A witty anonymous quote says,'It takes four men to dress a salad: a wise man for the salt, a madman for the pepper, a miser for the vinegar, and a spendthrift for the oil.'Well, that is precisely how the author presumes a salad should be seasoned. A salad is a dish of vegetables, legumes, eggs, pasta, meat, seafood or any mixture of these, tossed together and seasoned with spices, herbs or sauces, such seasoning being known as dressing. Salad dressings may be impromptu, kitchen made or commercially manufactured. Salads are extremely popular among weight watchers and fitness freaks. This is how salad dressings and their calorific contribution caught global attention! So, what is all this brouhaha over low-calorie salad dressing? Popular salad dressings include vinegar, olive oil, mayonnaise, lemon juice, cheese, yogurt, etc. Any one or a combination of these and more dressings may be used to impart an individual flavor to your salad. Most of these dressings have high calorific values and may hinder our weight loss efforts. Although the basic ingredients of most salads comprise fresh, unprocessed food items such as vegetables and sprouts, the dressings that spice 'em up may be a bit too benevolent to those curves-converting-to-bulges areas of the body. This is where low-calorie dressing ideas and recipes make a grand entrance!
Low-calorie salad seasoning ideas and recipes are here to make sure you don't lose out on the taste while still being able to keep an eye on your calorie intake. Nowadays, many different types of commercial low-calorie versions of traditional salad dressing packets are available where different dressing types cater to different dietary and weight loss needs. Some prominent brands marketing these such dressings are Walden Farms, Kraft, Wish Bone, Briannas, Drew's All Natural andNewman's Own. These ready-made dressings come in a wide variety of flavors and you'll have a hard time deciding which ones NOT to include in your salad bar! Apart from these, you can put together some simple and easily available ingredients in your own kitchen and whip up your very own low-calorie dressing. Homemade salad dressings lend your salad that fresh feel, flavor and aroma, besides allowing you to improvise on the ingredients and their quantity to come up with some individual flavors! Let's take a look at some low-calorie options that you can make at home to cut out on those salad calories!
Make-it-Yourself Low-calorie Salad Dressing Recipes
Creamy Balsamic Dressing
Ingredients
Calories per Tablespoon: 31
Low-cal Caesar Salad Dressing
Ingredients
Calories per Tablespoon: Less than 20
Creamy Low-cal Salad Dressing
Ingredients
Calories per Tablespoon: 7
Ranch Style Salad Dressing with a Calorie-free Twist
Ingredients
Calories per Tablespoon: 10
Low-cal Lemon-Olive Salad Dressing
Ingredients
Calories per Tablespoon: 20
Apart from the above salad dressing recipes, using low-cal substitutes for making regular salad dressings is also a great way to lean down your salads! Substitute mayonnaise with whipped up hung yogurt; swap those mozzarella chunks with Parmesan cheese shavings; add more herbs like pepper, basil, coriander or onion chutney, mint and garlic! If you must use oil in your dressing, use olive oil - it is a great cholesterol buster! Apart from the dressings, add punch to your salad - turn it to a power food rather than just a weight loss meal! Adding lean protein foods such as grilled chicken, tuna, low-fat cottage cheese, salmon and eggs to your regular salad ingredients is a good way to promise your body wholesome nutrition while losing weight. Using abundant fresh green leaves like lettuce, mustard leaves, spinach, etc. ensures that you get those vital vitamins as well. Try these ideas and turn your salad into a main course meal rather than just a cameo at the supper table!
Low-calorie salad seasoning ideas and recipes are here to make sure you don't lose out on the taste while still being able to keep an eye on your calorie intake. Nowadays, many different types of commercial low-calorie versions of traditional salad dressing packets are available where different dressing types cater to different dietary and weight loss needs. Some prominent brands marketing these such dressings are Walden Farms, Kraft, Wish Bone, Briannas, Drew's All Natural andNewman's Own. These ready-made dressings come in a wide variety of flavors and you'll have a hard time deciding which ones NOT to include in your salad bar! Apart from these, you can put together some simple and easily available ingredients in your own kitchen and whip up your very own low-calorie dressing. Homemade salad dressings lend your salad that fresh feel, flavor and aroma, besides allowing you to improvise on the ingredients and their quantity to come up with some individual flavors! Let's take a look at some low-calorie options that you can make at home to cut out on those salad calories!
Make-it-Yourself Low-calorie Salad Dressing Recipes
Creamy Balsamic Dressing
Ingredients
- Balsamic Vinegar - ¼ cup
- Light soy sauce - 1 tbsp
- Fat free yogurt - 3 tbsp
- Dijon mustard - 1 ½ tbsp
- Honey - 1 ½ tbsp
- Extra virgin olive oil - ½ tbsp
Calories per Tablespoon: 31
Low-cal Caesar Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- Low fat yogurt - ½ cup
- Low-cal mayonnaise - ¼ cup
- Lemon juice - ¼ cup
- Fresh chopped parsley - 2 tsp
- Parmesan cheese - 2 tsp
- Water - 2 tsp
- Minced garlic - 2 cloves
- Worcestershire sauce - 2 tsp
- A few fresh oregano or basil leaves - minced
Calories per Tablespoon: Less than 20
Creamy Low-cal Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- Low fat cottage cheese - 1 cup
- Lemon juice or white vinegar - ¼ cup
- Tomato juice - ½ cup
Calories per Tablespoon: 7
Ranch Style Salad Dressing with a Calorie-free Twist
Ingredients
- Ranch style dry salad dressing - 1 oz.
- Buttermilk - 1 cup
- Low fat yogurt - 1 cup
Calories per Tablespoon: 10
Low-cal Lemon-Olive Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- Lemon Juice - ¼ cup
- Strong flavor olive oil - 3 tbsp
- Mustard powder - ¼ tsp
- Paprika - ¼ tsp
- Celery Salt - ½ tsp
- Salt - ½ tsp
- A pinch of cayenne
Calories per Tablespoon: 20
Apart from the above salad dressing recipes, using low-cal substitutes for making regular salad dressings is also a great way to lean down your salads! Substitute mayonnaise with whipped up hung yogurt; swap those mozzarella chunks with Parmesan cheese shavings; add more herbs like pepper, basil, coriander or onion chutney, mint and garlic! If you must use oil in your dressing, use olive oil - it is a great cholesterol buster! Apart from the dressings, add punch to your salad - turn it to a power food rather than just a weight loss meal! Adding lean protein foods such as grilled chicken, tuna, low-fat cottage cheese, salmon and eggs to your regular salad ingredients is a good way to promise your body wholesome nutrition while losing weight. Using abundant fresh green leaves like lettuce, mustard leaves, spinach, etc. ensures that you get those vital vitamins as well. Try these ideas and turn your salad into a main course meal rather than just a cameo at the supper table!