Italian Restaurant Style Salad Dressing

We're trying to eat healthier at the Gibbs' house. I don't think we're horrible eaters to begin with, but we can always improve! Steve has some weight loss goals and I have some goals to cut back on meat in meals and eat more produce. And in my mind I have goals for the kids such as learning to eat dinner. Or at least try dinner. They can sure be picky!

Anyway, I made a salad as part of our dinner today. Usually my salads are just o.k. and are thrown together with whatever is around. But I realize that if we are going to eat more salads, they have to be the really good kinds. Tonight's salad was the really good kind and mostly because of this yummy dressing. The original recipe claims to be an Olive Garden Copycat and while I don't think it tastes exactly like Olive Garden, it doesn't matter because it's still really good! Make it a couple hours in advance so it can sit in the fridge and let the flavors blend. I made a simple salad out of lettuce, sliced tomatoes, thinly sliced red onions, olives and croutons and then tossed it in this dressing just before serving and sprinkled some Parmesan on top. Yum! Steve and I finished the whole bowl of salad!

ITALIAN RESTAURANT STYLE SALAD DRESSING

(original recipe found here)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup white vinegar

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons corn syrup

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons romano cheese (I only had parmesan today so I just used that)

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes

1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh, not from the bottle!)

Blend together in a blender or food processor (our magic bullet was perfect for this!) Let sit in the fridge for at least an hour. Toss with salad just before serving. Delish!