The Most Delicious Dressing Ever - The Golden Elixir For Salads & Veggies

This delicious dressing, often called the "Golden Elixir" is to live for. People often say they want to drink it. Full of Essential Fatty Acids, fresh lemon, tahini, sea kelp, and ginger, this dressing is a must for salads, fish or grains. Yum!

This is the dressing that started my cooking career. No joke.

Early on in my nutritional foodie career I understood the difference between good and bad fats. Bad fats are as inflammation causing as sugar. Deep fried everything, and dressings made from cheap olive oil, canola and sunflower oil are all lumped into a category that include Omega 6’s.

Not to get too technical, but the Omega 6’s are the omega’s that you want to avoid. I know, it is hard if you are eating out. Most all of your food service establishments buy poor quality oils because that is all they can afford. By poor quality, I mean that they are not fresh. They have most likely been bleached and deodorized so they they remain shelf stable. Food producers must do this for nut and seed oils because they are tinder and go rancid easily with heat and light. Even though food is not always deep fried in many of the restaurant food, the poor quality oils are also used for everything else like cooking and for sauces. Many people do not realize this.

Other than olive oil, the only oils that are of any substance of quality are cold pressed oils made from nuts and seeds. They are few and far between in your local stores, so you usually have to purchase them online. But, even then you must use them quickly so they do not go rancid.

I believe, in part, one of the reasons “raw food” culinary methods are so healthy and satisfying is because of the methods (soaking and sprouting) of nuts and seeds, which makes the valuable nutrients them available for your cells and joints. This is why I produced the “Raw Food Series”. Learning raw food methods are one of the most powerful ways you can put nutrient dense food into your precious body. The course is still available - check it out HERE.

Think about it. If you are not eating a bunch of nuts and seeds (walnuts, pumpkin, sunflower, flax, and chia) then you are most likely starving for good fats. This is the reason to make delicious sauces and dressings from excellent fats. I love Barlean’s Flax oil because they press it and ship it straight to your door, or the store. It does not sit on a distributor shelf somewhere for months on end. But, the best part is that they are slam dunk delicious. Of course, a high quality olive oil is always wonderful, but it is limited in its nutrient value and flavor. It is nice to mix it up now and then. Those of you who have my “sauces and dressings” course know how I mixed up the raw and cooked foods together to make them super delicious and nutrient dense.

Knowing this early on my career had me in the kitchen making delicious dressings for salads and cooked and raw vegetables. We named this one the “Golden Elixir”. Enjoy!

Tip: If you eat out a lot, you might consider making some delicious dressings at home and then taking a small amount out when you go out to lunch. Then you can get a great salad - hold the dressing, because you will have your own. Make sure it is in a leaf proof container.

Recipe for the Golden Elixir

Ingredients

1⁄2 cup        Flax Oil - Barlean’s High Lignan is best (Olive Oil can be replaced if preferred, but will have different taste)

1⁄4 cup        fresh lemon juice (or juice of a whole lemon)

1⁄4 cup        water

1⁄4 cup        low sodium Tamari (use a little less if it is regular)

2 tbsp          Sesame Tahini (raw or toasted)

2 tsp Sea Kelp Powder (this will provide flavor and also thicken mixture)

2 tsp fresh ginger juice (grate fresh ginger and squeeze out juice), or add small piece of ginger.

1 garlic clove (if wanted - peeled) - optional dash of cayenne

Blend all the ingredients except the oil. Once the ingredients are blended, add the oil slowly while the blender is on low speed.

Enjoy immediately, or chill before serving.

The dressing keeps up to several days in the refrigerator, however, for essential fatty acids to remain in integrity from the Flax Oil, (or dressings) it should be consumed within 6 weeks.

Note: The dressing will thicken a little over time because of the thickening quality of sea (kelp) veggies.

Flax Oil

Flax Oil: Eat Like the Roman and Exhibit Strength, Stamina, Mental Clarity and Beauty!

To many, the aroma of freshly baked bread is so pleasant that it’s almost intoxicating!

According to historical record, soldiers of the Roman Empire marched with rations of bread baked with flaxseed (Barlean's is best)  meal and flax seed oil 9000 years ago. They most likely felt the “grounded” feeling, a feeling of mental stability after eating their bread, just like we do today when we add it to our foods.

Additional records prove that flax was also used in India, China, Syria and Turkey for its seed and fiber to make fabric, dye, paper, fishing nets, cattle feed, medicines and soap. It’s extremely useful to us, just like coconut.

Flax may be responsible for why the Romans were so successful in their conquests.

One major reason why is that the type of fat consumed is linked with your state of mind.

In the early 1980’s, Dr. Donald O. Rudin, Director of the Department of Molecular Biology at Eastern Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute found that within two hours, patients who had various mental disorders experienced improved mood and their depression lifted with flax seed oil.

Certainly, we wouldn’t want those with mood disorders in our own military, but when you consider that omega-3s are involved in IQ and behavior, how one reacts to allergens, the status of the myelin sheath surrounding the nerves, inflammation, the ability to mentally focus, cardiovascular health and hormone modulation, flax seed meal and oil become more and more important.

One of Dr. Rudin’s patients experienced dramatically improved moods after only three days. Her marked sense of increased physical energy and unique exuberance was also exhibited in other patients in varying degrees. After six to eight weeks, most of them were sleeping better and were more energetic. They also were less anxious and depressed. Switching them back to a high omega-6 fat diet, such as one found in the American diet, resulted in a return of their symptoms.

Not Just Mental Attitude, But Other Illnesses Helped

The brain is composed of 60% fat, and nerve cells are extremely rich in omega-3 fatty acids, containing five times more omega-3 fatty acids than red blood cells.

Flax seed contains 18 carbon omega-3 fats, which can be converted to other omega-3 fats, EPA and DHA (20 and 22-carbon chain fats), although the conversion rate is low (2-15%). Still, for some who don’t eat fish, which may be a much better source of EPA and DHA because it needs no conversion in the body, adding flax seed oil may kick start health benefits. Taking 1-2 tablespoons of flax oil daily fulfills the requirement for linolenic acid, EPA and DHA, three essential fats important for preventing cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis and auto-immunity, as well as boosting our brain’s ability to think clearly without the need for mood elevators. Flax seed oil is the plant world’s most abundant source of omega-3 fats, about 55% by weight.

Researchers studied different sub-groups of the population to find possible correlations of low omega-3 fats and different health issues, and see if the addition of flax seed oil and omega-3 fats might help. Their results showed a definite correlation to those with high blood pressure, those on statin drugs that deplete the omega-3 brain fats, violent criminals, children with ADHD, women with PMS, those with calcium deposits and low bone density, and even moms who just gave birth. In addition digestion and elimination was also significantly improved.

Now that we know how to gain better focus and a happier state of mind, how about becoming more beautiful? The addition of flax oil in many people’s diets has been known to create radical improvements in skin conditions. In many cases eczema and dry skin have disappeared. With adequate supplementation of flax oil in the diet men and women alike are enjoying radiant skin, moist and lubricated for a healthy glow and shine. And, it doesn’t stop there. Hair and nails also benefit from Flax oil.

Delicious and Healthy!

Omega 3’s, which are abundant in Flax oil, are an Essential Fatty Acid (EFA). Essential Fatty Acids are absolutely necessary for healthy cell function, and the only place we can get them is through our food. What does this mean? It means that we must put good fats, like flax oil, in our daily diet to receive the benefits of healthy cell function. The good news is now we can enjoy the healthy fats that our bodies need and our palate craves.

Many low fat diets are deceiving people into depriving themselves of the good fats that contain Essential Fatty Acids. It is true that you would benefit by cutting out trans fats and other unhealthy fats, but that does not mean you have to cut out the good fats too. Bringing good fats into you life will not only benefit your health but can enhance all your meals into becoming a delicious and satisfying adventure. (Learn how with Chef Teton's DVD)

We all love a good sauce on anything. Using flax oil for sauces and dressings can be one of the best ways to include more vegetables and whole foods in your diet. Making quick and easy sauces and dressing with excellent flax oil along with a couple other ingredients is actually what started my culinary career. Upon tasting my recipes, people often remarked, “What did you put on these vegetables, they are absolutely delicious”? I would answer, “Oh just a little flax oil, tamari and sesame seeds”. When they tasted my salad dressings, which were also made from a flax oil base, they would say, “What is in this dressing, I want to drink it”?

Most people are so deficient in Essential Fatty Acids that when they taste a sauce or dressing made with high-quality flax oil, their body loves it.

When counting calories and reading labels for low fat ingredients, don’t skimp on the good fats. Flax seed oil, along with some other specific ingredients, will deliver the most delicious sauce and/or dressing for steamed veggies, raw salads, grains and even fish.

Milling the Fresh Way!

Beware; all flax and other artisan oils are not created or “milled” equal.

Most oils and particularly those rich in Omega 3’s are very sensitive to light and heat. They go rancid and can loose their integrity easily. In other words, they loose their effectiveness if not milled, stored and used correctly. Some manufacturers have gone to great lengths to mill their flax oil in ways that give the oil a long shelf life so they can withstand the transportation and distribution process. These processes often change the natural nutty flavor of the flax oil. I like Barlean’s Organic Oils because they mill their oils at the time you or the store places their order. Once pressed, they are delivered straight to your door or to the store. This type of fresh express milling and delivery guarantees great tasting oils with a high level of integrity.

You can also include flax seeds in your diet. You can purchase them already ground, or grind your own. Sprinkled on top of fruit salad, cottage cheese or breakfast cereal will add great taste and a more satisfying meal. The ability of the seeds to swell up and draw water to itself also makes it an excellent binding agent for burgers, cakes and muffins. One tablespoon flax seeds together with three tablespoons water added to a recipe can substitute for one egg.

Today we have the opportunity to learn from the Romans and give ourselves excellent foods for stamina, focus, and beauty!