Ingredients:

3/4 cup POM pomegranate juice (or another brand)
Juice of 1 orange (use a hand citrus press to make it quick & easy!)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar - organic is preferable!
1 tbsp whole grain Dijon mustard (Trader Joe's has my favorite French brand)
3-4 cloves fresh garlic squeezed through a garlic press (Swiss-made Susi® is the best garlic press ever)
½ cup fresh basil leaves picked off of their stems - press them into measuring cup to pack them down when measuring
1 tbsp chia seeds, ground
½ tsp herb salt (Spike is my favorite brand next to my own creation)
1/8   tsp cayenne pepper depending on if you like a bit of heat

Optional:

• 5-7 raspberries to add a fruity flavor and nice red color
• Use blood oranges when in season for a bright red color
• A small cheat for really fabulous flavor & nutrition: add 1 tbsp. of lightly toasted walnut oil which is high in omega-3 fatty acids and so yum!!

Directions:

Put all ingredients into a blender. Blend well until the basil leaves are all chopped up. Pour into a salad dressing container. Makes 1 ¼ cups dressing. Keep refrigerated. Can last up to 10 days.

Time Saving Tip: Here's how to keep your salad fresh for several days:

• Don't add wet ingredients like tomatoes and cucumbers or ones that will turn color like avocados or apples. Offer these ingredients in a separate bowl to be added at the time of eating.
• Let each person dress their salad individually at the table. Keep the salad in the bowl undressed unless you're confident the whole salad will be eaten.
• Store your salad in a lightweight bamboo bowl in the refrigerator with a plastic baggie tucked in over the top of the salad. Undressed salads can be kept several days this way so you don't have to make a salad for every meal! Bamboo is preferable to glass or plastic as it will release moisture that otherwise can ruin the stored salad. (Be careful because some wooden bowls will crack in the refrigerator. I lost my favorite hand-chiseled olive wood bowl that way!)