How do you eat a salad without traditional dressing?

abbynormalartist

I'd like to have more salads with my dinner but am having trouble finding a way to eat them without the traditional creamy dressing. I've tried a little red wine vinegar and that's..... okay, but not great. I've also tried adding more flavorful veggies like onions and tomatoes but I figure there are better ways out there too. Ideas?

NewMeSM75

You could always make your own lighter versions. Like greek yogurt with a package of dry ranch and splash of milk. I make my own thousand island. I use light mayo, little ketchup or chili sauce, minced wickless (hot sweet pickles).

Treece68

You can make your own dressing a little red wine vinegar and some oil or lemon juice salt paper, creamy dressing greek yougert, onion and garlic powder & vinegar. Honey & mustard a little vinegar and shake. If you have a baby food jar or a tiny mason jar you can control what you put in the the dressing and shake it up to blend. I like to do a quick pickle on my cucumbers I cut a whole one up and add vinegar and sugar salt paper garlic & onion powder let it sit while I make the rest & use some of the juice and cucumbers in the salads.
Here are some from Clinton Kelly http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/clintons-dressings-clinton-kelly

nevadavis1

I put salsa on my salads. Then again I love salsa so much I can eat it straight.... Also avocado adds creaminess (also calories though). If you put something flavorful on top of the salad that can help--like for me seasoned baked tofu. I think also it helps to get more creative with your salads. You could add things like sauerkraut or pickled beets, or hummus. I put beans and rice on my salads, but that's a whole meal. I eat darker greens too, like watercress and arugula, because iceberg lettuce is like water to me and it needs dressing, but the darker ones have some flavor so let me use less or a lighter dressing.

Sometimes rather than a side salad, I'll incorporate the salad into the dinner. Like if I'm eating a veggie burger, I'll put it on a bed of greens and then add my toppings and eat it like that (sometimes, I've been known to use buns too...).

You can also look through the salad dressings in the store and try to find one that is a lighter version of one you already like and then slowly decrease the amount you put on the salad. My favorite is an organic (vegan) Russian dressing, so I didn't give it up entirely, but by gradually cutting back I'm now using a lot less, but I hardly noticed I was reducing it and got used to the smaller amount pretty easily.

I'm vegan so I might like stuff that you don't, but there are some dressings out there made with other ingredients, like tahini, nuts, tofu, or hemp that have a somewhat creamy texture and taste but fewer calories than traditional ranch dressings. So it's worth a shot, I suppose.

abbynormalartist

The salsa idea is awesome!

BigBrownPhD

I put it on a burger! jk

Gamliela

I like vinegar, salt and pepper. I used to make my on olive oil, vinegar, garlic granules, salt and pepper dressing.

Now I use puree of vegetable soup and some spices, sometimes curry, or mediterranean.

NewMeSM75

I've read good things about Walden farm dressings. You could possibly check those out too.

mitch16

If I really can't do without a traditional creamy dressing, I measure out a serving into a small bowl and leave it on the side, then I dip my fork into the dressing before spearing my salad... You still get the flavor of the dressing, but the serving size (and calories!) are much more manageable.

NewMeSM75

mitch16 wrote: »

If I really can't do without a traditional creamy dressing, I measure out a serving into a small bowl and leave it on the side, then I dip my fork into the dressing before spearing my salad... You still get the flavor of the dressing, but the serving size (and calories!) are much more manageable.

This is what my best friend does.

FreyasRebirth

I still use dressing but I put salad and half a serving of dressing in a large container and shake thoroughly. The dressing ends up coating all of it in a very thin layer. I get the flavor but I only use half as much.

gamerbabe14

I typically only add lime juice to my salads. That way I can eat more protein and more avocado!

French_Peasant

I like the Bolthouse creamy dressings I have tried so far, but normally just make my own balsamic dressing with 1/3 fairly good olive oil and 2/3 exceptionally good aged balsamic (and a dab of Dijon to emulsify it). The key is in the quality of the balsamic--that is important--don't just use Alessi or one of the typical grocery-store shelf ones. The thicker the better, and I particularly like black currant, fig, etc. balsamics.

Treece68

gamerbabe14 wrote: »

I typically only add lime juice to my salads. That way I can eat more protein and more avocado!

Avacado is a great idea for a dressing you can blend it with lime salt and paper and BAM creamy dressing

marelthu

I buy the Bolthouse dressings. The ranch version is only 30 calories a tbsp. I make sure not to use more than a tablespoon. Rather than add the dressing to the salad some people dip their fork in the dressing and then take a forkful of salad. I've done that before and it works well. That way you're not using a ton of dressing.

lporter229

Similar to Bolthouse, I like the Litehouse yogurt based dressings. They are found in the produce section of the grocery (refrigerated) and are 60 calories for 2 Tbsp. Other than that, you can try adding Greek yogurt to vinegar and seasoning for creaminess or mixing it with salsa. Also, add avocado to your salad with vinegar or any other acid and it will break down into creamy deliciousness. You can also thin traditional creamy dressings with vinegar so you use less.

dklibert

Try Red or White Balsamic Vinegar or Rice Vinegar. They are not as acidic or tart, they have a little sweetness and are delicious on their own.

aflane

I use the fork dip then salad method. You use a LOT less that way.

ValeriePlz

I concur with the fork dip method! I also use salsa, lime juice, oil / vinegar.

cs2thecox

Steph38878 wrote: »

I've read good things about Walden farm dressings. You could possibly check those out too.

They're ok but expensive, at least to get in the UK.
Also, do NOT cook with the BBQ sauce. Bad things happen!

(The pancake syrup is AMAZING though. Heaven knows how they make it zero calorie, zero everything, but it's *kitten* lovely!)

AngryViking1970

I just use straight balsamic vinegar.

NewMeSM75

cs2thecox wrote: »

Steph38878 wrote: »

I've read good things about Walden farm dressings. You could possibly check those out too.

They're ok but expensive, at least to get in the UK.
Also, do NOT cook with the BBQ sauce. Bad things happen!

(The pancake syrup is AMAZING though. Heaven knows how they make it zero calorie, zero everything, but it's *kitten* lovely!)

I've never tried them. Thanks for letting us know. When I started, I didn't care for vinaigrettes but I started enjoying them. I wish I liked artificial sweeteners but I just couldn't make myself like them. I love the light versions of jams and pancake syrup though.

DJ_Skywalker

I've never needed salad dressing .... maybe just a little extra juice from my black olives. Black olives, sunflower seeds, tomatoes, etc. make the salad sweet enough for me

JenHuedy

I LOVE the Bolthouse dressings. Very creamy and fresh tasting and low in calories. Panera Light Poppyseed is great, too, and only 25 cals. My current obsession is berries, chicken, goat cheese and pecans on spinach with Panera Poppyseed dressing. Yum!

Piqueaboo

Mustard, sunflower oil and vinegar. It's delicious and emulsifies, but yes, you need to make room for it.

TeaBea

Steph38878 wrote: »

You could always make your own lighter versions. Like greek yogurt with a package of dry ranch and splash of milk. I make my own thousand island. I use light mayo, little ketchup or chili sauce, minced wickless (hot sweet pickles).

This^

Just make your favorite dressing "lighter." I love Caesar dressing .....I bought a light version AND use less of it. Caesar dressing still fits (for me).

thetrishwarp

I put cottage cheese on my salads. So delicious.

sabinaholtby

I always use Greek yogurt with mustard, garlic, salt and pepper. I add onions to my salad and Bell peppers. When I can afford the calories I love avocado. My favorite salads though are when I use seasoned meat! Nothing like a taco salad, that ground meat with taco seasoning is so so good!

kizanne1

I have a couple things that help me with salad. I like salsa for certain salads. I also like having fruit like strawberries, blueberries or oranges in the salad with a sharp cheese like gorgonzola then I don't need a dressing. Just make sure to get some greens with each sweet and savory bite. I also have broke down and purchased some
semi-expensive blueberry balsamic vinegar which is almost sweet. And a fig balsamic vinegar as well.
Oh or a cup of chili. Make it a chili salad which would be a meal not a side.

Jenn_W

I've starting mixing everything with my lettuce. Lots of traveling this weekend visiting family and lots of BBQ food.
Grilled Turkey Franks, baked beans - all mixed together and throw in a bowl with lettuce. Grilled chicken breast, fresh corn, baked baked potato, s&p - same thing.
I think I need to volume eat. So, a common quick meal is huge bowl of romaine lettuce, shredded low sodium lunch meat, and honey mustard all mixed together. Another is black beans, salsa, little cheese, little sour cream in a mixing bowl full of romaine. These are full meals not a side salad. I've tried lemon & lime juice with s&p - Taste is okay, but I'd rather throw everything together and make it one big meal.

kms234

I've tried all the lowfat/low cal salad dressings and I can't find one I like. I've started using the "good stuff" but just using less. I really like the Olive Garden bottled Italian dressing. I use 1/2-1 tbsp depending on the size of my salad. I also really like Litehouse ranch. Again, I use just a little.

Like the previous respondent, I shake all my salad ingredients together so the dressing coats everything in a thin layer.