When I have a really great salad dressing on-hand, it's amazing how many vegetables I end up eating in a day.  Besides having the dressing on salad, I like to dip crudités in it, stir it into a combination of grains and veggies, and top cooked vegetables.

This recipe is:

• vegan
• easy
• oil-free
• gluten-free
• refined sugar-free
• made with 10 ingredients or less
• ready in just 5 minutes!

Elements of a great salad dressing:

• full of flavor that compliments the vegetables and makes you want to eat more of them
• a pleasant texture
• nutritious in its own right, adding more value to the salad

And when it's a dressing that requires no machinery to make and is ready in 5 minutes, I am so much more likely to actually make it.  That's what I love about this recipe.

The beauty of this salad dressing recipe is that it requires only three ingredients (plus water and, if desired, salt/pepper):  tahini, balsamic vinegar, and maple syrup.  That's it.  These are ingredients that can simply be stirred in a bowl or jar and you're done.  It has enough flavor so that if you prefer a thin dressing, you can simply just add more water to thin it out.  In fact, it tends to thicken in the fridge, so each time I take it out I add more water - which stretches the dressing to last an extra serving!

2021 update: I have lightened the recipe up a bit, since I prefer it on the thin side. If you want it even richer and creamier, simply add more tahini.

The flavor has a pleasant burnt-sugar smokiness to it, thanks to the balsamic vinegar and maple syrup.  Only a little maple syrup is required, since the balsamic has a sweetness, too.  It would really work any time of year, since the ingredients can be found year round and the complex flavors go well with fall/winter veggies as well as spring/summer.  It's rich, it's flavorful, and I hope you try it on your next salad!