Salad Dressing....help!

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Replies

  • amyram
    amyram Posts: 108 Member
    I am need of some suggestions for salad dressings. The ONLY dressing I will use is full fat Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing. My favorite!!! I LOVE it! I use it for salads and as a veggie dip. I do only use the 2 T. serving size and sometime only 1 T. I justify it that if I'm going to get my veggies in (I'm not a veggie lover) that I can at least use the dressing I like IF I do not overdo it. I do not plan to completely give up my favorite dressing, but I would like to find some alternatives. Dressing that may be a bit better for you and/or lighter in calories and fat.

    Thanks for your suggestions!!!

    I was just reading in Men's Health and Nutrition Guide that low fat dressings are a scam, they do have less fat, but and way more sugar so they still taste good, so go with moderate amounts of full fat dressing or dressings made with olive or canola oil.
  • sfoster3171982
    sfoster3171982 Posts: 76 Member
    I don't use any. sometimes I do a little salt and pepper but that's it
  • Cillasi
    Cillasi Posts: 4 Member
    Try a Shepherd's salad. Dice cucumber (seeds removed), tomato (seeds removed), bell pepper, red onion, black or kalamata olives, parsley or oregano (add or remove elements as you wish). Dress with cider vinegar, olive oil, and lemon.

    It's so different from regular salad that your brain won't be expecting (or miss) the Ranch dressing. It's quite refreshing. There are plenty of recipes for it on the web.

    You might find it easier to incorporate other dressings in your normal salads after a few Shepherd's salads.
  • wiltl
    wiltl Posts: 188 Member
    Adding my nod to Bolthouse dressings. I love the Blue Cheese and Ranch. They are a bit more expensive than hidden valley, but its also a bit thinner and I don't drown my food with it any more (sauces were my weakness!) it last a lot longer. Marie's yogurt blue cheese dressing is also really good, but about 70 cals per serving compared to the 45 of Bolthouse.
  • Inebriated
    Inebriated Posts: 271
    Why don't you just use the dressing that you like if you can fit it into your calories. I don't really understand the need to replace every little thing. If eating that dressing means you enjoy a nice salad, so be it.
  • Shellyeubanks
    Shellyeubanks Posts: 30
    I am a huge ranch lover myself and I found this dressing a few weeks ago and LOVE it
    http://www.marzetti.com/products/cardinis/salad-dressings/light-fat-free-salad-dressings/cardinis-light-caesar-vinaigrette-dressing-12-oz.htm

    It's low in fat, sugar and carbs and taste great, doesn't taste like low fat dressing at all.
  • Anaconda62
    Anaconda62 Posts: 181
    Adding my nod to Bolthouse dressings. I love the Blue Cheese and Ranch. They are a bit more expensive than hidden valley, but its also a bit thinner and I don't drown my food with it any more (sauces were my weakness!) it last a lot longer. Marie's yogurt blue cheese dressing is also really good, but about 70 cals per serving compared to the 45 of Bolthouse.

    Another vote for Bolthouse. I love it when I want to change it up from oil and vinegar.
  • _HeyMommy_
    _HeyMommy_ Posts: 323 Member
    Walden farms as 10 dressings to choose from. All zero cals...my fave is the thousand island. The ramch is good too.
  • schpanks
    schpanks Posts: 468 Member
    My favorite ranch is kraft light 3 cheese ranch. It's probably higher in sodium, but I usually come in under my sodium anyway, so I don't worry too much about it. Currently I'm working on a bottle of Ken's Steakhouse light ranch that is really good, too.
  • salegrosso
    salegrosso Posts: 5
    I understand why you love your dressing: you could still use it, perhaps the 1Tblspon amount, and add a bit of your favorite vinegar (red wine, or tarragon) do help coat the salad and spread your ranch further.
  • bm99
    bm99 Posts: 597 Member
    I would stick with the good stuff, just try to cut it down (that's my favorite too and a serving is 130 cals!!). The less fat version tastes like crap even though you can eat so much more of it calorie-wise.

    I think I'd rather have half a serving of the really good stuff than more servings of the fat free.

    But then I mix mayonnaise with pickle juice and call that dressing, so what do I know haha
  • ealock
    ealock Posts: 1
    Walden Farms either in the grocery store or can order on line ( more choices of many great no calorie, no carb, no fat, no anything) but taste good. I particularly like the thousand Island dressing which is good on shrimp as well. I just ordered their maple syrup on recommendation from my weight loss clinic. Check it out.!
  • Kalynx
    Kalynx Posts: 707 Member
    I'm not much help on this as I've never liked salad dressing - not too big on condiments either or it has to be just pickles and cheese on a burger, or just ketcup and pickles but not all three together lol..

    But I do like a sprinkle of shreded cheddar or parmesan over salads, especially the kraft grated kind in a baggy of baby carrots (sprinkle some in your zip lock baggie and shake!). Also have found that freshly grated parm is much lower on fat and sodium than the canned sits on the shelf forever kind and is only 10-15 cents more per oz cost wise for the same amount. It also tastes better and cooks better. I keep a container of the sprinkle/cardboard can kind at my desk for work for all my salad 'dressing' needs. Its next to my jar of peanut butter in my drawer.
  • cnm81600
    cnm81600 Posts: 3 Member
    Full fat dressing is fine as long as you;re within your calorie limits...AND full fat will keep you full longer. Fat takes longer to digest. I would even suggest 2% yogurt and cottage cheese...and "sometimes" even full fat cheese. Just don't over do it. Everything in moderation. We actually do need fat in our diets.....

    Good luck
  • ericalyn73
    ericalyn73 Posts: 79
    I too am a full fat Ranch dressing lover. I usually cut 1 T w/ 1-2 T of red wine vinegar. You still get the flavor and texture you want and half the calories.
  • CarlieeBear
    CarlieeBear Posts: 325 Member
    Raspberry vinaigrette is my new fave...(used to be full fat Western, but I hate the lower fat varieties of the same). I get the one Kraft bottles in small bottles. I think it has poppy seeds.

    This sounds like a yummy salad...actually like the one I paid $5 for at Einstein's tonight!
    light or fat free raspberry vinaigrette :)

    Here is a recipe!

    3 cups of green leaf or romaine
    1 cup spinach
    1 1/2 cups of strawberries or about 5 strawberries
    1/3 cup blueberries
    1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)
    4 oz boiled chicken
    2 TBS of the dressing :)
  • corgicake
    corgicake Posts: 846 Member
    Vegetables with a bunch of fat-soluble vitamins, paired with a little bit of fat which is necessary to get said vitamins? I question whether this is a problem.
  • SusanUW83
    SusanUW83 Posts: 152 Member
    Blackberry balsamic vinegar without oil or with a few drops of lemon olive oil. You can make fruit balsamic vinegars by reducing fruit and medium grade balsamic vinegar together -- recipe on the internet.
  • AwesomeGuy37
    AwesomeGuy37 Posts: 436 Member
    Old post. I'll contribute anyway.

    Ranch dressing is basically sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic, onion powder, parsley and dill. Sometimes buttermilk is added.
    You can cut the calories down without sacrificing taste by replacing the sour cream with Greek yogurt. A low calorie mayo may affect taste, but experiment with alternatives and different amounts of each.
  • erikayblue
    erikayblue Posts: 10 Member
    My favorite thing to put on salad is a tomato sauce like marinara or pizza sauce. 1/4 cup of pizza sauce is usually only 35-40 calories. Personally, I like to drench my salad in dressing, which obviously is not good for a high cal. dressing if you are cutting calories. But with pizza sauce I can pour a half cup on a huge salad and only be at about 70 calories for a huge amount of dressing. And it is so, so satisfying too.
  • luadams2
    luadams2 Posts: 122
    If you like ranch dressing, maybe you can try making your own. You can find tons of recipes online. If I was making my own ranch dressing, I would substitute low fat mayo (I like the Best Foods olive oil based mayo), low fat buttermilk, and if sour cream were called for, I would use plain yogurt. Use fresh minced herbs if you have them. I grow them in a pot on my patio so I always have them. Fresh home made dressing is easy to make and I think it tastes a whole lot better than bottled.

    Personally, if you don't feel like making your own dressings,I don't think full fat regular dressing that you're using is going to kill your diet, so long as you don't use a lot of it. It's what you put in that salad that makes the difference, I think. Instead of croutons, I like to use oven baked crunchy spiced garbanzo beans (you can find recipe online - CHOW has a good one I use all the time).

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