Move over oil and vinegar ….sometimes we want to add a bit more flourish to our salads.  Here are 4 simple ideas.  They’ll also serve as tasty dollops for your barbecue meats and fish. 

SKINNY CAESAR DRESSING
Great over chopped cooked chicken and piles of crisp salad ingredients.

1 x 170g pot fat free Total greek yogurt (or any other brand but this is lovely and thick)
10g chopped anchovies
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon olive oil
barely 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
20g grated parmesan
clove garlic crushed
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix with a whisk or blend in a blender and then drizzle.

AVOCADO DRESSING
Drizzle over, or dip, steak, fish or vegan equivalent

1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and stoned
1 x 170g pot fat free Total greek yogurt
2 cloves garlic
2 tsps olive oil
juice of 1 lime
1/2 a small red onion, diced
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
splash of tabasco
pinch salt and fresh ground black pepper

Pile the whole lot in a blender and whizz until smooth and runny.

LEMON AND TAHINI DRESSING
This has quite a punchy taste and goes really well over a crunchy salad with falafels or chicken.

4 tbsps tahini
4 tbsps water
4 tbsps lemon juice
2 tbsps nutritonal yeast
Salt and black pepper

Blend and whizz. Taste and then adjust seasoning if needed. If you find it too thick, add a dash more water or you can pad out 

You may find you need to add a tad more nutritional yeast.
Nutritional yeast is a powder packed with B vitamins, and used in vegan cooking to boost flavours and add goodness.  It’s now widely available and is gluten free.

(Picture and recipe adapted from simpleveganblog.com)

ROASTED RED PEPPER DRESSING
I put this over grilled halmoumi.  Really delicious. 

4 red peppers, de-seeded and cut into quarters
half a red onion, roughly chopped
4 tsps olive oil
2 tbsps apple cider vinegar (failing that, red wine vinegar will be fine)
1 large can chopped tomatoes in juice
1 handful fresh basil
2 cloves garlic chopped
Salt and pepper

1.  Mix peppers and onions with the oil in a roasting tin (if you have a spray that’s more efficient!)
2.  Roast in oven until soft (a few charred bits don’t matter).  About 30 minutes.
3.  Add the rest of the ingredients into the roasting tin, stir and leave in oven for another 15 minutes. 
4.  Take out, and pour whole lot in a blender and whizz.
5.   Adjust salt and pepper to taste.