Delicious, Fat-Burning Salad Dressing Recipe

Last month I reported on a new study that found vinegar to be a natural fat fighter (at least in mice). Well, in case you are tired of dousing your salads with vinegar and oil, I thought I'd share a recipe for a delicious and healthy version of sweet sesame dressing.

During my college days, I was a waitress at Hudson's (which became Marshall Field's and is now Macy's) and snapped up a copy of their sesame dressing--which made their chicken mandarin salad oh so good. Anyway, I tweaked it a bit to make it even more fat burning by pairing it with virgin coconut oil, which turns on the body's thermogenic furnace.

Additionally, I used low-glycemic palm sugar-- a natural sweetener produced from the nectar of the tropical coconut palm blossoms found in south-east Asia. You can now find it at Whole Foods and other health food stores as well as Asian markets.

I love to make this dressing in the summer when coconut oil naturally liquefies with the warmer temperatures and when I can drizzle it on fresh, local greens topped with strawberries, almonds and some chopped grilled chicken.

Sweet Sesame Dressing

3/4 cup palm sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soy sauce (tamari)
1/3 cup vinegar
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup virgin coconut oil
1-1/2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Directions: In a blender mix palm sugar, dry mustard, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and chopped onions. Once the onions are pureed, add coconut oil and mix. Add sesame seeds. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Note: The dressing will solidify in refrigerator so let it sit on counter for at least 15 minutes to liquefy. In colder temperatures, it may need to be warmed. Best served at room temperature.

Beauty Tip: De-Frizz Hair With Coconut Oil

My two pregnancies have taken their toll on my long locks. It wasn't long ago that I had really healthy, shiny, straight hair. Now I have dry, frizzy, wavy hair. I really don't have time to bother with my hair these days while chasing around wee ones. Instead, my new signature hairdo is a simple pony tail. Sadly, it looks like a frizz ball.

Anyway, I've been reading about easy, homemade hair treatments like virgin coconut oil. In desperation I pulled out the coconut oil I store in my bathroom to remove eye makeup (of course, I also have some in the kitchen for cooking, too) and ran some over my hair (both when wet and dry), especially at the ends. Then, I run the hair dryer over it for about a minute. I have too much hair to spend the time drying it completely.

Amazingly, the virgin coconut oil treatment took about 75% of the frizz away and cranked up the shine by at least 10 fold. It doesn't make my hair look greasy either. It's pretty amazing! Definitely a keeper in my beauty arsenal.