Why add a high quality olive oil to your salad salad? Because it helps absorb the nutrients in the vegetables and has many health benefits. There are many studies that show the benefits of olive oil, including that dietary fats are needed for absorption of vitamins and nutrients, lubricates the colon, may help lower your risk of heart disease, normalize blood clotting and benefit insulin levels and blood sugar control, to name a few.

Typically salad dressings are 3 parts oil and 1 part acid (a vinegar). You can cut some of the oil by adding orange juice, lemon and/or lime. I also love to add Dijon vinegar.

Here’s my favorite dressing:
1 cup cold pressed olive oil
1/4 cup high quality balsamic dressing
2 tbsp pine nuts
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp maple syrup
Pinch of Himalayan Pink Crystal Salt
Pinch of black pepper
Pinch of garlic optional

Mix together oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and mustard then add other ingredients. Mix in greens, shallots, chickpeas and tomatoes and whatever other vegetable and/or legume you love.