what can you use besides salad dressing on salads?

frando

I make up a dressing of sorts it was suggested by a friend at work, a slug of good oil and an equal amount of lemon/lime juice and a complimentary spice (I love tumeric, especially smoked!) and mix it up and pour it on. Sometimes I add a bit of low fat yogurt for a creamier taste or replace the oil with balsamic but it's all about experimenting and making it suit the salad

Mama06

I really like slivered almonds & salad pizzazz. Threw some mozzarella pearls on my salad today for protein. I don't need no stinkin' dressing!

Like!

If I have a little cheese or any kind of meat on my salad (or no meat or cheese but with avaocado) I think it tastes fine without dressing, too.
Also, if you use a more flavourful green such as arugula and spinach it will have a richer flavor than iceberg lettuce- I think.

Jules2Be

this is all very philosophical because the moment you put anything on top of your salad, it becomes salad dressing.

ahhh. clever..dressing your salad.


i prefer catnip:flowerforyou:

heartofviolet

The best salad I've ever made was dressed with olive oil, oregano, balsamic vinegar, fresh peaches, feta cubes (the sweet & salty of the peaches and feta is delish), and chopped walnuts.

akrzyzewski

Sometimes I use hummus on salads. But I just found this website, lowfatlifestyle.com that has a recipe index. There are tons of low cal dressings. You need some fat with salad to help your body absorb fat soluable vitamins. I tired the Greek dressing and the oriental dressing. Both were delicious! The Greek dressing calls for chicken broth. I hate to open a can of something and let the rest go to waste, so I either make a chicken soup in a few days, or freeze it in small batches for later. I made the oriental dressing and ate it with a salad of spinach and lettuce, cucumbers, scallions, shredded chicken and sliced almonds, it was amazing, and I've never enjoyed salad as much as I have lately.

rprussell2004

Whipped cream and caramel sauce.

TazzytheMotivator

I like plain old apple cider .

lovethemgorillaz

Fruit, dried or fresh.

Or add some seeds or nuts.

rachelbethany

I LOVE olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar, but that basically IS a dressing, so if I'm really trying to cut out fat/calories, I'll try any of these, sometimes lots of them combined:

-Hot sauce (no calories, no fat!)

-Lime or lemon juice (awesome, zesty flavor, full of vitamin-C, negligible cals/no fat!)

-Dried spices/herbs of any kind-- I like cumin seed (it's full of iron!), ginger, parsley, sea salt, LOTS of fresh-ground pepper, etc.

-Fresh garlic-- so delicious you won't even WANT dressing, especially when combined with . . . .

-Fresh basil-- I bought a basil plant at Kroger at the beginning on the summer and I use leaves from it almost daily in my meals. Basil (like garlic) have antibiotic qualities and quite a bit of iron. Throwing some basil and a little lime juice on top of a salad makes it so fresh, delicious, and EXCITING tasting! (Why eat a boring salad?)

-Other herbs/toppings-- Rosemary, cilantro, etc. I LOVE CILANTRO especially. It is PART of the salad, and yet acts as a dressing in a way.

-Salsa or diced tomatoes with jalapeños-- I like fresh tomatoes IN my salad, but sometimes I'll put a little salsa or some canned spicy tomatoes on top of it-- the juice acts like a dressing, and it's a great way to get extra nutrients without adding many calories at all. (And no fat)

-Some people really love Greek Yogurt. You can make your own low-calorie, nutrient-rich dressings with it, or just use it as a topping, kind of like sour cream. I don't eat much of it, though, because I'm lactose intolerant. But there are soy and almond versions of yogurt/sour cream, too.

I could continue this list forever, because I LOVE salads. A lot of dressings have onion and peppers and things IN them to give flavor, but they're also full of fat and preservatives. Just be sure to add plenty of flavorful veggies to your salad (the juicier the better), and I swear you will really get used to going without dressing.

RetroGlitzDiva

Squished Avocado Dressing with lemon juice and salt and pepper. You need good fat in your diet!

laughingnome

I use hummus on my salads

Loulady

I've been making what I call french onion salad lately:

Caramelize a thinly sliced onion (this takes a little while!), and then at the end add a little more olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Toss that with some baby spinach, add a little parm cheese, maybe some almonds and chicken if it's the whole meal.

Sharon_73

I mix plain greek yogurt with fresh mint, garlic, black pepper and a bit of lime juice. It is also great just as a veggie dip!

trishgrace

I have a cucumber salad where I only add lime juice and even the junk food eaters like it:)

Yum. Care to share your recipe?

RiannonC

I just use guacamole. I normally get the 100 calorie wholly guacamole packets at the store and just use one of those as my dressing. I don't even buy salad dressing anymore.

I like guacamole on salads too. You can make a really good guacamole just by mashing up avocado, tomato and diced onions, and adding some salt.

Other things I like to put on salads are lime juice, ground flaxseed, or cottage/ricotta cheese. I eat salads a lot.

alasin1derland

the juice of a tomato infused with garlic and pepper sounds great

CrisAlex

Olive oil mixed with lemon, avocado slices on top (the creaminess is a good replacement for dressings), or just plain vinegar. I don't buy salad dressings from the store.

Missanticipated

I've not read though all the comments so this might already have been posted but Skinnytaste.com has some good low fat salad dressings

trackercasey76

I put the vinegar from hot pepper rings on my salad with the hot peppers in the salad too of course.

This is GREAT!!

TheirEllie82

I like to use taco sauce, homemade guacamole, or hummus

achojnacki

Avocado, and lime.

akaBean7

Balsamic Vinegar + Olive Oil. Simple and full of flavor!

SuperSteph81

i have also used fresh lemon juice. It's very refreshing during the summer and is great on a spinach salad

linz1125

Balsalmic vinegar, raspberry vinegar (NOT vinagerette), lemon, lime, greek yogurt...sometimes the salad is so yummy I don't even have dressing!

jcjsjones

I use salsa!!! very yummy

^I do this! I also take romaine lettuce and add lots of fruits like blueberries, strawberries, apples, kiwi, mandarin oranges etc. Sweet enough on it's own, so it needs no dressing! YUMMY!!

argenterie

I add SALSA!

And, my FAVORITE discovery, is to add Ranch Dressing Mix (the powder) to some 0% greek yogurt, whisked with some water to make it more watery (runny). IT IS A MIRACLE and tastes just like Ranch dressing, but has like 22 calories!!! Love IT!

sugboog29

I use salsa!!! very yummy

Me too....I love salsa on my salad!

thedougvelez

I supplement my salad dressings with "bone broth" - I know, it sounds horrible, huh? My Naturopath taught me to save my chicken bones and put them in the slow cooker with enough water to cover them and about 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Slow cook them for about 8 - 12 hours. The acid in the vinegar will leach the calcium out of the bones as well as the building blocks for the cartilage. The bones are done when you can crush them between your fingers - and it's because all their calcium will now be in the broth. The resulting broth will be all but tasteless, but it will contain some of the most bio-available calcium and glucosamine that you can get... for free. Freeze what you can't use right away. What you store in the fridge will thicken up into a jelly like substance - and that's due to all the things your body can use to make new cartilage!

Back to the salad dressing - most salad dressings have a lot of flavor and the amount you "need" to use is just to get a coating on the salad, so if you add some of the broth, you can use less dressing and substitute something that is almost calorie free has important nutrients.

Veronikitta

I use Salsa too, (but I don't omit the dressing I must admit! you can even use mild if you don't like spicy food.

elm2008

a tablespoon or two of greek yogurt and some apple cider vinegar.