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This giveaway is sponsored by s.a.l.t. sisters. They provided me with a bottle of olive oil to review and one to give away. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are, as always, my own and only mine.
Two exciting things today: my first salad dressing recipe and a giveaway!
I’m partnering up with s.a.l.t. sisters, a company that deals with all sorts of high-quality food products, to offer you a chance to win a bottle of their Mandarin Zest Infused Olive Oil! Scroll on down to enter! This great company is also offering my readers a discount off of orders made during this giveaway (Feb. 23- Mar. 1, 2016). Simply use the code “saltsisters25” to get a hefty 25% off of your order before shipping! All products are, “fresh, unrefined, non-GMO, [and] gluten free without any artificial fillers or MSG”.
I’m usually a Ranch kind of gal, but I’ve wanted to make a vinaigrette recipe for some time now. When I got the opportunity to review some olive oil from the s.a.l.t. sisters, I decided that this would be the perfect time to kill two birds with one stone! Since I’m not very good at keeping things basic, I decided to spice up my vinaigrette with some raspberry flavor. Problem is, I don’t usually keep raspberries on hand. I do usually have frozen cranberries, so I used a few tablespoons of them for color and added some raspberry extract for flavor. A teensy bit of THM Pure Stevia Extract Powder to round out the sweetness and it was perfect! You can pour this yummy dressing all over your normal salad, or you can add some black olives and cranberries for some extra flavor and color.
Oh, and if you have raspberries waiting to be used, by all means use them in place of the cranberries and raspberry extract.
Let’s talk about this olive oil. I have not had very good experiences with olive oil in the past. Seems like whatever we get at Sam’s Club is very dark and heavy-tasting (despite being marketed as extra-virgin) with an unpleasantly bitter aftertaste when used on its own as a dressing. I was anxious to try a better quality olive oil to see if the taste I was getting was just my taste buds and olive oil in general not liking each other. I was pleasantly surprised by the olive oil I got from s.a.l.t. sisters! It’s lighter in color than what I usually use, and definitely lighter in flavor! It’s actually pleasant! I tested the Mandarin Zest infused variety, which has a faint citrus taste that lingers on the palette.
Edited to add – I guess I don’t know a whole lot about olive oil…haha. Apparently extra virgin olive oil, which comes from the first pressing of olives, is supposed to be darker and more flavorful. Maybe I need to get some that isn’t from the first pressing.
Pssst – we’re giving away a bottle of the Mandarin Zest infused olive oil below!
S.a.l.t. sisters carries all kinds of great, all-natural products, many of which pair well with the Trim Healthy Mama way of eating. Natural and flavored salts, teas, herbs, spice rubs – you name it, they carry it! All products are, “fresh, unrefined, non-GMO, [and] gluten free without any artificial fillers or MSG”. S.a.l.t. sisters does use some natural sugars such as cane sugar in some of its products, so Trim Healthy Mamas, be sure to check ingredients before you buy. (For the duration of this giveaway, use the code “saltsisters25” to get a hefty 25% off of your order before shipping!)
Are you a fruity vinaigrette person? Comment below and tell me!
Enter via the Rafflecopter widget right here! This is the only way to enter. Sometimes Rafflecopter can be finicky with mobile, so if you’re having trouble, try to find a computer to enter from.
For the duration of this giveaway, use the code “saltsisters25” to get a hefty 25% off of your order before shipping!
All products are, “fresh, unrefined, non-GMO, [and] gluten free without any artificial fillers or MSG”.
You can find this recipe in my cookbook, Necessary Food.
- ½ cup + 2 T olive oil of choice (I used s.a.l.t. sisters' Mandarin Infused Olive Oil)
- ¼ cup water
- 2 T apple cider vinegar
- 2 T lemon juice
- 2 T cranberries (thawed if frozen)
- ½ tsp. oregano
- ½ tsp. dill
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- ¼ tsp. garlic salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- ¼ tsp. dry mustard
- ¼ tsp. Watkin's Raspberry Extract
- 1/16 tsp. xanthan gum
- 1½ doonks THM Pure Stevia Extract Powder (a doonk is 1/32 tsp.)
- Blend all the ingredients together until completely smooth (I used our Ninja single-serve cup). Taste and adjust flavors and sweetness as you desire. Yields about 1 cup of vinaigrette.
- If the vinaigrette solidifies in the fridge, microwave it for a few seconds (not long at all) and shake to get it pourable again.
Some orange zest would probably be a great addition to this!
I recommend using a light-flavored olive oil in this dressing.
Feel free to add some mayonnaise for a creamier dressing, if desired.
Suggested products:
Have you tried this with strawberries? I’m allergic to raspberries and am looking for a nice fruity dressing for the summer. I’m too chicken to experiment, as mine are usually flops.
As you’ll see in the recipe, this dressing calls for cranberries as well as raspberry extract (so it doesn’t actually call for fresh raspberries). I don’t know if you’re able to use raspberry extract or not, but if not, feel free to substitute another fruity extract of your choice!
Yesterday a fun package came in the mail for me!! It was the olive oil that I won. But not only was there olive oil, there was also a Tuscan Farmhouse Herb Blend and Smoked Luau Hawaiian Sea Salt! I am excited to try these products! Thanks Briana and the Salt Sisters!!
That’s so awesome! They have great customer service.
You are most welcome! Please let me know how you like them. You’ve got my favorites!
I can’t wait to try this dressing! My favorite vinaigrette is the Apple Cider Vinaigrette from Ken’s and it is also what they use at Wendy’s on their summer Strawberry Salad. It has a lot of sugar in it, so it is off plan. BUT…… sometimes I stray and that’s my go to. I have yet to find a recipe that I can modify.
I am hoping that this dressing will fit that “sweet” spot that I sometimes crave for salad dressing. Thank you for sharing it.
Just a comment about olive oil: Extra virgin is the darker, heavier tasting, stronger flavored olive oil. It comes from the first press of the olives. Sam’s Club also has a lighter tasting and looking olive oil that you should try if you aren’t going to continue with this one. It is Daily Chef’s brand and is called 100% Pure Olive Oil. Not extra virgin. I don’t like EV either, but I do like this one. Its milder flavor and lighter color are because it’s from a second or third pressing of the olives.
Thanks for the info! Shows how much I know about olive oil…haha.
I’ll be checking out their smoked salts and some of the herbal teas 🙂
S.A.L.T. Sisters is a local company to me and we LOVE their products. We haven’t tried anything by them that we haven’t loved. I always have a tough time choosing what to try next.
That’s so neat!
Briana, thanks for the awesome recipe and for reviewing our EVOO.! Your photographs are incredible. It makes me want to cook! Just as a side note. We sell raw organic cane sugar for our rooibos & herbal teas but I only use coconut sugar in some of our rubs. In our fabulous Honey Glaze rub I use honey powder.
Your blog is beautiful. Good luck with your cookbook!
Cassandra, I am thrilled you like our products. We are dedicated to offering our customers only the best all natural products. Thanks for being a loyal customer.
I’ve been following you for a week now on Pinterest and I have to say what a BEAUTIFUL, intelligent, devoted, busy young woman you are!
I’m just started thm, but before I got started I’ve been doing a lot of research. I do have the sisters book and their amazing cookbook! ?? I am on Pinterest, but fb, I’m not. The thm community on fb has grown!
I’m so excited in this new season of life! I’ve battled weight for 20 yrs. I know God has directed my steps and has chosen the thm community to help me once in for all to end this battle with weight and unhealthy eating habits! ??
So, I just wanted to say good job and keep up the awesome work! God’s peace and blessings are with you! ☺️
Thank you, Georgette! Blessings to you in your journey.