I love salads, especially on warm, sticky days (like it is here on my trip to the Virgin Islands). There’s something about crunchy, bitter leaves tossed with a refreshing dressing that cools me off and makes me feel great.

Dressings play a huge role in creating “healthy” salads. That’s where most people make the mistake of trying to “go light.” Many store-bought dressings are filled with garbage oils, high fructose corn syrups, and preservatives that will keep the jar “shelf-able” for years.

My weekly food-prep trick, is to try to make a salad dressing at the beginning of the week and use it on salads or over fish, poultry, or meat. It’s instant flavor that won’t weigh me down.

Inspired by my sister’s boyfriend, a fabulous chef and food lover here at a local restaurant, I created a dairy-free, creamy dressing that’s not loaded with excess oil and sugars (like many papaya seed dressings I’ve tasted). The seeds of papayas are peppery and almost work like ground peppercorns. Simply toss everything into a blender and enjoy.

Steps

1. Blend all of the ingredients in a blender (except for the oil).
2. Slowly pour the extra virgin olive oil (or macadamia nut oil) into the blender to emulsify.

Yields 1 cup

NOTE: Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

More Papaya Posts:

Papaya Yogurt Bowl
Detox with Papaya
Cucumber Papaya Salad

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