salad dressing substitues/salad ideas?

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  • JessHealthKick
    JessHealthKick Posts: 800 Member
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    This is by far the best salad dressing i have ever made:

    1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    1 tablespoon basalmic vineager ( apple or any vineager really is yummy)
    juice from one lemon or lime

    Just dump on a salad and mix

    Take 3 seconds to do is way cheaper than premade and dont get me started on how much lower cals and sodium it is

    Love this idea! I'm adding this to my stash of awesome substitution recipes! Thanks for the share :D

    yes my uncle does this, with ground fresh garlic as well :) boyfriend calls me garlic breath now, but he can shove it - garlic is so tasty!
  • LMHinson15
    LMHinson15 Posts: 201 Member
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    iceberge lettuce is devoid of nutrition. Any other lettuce would be better for you.

    This is just simply not true. I would say mix it up, for varieties sake. But iceberg is not "devoid" of nutrtion.
    1 cup serving has:
    1 g of protein
    1 g of fiber
    7% of recommended vitamin A
    3% of vitamin C
    2% of Iron

    Romaine is higher in the vitamins and minerals, but exactly the same in protein and fiber. Depends what you're looking for. But either way, by definition not "devoid" of value :-)
  • stadter
    stadter Posts: 13 Member
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    I usually poach / boil a bunch of boneless chicken in broth or seasoned water, so it's handy for salads for a few days (lunches and dinners). Makes it easier to add some protein and hardiness without reaching for cheese.

    For dressing alternatives, in some cases I actually put water in regular dressing, since it's not always the actual amount that makes me want more but the fact that I want it on the whole salad. The 'spritzer bottle' dressings work well for this too. I also stretch it by putting plain red wine vinegar on the salad first (so all of it has some flavor) and then just a little bit of dressing. Obviously this doesn't work with all dressing flavors. Other things I use:
    - Salsa (mix with a little low fat sour cream if you want)
    - Rice wine vinegar (has a sweeter taste, so not as much need / craving for oil)
    - Unsweetened coconut milk, vinegar, spicy mustard and stevia... shaken up. Sounds funky but I like it :-)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    I pretty much just do olive oil and balsamic vinegar...1 part vinegar to 3 parts olive oil. Delicious and nutritious.
  • bgelliott
    bgelliott Posts: 610 Member
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    Always go for the dark leafy greens or baby spinach and if you want healthier options for dressing, try mixing vinegar and dijan mustard (basically free calories here) or vinegar and olive oil (has more calories but it's healthy without all the added crap from the store bought stuff! .
  • HotSouthernMess
    HotSouthernMess Posts: 474 Member
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    i use cottage cheese or salsa...sometimes avacado. gets your protein in and you don't need dressing.
  • misseseaj2010
    misseseaj2010 Posts: 47
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    I'm working on finding a dressing i love as well but as far as stuff to put in your salad, i use spinach instead of lettuce and i love boiled egg whites, turkey bacon (cooked in the oven so it's crispy) and avocados in my salads!

    Awesome Idea using turkey bacon!
  • caseythirteen
    caseythirteen Posts: 956 Member
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    One of my favorite salads is spinach, chicken, mango, almonds, chia seeds and sunflower seeds with lite walnut raspberry dressing. So delicious! As for dressings themselves, I either use that one or a reduced fat cilantro dressing from Trader Joe's. I've occasionally just made my own using olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette too.
  • Hi_Im_Jess
    Hi_Im_Jess Posts: 347 Member
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    look up: Walden farms salad dressing.. I dont know how they make calorie free stuff but its amazing
  • mnishi
    mnishi Posts: 422 Member
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    iceberge lettuce is devoid of nutrition. Any other lettuce would be better for you.

    as far as dressing i wouldnt mess with any fat free chemical sh*tstorms. I eat regular dressing, just put it on lightly. If you arent comfortable with that you can do vinegar and oil.


    I pretty much agree with all of this. I usually use regular dressing and dip the fork, I use about half a normal serving (1 tbsp.) If the salad itself is pretty exciting (with meat, cheese, olives, something with a lot of flavor) I can get away with only using lemon juice, but it has to be fresh lemon juice from a lemon, not that bottled crap.
  • donna_glasgow
    donna_glasgow Posts: 869 Member
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    we sometimes add pickled beetroot to a salad, a tiny amount adds lots of taste :)
  • CherylAnne1988
    CherylAnne1988 Posts: 161
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    I recently bought a yogurt dressing, ranch. It has 45 cals per 2 TBSP. It tastes pretty good to me.

    I also use lemon juice/lime juice.

    I like grilled chicken, cucumbers, peppers, onions, banana peppers, tomatos, turkey, grilled steak, apples/walnuts/cranberries/almonds/pecans/etc in my salads too.
  • Rotten_Apple
    Rotten_Apple Posts: 58 Member
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    I concur with some of the other posters about Bolthouse. I used to use a fat free Italian but then I started reading that fat free dressings are not really good for you (they have to replace the fat with something else, right?) I am currently using Bolthouse's ginger dressing. It reminds me of Mikimo (which I could drink straight out the bottle, lol!) but has less fat & calories.
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
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    look up: Walden farms salad dressing.. I dont know how they make calorie free stuff but its amazing

    Water, Vinegar, Spices, Splenda.
  • LoosingMyLast15
    LoosingMyLast15 Posts: 1,457 Member
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    I have been having salads for dinner every night with everything added they end up being between 300-500 cal. depending on how many calories I need.

    Right now I have fat free ranch, but after it's gone I'm not gonna buy that anymore, I know there are healthier options. In the past I used fresh salsa. I was thinking maybe reduced fat sour cream? or mixing a partial pack of ranch seasoning with the sour cream? What dressing substitutes do you put on your salad?

    I have been putting ham (but it has too much sodium), cilantro, tomato, iceburg mix with carrots and cabbage, (I know that's not the most nutritious, which is?), and sometimes I put 1 serving of sprinkle cheese, 1-2 servings of bacon bits, chopped mushroom and green onions, 1/2 a serving of popcorn shrimp. What else would be good in a salad?

    Any suggestions for seasonings/spices to put on my salad?

    i would replace the iceburg with spinach. try chicken/turkey/tuna/salmon/crab instead of ham. i'm not a fan of bacon bits - they taste artificial to me. IF i was going to put bacon on my salad it would be the real thing - if you're going to have it might as well be the real thing. sometimes i add slivered almonds to my salads and feta cheese. i also add chick peas to my salad and personally i never buy "salad dressing" i just use extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper for my dressing.
  • vytamindi
    vytamindi Posts: 845 Member
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    Hot sauce all the way! The hotter the better! I sometimes use a balsamic vinaigrette too, but only when there is not any good hot sauce around :wink:

    I have NEVER thought of doing that! You may have opened up a new range of possibilities for when I don't feel up to a "heavy" dressing!

    I'll echo what others have said: don't get reduced fat dressing. One way to stretch your dressing is to measure out a serving and dip your fork into it before you stab your greens. Makes it last longer and the dressing is the first thing to hit your taste buds, making it seem like your greens are drenched.
  • tobejune
    tobejune Posts: 177
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    -lemon juice with garlic, salt, cilantro, and pepper

    -spritz of Braggs Amino Acids (like soy sauce) with pepper

    -avocado, mashed, with garlic, salt and pepper

    -olive oil with salt and pepper

    I like salt and pepper, what can I say? In a pinch I've been known to sprinkle water on my salad and top with... you guessed it... salt and pepper
  • KimberlyDCZ
    KimberlyDCZ Posts: 525 Member
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    Earlier this week, I topped my salad with a cup of the turkey chili I had made the night before. Then garnished with some sour cream and salsa. I have a hard time choosing a healthy dressing also...
  • eep223
    eep223 Posts: 624 Member
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    I like ground pepper and just some vinegar. Sometimes oil and vinegar. Or I'll make a vinagrette with mustard too.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Iceberg is meh. Buy green or red leaves. Heck if you can't find those, buy the spring mix or spinach or something.

    I pretty much never use regular dressing (although the yogurt ones are ok I guess). I just make mine with olive oil, red wine vinegar (or balsamic if you prefer) and dijon mustard. Good for you, delicious, and you only need a little bit (I just put a little bit of oil).

    My favorite salads are steak, gorgonzola, tomatoes and greens ; taco salad (salsa is the dressing) ; smoked salmon, beets and goat cheese. Also mozarella, tomato and prosciutto. Or I just make some tuna, chicken or egg salad mixed with greek yogurt and mustard.

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