Want to spice up your meals with zero extra effort?

I have just the thing!

Even in the midst of a pandemic, a lot of us have hectic lives. I’m sure the last thing you have time for is a long, complicated new recipe.

An easy way to put a twist on a staple or add flavor to a boring salad or dish is a new sauce/dressing!

What is hidden in your salad dressing?

Don’t reach for just any sauce/dressing!

90% of what you see on the shelf is loaded with:

These ingredients can promote inflammation , gut bacterial imbalance, hormone imbalance, and more. Some salad dressing ingredients (like the propylene glycol listed above) are even used in plastics, liquid detergents, and anti-freeze !

My favorite dressings/sauces (in no particular order)

Below are my top seven favorite dressings/sauces that are delicious and healthy.

They all contain simple, high-quality ingredients, limited sugar, healthy oils , and no preservatives.

1. Mother Raw’s Japanese Dressing

This dressing combines 100% cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, toasted sesame oil, and ginger into a sweet and tangy dressing.

You can drizzle this on Pad Thai , spring rolls, or tossed onto an Asian slaw or Asian salad.

Another, less obvious way to use it is in a hash – my personal favorite!

I drizzle this dressing on a hash combo like this one:

The savory vegetables, sweet flavors from the potato, and creamy avocado pair perfectly with this tangy dressing. It takes the meal from a seven to a ten!

This creamy cilantro lime dressing is delicious with tacos , a southwestern salad , or any other Mexican dish . Not feeling Mexican food? Its a great marinade no matter the cuisine!

This refreshing dressing combines herbs such as oregano and coriander with apple cider vinegar and red wine vinegar.

It pairs well with Greek salads (I love this with mixed greens, Persian cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and a dollop of hummus) or can be used to make Greek roasted potatoes. It also makes a great marinade for chicken and fish.

Garden Goddess is a creamy dressing bursting with bright notes from lemon and fresh herbs such as thyme, basil, and rosemary.

It has an avocado oil base and is perfect with just about anything— may favorite ways to use this are on salads, in dips, and as a marinade for chicken or seafood .

This dressing can be found in the refrigerated section of Trader Joes and is full of flavor despite its super simple ingredients. Lemon juice, ginger, turmeric, black pepper, and almond butter combine to make a tangy, citrusy dressing with a beautiful golden color.

I love drizzling this this on top of sautéed shredded carrots and cabbage, and I pair it with a couple of over-easy eggs or a simple protein like grilled chicken. It would also make a great sauce for some fresh Spring rolls.

Trader Joe’s Green Goddess dressing (also in the refrigerated section) is fresh and light, making it an ideal dressing for salads . It is made with a blend of avocado, green onions, lemon juice, chives, basil, and garlic.

I love putting this on a salad full of random fresh vegetables like radish, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and avocado.

This spicy cashew butter (you guessed it – refrigerated section) is made with cashew butter, ginger, cilantro, hot chili peppers and lime juice. It’s great with any protein option, whether you choose an animal-based protein (chicken, fish, turkey, etc.) or plant based (think tofu, edamame, or a veggie burger).

I recently tried tofu for the first time and loved a combination of tofu sautéed with sweet coconut aminos and coconut milk, roasted carrots and broccoli, and a thick drizzle of this spicy sauce on top .

I hope you love these sauces/dressings as much as I do!

If the sauces/dressings listed don’t sound like something you would like, check out other options from these brands.

They have tons to choose from, including creamy ranch , Caesar , honey mustard , sun-dried tomato Mediterranean dressing , and more.

Have a favorite healthy dressing/sauce that isn’t listed? I would love to hear about in the comments below!