Raspberry Vinaigrette

Hi everyone!  Amid the joyous feasting that comes with the Christmas season, some healthy eating has got to be done.  Today, I'm going to be sharing with you a tasty and healthy way to inspire us to balance our cookie intake with vegetables.

Maybe it's just me, but I'm more apt to eat cooked veggies than raw veggies.  I think it has to do with texture and taste;  the soft texture and zesty flavors of cooked vegetables are hard to beat.  However, raw veggies can be delicious too.  I don't just mean dipping crudités in hummus or ranch ( though that is tasty😋.  I mean eating salads.

I am aware that this is a sore subject.  After all, salads can be hit and miss; if they're loaded with cheese, meat, beans, etc., they are a hit but if they consist of a few paltry leaves with a splash of dressing, it's a bad miss.

Enter raspberry vinaigrette.  Full of sweet fruity, flavor and bold, acidic vinegar, this salad dressing is guaranteed to make your salad dress its best ( sorry not sorry 😂).  At this point, you might be wondering if raspberry vinaigrette is hard to make.  Let me assure you that it is not.

The story of this dressing traces back all the way to about a week and a half ago, the day before Thanksgiving.  My family was hosting and we were planning on serving a mixed green salad decked with pomegranate arils, tangerine segments, sliced apples, and boughs of holly (just kidding, there were no wreaths in the salad 😉).  A salad like this begged for a sweet yet puckery dressing.  My family asked me to find a recipe for a raspberry salad dressing and a quick search yielded a great recipe.

There are two main components to this raspberry vinaigrette: the raspberry pureé and the vinaigrette.  The vinaigrette needs no explanation; just thoroughly combine good olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and honey together.  Feel free to adjust the proportions of these ingredients to your taste.  But I've got to talk about the raspberry pureé.  Who would've thought that raspberries blended up with a touch of sugar tasted so good?!  Seriously, this raspberry-sugar sauce would be amazing spooned onto ice cream or swirled into plain yogurt; it's full of the vibrant flavor of raspberries that is accented and improved by a tad bit of extra sweetness.  Put the raspberry pureé and the vinaigrette together and you've got a great salad dressing!

I slightly tweaked this recipe to bring you today's recipe.

That's all for now.  Don't forget to follow me on Instagram!

Raspberry Vinaigrette

• 1 cup frozen raspberries, thawed ( you may use fresh if you want)
• 1 T. granulated sugar
• 2/3  cup + 2 T. balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 T. honey
• Salt, to taste

1.  In a mason jar, thoroughly combine the vinegar through the salt, then set aside.

2.  Combine the raspberries and sugar in a small bowl, then let the mixture sit for a few minutes.

3.  In a food processor, blend the berry mixture until smooth.

4.  Add the blended berry mixture to the vinaigrette, mixing thoroughly.

5.  Enjoy, storing leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.