Today I sat down for the third course of my lunch. I eat a large lunch over a period of two hours at my desk because I like the energy food gives me to get through the afternoon and it also gets me all set for my time at the gym in the evenings. My third course today was a salad. It was vibrant and fresh filled with super sweet cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, and topped with a heaping of pea shoots. Usually, I would prepare my own dressing; but, today I was rushing so I grabbed the nearest bottle of prepared dressing I could find. It was a Caesar Vinagrette. It was yummy.
As I was enjoying my salad, I began to read the bottle a little closer because the flavor was phenomenal. I wondered what was in it. When I make dressing, it usually consists of just a few simple ingredients. This bottle had over 2o ingredient, including High Fructose Corn Syrup and something called Xanthan Gum. I looked at the bottle side-eyed thinking what a sneaky thing this dressing was...masking itself as something that most people think supports healthy living. ***shaking my head*** The recommended serving size is 2 tablespoons which is just about two of those big spoons that come with the full set of flatware that most of us have had at some point. The good news is that it was low in carbs and contained only about 150 calories. All this is great if you are like me and only use a small amount of dressing. If you are a drowner or like large salads, you could be tripling the dosage of all things not so great. But that's not all...what floored me was the 16g of fat each serving delivered. Fantastic. So, you are essentially choosing salad or burger. I'd go for the burger and leave the dressing on the shelf. But if you are like me and love a good fresh salad, try making your own dressing and leave the Xanthan Gum on the shelf.
Basic Vinagrette
Reusing an old jar with lid, add one tablespoon of vinegar, two table spoons of extra virgin olive oil, one teaspoon of honey, one teaspoon of dijon mustard (or anchovy paste, or mayo), a pinch of salt, and a dash of pepper. Shake well until all ingredients are well incorporated. It will be ready to use immediately or refrigerate for the next morning. Makes one serving.
douse some lemon juice up in there!
ReplyDeleteXanthan Gum is used by people who are allergic to gluten to add volume and viscosity to bread and other gluten-free baked goods. It is made from a tiny microorganism called Xanthomonas campestris and is a natural carbohydrate. It is a natural thickening agent. Its actually really good for your digestive track because of the microorganisms in it. Its not overly processed which makes it great for CLEAN diets. Just thought I would add that in there. BUT UMMMM HFCS is a no go!!! Thanks for the post.
ReplyDeleteLove is... TL
thanks Tamika for adding that! first, i just think it a funny phrase. second, for clean diets, i would suggest just making your own which is the point here. there is no reason to even need any of this if we start thinking of what we can make ourselves. and thirdly, why would i ever need that in my dressing? keep it simple.
ReplyDeleteI keep a bottle of vinegar and a bottle of olive oil at my desk. When my tree has lemons, I use them instead of the vinegar. Easy peasy.MLT
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