Healthy Salad Dressing — Made Light for the Numbers the Doctor Gave Me

Football season. The Falcons are losing. Standard. Set the Table at New Birth Saturday morning. Six girls. We did baked chicken.

Daddy in his apartment in the back. I brought him his coffee and his medication this morning. He grumbled. The grumble was the love. I caught the smell of Mama's seasoning blend at the stove Tuesday morning. Just for a second. The grief comes when it comes.

A pot of collards on the stove. Turkey neck for the broth instead of fatback now. Vinegar at the end. The kitchen smelled like the kitchen Mama kept.

Marcus, 21, studying for finals at Alabama. Jasmine, 19, home from Howard for the weekend.

Derek brought me coffee Sunday morning before service. That man.

Pastor preached about the prodigal son again. He preaches about that boy at least three times a year. The text is the text but every preaching is different. I cried in the second service this time. Don't ask me why.

Derek and I had date night Friday. Same restaurant, same booth, same enchiladas for me and carne asada for him.

Wednesday Bible study at the church. We read through Proverbs. The women in my row argued about whether wisdom is built or born. I said both. They agreed, sort of.

Darnell sent a photo from Clarksville. The garden is producing. He grew tomatoes the size of softballs. I sent him back a photo of my sweet potato casserole. We are competitive about food now in our middle age.

The blood pressure check was Wednesday. The numbers were borderline. The doctor wants me to walk more. I am walking more.

I made a casserole for the church potluck. The pan came back empty. That is the only review I trust.

Andre called from LA. He told the Kevin Hart story again. Twenty-some years and that boy is still telling that story. Everyone in this family is going to hear about Kevin Hart at our funerals.

The kids were home for the weekend. The house was loud the way it should be.

The neighbors had a Friday cookout this week. I brought my mac and cheese. They have come to expect this. I have come to expect this. The block is the block.

Miss Ernestine called Tuesday. She's ninety-something and sharp as ever. She told me my potato salad still needs more mustard.

I read for an hour Sunday night before bed. Some novel about a Black woman in 1960s Alabama. Mama would have liked it.

I had a hard counseling case at school this week. A seventh-grade girl whose mama lost her job. We talked. I gave her my number. I told her she could call.

I drove to the Walmart on Camp Creek Saturday morning. The kind of grocery run that takes two hours because you run into three people you know. Sister Patrice caught me in the produce. We talked about her grandbaby for fifteen minutes.

Saturday morning I had Set the Table at the Cascade Heights center. Twelve young women. We did baked chicken. One of them — Imani, sixteen — was so afraid of seasoning that she barely shook the salt. I stood next to her and put my hand over hers and said, baby, you cannot be afraid of food. We seasoned the chicken. The chicken came out right. She glowed.

Thursday I made cornbread for a sister at church whose husband had surgery. I dropped it off at the hospital. She cried at the door. I told her, eat the cornbread, baby. The food is the saying.

Daddy sat in his chair after dinner watching the news. He fell asleep before the third quarter. Standard.

The doctor said borderline, and I heard it — even in the middle of a week full of cornbread drop-offs and mac and cheese for the neighbors and a casserole pan that came back clean. I’m walking more now, like he said, and I’ve started paying attention to what goes on the plate alongside everything else. This dressing came out of that quiet reckoning: something I can pour over a big bowl of greens and feel good about, something that doesn’t ask me to give up flavor, just to be a little more intentional. The collards were for the family. This one’s for me.

Healthy Salad Dressing

Prep Time: 5 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 5 min | Servings: 8 (about 2 tablespoons each)

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon raw honey
• 1 small garlic clove, minced or grated
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning (optional)
• 1 tablespoon water, to thin if needed

Instructions

1. Combine. Add the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, and garlic to a small bowl or a jar with a tight-fitting lid.
2. Season. Add the salt, black pepper, and dried oregano if using. Stir or shake well until fully combined and emulsified.
3. Adjust consistency. If the dressing feels too thick, add water one teaspoon at a time and shake again until you reach your preferred texture.
4. Taste and balance. Taste the dressing and adjust — a little more honey if you want it sweeter, a splash more vinegar if you want more brightness, a pinch more salt to bring everything forward.
5. Store. Transfer to a small jar or airtight container and refrigerate for up to one week. Shake or stir well before each use, as the oil and vinegar will separate.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 82 | Protein: 0g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 2g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 78mg