Honey, Agave, and the best Homemade Dressing

Honey vs. Agave: I keep seeing this battle between the two pop up again and again, always wondering what REALLY is the difference. I started with the labels, the most visible way to juxtapose the two.

Agave Nectar - 1 Tbsp serving

Honey - 1 Tbsp serving

As you can see from these labels, not too much of a difference. Honey is a little higher in carbs and sugar, BUT agave does have a whole gram of fiber per tbsp. So, I guess agave nectar leans toward being slightly healthier if you are strictly looking at the label, but if you are trying to choose between the two, don't stress over it.

With that being said, I used agave nectar for the dressing that I have been using on my salads for the past week. I altered Whole Foods' No-oil balsamic recipe based on what I had, and what I liked as a dressing base.

No-oil Sweet Balsamic Dressing

1/4 cup water
1 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon agave nectar (or honey)

Mix all ingredients together, store, and shake before using. To mix all of the ingredients well, I used my Vitamix, especially so the garlic clove was completely incorporated. This recipe is approximately 20 calories per 2 tablespoon serving. For my salads, I drizzled this sweet and tangy dressing over spinach, romaine, broccoli, celery, carrots and either balsamic stir-fried tofu, a green apple, or sliced up chicken. This dressing will for sure be stocked in my fridge from now on.