Salad Dressing Recipes

tammyj83
tammyj83 Posts: 159 Member
edited December 26 in Recipes
Please share your favorite salad dressing recipes. I'm frustrated by the fact that so many of the store bought dressings contain a lot of sugar. I've never made my own dressing, but I'm guessing it's the kind of thing that would keep for a while in the frig, so it may well be worth the effort.

Replies

  • coliema
    coliema Posts: 7,646 Member
    Here is one for Italian Dressing, it makes 16 servings!

    Ingredients-
    1 tablespoon garlic salt
    1 tablespoon onion powder
    1 tablespoon white sugar (OPTIONAL)
    2 tablespoons dried oregano
    1 teaspoon ground black pepper
    1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
    1 teaspoon dried basil
    1 tablespoon dried parsley
    1/4 teaspoon celery salt
    2 tablespoons salt

    Liquid Part of Recipe-
    1/4 cup white vinegar
    2/3 cup canola oil
    2 tablespoons water

    Directions-
    In a small bowl, mix together the garlic salt, onion powder, sugar, oregano, pepper, thyme, basil, parsley, celery salt and regular salt. Store in a tightly sealed container. You will keep this in a ziploc bag or tupperware, and use it 2 tablespoons at a time.

    To prepare dressing, whisk together 1/4 cup white vinegar, 2/3 cup canola oil, 2 tablespoons water and 2 tablespoons of the dry mix.

    Nutritional Information
    Amount Per Serving Calories: 8 | Total Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 0mg
  • twaltemade
    twaltemade Posts: 68 Member
    This one is more Primal than low calorie, bit I really like it. I used Grape Seed oil and Flax Seed oil as my oils.

    Source. http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/russian_dressing.html


    RUSSIAN DRESSING
    6 tablespoons granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda
    1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons white vinegar
    1/2 cup oil
    1/2 cup low carb ketchup
    1 1/2 teaspoons celery salt
    1/2 teaspoon paprika
    Pinch celery seed

    Put all of the ingredients in a jar or bowl and blend well with a stick blender. Keep refrigerated. You will need to stir it well before using.

    Makes about 20 tablespoons
    Do not freeze

    Per 2 Tablespoons: 104 Calories; 11g Fat; trace Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 2g Net Carbs
    Per 1/4 Cup: 208 Calories; 22g Fat; 1g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs
    Per Batch: 1042 Calories; 110g Fat; 3g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 16g Net Carbs
  • bizorra
    bizorra Posts: 151 Member
    I make my own balsamic all the time. The oil:vinegar ratio can be adjusted.. more vinegar = stronger flavour and less fat.

    Generally I put:
    - 2 parts balsamic
    - 1 part oil (I use olive/sunflower blend)
    - a healthy squirt of grainy mustard (it's tasty AND an emulsifier, to keep the oil and vinegar together)
    - 1/3 part sweetener (using agave right now, and it's optional. It just takes some of the bite out of the vinegar)
    - whatever herbs I feel like adding, tho lately I haven't been putting any.
    Shake it all up vigorously!

    I make tiny batches (1 part = 1 tbsp) and it's enough dressing for ~ 3-4 lunches. The flavour is strong!

    You can make a range of dressings by following this general recipe and subbing in different oils and vinegars and matching up the seasoning. The most adventurous I've gotten is using champagne vinegar and chives. I want to try an asian inspired one with rice vinegar and sesame oil!
  • tajour
    tajour Posts: 134 Member
    Here is one for Italian Dressing, it makes 16 servings!

    Liquid Part of Recipe-
    1/4 cup white vinegar
    2/3 cup canola oil
    2 tablespoons water

    use it 2 tablespoons at a time.

    Nutritional Information
    Amount Per Serving Calories: 8 | Total Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 0mg

    Hmmm... I don't think your nutritional info is calculated right. If you are using it 2 tablespoons at a time with the amount of oil you list, it should be more like the following:

    Amount Per Serving Calories: 168 | Total Fat: 19g
  • coliema
    coliema Posts: 7,646 Member
    That nutritional information is just for the dry mix, the liquid mix is going to be different depending on the kind of vinegar and oil you are using. I meant to add that in the first time I edited my recipe! Sorry.
  • joyfulteach
    joyfulteach Posts: 419 Member
    I make my own balsamic all the time. The oil:vinegar ratio can be adjusted.. more vinegar = stronger flavour and less fat.

    Generally I put:
    - 2 parts balsamic
    - 1 part oil (I use olive/sunflower blend)
    - a healthy squirt of grainy mustard (it's tasty AND an emulsifier, to keep the oil and vinegar together)
    - 1/3 part sweetener (using agave right now, and it's optional. It just takes some of the bite out of the vinegar)
    - whatever herbs I feel like adding, tho lately I haven't been putting any.
    Shake it all up vigorously!

    I make tiny batches (1 part = 1 tbsp) and it's enough dressing for ~ 3-4 lunches. The flavour is strong!

    You can make a range of dressings by following this general recipe and subbing in different oils and vinegars and matching up the seasoning. The most adventurous I've gotten is using champagne vinegar and chives. I want to try an asian inspired one with rice vinegar and sesame oil!

    THANKS! I think I'll try it with honey as the sweetener...
  • JESSJESJ
    JESSJESJ Posts: 121 Member
    For an asian inspired salad -

    2 teaspoons soy sauce (I use low salt)
    2 tablespoons rice vinegar
    2 tablespoons asian sesame oil
    1-4 cup veggie oil (I use canola b/c thats what we have)
    1/2 teaspoon sugar (I use honey - keeps everything together better and tasty!)

    And depending on what I have on hand, I will add red pepper flakes, garlic and pieces of ginger.



    I used to also make a dressing wtih walnut oil, olive oil, and orange juice and curry powder.

    1/4 c walnut oil
    1/4 c olive oil
    1/2 c good orange juice.
    curry powder to taste. could add honey too. which helps bind all the ingredients and is a bit of athickener.
    You want the oil / juice ratios 1:1.
  • tajour
    tajour Posts: 134 Member
    That nutritional information is just for the dry mix, the liquid mix is going to be different depending on the kind of vinegar and oil you are using. I meant to add that in the first time I edited my recipe! Sorry.

    LOL, no worries! I was just briefly excited beyond belief because I'm always looking for lower calorie vinaigrettes! :happy:

    The other night I had a burst of inspiration and added a big old tablespoon of greek yogurt in with the mustard. It made a lovely creamy vinaigrette.
  • coliema
    coliema Posts: 7,646 Member
    That nutritional information is just for the dry mix, the liquid mix is going to be different depending on the kind of vinegar and oil you are using. I meant to add that in the first time I edited my recipe! Sorry.

    LOL, no worries! I was just briefly excited beyond belief because I'm always looking for lower calorie vinaigrettes! :happy:

    The other night I had a burst of inspiration and added a big old tablespoon of greek yogurt in with the mustard. It made a lovely creamy vinaigrette.

    Ooo that sounds yummy! Now if I could get myself to like Greek Yogurt! Maybe if I mixed it into something like this I'd like it more. Thanks for the idea :smile:
  • sweetjen8302
    sweetjen8302 Posts: 25 Member
    I've been using low fat sour cream mixed with a ranch packet (the powder stuff). I only make 1 or 2 servings at a time, so Im sorry I dont have measurements, but just add a little at a time until it tastes right. You can dress it up too, I love adding in a little adobo for a kick!

    Good luck
  • dawnblu
    dawnblu Posts: 95 Member
    I use dijon mustard, dill weed, sea salt and wisk in EVOO until it looks right. No vinegar but the salt and mustard still give it a salty tang. Not sure of measurements but I just make what I need for one salad at a time.
  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,024 Member
    I do a tbl of olive oil, a tbl of a type of vinegar (rice, balsamic, red wine) and a tbl of grated romano cheese. Delicious.
  • katkins3
    katkins3 Posts: 1,359 Member
    My brother is a diabetic and he just squirts some lemon juice on his salad and sometimes adds some sliced almonds.
    I use 3 tablespoons of crumbled blue cheese as a dressing and sprinkle with pepper.
  • cafqueen
    cafqueen Posts: 14 Member
    if you are looking for a creamy base to make dressings, try to purree low fat cottage cheese with an immersion blender. gives you a creamy base that you can season as you like. I make ceasar dressing by adding lemon juice, lots of garlic, worcestershire, mustard powder, salt, and pepper. greek yogurt works great too but can be quite tangy
  • stephfranke
    stephfranke Posts: 84 Member
    I don't have the measurements, etc but I have been using a fair bit of Epicure products for seasonings. They have awesome dressings, add your ingredients (oil, vinegar, mayo) etc. It's a home based party but with spices and seasonings. Reps are always happy to see direct. Haven't used yet now that I am tracking on here.
  • alsmomma
    alsmomma Posts: 34 Member
    I made Ranch dressing using the seasoning packet you can buy in the store, 1 cup of 2% milk (but you could use 1%) and 1 cup of Hellman's Olive Oil Mayo (that stuff is amazing!). It makes 2 cups of dressing, a serving is 2 Tbsps. and it came out to be 43 caloreies per serving versus 140 from the store-bought bottle version. I'm very picky about my mayonnaise...I only buy Duke's...and I was skeptical of the olive oil mayo but it's really good and so many less calories than regular mayo. It's especially good to use in recipes.
  • jenniferlthomas0305
    jenniferlthomas0305 Posts: 76 Member
    Since I've started clean eating, my salad dressing has been as follows:

    pepper
    granulated garlic
    granulated onion
    ground dried italian herbs
    1tsp EVOO
    1Tbsp either Red Wine vinegar or Balsamic vinegar

    Tastes great and you can tweak it by adding more or less spices and/or vinegar. Very simple too! I mix it as I need it!
  • tammyj83
    tammyj83 Posts: 159 Member
    Can't wait to try these! Thanks!
  • PHLLLY
    PHLLLY Posts: 160 Member
    Asian Vinaigrette (Benihana)
    1/4 cup chopped onion
    1/4 cup peanut oil
    2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
    2 tablespoons water
    1 tablespoon chopped fresh gingerroot
    1 tablespoon chopped celery
    1 tablespoon soy sauce
    1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste
    1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
    1 teaspoon lemon juice
    Dash each salt and pepper

    Combine all ingredients in blender container or wok bowl of food processor fitted with steel knife; process until almost smooth. Makes six servings. May be kept refrigerated up to one week.
  • tubaska
    tubaska Posts: 4
    where does the 20 gms of protein come from?
  • heddy90
    heddy90 Posts: 144 Member
    I love using cottage cheese as a replacement for normal dressing. I just add whatever spices and herbs I have, and voila. Low on calories, and very healthy. Usually I chop red onion and chives in tiny pieces, mix them in, and add a bit of salt and lots of pepper. Yummy!
  • Nyranee
    Nyranee Posts: 57
    2 tsp Balsamic Dressing
    0.5 tsp olive oil
    salt, pepper, fresh herbs

    or

    2 tbls lemon juice
    0.5 tsp olive oil
    salt, pepper, fresh herbs

    or

    2 tbls orange juice (fesh pressed)
    1 tbsp cream
    a bit mustard
    0.5 tsp olive oil
    salt, pepper, fresh herbs

    or

    2 tsp Balsamic vinegar
    0.5 tsp olive oil
    2 tsp water
    0.33 pack of salad dressing powder
    salt, pepper, fresh herbs

    the maintaste for me comes from fresh herbs and I love balsamic vinegar so it's simple dressings.
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