salad dressing ideas

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blessed_mom
blessed_mom Posts: 21 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I find myself eating lots salads but I was shocked at the calories in ranch dressing and I'm not big fan of the lite ranch seems bitter to me...so I'm wondering if anyone can suggest a great tasting low calorie dressing that I can buy..or even make.. Thanks
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  • melsetsy
    melsetsy Posts: 48 Member
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    I use the juice of a fresh lemon (about 2 tbsp) and a tsp or two of the dry ranch mix!!
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Bolthouse Farms makes an excellent ranch dressing for <50 calories a serving. It should be in the produce section.
  • betuel75
    betuel75 Posts: 776 Member
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    I use Walden Farms. They have all flavors with zero calories. Some will say they are gross. I like them personally...
  • steuartcj
    steuartcj Posts: 132 Member
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    Balsamic vinegar, give it a try. It doesn't take alot.
  • 100df
    100df Posts: 668 Member
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    I read in another thread that someone leaves the lettuce a little damp and and then tosses in spices they like. The dampness helps the spices stick to the leaves. I am definitely going to try this. I haven't found a low calorie dressing that tastes good to me.
  • celinend
    celinend Posts: 30 Member
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    I usually buy Litehouse's red wine and olive oil dressing and Bolthouse Farms' yogurt-based dressings (I like the caramelized onion and salsa ranch but they also make plain ranch).
  • juliebowman4
    juliebowman4 Posts: 784 Member
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    betuel75 wrote: »
    I use Walden Farms. They have all flavors with zero calories. Some will say they are gross. I like them personally...
    I keep searching for this elusive Walden Farms stuff.....it's difficult to find here in Ontario.
  • melsetsy
    melsetsy Posts: 48 Member
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    juliebowman4 wrote: »
    betuel75 wrote: »
    I use Walden Farms. They have all flavors with zero calories. Some will say they are gross. I like them personally...
    I keep searching for this elusive Walden Farms stuff.....it's difficult to find here in Ontario.

    Vitacost.com has them.
  • melsetsy
    melsetsy Posts: 48 Member
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    malibu927 wrote: »
    Bolthouse Farms makes an excellent ranch dressing for <50 calories a serving. It should be in the produce section.

    I'm going to give these a try! They finally carry them at my local grocery store!!!! YAY!
  • Netterz0087
    Netterz0087 Posts: 91 Member
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    Not necessarily low calorie but healthy (from a Paleo website I use):

    ⅓ cup almond butter
    1 garlic clove, minced
    1/2 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
    1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
    2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
    Juice of one lime
    2 tbsp. coconut aminos
    1 tbsp. raw honey (optional)
    2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
    Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

    Put in a blender and then the salad! I had it today, I'm not sure what the calorie count would be but I split it up into 4 servings and with the veggie ingredients it came out to approximately 430 calories per serving, this is assuming a majority of the calories was from the dressing, which I think it is.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,851 Member
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    I don't have specific recipes, but always make my own (I get bored with a whooooole bottle of commercial dressing, and don't find most of them very tasty).

    If you like ranch, you might like plain yogurt (thinned with milk if necessary) or buttermilk with some herbs from your spice shelf (like basil, oregano, or rosemary - that sort of thing) plus minced garlic, salt & pepper. When using dried herbs, it's good to make it a little ahead so the herb flavors can emerge, or it helps to whirl it in the blender or food processor on a liquefy setting.

    Any vinaigrette can be good, and for me mustard vinaigrette is a basic: Olive oil (or other tasty oil), decent vinegar, and some prepared mustard (a brown mustard or some flavored mustards are particularly good), maybe a bit of salt depending on whether the mustard is salty. You can mix almost anything flavorful into the oil/vinegar mixture, but something with a powder texture helps emulsify it so the oil/vinegar don't separate. If you want to minimize oil, but find the higher vinegar percentage too vinegar-y, mix in some water or even a little wine or lemon juice if you like the flavor.

    I also like dressings based on tahini (sesame paste, which I have around for other uses) or pureed nuts or seeds (just whirl them in the food processor with vinaigrette-type ingredients or some plain yogurt). This is more caloric, but has some healthy fats & other good nutrients.
  • jenchamb1
    jenchamb1 Posts: 73 Member
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    I make my own ranch dressing from something I saw on Pinterest. Basically it's 1 3/4c rf buttermilk, 1/2c lite mayo, and a packet of hidden valley seasoning and dressing mix. Really good.

    I second the Bolthouse dressings, honey mustard is my favorite.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    Ranch is it for me. What I do it toss the lettuce in the ranch so there's a light coating on it. That way I can get a lot of ranch flavor without having big globs of it or using a large amount.
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
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    Mix Greek yogurt with a powdered ranch packet (thin with buttermilk or milk) or make your own ranch.
  • amgreenwell
    amgreenwell Posts: 1,268 Member
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    buying a great aged balsamic vinegar and mixing a bit of oil is perfect, or you can get flavored vinegars and oils at specialty shops. my husband and I love them but they go pretty quickly.
    for something homemade and quick try, lemon juice, salt, oil all mixed with a bit of mint...crush the mint and salt with a mortar/pestal thing before mixing the other in. you don't need much and you can keep it for several days in the fridge.
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,578 Member
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    I like fat free raspberry or the cranberry vinaigrette from Maple Grove Farms of Vermont. I personally don't mind fat free light ranch dressing - can't taste a difference it's just not as thick - maybe it's a brand thing?
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
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    My favorite store bought is TJ light champagne vinaigrette (or the Girards light champagne vin). Second favorite is the wishbone balsamic vinaigrette made with olive oil.

    While everyone is commenting, is there a favorite bottled light Caesar dressing?
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    I think attention to application can open you up to all the delicious possibilities of full-fat salad dressings. One tip from my Weight Watchers days is to put the dressing on the side and dip your fork tongs in to the dressing. You get the taste with a minimum of volume.

    Another possibility is to mist an oil and vinegar on your salad.

    Increase the vinegar or lemon juice and reduce the oil.

    Use two teaspoons of your dressing and coat the sides of your salad bowl. Then toss the salad well.

    Once you figure out the mechanics of dressings (oil to vinegar ratio) the world is your oyster. Experiment.

    https://www.pinterest.com/janetkarasz/dressings/
  • brainburn71
    brainburn71 Posts: 3 Member
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    I take a completely different approach and use salsa. Adds a zip and much lower calories than dressing choices.
  • rhtexasgal
    rhtexasgal Posts: 572 Member
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    I spritz some olive oil on my salad, add a splash or two of vinegar and then sprinkle my preferred seasoning on it and drizzle a little organically harvested honey to cut down the acidity of the vinegar. Toss to coat well ...

    This method of salad is great because you can achieve great variety by using flavored olive oils and flavored vinegars and of course, different herbs and spices. My favorite is using a garlic infused olive oil with a splash of blueberry balsalmic vinegar and a few shakes of McCormick's Bacon and Chive seasoning along with the honey - outstanding!

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