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