Strawberry Balsamic Salad Dressing

This is the last of the strawberry recipes I'll be posting for a little while :). Strawberries are still in season so if you haven't made it out strawberry picking yet, get to your local farm and pick away! That way you can make some delicious recipes, eat it fresh and even freeze some for the winter. I'm preaching to the choir here because I have yet to get to a farm myself.  I was planning on doing it this past Friday but it has been far too hot in Toronto these days.  I'm not complaining about the heat, I welcome this weather over winter cold any day, but I couldn't imagine being out in a field picking berries under the sweltering sun. Hopefully this weekend. Fingers crossed!

This recipe is super simple and quick to prepare. It requires strawberries (fresh is best but you can also use frozen when not available), some fresh basil leaves, olive oil and sulfite free organic balsamic vinegar. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend for one minute.  I like to consume this fresh, but it also keeps well refrigerated overnight in an airtight container. I tried this recipe with my staple vinegars, apple cider, rice wine vinegar as well as lemon.  This version with the balsamic vinegar was by far the best tasting, as balsamic is great when paired with berries of any kind!

Lara's tip: In addition to adding sulfites, many cheaper balsamic vinegars add artificial colours, artificial flavours as well and thickening agents. If it contains anything besides organic wine vinegar and grape must, move on and look for another product.

In my kitchen, most of my dressings contain lemon or lime, as well as apple cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar. All of these ingredients increase the nutritional benefits of my dishes and taste wonderful! Apple cider, as well as traditionally fermented rice vinegar are a form of probiotic and add good bacteria to your meals. In this recipe however, I use balsamic vinegar. I use organic, sulfite free balsamic because many people are actually intolerant or allergic to sulfites.  Sulfites are naturally occurring in balsamic vinegars, as they are a bi-product of the natural fermentation process of grapes. So no balsamic vinegar is sulfite free, but many will label "free of added sulfites".  Pure balsamic vinegar originating from Modena, Italy will cost about $100-$1000 for a 100ml bottle and would contain no added sulfites. This vinegar is described as "ceto balsamico tradizionale", meaning it has been processed and aged due to traditional methods in Modena, Italy. Aging process can range from 12-100 years! You'd need about a tsp of this type of vinegar in my recipe to get the full balsamic flavour.  As you can imagine I haven't used this type of balsamic vinegar in my recipe, instead I've used an organic balsamic vinegar for around $30 which has been aged and processed traditionally without the added sulfites.

Most balsamic vinegars which don't indicate that they've been produced without added sulfites will use sulfites as a way to preserve the product and stop the process of fermentation. In addition to adding sulfites, many cheaper balsamic vinegars add artificial colours, artificial flavours as well and thickening agents. So you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars on balsamic vinegar, but read the labels to make sure you're not actually adding harmful ingredients to your fresh salads. If it contains anything besides organic wine vinegar and grape must, move on and look for another product.

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

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Strawberry Balsamic Salad Dressing

Yield: 1 cup

Author: Lara

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 5 MinTotal time: 10 Min

Fresh and flavor packed salad with an incredible strawberry balsamic salad dressing.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of fresh strawberries
• 1/4 cup fresh basil (8-12 leaves)
• 1/4 cup organic, sulfite free balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup of water

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend for one minute until all ingredients are fully blended and the dressing is smooth. Use immediately or keep in an airtight container for up to two days.

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