These three dressing/dips are really simple and versatile.

The first can be made in literally seconds, so I don’t pre-prepare it. The other two I keep on hand, but can be made fresh.

Homemade healthy ketchup. I have a recipe for homemade ketchup that takes forever and doesn’t even taste much like ketchup. In a pinch, I created this recipe and I believe it tastes just as good. I believe the appeal of tomato ketchup is the combination of vinegar, salt and sweetness. It is quite addictive, especially for children.

It can become common to give it with every meal (I heard of a fruitarian yoga teacher, who could resist everything but ketchup), but a glance down the ingredients list of a shop-bought variety is scary, so I was determined to offer an alternative.

You will need:

pasata (this is cooked tomato sauce, it comes in jars and is just tomatoes and salt, pureed or blended, like a simple pasta sauce.

vinegar (I use raw apple cider vinegar)

salt

agave nectar (optional)

organic olive oil (optional)

Method:

When making this for myself, I simply mix pasata, vinegar and salt, to taste. About equal amounts of pasata and vinegar for myself, and just a pinch of salt. Both my kids like the pasata on its own, but some may prefer a dash of agave, salt and oil. Use less or no vinegar, depending on the children’s taste, one of mine loves it, the other hates vinegar.

It really does taste just like ketchup, without any nasties.

You can make this recipe even healthier by using organic and raw versions of all the ingredients, if you can find them.

As I mentioned earlier, I think that part of the appeal of tomato ketchup is the combination of vinegar, salt and sweetness. After all, so many people like it who don’t even like tomatoes. You could maybe try combining blended tomatoes with the below dressing, but we like it just as it is.

 

I love the following raw dressing, on everything! My daughter often asks for just dressing! But I give it to her to dip a cooked sweet or white potato into, better for her and tastier than chips and commercial ketchup.

I would serve it usually on a grated salad of carrots, beetroots, turnip, turnip greens (the leaves) and white cabbage, but also on any lettuce salad, even on vegetable side dishes.

You will need:

A mug sized jar/pot with a lid

A sharp knife

A lemon squeezer

Half a lemon lemon

1 cup (approximately) of organic apple cider vinegar (with the mother is best)

A pinch of Himalayan pink salt (fine)

1 tsp-1 tbsp Agave Nectar

Up to 1 cup Cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil

Mustard seeds (preferably brown organic ones) English/ Dijon mustard is also fine, or omit if you don’t like the taste.

• Firstly, squeeze your lemon (kids love doing this)
• I use one cup of apple cider vinegar. I love Apple cider vinegar, it is alkalizing and helps prevent candida, so I see it as a healthy version of cider! (You can also mix it with fizzy or still water for a cider-like drink.)
• I add a tiny bit of salt, 1-2 pinches, of course, you can add more
• If I am making the dressing for children, I add about one cup of oil (so that is 1:1 oil). I prefer more like 1 tbsp for myself.
• Again, I use 1 tsp of agave for myself, but a tbsp for the children
• I add quite a lot of mustard seeds, 1 tbsp for myself or 1 tsp for the kids

Method:

Combine all the ingredients in the jar, add the lid, shake, taste and adjust the flavours accordingly, deelicious.

 

Lastly, this is great drizzled on a cool and crunchy salad.

It can also be used as a sandwich (or toast) spread. Or as dip, sprinkled with paprika and cold-pressed olive oil, with baked aubergine, yummy.

It is one of my two favourite dressings, and takes almost no time to prepare.

You will need:

A mug sized jar/pot with a lid

1-2 tbsp tahini (I use light tahini, You could also try almond butter, white almond butter, or hemp seed butter).

1 tablespoon lemon (don’t use too much lemon, it will really over power the flavour)

Raw cold-pressed honey (use agave or maple syrup for a vegan version) to taste

Method:

Combine all the ingredients in the jar, add the lid, shake, taste and adjust flavours accordingly.

Store in the fridge.

Should last a while; it has never made it as far as its shelf life in my fridge.

 

 

Relephant Reads:

Almond Auroras: The Superfood Cookie {Vegan Recipe}

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Author: Hannah-Marie Martin

Editor: Travis May

Image: thekitchn.com