Salad Dressings - Help

Vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper for me.

Another vote for Bolthouse Farms yogurt-based dressings; but I also like Walden Farms

I really like Olive Garden's light dressing. 30 calories for 2 tablespoons. It has been my go to recently.

Searching for salad dressings and this thread came up. We can't get many of the delicious sounding dressings you have in the US, but I'm happy to make my own. This evening, I'm gonna try 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar mixed with 25g caramalised onion houmous and a good dash of my newest love, sriracha sauce. Can't wait!

Homemade. Always homemade.

Lowest calorie + biggest taste = balsamic vinegar

I just make my own because I like light and very tangy dressings which I can't find pre-made. I mix together: 1 Tbsp olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp honey, black pepper to taste. That usually dresses 2-3 large salads.

1 tablespoon olive oil (flavored is awesome, like garlic or tuscan herb), 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon dijon, 1 - 2 crushed garlic cloves and any herbs you want (can be dried). great tasting using a GOOD fat - a little goes a long way

Been making my own salad dressings for the last while...less expensive, less additives, and more tailored to my tastes (ie: always add garlic!).
Pinterest is a great resource for recipes...here's my current fav: http://www.simplyscratch.com/2010/11/my-big-fat-greek-dressing.html
It's really yummy AND super easy to make

Seriously, make your own. The majority of even the so-called 'healthy' commercial dressings are made with either soybean or canola oil. Personally, I won't use either if I can help it...when I'm eating out sometimes it's unavoidable, though.

A salad dressing is basically two parts oil (olive, avocado, walnut) and one part acid (vinegar, citrus juice) with seasonings (garlic, ginger, shallots, herbs, spices). Experiment and find your own groove.

I use EVOO or avocado oil and either apple cider vinegar or citrus juice (lemon, lime, grapefruit, orange, pomegranate, alone or in combinations), and garlic, ginger and various herbs to suit my mood and my salad ingredients.

Here is a classic French vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Here is a dressing I use frequently:

1 cup extra virgin olive oil
.5 cup lemon juice
1 large clove garlic finely minced
1 tsp dried thyme
.5 tsp sea salt
.5 tsp black pepper

Plug your ingredients into MFP's Recipe calculator to get the calorie count.

Here's another I've tried and really love:

Green Goddess Dressing
Makes 4 cups

8 to 10 anchovy fillets
1 green onion
1/4 cup minced parsley
2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon
3 cups prepared mayonnaise (even better if you know how to make your own!)
1/2 cup tarragon vinegar
1/2 cup finely snipped chives

Romaine
Escarole
Chicory

2 peeled garlic cloves, smashed

Chicken, crab or shrimp, optional garnish

Instructions: Mince anchovies with green onion; transfer to a bowl. Add parsley, tarragon, mayonnaise, tarragon vinegar and chives; mix well. The dressing can be made ahead.
Just before serving, clean and cut romaine, escarole and chicory into bite-size pieces. Rub a wooden bowl with the garlic cloves, then add greens and toss with enough dressing to coat. If desired, garnish with chicken, crab or shrimp.

Bon Appetit!

Any extra dressing, which can also be used as a dip for raw vegetables, will keep for up to a week.

Per tablespoon: 77 calories, 0 g protein, 0 g carbohydrate, 8 g fat (1 g saturated), 6 mg cholesterol, 79 mg sodium, 0 g fiber.

There are many versions of Green Goddess dressing, including some that call for avocado, additional herbs and different vinegars. This is the original version from San Francisco's Palace Hotel chef Philip Roemer.

The secrets:
Tarragon: There's a double dose of this herb, not only from the fresh leaves, which when mixed with parsley gives the dressing a vivid green color, but in the vinegar that's flavored with the herb.
The greens: Escarole, romaine and chicory are strong-flavored greens that complement and stand up to the bold flavor of the dressing.
Wooden bowl: The salad should be tossed in a wooden bowl, which is rubbed with garlic before the greens and dressing are added; giving just a fresh hint of garlic.

I usually make my own, but I keep a bottle of Bolthouse or Litehouse Greek yogurt ranch on hand at work for emergencies. I prefer the Litehouse over the Bolthouse because it isn't as sweet. It has 60 cal for 2Tbsp. vs. 45 for the Bolthouse. Both are found in the refrigerated section (produce section in my grocery store).

Walden farms organic thousand island.... gluten free zero calories... all of their dressings are made using vinegars and herbs. Really zippy!

leanjogreen18 wrote: »

Agree with above - Bolthouse Farms greek yogurt and their balsamic is pretty low too.

I love ranch and the Bolthouse Farms at 45 cal for 2 tablespoons hands down is the best ranch dressing outside of the "real" thing. In fact I don't notice a difference anymore and I was a big ranch gal.

The ranch is the only one I have tried but I love it

I like Newman's Own light Italian and light balsamic vinaigrette.

escalada22 wrote: »

So I have been on the search for the lowest cal biggest taste salad dressing and haven't found it yet. I don't usually do fat free because more sugar. I will go light sometimes, but would just as much rather have an Italian. Just wondering what dressing you have found are tasty, low cal and not super high in sodium!

Make your own. Broth, lime juice, garlic, mustard, pepper, and a touch of oil. You could go on and add whatever suits you....
You could also make dressing out of cashews. Taste just like ranch. Bare in mind this will only keep for about a week so I don't make much. Cup of soaked cashews (2hrs), not quite a cup of water, TB +/- lemon juice, not quite TB of cider vinegar, dash of garlic powder, ts onion powder, dash of dill, salt to taste, sprinkle of basil, pepper to taste. Blend till smooth.