How do you eat a salad without traditional dressing?

124

Replies

  • peaceout_aly
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
    Hummus!
  • LVNF04
    LVNF04 Posts: 2,607 Member
    some people said salsa or hot sauce, ok what about sodium content? its extremely difficult to eat salad without dressing for me
  • attawayfamily4
    attawayfamily4 Posts: 4 Member
    Try Marzetti Simply Dressed Light Vinagrettes. The Light Balsalmic Vinagrette is delicious. I cook with it too.
  • elephant_in_the_room
    elephant_in_the_room Posts: 145 Member
    OK, here a trick that I haven't yet read in the answers:
    Substitute most of the oil with vegetable or other flavourful stock.
    E.g. where a standard dressing would be 4 teaspoons oil and 1 teaspoon vinegar, do only 1 teaspoon of olive oil, three teaspoons stock, 1tsp vinegar/lemon juice. Of course add whatever herbs you like, and if the stock contains no salt and you don't mind salt, then put in some of that as well.
  • threesixten
    threesixten Posts: 134 Member
    One of my favorite salad dressings is carrot ginger. The recipe I have tailored to my tastes uses only 5-10ml sesame oil. The last time I made it here is what it was
    10 ml(s), Toasted Sesame Oil
    40 ml(s), Rice Vinegar
    17 g, Ginger Root, Raw
    28.00 g, Jalapeño
    67 gram, Yellow Onion, Fresh
    39 milliliter, Soy Sauce
    69 ml(s), Lime juice - Raw
    Just chop it up and blend w/ immersion blender. The texture is a little gritty but coats lettuces like romaine just fine. Usually I put in a salad just with grilled chicken and some cherry tomatoes.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    LVNF04 wrote: »
    some people said salsa or hot sauce, ok what about sodium content? its extremely difficult to eat salad without dressing for me

    I actually add salt to my salad after the hot sauce. I eat lot of sodium. I eat lowish carb and don't have any medical issues. .
  • smokinbluegrass
    smokinbluegrass Posts: 126 Member
    I eat a giant salad (about 2 pounds) just about every weeknight. I changed it up so I wouldn't miss "dressing." I put in cut up strawberries (cheap and in season right now) and/or apples. I drizzle 1-2 tbsps of balsamic or golden balsamic vinegar or the juice of a lemon or a lime. Haven't missed "dressing" one bit, which is a bit of a surprise.
  • JohnnyPenso
    JohnnyPenso Posts: 412 Member
    sabinaholtby wrote: »
    I always use Greek yogurt with mustard, garlic, salt and pepper. I add onions to my salad and Bell peppers. When I can afford the calories I love avocado. My favorite salads though are when I use seasoned meat! Nothing like a taco salad, that ground meat with taco seasoning is so so good!
    Same here. Greek yogurt makes an excellent base for experimenting with all kinds of creamy dressing recipes and as an added bonus it's high in protein so you get a protein boost while eating salad instead of just carbs and fat.

  • wenrob
    wenrob Posts: 125 Member
    Nancela wrote: »
    3 tablespoons olive oi, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, 1 teaspoon sugar, salt and pepper. Delicious on tossed salad. A little sugar won't hurt you. It's better than those high calorie creamy dressings. and tastes great.
    I'm hoping you have your ratios mixed up here or you mean this for an entire salad because 3 tablespoons of olive oil would be 360 calories. That would be more calories than a serving of your typical creamy dressing.

    I like Opa Blue Cheese and Ranch, Ken's Basil and Parm lowfat Italian and Bernstein's Cheese Fantastico. Sometimes just lemon, garlic and salad seasoning. Pico w/a dab of sour cream or a light vinaigrette w/a sprinkle of really good blue cheese.

    I learned years ago from watching my "naturally" thin step mother to put my salad in a slightly larger bowl, add the serving of dressing then cut up/mix it really well.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    smokinbluegrass wrote: »
    I eat a giant salad (about 2 pounds) just about every weeknight. I changed it up so I wouldn't miss "dressing." I put in cut up strawberries (cheap and in season right now) and/or apples. I drizzle 1-2 tbsps of balsamic or golden balsamic vinegar or the juice of a lemon or a lime. Haven't missed "dressing" one bit, which is a bit of a surprise.

    I'd consider balsamic vinegar a dressing (although a really low cal one, of course). Same with something like vinegar plus mustard. So that wouldn't surprise me. Agree that with the right salad lemon or lime can work too, although adding olive oil too (oil and vinegar being the most classic of dressings) usually helps me meet my calorie goals.
  • Christiansan3148
    Christiansan3148 Posts: 7 Member
    I'm sorry in advance if someone already posted similar thing, but I really do enjoy lemon juice as a dressing with a tbsp of garlic salt. It's utterly delicious and have zero calories. I don't know why I never used this combination before even when I wasn't watching my weight. I do recommend it to everyone, at least try I'd say.
  • Feed_the_Bears
    Feed_the_Bears Posts: 275 Member
    I dilute three cheese ranch with balsamic vinegar, tis great.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    I just ate my hot dog salad with reduced sugar ketchup and hot sauce because I'm gourmet AF
  • cidalia_mar
    cidalia_mar Posts: 5 Member
    Lemon or lime juice tastes better than vinegar, even wine vinegar.

    I prefer a touch of olive oil in there as well.
  • dawnellemom
    dawnellemom Posts: 76 Member
    Just tonight I blended up some lite mayo, fresh cilantro, cumin, salt, chili powder, and a few tbsp of milk. Topped my salad with that (which was a chopped salad with chicken and black beans). Was really good!
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,685 Member
    abbynormalartist wrote: »
    I'd like to have more salads with my dinner but am having trouble finding a way to eat them without the traditional creamy dressing. I've tried a little red wine vinegar and that's..... okay, but not great. I've also tried adding more flavorful veggies like onions and tomatoes but I figure there are better ways out there too. Ideas?

    I don't know how people eat salad WITH dressing. Not fond of dressings, sauces, and stuff. I'd rather just eat the food without trying to hide it.

    However, I will occasionally have a little bit of light Caesar dressing on a Caesar salad ... but it has been over a year since I've done that.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I love vinegars and find that they (with some good olive oil too) can bring out the flavor of a salad, not hide it.
  • EHollander89
    EHollander89 Posts: 169 Member
    I like the Hidden Valley Greek Yogurt dressings - the spinach and feta flavor is my favorite! 2T is 60 calories, but I've found that I don't even need that much to coat my salads. I also second the idea of making your own ranch or creamy dressings.
  • SwimHeather7
    SwimHeather7 Posts: 2 Member
    There is an amazing cilantro avocado yogurt dressing I found at Ralph's and Pavilions. The brand is Bolthouse Farms and its sooo good!
  • sunburntgalaxy
    sunburntgalaxy Posts: 455 Member
    I am too lazy to make dressing - I go for a yogurt based one because I find a lot of them that are much lower in calories. And having an actual appropriate amount helps too - I used to use a TON and now I try to stick to whatever is a serving on the container (the one I like is 50 cals for 2 tblsp).
  • dsewell40
    dsewell40 Posts: 4 Member
    I use 1 tablespoon of infused otganic olive oil. My favorites are garlic infused and Tuscan infused. Helps with getting the good fats.
  • lilzamora716
    lilzamora716 Posts: 1 Member
    This salad dressing is zero calorie. I found it at Wal-Mart. I bought the ranch and thousand island. The thousand island is not bad. I haven't tried the ranch yet.

    https://www.waldenfarms.com/products/dressings.html
  • Size8Feet
    Size8Feet Posts: 9 Member
    Mix up the salads by adding things like sliced apple, peach, apricot, raisins, fresh mint or coriander.

    Few of my favourite combinations are:
    1) salad made from sliced apple, beetroot, mint leaves and lemon juice
    2) Salad made from sliced tomato, red onion, capers and lemon juice.
    3) dressing made by adding finely sliced fresh red chilli, lime juice and a tiny drizzle of honey to a salad

    All yummy :)
  • lsardoff
    lsardoff Posts: 3 Member
    Balsamic vinegar
    Little olive-avacado oil
    Chopped shallots
    Fresh squeezed orange juice
    Honey
    Salt and pepper

    Or

    Balsamic or red wine, spices and hot sauce. Can add oil or not

    Olive oil
    Squeezes lemon juice
    Parmesan cheese
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    Arugula tastes great to me with a squeeze of lemon, some salt and black pepper and a sprinkling of parmesan.
  • HermanLily
    HermanLily Posts: 217 Member
    edited June 2017
    Lemon juice on salad
  • absolutlora
    absolutlora Posts: 12 Member
    We do olive oil and balsamic vinegar
  • PARusci
    PARusci Posts: 1 Member
    I buy the regular kind of dressings I like (Kens regular) then thin them down 1/2 with water or milk, I can still use up to 2 TB, but 1/2 the calories and it coats all of the salad well.
  • cburke8909
    cburke8909 Posts: 990 Member
    One suggestion is use nice crunchy vegetable pieces. Summer squash, zucchini, peppers, rhubarb, celery in chunks that you really have to chew to eat. You can also add a little dried fruit like raisins or craisins in moderate amounts they add lots of flavor.(note they're high in sugar content but the flavor per calorie ratio is very satisfying)
  • amandaeve
    amandaeve Posts: 723 Member
    I'll add nuts, avocado and/or blue cheese. I'll also top my salad with a little bit of other salad (tabbouleh, bean salad, tuna salad, chicken salad, etc.) No dressing needed, but a calorie/fat trade off. Does add protein, though. My friend trained herself to eat plain balsamic vinegar on her salads to keep the calories down.
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