Summer is in full swing and the availability of fresh greens and vegetables is endless at the local farmers markets. It’s a great time to make some fantastic salads, though anytime of year is great for them.  The question is always what to dress it with. I love oil and vinegar as the old standby, but it becomes boring day after day.  Lord knows that I really avoid buying store bought/ mass produced dressings since there is a ton of hidden sugars and ingredients that you cannot pronounce.

Thankfully, I came across a recipe for a Lebanese Garlic Sauce that I have taken and modified. What can I say… I love playing in the kitchen.  The recipe I created is fantastic on any salads and can be modified by adding other ingredients for a wide variety of flavors. We use it on a great many things beside salads. The kids love and ask to have it.  The recipe is below:

Breath Taking Garlic Sauce:

• 1/2 cup raw garlic cloves (peeled & trimmed)
• 3 Tbl Spoon Lemon juice
• 1 cup Olive Oil
• 1/4 C water
• 1/2 -1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Pinch of salt

I use a Bullet Blender, but you can use the good old standard blender to do the work. Start by tossing the garlic, lemon juice, and water into blender and run it till smooth.  Next add oil, water, pepper, and salt and blend until oil is fully incorporated (about 2-3 minutes).  Taste the sauce and adjust to your preferred flavor by adding more lemon juice, oil, or seasoning.  Once you get the sauce just right you can transfer it into a storage container and use it on your salads and vegetables.

Feel free to play with the recipe. Now that I have been making this for some time I just grab a handful of garlic, toss it into a bullet and just eyeball the rest to make the dressing. I then take that base and add other things like pesto or salsa to make a completely different dressing. I add in avocado or sweet potato hummus to make a vegetable dip. Pay around with it, don’t be afraid to experiment and enjoy!