salad dressing

K

kariev

Cathlete
what do you guys use for salad dressings? i'm addicted to light 3 cheese ranch dressing but would like to give it up as its loaded with chemicals and contains 80cals for 2Tbsps which is a bit steep. however whenever i try to give it up i miss it so much and always go back to it. so i would like any suggestions.
 
I make my own! Our family favorite this time of year has a bit of a mexican flair to it...

Oil
lime juice
chopped, fresh cilantro
fresh cracked pepper and salt to taste
cumin to taste
a dash of tabasco
red pepper flakes to taste (these get hotter as they sit!!)
teaspoon of sugar (or substitute) or less depending on how much lime juice

Wisk up and yum! It works on lettuce as well as pasta salads.
MJ
 
I love ranch and find it hard to give up too! So I started using Bolthouse Farms Ranch dressing, it's a yogurt base and has less chemicals as compared to the regular and light ranch dressings
 
I use 1 TBSP EVOO and 2 TBSP balsamic vinegar. I just throw in on my large dinner salad and toss. Cut the ingredients down to half for a small side salad.
You can mix a little honey for a sweeter dressing.
 
This may sound weird, but I like plain, rice wine vinegar on my salads. My second favorite is Litehouse Sesame Ginger.

Lisa
 
I do almost the same as others:

olive oil
vinigar
salt
pepper
honney

but I also add Dijon Mustard

it's so good

it gives it a kick

I am very popular with my salad in the family

I add pecans in it also
 
No salad dressing for me - but I LOVELOVE salsa on my salad. Well, to be honest, I put salsa on pretty much everything!:D
 
I either eat my salad dry with no dressing, with only balsamic vinegar, or like many here, 1T EVOO and 1-2T balsamic vinegar (you can also use agave nectar instead of honey as a sweetner, and add 1 or 2 cloves of minced garlic. YUM)!

Gayle
 
I often don't use any, if I put avocado or other fat source in my salad. When I do, I've been making my own (raw-food) lately.

Here's one recipe (that ended up being a combo of two recipes from Cherie Soria's "Raw Food Revolution Diet" book--an Italian herb dressing and a 'liquid gold' cheezy dressing--because they are on facing pages with the same initial ingredients, and I got mixed up! But it turned out really good!):

Blend until smooth:

1 cup zucchini, chopped
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 T. flax oil
2 T. agave nectar
1 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp chia seeds
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/4 c. nutritional yeast

will last up to 4 days
 
I too love my Ranch dressing but was also was concerned about the extra calories, so I decided to come up with my own version. I think it's very similiar to the real thing, and don't miss my hidden valley ranch anymore. Here's my recipe...

1/2 cup ff cottage cheese, 1-2 teaspoons of dry hidden valley ranch mix, 1-2 tablespoons of water. Place all ingredients in a magic bullet and blend for 30 seconds. If the consistency is too watery for your taste you can eliminate the water and perhaps switch to a lowfat cottage cheese instead.

By the way, this is great as a dip too. Bring on the veggies!
 
Olive oil and vinegar. Usually, rice wine vinegar or one of the other nice vinegars. Or add a little sour cream (not low fat but its real.)
 
Another vote for no dressing. It took me a while to get used to but now I'm amazed at how much more fresh the flavors tends to be on a well made salad. They just "pop" more. And - no extra calories.
 
I do several of the things mentioned....I too love a good salsa on my salad.

But when I'm going more mediteranean with my taste, I like cut up olives, artichokes and avocado and too drizzle a little flax oil on it for healthy omega's and healthy fats.

If I do need a dressing though for a different taste (because I live variety in my meals) I have found that I love Newman's Own Lighten Up Low fat Sesame Ginger Dressing...oh my gosh, the taste is too die for!

As far as ranch goes, why don't you try a ranch packet of spices (such as Simply Organic ranch dip) mixed into plain yogurt. Then you get healthy probiotics and the taste of ranch!:)
 
For garlic lovers only!!

This covers a pretty large bowl of salad nicely:

1TBS Olive oil
1TBS Red wine vinegar
Drop of dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic chopped or minced
salt and pepper to taste

It's SO good, but VERY garlicky.
 
I like a variety but my fave combo is a LF ranch with balsamic drizzled ontop. Cuts the "less than healthy" in half. (I love the idea of using cottage cheese to mix it up with the seasoning packet !)

I also love the Newman's Light Sesame and the Light Balsamic. Less EVOO but enough to keep the taste there.

Also one to put salsa on my "fajita salads" with our leftover carne asada. YUM !

There was one nutrition book (can't remember which one at the moment) it was practically back to basics and the dressing you could use was flaxseed oil & apple cider vinegar. I'd add some granulated garlic and it was a nice tart mixture with my lettuce, tomato & shredded carrots.

My last fave is miso which I've made many ways. I try to watch the rice wine vinegar since it has some sugar in it - Mirin is good too if you don't use much.
 
thanks so much for all the suggestions. I love the one about making my own ranch dressing. never thought of that. i'm going to make it with my fage yogurt to add some more protein:)
 
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