Dressing up raw vegies without dressing

JKolb17
JKolb17 Posts: 11 Member
edited November 26 in Food and Nutrition
I usually have a salad and raw vegies for lunch and have been pretty strict about the amount of dressing I use in my salad. I love carrots, celery, tomato, etc. but after a while they get boring on their own or with a little salt and pepper. I'm looking for some suggestions to amp them up without extra fat or dressing?

Replies

  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Cheez Whiz
    Laughing cow light cream cheese
    A teaspoon of full fat dressing.

    It is so easy to go over on calories with fats, but they help so much with satiety. The fats also have their own vitamins. How about a teaspoon?
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,383 Member
    I like dipping my raw veggies in a Greek yogurt dip. Just buy some plain 0% fat Greek yogurt and add whatever seasonings you like. Whether it's a quick Ranch flavour packet or something homemade, like fresh herbs, minced garlic, lemon juice and black pepper.
  • JKolb17
    JKolb17 Posts: 11 Member
    Great ideas! Thank you, I will definitely try them out. I think I can cut back on some calories throughout the day to accommodate a little more for my vegies.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    • balsamic vinegar.
    • balsamic vinegar glaze (this is available pre-reduced in a squeeze bottle -store-brand at my local supermarket chain - similar item may or may not be available elsewhere).
    • those shaker bottles of pre-grated parmesan (these give a pretty satisfying distribution of cheese for surprisingly few grams).
    • Aerosol oil sprays (gives a very fine covering of oil - way fewer grams than if you try to drizzle on from a bottle).
    • Plain yogurt makes for a decent dip-base at way fewer calories than commercial & sour cream-based dips. Just add spices/spice packets/..
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    Vinegar
    Lemon or lime juice
    Garlic
    Herbs
    Onion
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    edited May 2018
    Salt and pepper. The most forgotten thing to add to a salad yet vegetables that are seasoned need less dressing. Any acid will also cut down on the need.

    I make my own dressing too. The base is really simple.

    1 cup lowfat greek yogurt
    3 tbsp. light sour cream
    1/2 tsp of xanthan gum (you can get it from amazon)
    2 tbsp. lemon juice
    1 tsp salt
    1/4 tsp pepper
    1 tsp each of garlic and onion powder


    From here I will just add whatever I am feeling like to the food processor. My last batch had roasted carrots, roasted shallot, 2 cucumbers peeled and seeded, quick pickled onions, quick pickled red bell peppers, and some tomatoes.

    I get enough volume from the vegetables to give me a dressing that is half the calories of the "light" ones in my fridge.
  • motivatedmartha
    motivatedmartha Posts: 1,108 Member
    I make a 'fake sour cream for some meals. I combine Greek yoghurt, mayonnaise and Philadelphia with chives in the ratio of 2:1:1 - beat together and have ( not too much) with jacket spuds, wedges or salmon.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,097 Member
    Are you getting fat from other sources? A lot of the vitamins in your salad will just be excreted if your not getting enough fat to assimilate them.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    Salsa
  • jwcannon70
    jwcannon70 Posts: 28 Member
    Garlic salt and/or parmesan cheese.
  • bioklutz
    bioklutz Posts: 1,365 Member
    Another balsamic vinegar lover!
    This has been a favorite:
    https://www.theolivetap.com/product/featured-recipes-products/serrano-pepper-honey-balsamic-vinegar/
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,311 Member
    Mustard
    Sriracha
    Lemon
    Salsa
    Salt, pepper, oregano, basil
    Jalapeno pickled slices
    Banana pepper pickled slices
    Other pickles (e.g dill)
    Balsamic vinegar
    Balsamic glaze
    Jalapeno laughing cow/other laughing cow
    Parmesan/romano/similar high flavour-small quantity
    Blue cheese/gorgonzola crumbles
    Feta crumbles
    Sprayed olive oil
    0% Greek yogurt
    Combinations of the above

  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    The other day I tried something and it worked nicely. I wanted to supplement my B vitamins so I used equal parts yogurt (regular) and nutritional yeast, some pressed garlic, and dill weed then used that as a dip and it was good. Very hearty and reminiscent of a tahini dip in texture. I believe it would work for dressing. The small protein boost is a nice bonus too.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    toxikon wrote: »
    I like dipping my raw veggies in a Greek yogurt dip. Just buy some plain 0% fat Greek yogurt and add whatever seasonings you like. Whether it's a quick Ranch flavour packet or something homemade, like fresh herbs, minced garlic, lemon juice and black pepper.

    When I can eat raw veggies (they sometimes don't agree with me) I make a whole meal out of Greek yogurt dip (I make a whole cup of it) with a ranch dressing package and crudite. Protein and vegetables and it's fun to eat!
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    The other day I tried something and it worked nicely. I wanted to supplement my B vitamins so I used equal parts yogurt (regular) and nutritional yeast, some pressed garlic, and dill weed then used that as a dip and it was good. Very hearty and reminiscent of a tahini dip in texture. I believe it would work for dressing. The small protein boost is a nice bonus too.

    Oh, nooch in yogurt? Must try.
  • AmandaDanceMore
    AmandaDanceMore Posts: 298 Member
    Not the best person to answer as I’m not a fan of salads and eat them rarely, but my go-tos are salsa and balsamic vinegar. I actually don’t like most store bought dressings (or can’t eat because of milk or eggs in them). I did find a nice one recently that’s only 20 calories per tbsp, I think.

    My favorite way to dress a salad is with salsa and some avocado or guacamole. Makes it creamy and rich with some good fats.
  • WholeFoods4Lyfe
    WholeFoods4Lyfe Posts: 1,518 Member
    edited May 2018
    Would you consider still using a little bit of fat on your veggies? I don't love salad dressing personally, but I do drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on my salads, the fat is necessary for the absorbtion of the fat soluable vitamins A, D, E and K that are plentiful in veggies. Or maybe throw in some avocado? Also, in addition to helping you abosorb vitamins, fat is satiating and helps to keep you fuller longer. You could also use a Walden Farms dressing to add flavor without a ton of calories.
  • JKolb17
    JKolb17 Posts: 11 Member
    I do get my fats in other areas of my diet, as well as roast, steam, etc vegetables for meals. The reason for the raw vegies...I am a "snacker"...I will snack on any and every junk food but more specifically crunchy junk foods (chips, mega butter popcorn, fatty crackers, etc). To keep me from snacking on junk, I keep a container of raw vegetables on hand at all times. When I feel like snacking I much on them. It has helped me get my junk food cravings under control but they are getting boring! I LOVE all of the suggestions and I will be adding them to my food list. Thank you so much!

  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
    Try different vinegars like apple cider, balsamic, and champagne. You can also use lemon or lime juice and chili powder or sauce. I love some sliced cucumbers and jicama with tapatio, lemon juice, and salt.
  • astronaught
    astronaught Posts: 103 Member
    Old Bay is good on a lot of vegetables.
  • Crafty_camper123
    Crafty_camper123 Posts: 1,440 Member
    I love making greek yogurt dip for my veggies. You can even get the fat free kind to cut calories even further.
  • rloates91
    rloates91 Posts: 12 Member
    I avoid using dressing by adding a mix of sweet and salty ingredients to my salad like corn, beetroot, olives and feta.
    Alternatively I make a simple dressing with natural Greek yogurt, lemon juice and mustard mixed together.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    Kernel Seasonings makes a variety of popcorn toppers from ranch to buffalo wing that could be tasty on a variety of veggies. I use the white cheddar on steamed broccoli, I see no reason it wouldn't be tasty on raw veggies.
  • guy_1987
    guy_1987 Posts: 48 Member
    If you're from England there are Sainsbury's and Tesco's own salad dressing and various other sauces to make vegetables more interesting without smothering them with fat.

    Also 'Lighter than Light' mayonnaise is a god send.

    If you have time to make your own then you can obviously control what goes into it.
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