3 Five-Minute Fresh Herb Salad Dressings

Remember a few weeks ago when I proclaimed, “You should try growing your own food, even if it’s just a couple of herbs”?  Well, I’m going to say it again, “You should try growing your own food, especially herbs!” And then, I’m going to give you three simple five-minute reasons to do so. This is where the rubber meets the road, or in our case, the garden herb meets the salad bowl.

Last time we talked about about growing food, I shared my top 10 money-saving foods to grow at home. Four out of the ten foods on my list were herbs. Isn’t that kind of cheating? Herbs aren’t really “food.” 

On the contrary, herbs are one of my favorite foods to grow. Herbs require very little effort to nurture and maintain, and can be grown from seeds which means a large pot of herbs costs just pennies. They are the perfect food to grow for the low-maintenance, no-room, impatient gardener. Who me?

A variety of herbs can be found growing in pots on my kitchen windowsill or scattered throughout my small backyard garden bed.

Each spring I go on a must-plant-all-the-herbs frenzy. That time is right about now! Before ordering any seeds, I check SeedsNow.com (remember I mentioned a few weeks ago that this online company is one of my sources for non-GMO, organic seeds?) for information on which herbs actually grow in my area. And then, with a click of a button, my herb seeds are ordered and delivered to my mailbox.

Within a couple of months my kitchen windowsill and backyard garden are full of fragrant herbs just waiting to be clipped and put to good use. And that’s when the fun begins.

With a huge bounty of fresh herbs and more seeds ready to be planted, I’m always in search of ways to use herbs. After all, that’s the fun of growing your own food…using it!

Making homemade salad dressing is my favorite way to use fresh herbs. Homemade dressings require very little hands-on time, lack the nasty ingredients found in most store-bought dressings, and pack a ton of fresh herbs into each recipe for the ultimate flavor explosion.

I know most of us are just ordering seeds for our sun-kissed gardens or windowsill pots, but it’s never too early to start thinking about how to use the bounty of food that will soon break through the soil!

In the name of “planning ahead,” let’s indulge in three super simple five-minute (or less) salad dressings you can make with the fresh herbs you grow this season. These homemade dressings pack flavor and healthy ingredients, and can also be used as meat marinades or veggie dips. Think of these recipes as little pots of gold at the end of the garden rainbow. Of course, you can also use fresh herbs from the store, but if you have any space, even just a windowsill, growing a few favorite herbs at home is the way to go.

5 from 8 votes

3 Five-Minute Fresh Herb Salad Dressings

These homemade dressings pack flavor and healthy ingredients, and can also be used as meat marinades or veggie dips.

Kristin Marr

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Total Time10 minutes mins

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Servings 1 cup

Calories 3346 kcal

Ingredients

Lime-Cilantro Dressing

• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 limes juiced
• 1 TB white wine vinegar
• 1 TB honey
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• 1 tsp chopped shallots
• 1/8 tsp salt

Creamy Herb Dressing

• 1/2 cup sour cream yogurt may be substituted, but the consistency of the dressing may change
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh herb leaves such as: basil, parsley, dill, marjoram, or oregano
• 1 TB white wine vinegar
• 1 lemon juiced
• 1 garlic clove chopped
• 1/2 green onion mainly the white part and some green, about 2-3 tablespoons Note: The green onions add a tangy bite. They may be left out of the recipe for a mild dressing.

Herbed Honey Mustard Dressing

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh herb leaves such as: parsley, basil, dill, thyme or combination of herbs
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh herb leaves such as: parsley, basil, dill, thyme (or combination of herbs)
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 TB honey
• 1 TB dijon mustard
• 1 tsp shallots chopped

Instructions

Lime-Cilantro Dressing

• Add all the ingredients to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the ingredients for 1 minute. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

  This dressing is also a great marinade for chicken or kebabs.
  

Creamy Herb Dressing

• Add all the ingredients to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the ingredients for 1 minute until the dressing is creamy and the herbs are finely chopped. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

  This dressing also makes a delicious a vegetable dip or topping for 20-Minute Fresh Salmon Burgers.
  

Herbed Honey Mustard Dressing

• Add all the ingredients to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for 1 minute until the herbs are finely chopped. Store the dressing in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

This dressing also makes a delicious a vegetable dip or topping for 20-Minute Fresh Salmon Burgers.

Nutrition

Calories: 3346kcalCarbohydrates: 69gProtein: 8gFat: 348gSaturated Fat: 58gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 582mgPotassium: 664mgFiber: 8gSugar: 43gVitamin A: 4505IUVitamin C: 114mgCalcium: 314mgIron: 5.8mg

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

If you’d like to grow your own herbs, SeedsNow has generously offered the Live Simply community a special coupon code that’s good for 10% off your entire order at SeedsNow.com. Use the code “SIMPLY10″ at checkout to redeem this offer.

Disclosure: This post was written as a collaboration with SeedsNow. The opinions and photos expressed are completely my own. I was already a customer of SeedsNow before our collaboration. As a blogger, I’m privileged to partner with companies making a difference in the natural and real food world.  I only endorse companies and products I 100% love and believe in. 

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10 Healthy Money-Saving Foods You Can Grow at Home

20 Minute Fresh Salmon Burgers

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