Ahh, vinegar. It’s just another one of those amazing gifts from God, or mother Earth – whatever you believe in I guess. But really, the amount of health benefits are insane and all the things it can be used for simply unbelievable. The flavor is downright delicious – all by itself, or as part of a tasty recipe. If you’re with me, you’ll probably be eager to make a few of these recipes.
Check them out…
1. Salad Dressings With Vinegar
The most refreshing, tasty and healthy salad dressings are made simply with vinegar. All those typical creamy dressings, made with food dyes, preservatives and artificial sweeteners, just ruin the healthy goodness of your veggies and greens. Instead of those, try whipping up one of these yummy dressings you can feel good about.
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Here’s a recipe that’s nice and tangy and great for you vinegar lovers! It also has a hint of garlic, a bit of Dijon mustard to help bind the oil and vinegar together and a little honey to even it all out. The recipe is very simple and makes about 1/2 cup – but you could obviously double or triple it to have more on hand.
- Visit Closet Cooking, where Kevin Lynch shows you how it’s done!
Classic Greek Salad Dressing
This recipe comes from one of my favorite healthy food bloggers – Detoxinista. Great name too, isn’t it? Anyway, this one’s made with raw apple cider vinegar, which has some amazing health benefits. Megan reminds us that it’s known to support a healthy immune system, promote digestion, balance your PH level and helps regulate blood glucose.
Since it is combined with cold pressed organic olive oil, you’ll most likely be absorbing more nutrients from your salad since fat is necessary to assimilate nutrients. This recipe also has garlic and Dijon mustard like Kevin’s Balsamic Vinaigrette, but since it calls for apple cider vinegar, fresh lemon juice and dried oregano – you’ll end up with a Classic Greek dressing instead.
- Visit Detoxinista, where Megan tells you how to master one of her favorite dressings!
Red Wine Vinegar Salad DressingÂ
Last but not least, a red wine vinegar dressing. Sweet and tangy. It’s actually much like the first two, but with a different vinegar flavor and a tablespoon of sugar. For a healthier alternative to sugar, you could substitute organic honey or agave.
- Visit the popular Budget Savvy Diva to find out how to make this dressing.
Things like this make perfect gifts too. In fact, I might take my own advice and make a batch of all three of these dressings, put them in cute mason jars, tie a ribbon around them with a tag for the label and give them as a gift for someones birthday.
SHOPPING FYI – Here are some ingredients you’ll need for these recipes. They come from trusted sources who make sure they are non-GMO, organic and 100% pure:
- Olive Oil – Cold Pressed, Extra Virgin, made from sun-ripened Moroccan olives.
- Himalayan Crystal Salt – A healthier alternative to common table salt with an exceptional taste.
- Organic 100% Pure Honey – Pure Premium Clover Honey from YS Bee Farms.
- Raw Apple Cider Vinegar – The popular Bragg brand. Made with organic apples aged in wood.
- Liquid Stevia, pure maple syrup or Agave instead of sugar (or you could use honey too).
2. Tangy Vinegar Coleslaw
If you are a vinegar lover, I’m sure you’ve already put the kibosh on creamy coleslaw loaded with unhealthy mayo. If you have yet to try a tangy vinegar based slaw, here’s a great recipe you could experiment with!
Shaina tells us this slaw is equal parts crunch and tang, and just slightly sweet. It calls for white vinegar, but you can also use apple cider vinegar if you want it be slightly sweeter. Since this is a Carolina-style slaw, you can eat it all by itself, or add it to your shredded pork sammy, stuff a pita with it or use it as a garnish, instead of sauerkraut. Â Eater beware – it’s a little on the spicy side!
- Visit Food For My Family, where Shaina Olmanson teaches you how to do it right!
SHOPPER FYI – This recipe calls for honey, salt and oil, which are all ingredients you can get from Natural Healthy Concepts. I recommend using NOW Foods Grapeseed oil instead of a vegetable oil. It’s rich in flavonoid antioxidants which are 50 times stronger than vitamins C & E. It’s also high in linoleic acid – an essential fatty acid and has absolutely no additives or preservatives.
2. Cucumber & Red Onion Salad With Vinegar
Wellness Mama is another blog that I love! I think you will too. Now that cukes are popping up in our gardens, it’s the perfect time to whip up a tasty summer salad like this.
Plus, cucumbers have so many great health benefits!
Katie says she likes to add chicken on top and eat it as her lunch. That’s a great idea. This recipe has just five ingredients and a few spices and only takes about 10 minutes to make. But you will need to let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to let the flavors soak in.
-  Visit Wellness Mama, where Katie gives you the instructions for this delicious simple salad recipe.
SHOPPER FYI - Here are a few things you’ll need for this recipe, that are available at Natural Healthy Concepts with free shipping in the US:
- Olive Oil – Cold Pressed, Extra Virgin, made from sun-ripened Moroccan olives.
- Himalayan Crystal Salt – A healthier alternative to common table salt with an exceptional taste.
- Organic 100% Pure Honey – Pure Premium Clover Honey from YS Bee Farms.
- Raw Apple Cider Vinegar – The popular Bragg brand. Made with organic apples aged in wood.
- Liquid Stevia (if you don’t want to us honey).
4. Sea Salt & Vinegar Kale Chips
Kale chips with a little salt and pepper are already super good. But Ali from Gimme Some Oven tells us there’s something about that classic sea salt and vinegar combo that is literally irresistible!
I’m sold and definitely going to try it next time.
If you’ve never tried making kale chips – you have to try it too! This superfood is a way healthier alternative to potato chips, and will definitely satisfy your salty chip craving.
Plus, they are very quick, easy and inexpensive to make at home.
- Visit Gimme Some Oven for a how to and helpful tips from Ali.
SHOPPERS FYI – Natural Healthy Concepts has all the ingredients for this recipe, minus the kale! Just click the links below to find them for fast, free shipping:
- Olive Oil – Cold Pressed, Extra Virgin, made from sun-ripened Moroccan olives.
- Himalayan Crystal Salt – A healthier alternative to common table salt with an exceptional taste.
- Raw Apple Cider Vinegar – The popular Bragg brand. Made with organic apples aged in wood.
5. Keifer & Apple Cider Vinegar Beef Jerky
This beef jerky recipe came from Louise of Loula Natural. She’s a naturopahtic nutritional therapist and personal trainer, among other things. Her beef jerky makes for a delicious snack that’s loaded with protein and healthy fat. Plus, it’s fermented with apple cider vinegar and kefir, so it has lots of beneficial probiotics (good bacteria), naturally! Just be sure to find organic, grass-fed beef.
- Visit Loula Natural to find the entire set of instructions and other helpful notes.
SHOPPER FYI – Natural Healthy Concepts carries Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar. If you want to try this recipe, we could also order in and start to carry Bragg’s Liquid Aminos so you can order them both from NHC with fast, free shipping. Just let us know in the comments!
6. Green Beans With Walnuts & Balsamic
This side dish makes my mouth water just looking at it! And it’s the perfect way to dress up your green beans with a few simple ingredients.
Thanks to Katie, the foodie mom and her awesome blog, Healthy Seasonal Recipes, balsamic vinegar lovers can whip up a new favorite green bean “casserole” so to speak. Katie has many great things to learn on her blog – so be sure to take time to read her articles that go along with the recipes!
- Visit Healthy Seasonal Recipes to read Katie’s article and find the directions.
SHOPPER FYI – You can get these ingredients at Natural Healthy Concepts:
- Olive Oil – Cold Pressed, Extra Virgin, made from sun-ripened Moroccan olives.
- Himalayan Crystal Salt – A healthier alternative to common table salt with an exceptional taste.
- Raw unsalted Walnuts – With no trans fats or sodium – they are the way to go!
7. Vegan Cider Crock Pot Baked Beans
Beans are part of Dr. Fuhrman’s G-BOMBS. Green, BEANS, onions, mushrooms, berries and seeds. These are the nutrient rich foods he believes can prevent disease and that everyone should eat at least a 1/2 cup of beans every day.
Katie’s cider beans recipe, from her blog Chocolate Covered Katie, make getting your beans in – easy. Plus, you can make this recipe in a crock pot – what a bonus!
Katie says, it’s hard to imagine going back to canned baked beans after trying this recipe. They just don’t compare to the heightened flavor and superior texture of from scratch baked beans. And what do you know, July is even National Baked Bean Month! You ought to give this one a try in the next few days, so you can say you celebrated! Ha.
- Visit Chocolate Covered Katie for the full set of instructions and to read her story!
SHOPPER FYI – Natural Healthy Concepts has you covered for these three ingredients:
- Raw Apple Cider Vinegar – The popular Bragg brand. Made with organic apples aged in wood.
- Himalayan Crystal Salt – A healthier alternative to common table salt with an exceptional taste.
- Liquid Stevia
8. Strawberry Balsamic Chicken
Another one from Gimme Some Oven! Does this look amazing, or what? It’s such a colorful and fresh meal full of nutrients. Plus, you only need six ingredients! It combines strawberries, mozzarella and basil with a drizzle of reduce balsamic. Add a little salt and pepper and viola! A fantastic meal that is definitely dinner guest approved. Be sure to find some organic chicken breasts if you can…
Ali says this is the fruity version of chicken caprese and is uber easy to make. So if you dig that – you’re in for a real treat.
- Â Visit Ali’s blog, Gimme Some Oven, for the full recipe and directions.
SHOPPER FYI – Use Dr. Mercola’s Himalayan Crystal Salt to give this dish an even healthier twist.
9. Oktoberfest Lager Stew With Vinegar
I found this delicious looking stew recipe on The Cozy Apron-Food for LOVE’S Sake. Even though you might want to wait until fall to try this one, it looked way too good for me not to include it in this post.
I sent it to my husband when I saw it because I thought it would even tickle his taste buds. The recipe calls for a German-style beer. An Oktoberfest variety. Then smoked beef sausage, potatoes, caramelized onions and golden cabbage. YUM. Mouthwatering for sure.
Invite some people over for this meal – but you might want to double or even triple the recipe since it only makes four servings. And that just won’t be enough if you know what I mean.
- Visit The Cozy Apron for Ingrid’s full list of ingredients and preparation.
SHOPPER FYI – Natural Healthy Concepts has these three ingredients needed for the stew:
- Raw Apple Cider Vinegar – The popular Bragg brand. Made with organic apples aged in wood.
- Himalayan Crystal Salt – A healthier alternative to common table salt with an exceptional taste.
- Olive Oil – Cold Pressed, Extra Virgin, made from sun-ripened Moroccan olives.
10. Grain-Free Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins
We needed a little something sweet with all this salty! And Detoxinista is a great source for healthy treats like these gluten-free raspberry chocolate chip muffins. Interestingly enough, the recipe calls for a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar!
Megan says the sweet and tart result is downright addictive. So, consider yourself forewarned!
Since I have a son who is allergic to eggs, we substitute 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons of warm water. It works perfectly for baking like this in case anyone else you know has an egg allergy.
- Visit Detoxinista for ingredients, instructions and helpful notes.
SHOPPER FYI -Â Natural Healthy Concepts has these four ingredients needed for the muffins:
- Raw Apple Cider Vinegar – The popular Bragg brand. Made with organic apples aged in wood.
- Himalayan Crystal Salt – A healthier alternative to common table salt with an exceptional taste.
- Organic 100% Pure Honey – Pure Premium Clover Honey from YS Bee Farms.
- Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil – non-GMO, not hydrogenated, refined, bleached or deodorized (watch out for oils like that in your typical grocery store).
Okay, so what will you try first?! If you have more tasty recipes with vinegar – please share them with us in the comments. We love trying new things!
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Image Credit: Featured – Jason.
