I have been in love with a specific salad for about a week and a half now. After going through a full bottle of Annie's Natural & Organic Raspberry Vinaigrette I pondered to myself how I could go about making something similar to it.

I've made a lot of salad dressings in the past... but vinaigrettes always seem to throw me for a loop. I always try and use the less oil approach by substituting half of the oil called for in a recipe for water. It doesn't tend to work out very well with homemade dressings since it sort of waters everything down. Including the flavor. Ick!

When investigating the ingredient list on the back of my empty bottle, I noticed that they had 'Xanthan Gum' listed to help thicken the dressing. Aha!

Honestly, Xanthan Gum isn't something that I've ever used before... and I haven't any idea on how to go about using it. So, I got to thinking. What's another natural thickener? Chia seeds!

For this recipe, I basically took the general idea for the ingredients listed on the bottle of dressing that I had and played with the amounts until I got something remarkably similar to what I had come to know and love.

Also, be sure to keep in mind that the longer this dressing sits, the thicker it will become as the chia seeds start to swell and soak up the water contents.

Skinny Raspberry Vinaigrette
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
Servings: 16 • Size: 2 Tbsp. • Calories: 67.8 • Fat: 3.5 g • Carb: 9.1 g • Fiber: 1.2 g • Protein: 0.1 g • Sugar: 7.8 g • Sodium: 11.3 mg

Ingredients:
10 Oz. Seedless Sugar Free Raspberry Preserves
1/2 C. Frozen Raspberries, Thawed
1/4 C. Canola Oil (Or other light oil with a mild flavor.)
1/4 C. Water
1/4 C. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Stone Ground Mustard (Dijon would work as well!)
1 1/2 Tsp. Agave Nectar (or Honey)
1 1/2 Tsp. Sugar
2 Tsp. Chia Seeds
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Directions:

Combine everything together in a blender or food processor.

Blend until pureed to your liking.

Transfer the vinaigrette to a dressing or condiment container and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

Once done, remove from the fridge and give it a bit of a shake up before serving along side a salad. Enjoy!

Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.