Our Favorite Two-minute Honey-Lemon Salad Dressing

We’ve all heard it: “Eat more dark green, leafy vegetables.” But dark, leafy greens can be bitter. Yes, you could drown them in a high-calorie, decadent, creamy dressing. But sometimes you want a light salad that’s really delicious, but still good for you. That’s what I was going for when I created this honey-lemon salad dressing.

Little did I realize at the time that this dressing is incredibly versatile. I love it on an arugula salad or basted on grilled fish like tilapia. I love to serve the basted, grilled tilapia on a bed of arugula or spring greens tossed with a little red onion, parmesan shavings, and this dressing.

If you haven’t noticed, I like to play with my food. Another way to play with this dressing is with baked bread—specifically, focaccia. Or, as I call this shortcut version, “faux-caccia.” That’s because I make it with refrigerated pizza dough. Roll out the dough to ½” thickness, then brush it with this dressing. Top the dough however you like. Use coarse sea salt, some fresh cracked black pepper, and fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary, or sage. You could add a little lemon zest too, whatever you like! Then bake according to the packaged dough’s directions. Yum!

Suppose you want to move the flavor profile south of the border, swap lime juice for the lemon, and add a tablespoon of chopped cilantro. You could also bump up the heat by doubling the red pepper or adding a bit of minced jalapeño pepper.

This makes an excellent dressing for a salad of romaine and red leaf lettuce, fresh tomatoes, avocado, grilled corn, and black olives.  Or you could layer the salad toppings on a pizza crust brushed with this dressing and topped with a sprinkling of queso quesadilla or chihuahua cheese.

The possibilities are endless. That’s what makes this such a great basic recipe. You can start with this simple dressing and customize it to suit your tastes and your needs.

To make this dressing vegan, you can substitute equal parts light agave nectar or coconut nectar for the honey. Brown rice syrup will also work, but you may need an extra teaspoon of it to get the right sweet-tart balance.

To reduce the carbohydrates in the dressing, you can substitute your favorite sugar-free sweetener for all or some of the honey. Keep in mind that this will change the flavor somewhat. The four teaspoons of honey in this dressing account for about 23 grams of carbohydrates, or 4 grams per serving, well less than many bottled dressings.

Whether you make this with honey, agave nectar, or sucralose, this two-minute honey lemon salad dressing will add a bright, lightly sweet finish to your favorite leafy greens.

Two-minute Super Fresh Honey Lemon Salad Dressing

Course: Basics, Dinner, Lunch, Vegetables, Weeknight, SaladCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

2

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Total time

2

minutes

This slightly sweet, tangy dressing combines fresh lemon juice, flavorful extra-virgin olive oil, and honey for a versatile dressing that’s great on salad and so much more!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon lemon juice

• 4 teaspoons honey

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 2 teaspoon minced garlic (2 large cloves)

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

• ½ teaspoon finely ground sea salt (or to taste)

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)

• ⅛ teaspoon ground red pepper (or to taste)

Directions

• Place all ingredients in a bowl or measuring cup and whisk to combine. Alternatively, place ingredients in a jar. Screw on the lid and shake vigorously until combined. Drizzle over your favorite dark green leafy vegetables.

Notes

• If you’re using lemons that have been sitting around for a while, they may be more tart than fresher lemons. You may wish to add a teaspoon or two of water to offset the more assertive flavor.
• Leftover dressing will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week.
• This dressing is especially delicious on dark, sharp-tasting greens like arugula and baby kale.