No matter what diet you follow (gluten-free, vegetarian, Weight Watchers, Atkins...), a salad is always on the menu. Unfortunately, as we all know, salads are not always the healthiest option. When you load them up with high calorie toppings and creamy salad dressing, the calorie count goes through the roof.
To me, the dressing is what makes the salad. It provides a big punch of flavor and makes a vegetable salad heartier and more filling.
My first experience with homemade salad dressing was as a freshman at Emory. I was on the "meal plan" so I ate most of my meals in the campus cafeteria, which happened to have a diverse and colorful salad bar. The only problem was with the dressing options. We were offered Ranch, French, Italian, oil&vinegar, Parmesan Ranch (so yummy) , fat free Italian, fat free Ranch.....the usual options in the late eighties. If you have ever tasted a cafeteria bucket of fat free dressing, you know it is like eating melted rubber. The other dressings were delicious, but a few ladels scooped onto my salad could easily add 300-400 calories of pure fat to an otherwise healthy meal. My roommate mixed up her own low calorie dressing from ingredients right in the cafeteria. She mixed together vinegar, spicy mustard and one packet of Equal in a little cup, stir, and pour it over her salad. I was immediatley hooked and to this day, I still use that dressing. It is bursting with flavor.
Here are a few healthy salad dressing ideas that are low in fat, but high in flavor.
1 - Use equal parts of low fat mayonnaise and nonfat Greek yogurt. This works great on pasta salads, potato salads and sandwiches. Add herbs and spices to customized it to your taste. Two examples:
-lime juice and cumin
-curry powder
2 -
3 - Add 2 cloves garlic, salt, pepper, red wine vinegar, fresh mint to strained Greek yogurt.
4 - To make low fat Ranch, combine 1 1/3 c. lowfat buttermilk, 2/3 c. low-fat mayonnaise (I like Hellmann's) and 2/3 c. low fat sour cream. Season with 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. onion powder, 2 tsp. fresh chopped chives, 2 tsp. fresh chopped dill, 2 tsp.fresh chopped parsley, 1 tsp coarse salt, 1/2 tsp. freshly cracked pepper.
5 - Use your favorite salsa on top of your salad.
6 - Even though this may not be low fat, it is still a wonderful and healthy option....drizzle a fruity olive oil (try Costco's or Trader Joe's) and an aged balsamic vinegar (you can get some great ones for $10 a bottle and will last forever) over your salad. Season with coarse salt.
7 - Pureed silken tofu is a great base for a dressing. Low in fat, high in protein. Put the drained silken tofu in a blender, add your seasonings and blend for 30 seconds. Try seasoning with fresh cilantro and garlic.
It is very helpful to keep some key ingredients on hand at all times. You can get creative and whip up your own salad dressing masterpiece in 2 minutes. In the beginning, you may mess up a batch or two, but no worries. Keep on practicing.
Ingredients Suggestions for low-fat salad dressing:
non-fat Greek yogurt and low fat sour cream
flavored vinegars
infused olive oils (try lemon, garlic or herb)
lemons, oranges, limes (for the zest and the juice)
mustards
onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, wasabi powder, mustard powder
hot sauce
fresh garlic
soy sauce
optional: sweetener like Stevia, Splenda or honey
Method: I use a recycled cleaned out glass jar to mix and store the dressing. A bowl and a whisk work well too.
Tip: Use your homemade dressing on a salad from your favorite salad bar.
REMINDER: Check out my new website: CookingInPajamas.com I hope to have the blog contents on the website soon.
