I need some suggestions.I don't like store-bought dressings and I've never been a big fan of salad dressings in general. As a result, I eat my balsamic vinegarette every single day and I'm starting to get bored, bored, bored. Can anyone offer any suggestions for yummy alternatives? Maybe something juice-based?
I really, really like the Newman's Own light line of dressing. Yes, they are store bought, but the ingredients are just as good as if you made them yourself. My standard is the Light Balsamic Vinagrette (only 45 cal per serving), but I also love all the others:
All light versions: Ginger Sesame, Lemon Lime vinagrette (used a little last night to marinade chicken), walnut raspberry (NEW!), honey mustard, sun dried tomato. All of these are seriously tasty.
There are also some gals on here who have some fantastic sounding homemade recipes. There have been several salad dressing threads in the last 4 months or so. If you do a search, I think you'll find some good ideas.
How about red wine vinegar, honey, and olive oil? I do that a lot if i want to switch it up a bit. I also use fresh squeezed lemon juice and olive oil.
I know these are still vinegar based, but they are different than the same ol' same old.
Sometimes I'll use salsa instead of dressing (especially when I'm forced to eat fast food!) Also, I've mixed 1T each salsa and plain yogurt for a creamy dressing. My favorite dressing by far is this recipe that I swiped from fat-free vegan (dot com.) I like to add an extra Tablespoon of tahini, but that is just my preference (it does add a few extra calories though.)
Lite Goddess Dressing
6 ounces lite firm silken tofu (1/2 pkg. of Mori-Nu)
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon tahini
2 green onions, white parts removed, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, packed
1 large clove garlic
Place all ingredients in blender and process until smooth. (The Magic Bullet worked well for this.)
Makes 10 servings of 2 tbsp. each. Per serving: 19 Calories (kcal); 1 g Total Fat; (45% calories from fat); 1 g Protein; 1 g Carbohydrate; 0 mg Cholesterol; 164 mg Sodium
Balsamic or red wine vinegar, Extra virgin olive oil, and some type of jam. Try strawberry jam some sliced fresh strawberries and some almonds or grape jam some fresh grapes and some almonds. Apple jam and apple slices with walnuts or peacans. Those are some of the main salads I eat.
My favorite dressing for salads:
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
Whisk together in a small bowl. Slowly add chicken broth, whisking constantly, until you've acheived your desired consistency (it should be pretty thin - its strong!)
Sooooo good.
For mexican/fajita/taco salads:
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
3-4 dashes Chipotle Tabasco sauce
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
Galeo's miso dressing...storebought but good...it's sweet..I use it mostly for coleslaw...for salads I add a little apple cider vinegar to it and whisk....
home dressing...2 parts orange juice, 1 part olive oil, a few splashes of "Luv U" pineapple vinegar...
I love high-quality, fruit-infused balsamic vinegar as a salad dressing. My favorite is fig balsamic vinegar. I buy this brand at my farmers market so I don't pay shipping. If you buy it online, a cheaper source that has been recommended to me is Cyber Cucina.
I also love Bernstein's Light Fantastic salad dressing.
I'm really bad at eating most salad dressings that aren't high fat so this is pretty darn challenging for me...
I love Smart Beat non fat mayo. It is 10 cals. per tablespoon and it works very well in salad dressing. Buy some lite sour cream and now you have your base. I love blue cheese dressing but it has to taste like the bad kind. Just use this base and add your blue cheese. You can cut the thickness with buttermilk and you'll have a pourable dressing that will fool your calorie counts but most of all fool your tastebuds.
Galeo's is great! It has between 20-24 calories. There are 3 varieties. Dijon, ceaser, and sesame. It is a bit strong. I like the apple vinigar idea to tone it a bit. The ceaser is the lightest of them all.
Galeo's is great! It has between 20-24 calories. There are 3 varieties. Dijon, ceaser, and sesame. It is a bit strong. I like the apple vinigar idea to tone it a bit. The ceaser is the lightest of them all.
I use the sesame for cole slaw...it's perfect for that....
Other than the store bought dressings, I use fruit juice straight from the fruit or the jug. Just a few teaspoons, and it's great. Or I will mash up a strawberry with a fork, or squeeze tomato juice all over my salad.
BBQ sauce with some pepper is also very good .... it satisfies you, tricks your senses into thinking you just had a burger or some such thing LOL.
Salad Dressing Ideas
