Healthy Alternatives to Salad Dressing

JollyHodgers87
JollyHodgers87 Posts: 165 Member
in Recipes
I'm thinking of trying apple cider vinegar and maybe lemon/ lime juices and mixing in herbs with that instead of adding bottled salad dressing this week... Any other ideas for alternatives?!

:p:):o;):DB):*:#
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Replies

  • willammoney
    willammoney Posts: 137 Member
    Honey mustard
  • matuskap
    matuskap Posts: 131 Member
    Also you can make your own, just dont use mayo. Use sour cream a little salt some herbs and stuff. Its usualy very decent in the end. I eat a lot of cucumbers with some salad leafs, tomato and sour scream dressing. Averages to very low calories per gram of food.
  • puffbrat
    puffbrat Posts: 2,806 Member
    For the last couple months I have been using frozen-thawed mango on my salads. I quickly realized that the mango was so sweet and wet/juicy from being frozen-thawed that I didn't need dressing.
  • toscarthearmada
    toscarthearmada Posts: 382 Member
    I use any sort of salsa or guacamole!
  • melisweet
    melisweet Posts: 1 Member
    balsamic vinegar - a ton of flavor (you can get flavored ones too!) and very few calories!
  • eddiesmith1
    eddiesmith1 Posts: 1,550 Member
    I make a dressing using Dijon, White Wine Vinegar and Greek Yogurt (and shallots and herbs) works out very well and is signifigantly lower than anything that uses oils but still has a nice mouth feel thanks to the thick yogurt
  • DaisyHamilton
    DaisyHamilton Posts: 575 Member
    I just use lemon juice or have chunks of avocado in the salad
  • ardnassac
    ardnassac Posts: 18 Member
    I use Braggs amino acid for asian style salads. OR make a creamy one with avocado mashed up and plain greek yogurt (add some garlic, and onion powder)
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
    dalila747 wrote: »
    You should always include some sort of fat like olive oil in your salad dressing (unless you're already including some other fat source in the salad) because fat really helps your body to absorb all the nutrients in the salad and veggies.
    I like to drizzle mix 1 teaspoon of olive oil with balsamic vinegar, mustard, and some herbs.

    This. Also add a dab on honey.
    Or Mix salsa and Greek yogurt.
    Or Avocado and vinegar or lime juice.
    Or just add a bit of water or vinegar to your regular salad dressing.
    For lower cal bottled options, try the Bolthouse Farms or Litehouse dressings made with yogurt. They are in the refrigerated section, usually with the produce, and taste pretty good. 45-60 calories/ 2Tbsp.

  • pinggolfer96
    pinggolfer96 Posts: 2,248 Member
    -apple cider vinegar
    -lemon
    -Greek yogurt
    -mustard(try diff flavors, I like the Chardonnay or spicy)
    -balsamic vinegar
    -SF maple syrup (good when making a sweet maple vinaigrette w/ mustard. A little goes a long way though)
    -salsas
    -pico de gallo
    -hot sauce
    -liquid aminos

    Play around with those ingredients and see what you like. If using the Greek yogurt to make either an ACV dressing or garlic/lemon/dill dressing, I'd suggest mixing it in the morning, covering, and let chill/ marinate in the fridge til you eat your salad(:
  • nm212
    nm212 Posts: 570 Member
    Apple cider vinegar sounds bitter tasting to me...but maybe I'm wrong
  • jen_bush
    jen_bush Posts: 679 Member
    I love wholegrain mustard, a little extra virgin olive oil with some herbs mixed in... and my guilty pleasure is balsamic vinegar - amazing taste
  • callmecarina
    callmecarina Posts: 145 Member
    I love lemon juice with salt and hot sauce. I also add lemon juice and hot sauce to virtually ALL my soups. Oh man, I can have soup every single day (and do for most lunches) so long as I have lemon & hot sauce.

    My preferred preferrably is Tapatio, Cholula, and Sriracha. So much flavors in those three sauces.
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    Simple, evoo & your choice of vinegar and herbs.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    just keep in mind that some fat in your dressing isn't a bad thing...it will help you absorb all of the nutrients in the salad.

    I just use lower fat/lite salad dressings...usually a lite Italian or lite balsamic or I make my own...I never go fat free, I don't see the point...dietary fat is essential and healthy.
  • JollyHodgers87
    JollyHodgers87 Posts: 165 Member
    penelopeshortcake wrote: »
    I know some may think this is gross. ..vut I really love pickle juice on salad!

    Actually I would totally try that! I love pickle juice. I even use dill pollen sometimes in my cooking.
  • JollyHodgers87
    JollyHodgers87 Posts: 165 Member
    edited May 2016
    Oh my goodness these all sound so delicious! I'm glad I started this post because I literally want to try most all of these. Kudos on the mustard/ honey mustard and the pickle juice suggestions. Two things I never thought of doing. And I have hummus to use up be fore it goes bad. Will try that one as well. Shoot. I eat so many salads on the norm anymore, I'll probably eventually get to trying all of these. You all have made me hungry!
  • BarbieAS
    BarbieAS Posts: 1,414 Member
    I almost never buy bottled salad dressing. I usually do one of the following:

    Really good aged balsamic vinegar (some of the flavored ones are awesome! white balsamic is good, too), a bit of good olive oil (about 2:1 vinegar to oil), and salt and pepper

    Red wine vinegar, olive oil (again about 2:1), and salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano

    Equal parts dijon or whole grain mustard (or a mix of the two), apple cider vinegar, and olive oil, then a squeeze of honey, a squeeze of lemon, and salt and pepper.

    Semi-homemade ranch (the Hidden Valley packet) except I mix it with ~5oz fat free greek yogurt, 8oz light sour cream, and ~3oz lowfat buttermilk. This is also really good mixed with salsa. I also sometimes add a little more of the yogurt or whatever and then throw in some fresh garlic, parsley, and/or chives, just to freshen it up a little. (For some reason I just love the packet, though!)

    I also really like this recipe, except I reduce the mayo down to 1/2C (and use light mayo) and bump up the vinegar to 1/2C because I like it a lot thinner and a lot tangy-er than written, and I switch between red wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar - you can play with it. I sometimes use fresh garlic or change up the seasonings, also.
  • nixxthirteen
    nixxthirteen Posts: 280 Member
    I don't buy dressings anymore, except maybe ranch for dipping.

    Low fat caesar: 2 tbsp light mayo, 2 tbsp water, 2tbsp lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, sriracha, a bit of grated Parmesan and a tsp minced garlic. I chop up a whole romaine heart, add 100g of shredded chicken or cooked shrimp, and drizzle 2 tbsp of the dressing overtop. And more Parmesan.

    Balsamic vinaigrette: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, a bit of honey, and salt. This is my absolute favourite :)
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
    I had a salad for lunch today that had a bunch of goat cheese....made me not need the dressing. I also love to squeeze a lime or lemon on my salad. For dressing I usually just make my own, but have been known to use bottled dressings too.

    I read some where that fat can help in the digestion and absorption of nutrients in the veggies. I don't remember where and god knows if it is true, but a little fat in the salad keeps me full longer.
  • cross2bear
    cross2bear Posts: 1,106 Member
    sour cream and salsa together on a taco salad - amazing!
  • NaturalNancy
    NaturalNancy Posts: 1,093 Member
    - Apple cider vinegar
    - Oregano
    - Salt
    - Pepper
    - Onion powder
    - Garlic powder

    So good!
  • jessiferrrb
    jessiferrrb Posts: 1,758 Member
    https://lisaslentils.com/2011/10/17/appetite-for-reductions-green-goddess-garlic-dressing-submitted-by-guest-blogger-nancy-vanacore/

    this dressing from appetite for reduction is amazing, actually, every dressing in that cook book is fantastic.
  • liftingladybug
    liftingladybug Posts: 1 Member
    BarbieAS wrote: »
    I almost never buy bottled salad dressing. I usually do one of the following:

    Really good aged balsamic vinegar (some of the flavored ones are awesome! white balsamic is good, too), a bit of good olive oil (about 2:1 vinegar to oil), and salt and pepper

    Red wine vinegar, olive oil (again about 2:1), and salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano

    Equal parts dijon or whole grain mustard (or a mix of the two), apple cider vinegar, and olive oil, then a squeeze of honey, a squeeze of lemon, and salt and pepper.

    Semi-homemade ranch (the Hidden Valley packet) except I mix it with ~5oz fat free greek yogurt, 8oz light sour cream, and ~3oz lowfat buttermilk. This is also really good mixed with salsa. I also sometimes add a little more of the yogurt or whatever and then throw in some fresh garlic, parsley, and/or chives, just to freshen it up a little. (For some reason I just love the packet, though!)

    I also really like this recipe, except I reduce the mayo down to 1/2C (and use light mayo) and bump up the vinegar to 1/2C because I like it a lot thinner and a lot tangy-er than written, and I switch between red wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar - you can play with it. I sometimes use fresh garlic or change up the seasonings, also.

    Thanks for the ideas!
  • sarababy5
    sarababy5 Posts: 3 Member
    DaisyHamilton wrote: »
    I just use lemon juice or have chunks of avocado in the salad
    This is exactly what I do!

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