Two Simple Homemade Dressings (Cucumber Yogurt and Creamy Parmesan)

It's truly been wonderful having a back yard filled with some of my favorite herbs; basil, mint, rosemary and dill.  I just walk outside, pick whatever I want, and add it to my marinades, smoothies, and salads.  I wish summer never ended.  I guess I could move to Florida or something, but truth be told, I enjoy the changing of the seasons here in Ohio.  After all, fall is right around the corner and while I will no longer have fresh herbs, soon enough it will be OSU FOOTBALL SEASON!!  I'm giddy with excitement.

Ok, I just got off track.......

As you already know I follow a special diet for IBS-control.  The diet isn't so bad, most of the time, but there are two ingredients that are incredibly difficult to avoid; garlic and onion.  I've looked high and low for a low FODMAPS salad dressing, and while I've found about two, I still prefer making my own.  I found these two recipes not too long ago and both were already low FODMAPs, without me having to make any modifications.  They were both simple, and honestly, delicious.  What I'm saying is, even if you can eat garlic and onion endlessly with no side-effects (lucky duck!) you will still want to print these recipes and save them in your files (or just Pin them, since that's what we do these days).

Cucumber Yogurt Dressing

Slightly modified from a Nutrition Action Health Letter recipe

Makes 8 servings (2 Tbsp/serving)

Ingredients

1/2 cup English cucumber, chopped

1 cup plain fat free Greek yogurt

1 tsp. red wine vinegar

2 Tbs. chopped fresh dill

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint

1/2 cup crumbled reduced fat feta cheese

Directions

Blend well in a blender, Magic Bullet, Food Processor, etc.  Add 1-serving (~2 Tbsp) to 3-4 cups of lettuce to make a salad, and top with your favorite add-ons.

**NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPS diet you will be happy to know that this is low FODMAPs!  Also, if you are following a gluten free diet, be sure to use gluten free oats.

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 2 Tbsp.
Source: CalorieCount.com

I poured this dressing over romaine and added pepper, and feta cheese.  Sometimes simple is the way to go.

Next up, my all time favorite (of course, the one with more calories, go figure).

Creamy Parmesan

Slightly modified from a Nutrition Action Healthletter recipe

Makes 8 servings (2 Tbsp/serving)

Ingredients

1/2 cup chopped basil leaves

1/4 cup chopped chives

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 tsp. sea salt

Directions

Blend well in a blender, Magic Bullet, Food Processor, etc.  Add 1-serving (~2 Tbsp) to 3-4 cups of lettuce to make a salad, and top with your favorite add-ons.

**NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPS diet you will be happy to know that this is low FODMAPs!  Also, if you are following a gluten free diet, be sure to use gluten free oats.

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 2 Tbsp.
Source: CalorieCount.com

Again, a simple salad with romaine, dressing, and homemade croutons (I basically baked some stale whole grain bread in the oven and sprayed some Tuscan olive oil on top prior to baking).

There you go, two new dressings for your Pinterest board (or recipe files).   I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

QUESTION:  What's your favorite dressing, of all time?  For me it's balsamic vinaigrette.  But of course, I can never find one without garlic or onion.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy your weekend!

The Candid Rd