Walnut oil and salad

For the longest time I've been using extra virgin olive oil in salads, and why not? It raises HDL (the good) cholesterol; it's loaded with polyphenols which reduce unwanted inflammation; it has cardiovascular and cancer-preventive benefits, and it tastes pretty darn good. But as I've developed a more refined palette over time I'm a little more sensitive to it's viscosity and pungency. While I think olive oil is the perfect oil for some food preparation purposes I've discovered a new oil that works better specifically in salads: walnut oil.

Walnuts in general are power-packed with nutrients like vitamin C, E, Omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, minerals and phytonutrients, and of course fiber (by the way, 90% of the phenols are located in the skin so don't remove it when you eat them whole!). Walnut oil is second best to eating whole walnuts and it has a light gentle taste with a mild nutty aroma.

I am generally one who is a fan of big fancy locally organic salads, something that includes leafy greens, an array of colorful vegetables, seeds, a protein like beans or egg, and a little cheese sprinkled on top. I like my salad to be a meal! With all that flavor I feel like it's an injustice to cover that all up by slathering it up with salad dressings which tend to be overly tangy, full of miscellaneous ingredients, and usually loaded with unnecessary calories. My perfect salad dressing is very simple but deliciously complements the natural flavor of the vegetables while softening the texture and giving it a little YUM factor:

• walnut oil
• squeezed fresh lemon
• salt
• pepper 
• (a little fresh thyme and garlic added to that mix is just divine)
• (a splash of rice vinegar is optional)

Talking salads in general, you know you should be eating at least one every day, but I know you're very busy and sometimes just not in the mood for all that chopping. So on those days you can have a simple salad on the side of whatever you're having and all it really needs to have is a leafy green and walnut oil. Red leaf lettuce is perfect, arugula is also nice. Just wash it up, mix in a little walnut oil, salt & pepper, maybe a tomato if you've got it, and your tummy will be happy as can be :)