very aromatic. Sherry Vinegar from Spain comes a close second and is also amazing in making a delicious jus. Red and White wine vinegars are also great and I use them loads when making savoury jams such red onion marmalade or chilli jam.

Here are a few salad dressing ideas to add some zing to your plate of salad.

Pomegranate Dressing

This dressing is delicious, lemony almost like sherbert, sweet, sour and great on roasted veg salads, or on couscous, tabbouleh and the like

4-5 Tbsp pomegranate molasses
Juice of half a lemon
1 garlic clove chopped and crushed to a pulp
4-5 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sugar
Good pinch of ground cumin.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Put all these ingredients into a small deep bowl and using a fork or small whisk ensure all the ingredients are combined.

Classic Vinaigrette

The classic vinaigrette is twice the oil to vinegar, chopped crushed garlic, Dijon mustard and seasoning including a pinch of sugar if needed. However there are loads of options, change the mustard type, add some fresh chopped herbs, perhaps some orange juice and drizzle of hazelnut oil, some chopped chilies in oil. There are lots of options for variation.

Mayonnaise Based Dressings

Where you see mayonnaise in a dressing, feel free to sub or part sub with Greek style plain yogurt - it wont be Identical, but you will have a lovely dressing non the less.