Salad Dressing Suggestions?

toherlimit

I'm looking to increase my veggie intake, as that's one area I need to seriously improve. I've decided to incorporate more salads into my life. When I eat salads, I usually go for ranch or 1000 Island - basically the worst ones. What kind of salad dressing would you recommend that may be similar, but healthier? Is that even possible? I'm somewhat new to the world of salads.

CorneliusPhoton

Bolthouse brand yogurt-based dressings are great.

rodeothedog

If you have a Aldi three cheese vingerette. Yummy. Rasberry vinagerette

lwhite0503

I love the Bolthouse Farms yogurt dressings!

lemurcat12

Look up recipes for homemade yogurt-based dressings and start experimenting.

(I'm a vinaigrette person, so can't help with that.)

juliegilburd

You can also make your own ranch by combining 1 c. greek yogurt, ranch dressing mix & enough skim milk to get to your preferred thickness for the dressing.

2011rocket3touring

I've had a idea I've not tried yet (abandoned the salad thing).
Buy one of those dressing mixes but instead of the more fattening creams to give it the texture, use greek yogurt.

toherlimit

Thanks, guys! All great suggestions.

AnvilHead

CorneliusPhoton wrote: »

Bolthouse brand yogurt-based dressings are great.

^ This. They're actually much tastier than any of the "diet" salad dressings I've tried.

markrgeary1

I switched to nothing. Salads taste great now!

EHollander89

Hidden Valley makes ranch and cucumber dill dressings (any maybe others I have not tried) with greek yogurt. Both have around 60 calories for 2 tablespoons. I think they taste pretty good. I also agree that making your own ranch dressing with the seasoning packets is another good option.

HeidiCooksSupper

You'd be surprised how little dressing you consume if you have it on the side, dip your fork into it for each bite and then pick up the undressed veggies. That way, you can have a very small portion of the salad dressing you love without feeling deprived. An old Weight Watcher's trick that actually works.

I'm a homemade vinaigrette person, myself.

vingogly

Green Goddess is a favorite of mine; you seldom see it anywhere, and when you do it typically doesn't have the anchovies in it. You could make it with low-fat yogurt, or a mix of yogurt and low-fat mayonnaise to bring down the calorie count.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/16370/green-goddess-salad-dressing/

MLouis1

I like the light or fat-free French or Catalina dressing. And I thin it with a tiny bit of water.

successgal1

Ken's - Lite Northern Italian with Basil & Romano Dressing, 2 tablespoons = 45 calories.

And I buy sliced green salad olives 2 tablespoons is 25 calories, packed in water I toss on a few spoonfulls of that too.

zyxst

Nonna Pia's balsamic reductions. I've only tried the lime chili and strawberry fig ones.
http://nonnapias.com/products/

For taco salads, I use sriracha sauce.

TommyW45

I eat a dressing from walden farms with zero calories . They have plenty of choices to choose from .

TR0berts

TommyW45 wrote: »

I eat a dressing from walden farms with zero calories . They have plenty of choices to choose from .

I like their Thousand Island. Maybe not as much as I like the full-fat/Calorie versions, but it's still pretty good.

TommyW45

TR0berts wrote: »

TommyW45 wrote: »

I eat a dressing from walden farms with zero calories . They have plenty of choices to choose from .

I like their Thousand Island. Maybe not as much as I like the full-fat/Calorie versions, but it's still pretty good.

Yes the regulars are better but if you are watching calories I guess it will do . Lol

monicaamy902

I LOVE ranch, its my favorite "non diet" dressing. But when I am being "good", I make my own. If you have a really good balsamic vinegar, you can make delicious dressings. This is what I do:

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (flavored ones are fun to use too)
1-2 tbsp oil (I love walnut oil on salads and avocado works good too. Olive oil has a funny taste to me)
1/4 tsp ground mustard seed
pinch of salt and pepper
pinch of dill (optional) or any other seasonings like basil, rosemary, etc.

If you are eating "clean" you can make your own ranch! I make the Whole 30 ranch and its yummy. You can use Greek Yogurt and spices, but I don't think it's very exciting.

thelovelyLIZ

Make your own. Pick an acid (vinegar or lemon juice), oil (I usually do canola or olive, but if you're doing an asian style salad you could even use sesame). Add some salt and pepper (I sometimes use seasoned salt) and some dried herbs. You can continue to play too- I'll add dijon mustard, garlic powder, etc.

flagrantavidity

Salad dressing is a hard one because nothing, yes nothing is as jam packed full of flavor as a buttermilk ranch or 1000 island/russian dressing. However, there are some low calorie options that some people have already mentioned above.

I do use a pre-made Kraft Lite dressing, usually balsamic lite (25 cal) or raspberry vinaigrette lite (30 cal). I use one serving which is 2 tablespoons, I then add a tablespoon of Pompeian balsamic vinegar well (5 Cal). A dash of pepper and jalapenos and you have yourself a tasty salad!

I eat a salad every day that consists of: Spinach, Onion, Cucumber, Bell Pepper, Olives, Tomato, Mushrooms, and Jalapenos. It usually weighs about 400-500 grams and is a total of 200-300 calories.

ModernRock

Really, I think you find a dressing you like and then find out the minimum you can put on and still enjoy it. It really doesn't take much if you toss the salad with the dressing. On the other hand, I have no issue eating salads without dressing, so that's easy for me to say.

crazykatlady820

I realize this might sound weird or even gross. I love salad, but have just never been a big salad dressing fan. I actually put bbq sauce on a lot of my salads. I love it!

mitch16

I really used to like the Wish-Bone Salad Spritzers; unfortunately they discontinued them... The Bolthouse ones are a good replacement for creamy-type dressings. For vinaigrette I just buy high-quality balsamic vinegar and skip the oil.

CafeRacer808

I'm all about vinaigrettes and usually just make my own (cheaper and better ingredients than store bought). I generally stick to a 2:1 ratio of fat:acid and season w/ salt and pepper to taste. I usually use EVOO as a fat, but I like to mix it up and use avocado or grapeseed oil. For acids, different vinegars impart a different flavor. Ditto various citrus fruit juices. Sometimes I'll add an emulsifier like dijon mustard, sometimes garlic paste, and other times I keep it really simple. I tend to make them in really small batches so that I can eat a variety of different dressings during the week, which keeps my salads interesting.

ETA: If you get bored with salads, another great way to add veg to your diet is by making green smoothies. Just be careful about how much fruit you add.

jjtweb

I use nonfat plain greek yogurt and dressing packets or mix my own. Personally I like Ken's low calorie dressings they are fantastic. But if you want to go for the creamier versions you can always mix it up with yogurt.

JennieMaeK

I like making my own. One of my favourites is an Asian inspired dressing. Super easy to make. 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp soy sauce and then a little bit of flavoring, like powdered ginger. I use a Asian stir fry seasoning I have, it's got some sesame seeds, ginger and teriyaki flavor in it. Play around with flavours until you find something you like.

sharynmgeorge66

toherlimit wrote: »

I'm looking to increase my veggie intake, as that's one area I need to seriously improve. I've decided to incorporate more salads into my life. When I eat salads, I usually go for ranch or 1000 Island - basically the worst ones. What kind of salad dressing would you recommend that may be similar, but healthier? Is that even possible? I'm somewhat new to the world of salads.

you can always make your own honey mustard...I mix mayo with mustard and add stevia.. then you can water it down to your liking for the consistency you desire...it is a great sugarfree variety that goes great as a chicken dip also

cosmonew

Salsa on a chicken salad!

Ashante37

I absolutely love Wishbone's Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette and also the light version of it. I also sometimes get the Balsamic vinaigrette but I'm trying to watch the amount of sodium I get each day and that one is pretty high, along with Italian dressings... I do like to treat myself every now and then with a creamy dressing and I just discovered (at Taco Bell if you can believe it) Hidden Valley's Avocado Ranch.. it's so good... Taco Bell puts it on their "healthy" menu item the Power Bowl and the Power Burrito with either chicken or steak. Also with my salads, I like to change up the leafy green from just iceberg to maybe spinach, to romaine to kale..so you're not eating the same thing all of the time and get bored. I also by Tyson grilled chicken cubes, shredded/crumbled cheese (your preference), and depending on my budget I'll add crushed pecans, almonds and Ocean Spray dried cranberries. And you can't forget croutons.. I spoke to my nutritionist and she said that they actually aren't bad for you.. just keep it in moderation.