Ok; dressings--such an important topic! The dressing can absolutely MAKE or BREAK a salad. Am I right? 

And as much as I wish this wasn't true, it's truly so difficult to find good, clean, oil free bottled dressings. I've looked far and wide, they hardly exist. I have recently found some good dressings at Trader Joe's (their brand), so that's encouraging to see! But if you don't have a Trader Joe's near you, and you're not wanting to spend quite a bit of money on pre-made bottled dressings let me help you out. 

Here are my top 3 favorite raw vegan dressings I've been making nearly every night of the week for years. I never get tired of them! *Note: of course you do not need to be raw or even vegan to enjoy these dressings. Pour them over whatever salad, noodle dish, wrap, sandwich, etc and it will totally elevate your dish!

Ok, the dressings: 

All 3 of these dressings require nothing more than a bowl and fork to whisk them up. In fact, if I'm really in a rush...

I often get asked where I shop and how I find good deals on quality fruits and vegetables. Where I shop and what I buy depends on where I’m living or visiting at any given time. Availability, variety and cost varies depending on location. But here are a few of the methods and tips I use:

1) Discount grocery stores. These don’t exist everywhere, but here in central PA there’s a whole bunch of them—basically stores that sell the overflow or abundance they receive from chain grocers. Think a second hand clothing store--but for food. 

2) If you don't have a discount grocery store near you, the next best option is somewhere like Aldi, or a Grocery outlet--even somewhere like Walmart--these are places where you can get cheaper-than-Whole Foods-options. If I'm on a budget (which I always am to one degree or another) I never buy all my produce at Whole Foods. I use Whole Foods to supplement--to get those items I can't get at other, more affordable stores. If I...

Ok, don't be intimidated--you can sprout! 

I'm just like you. I see people on social media with their trays of soil and wonderfully colorful varieties of sprouts and microgreens and I think "that looks complicated. I'd definitely mess that up."

But here's the thing--some things are incredibly easy to sprout. They take VERY little work or skill and they yield tasty and nutritious sprouts in just 2 days. 

So this is my advice if you're intimated or unsure where to begin: Lentils & Mung Beans.

I've found these two options to be the easiest, fastest, and least-space-consuming seeds to begin with. 

So here's what you need: a bag of mung beans. You can find dried mung beans at most Asian grocery stores, or some international aisles in grocery stores, or--of course--you can order online. Same with lentils, dried lentils (green or black), are easy to find in most grocery stores, Asian markets, or for sure online. 

Also, a mason jar--or really any glass jar will...