Easy Balsamic Salad Dressing

The standard ratio for vinaigrette's is three parts oil to one part vinegar. But this is really just a basic guide line. I usually taste it and add a little more vinegar to taste.

Here's my run down on the ingredients:

Olive Oil: This is a healthy monounsaturated fat that contains oleic acid and oleocanthal, nutrients that can fight inflammation. Look for an extra-virgin, organic, cold-pressed and invest in high quality. They say that 70% of the olive oil on the shelves contain other oils to keep it cheep. I just learned, from Dr. Axe , that you can do a simple test at home to find out if your oil is quality:

"keep in mind that a clue that you have a good product is if it solidifies when it’s cold and refrigerated. This has to do with the chemical structure of the fatty acids. You can put it in the refrigerator and it should become cloudy and thicken, but if it remains liquid then it’s not pure extra virgin."

Balsamic Vinegar: High in antioxidants, can aid in weight loss and maybe even lower your bad cholesterol! The really good stuff is aged in barrels. Try different flavors, but always commit to quality. A great local place is called The Olive Branch - you can trust their expertise.

Salt: Choose whole, real salt, full mineral salt. Our bodies need salt, in combination with these other minerals to balance our blood chemistry.

Ground Pepper: Increases the bioavailability of other food by helping to make the nutrients more available and accessible to our system. Peppercorns are great to grind, but otherwise just choose organic.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

• Salt

• Fresh-ground pepper

Directions

Mix ingredients in a glass mason jar and shake it up:)