Salad Dressing Suggestions?

toherlimit
toherlimit Posts: 41 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm looking to increase my veggie intake, as that's one area I need to seriously improve. I've decided to incorporate more salads into my life. When I eat salads, I usually go for ranch or 1000 Island - basically the worst ones. What kind of salad dressing would you recommend that may be similar, but healthier? Is that even possible? I'm somewhat new to the world of salads.
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Replies

  • rodeothedog
    rodeothedog Posts: 45 Member
    If you have a Aldi three cheese vingerette. Yummy. Rasberry vinagerette
  • lwhite0503
    lwhite0503 Posts: 33 Member
    I love the Bolthouse Farms yogurt dressings!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Look up recipes for homemade yogurt-based dressings and start experimenting.

    (I'm a vinaigrette person, so can't help with that.)
  • juliegilburd
    juliegilburd Posts: 145 Member
    You can also make your own ranch by combining 1 c. greek yogurt, ranch dressing mix & enough skim milk to get to your preferred thickness for the dressing.
  • 2011rocket3touring
    2011rocket3touring Posts: 1,346 Member
    I've had a idea I've not tried yet (abandoned the salad thing).
    Buy one of those dressing mixes but instead of the more fattening creams to give it the texture, use greek yogurt.
  • toherlimit
    toherlimit Posts: 41 Member
    Thanks, guys! All great suggestions.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    CorneliusPhoton wrote: »
    Bolthouse brand yogurt-based dressings are great.

    ^ This. They're actually much tastier than any of the "diet" salad dressings I've tried.
  • markrgeary1
    markrgeary1 Posts: 853 Member
    I switched to nothing. Salads taste great now!
  • EHollander89
    EHollander89 Posts: 169 Member
    Hidden Valley makes ranch and cucumber dill dressings (any maybe others I have not tried) with greek yogurt. Both have around 60 calories for 2 tablespoons. I think they taste pretty good. I also agree that making your own ranch dressing with the seasoning packets is another good option.
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
    Green Goddess is a favorite of mine; you seldom see it anywhere, and when you do it typically doesn't have the anchovies in it. You could make it with low-fat yogurt, or a mix of yogurt and low-fat mayonnaise to bring down the calorie count.

    http://allrecipes.com/recipe/16370/green-goddess-salad-dressing/
  • MLouis1
    MLouis1 Posts: 108 Member
    I like the light or fat-free French or Catalina dressing. And I thin it with a tiny bit of water.
  • successgal1
    successgal1 Posts: 996 Member
    edited December 2016
    Ken's - Lite Northern Italian with Basil & Romano Dressing, 2 tablespoons = 45 calories.

    And I buy sliced green salad olives 2 tablespoons is 25 calories, packed in water I toss on a few spoonfulls of that too.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,147 Member
    Nonna Pia's balsamic reductions. I've only tried the lime chili and strawberry fig ones.
    http://nonnapias.com/products/

    For taco salads, I use sriracha sauce.
  • TommyW45
    TommyW45 Posts: 112 Member
    I eat a dressing from walden farms with zero calories . They have plenty of choices to choose from .
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    TommyW45 wrote: »
    I eat a dressing from walden farms with zero calories . They have plenty of choices to choose from .

    I like their Thousand Island. Maybe not as much as I like the full-fat/Calorie versions, but it's still pretty good.
  • TommyW45
    TommyW45 Posts: 112 Member
    TR0berts wrote: »
    TommyW45 wrote: »
    I eat a dressing from walden farms with zero calories . They have plenty of choices to choose from .

    I like their Thousand Island. Maybe not as much as I like the full-fat/Calorie versions, but it's still pretty good.

    Yes the regulars are better but if you are watching calories I guess it will do . Lol
  • monicaamy902
    monicaamy902 Posts: 55 Member
    I LOVE ranch, its my favorite "non diet" dressing. But when I am being "good", I make my own. If you have a really good balsamic vinegar, you can make delicious dressings. This is what I do:

    1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (flavored ones are fun to use too)
    1-2 tbsp oil (I love walnut oil on salads and avocado works good too. Olive oil has a funny taste to me)
    1/4 tsp ground mustard seed
    pinch of salt and pepper
    pinch of dill (optional) or any other seasonings like basil, rosemary, etc.

    If you are eating "clean" you can make your own ranch! I make the Whole 30 ranch and its yummy. You can use Greek Yogurt and spices, but I don't think it's very exciting.
  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
    Make your own. Pick an acid (vinegar or lemon juice), oil (I usually do canola or olive, but if you're doing an asian style salad you could even use sesame). Add some salt and pepper (I sometimes use seasoned salt) and some dried herbs. You can continue to play too- I'll add dijon mustard, garlic powder, etc.
  • flagrantavidity
    flagrantavidity Posts: 218 Member
    Salad dressing is a hard one because nothing, yes nothing is as jam packed full of flavor as a buttermilk ranch or 1000 island/russian dressing. However, there are some low calorie options that some people have already mentioned above.

    I do use a pre-made Kraft Lite dressing, usually balsamic lite (25 cal) or raspberry vinaigrette lite (30 cal). I use one serving which is 2 tablespoons, I then add a tablespoon of Pompeian balsamic vinegar well (5 Cal). A dash of pepper and jalapenos and you have yourself a tasty salad!

    I eat a salad every day that consists of: Spinach, Onion, Cucumber, Bell Pepper, Olives, Tomato, Mushrooms, and Jalapenos. It usually weighs about 400-500 grams and is a total of 200-300 calories.
  • ModernRock
    ModernRock Posts: 372 Member
    Really, I think you find a dressing you like and then find out the minimum you can put on and still enjoy it. It really doesn't take much if you toss the salad with the dressing. On the other hand, I have no issue eating salads without dressing, so that's easy for me to say.
  • crazykatlady820
    crazykatlady820 Posts: 301 Member
    I realize this might sound weird or even gross. I love salad, but have just never been a big salad dressing fan. I actually put bbq sauce on a lot of my salads. I love it!
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
    I really used to like the Wish-Bone Salad Spritzers; unfortunately they discontinued them... The Bolthouse ones are a good replacement for creamy-type dressings. For vinaigrette I just buy high-quality balsamic vinegar and skip the oil.
  • CafeRacer808
    CafeRacer808 Posts: 2,396 Member
    edited December 2016
    I'm all about vinaigrettes and usually just make my own (cheaper and better ingredients than store bought). I generally stick to a 2:1 ratio of fat:acid and season w/ salt and pepper to taste. I usually use EVOO as a fat, but I like to mix it up and use avocado or grapeseed oil. For acids, different vinegars impart a different flavor. Ditto various citrus fruit juices. Sometimes I'll add an emulsifier like dijon mustard, sometimes garlic paste, and other times I keep it really simple. I tend to make them in really small batches so that I can eat a variety of different dressings during the week, which keeps my salads interesting.

    ETA: If you get bored with salads, another great way to add veg to your diet is by making green smoothies. Just be careful about how much fruit you add.
  • jjtweb
    jjtweb Posts: 37 Member
    I use nonfat plain greek yogurt and dressing packets or mix my own. Personally I like Ken's low calorie dressings they are fantastic. But if you want to go for the creamier versions you can always mix it up with yogurt.
  • JennieMaeK
    JennieMaeK Posts: 474 Member
    I like making my own. One of my favourites is an Asian inspired dressing. Super easy to make. 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp soy sauce and then a little bit of flavoring, like powdered ginger. I use a Asian stir fry seasoning I have, it's got some sesame seeds, ginger and teriyaki flavor in it. Play around with flavours until you find something you like.
  • sharynmgeorge66
    sharynmgeorge66 Posts: 12 Member
    edited December 2016
    toherlimit wrote: »
    I'm looking to increase my veggie intake, as that's one area I need to seriously improve. I've decided to incorporate more salads into my life. When I eat salads, I usually go for ranch or 1000 Island - basically the worst ones. What kind of salad dressing would you recommend that may be similar, but healthier? Is that even possible? I'm somewhat new to the world of salads.

    you can always make your own honey mustard...I mix mayo with mustard and add stevia.. then you can water it down to your liking for the consistency you desire...it is a great sugarfree variety that goes great as a chicken dip also
  • cosmonew
    cosmonew Posts: 513 Member
    Salsa on a chicken salad!
  • Ashante37
    Ashante37 Posts: 1 Member
    I absolutely love Wishbone's Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette and also the light version of it. I also sometimes get the Balsamic vinaigrette but I'm trying to watch the amount of sodium I get each day and that one is pretty high, along with Italian dressings... I do like to treat myself every now and then with a creamy dressing and I just discovered (at Taco Bell if you can believe it) Hidden Valley's Avocado Ranch.. it's so good... Taco Bell puts it on their "healthy" menu item the Power Bowl and the Power Burrito with either chicken or steak. Also with my salads, I like to change up the leafy green from just iceberg to maybe spinach, to romaine to kale..so you're not eating the same thing all of the time and get bored. I also by Tyson grilled chicken cubes, shredded/crumbled cheese (your preference), and depending on my budget I'll add crushed pecans, almonds and Ocean Spray dried cranberries. And you can't forget croutons.. I spoke to my nutritionist and she said that they actually aren't bad for you.. just keep it in moderation.

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