Salad dressings

[Sophia5]

Looking for a good homemade salad dressing that is low fat and calories. With lots of taste. Any suggestions please?

 

[Rocket_J_Dawg]

Mrs D has her house made she's made for years. A splash of olive oil and an equal splash of Kuhne spiced vinegar. A green onion chopped fine, half tsp German mustard, couple of squirts of Maggi and a sprinkle of chives. She mixes it and refrigerates for half an hour. Yummy.
It's a taste as you go recipe. Sorry but I have never seen her measure anything.
Oops forgot....a bit of pepper to taste. You shouldn't need salt, the Maggi will take care of that. If you don't have Maggi, soya sauce will do. Just cut back on it a bit.

 

[taxlady]

If you want low fat, I would start with a low fat yoghurt and add stuff to it. You could make something ranch-like by adding garlic, scallions, parsley, salt, pepper, and a smigden of good vinegar.

You could make something similar to Thousand Island by starting with the yoghurt and adding chopped dill pickles (sweet pickles have sugar, so more calories), capers, minced onion or onion powder, and tomato paste.

 

[merstar]

This French vinaigrette from David Lebovitz is delicious - I've made it many times:
How to Make French Vinaigrette | David Lebovitz

 

[Whiskadoodle]

I think we put way to much dressing on our salads. Yes, I like it that way too. A little dressing and toss and toss and that's all you need rather than drown the salad in it. A salad dressing is not supposed to be a vegetable dip though some recipes may indeed be interchangeable.

If you like a vinaigrette use a little olive oil, lemon juice or a wine vinegar, then up the flavor with a little Dijon, a smashed garlic or some fresh herbs in season. Finely cut some cucumber like it was a smashed garlic clove and add to the dressing. It entirely changes the flavor. I make the same dressing all the time, but it's not really the same each time.

 

[jennyema]

If you like a vinaigrette use a little olive oil, lemon juice or a wine vinegar, then up the flavor with a little Dijon, a smashed garlic or some fresh herbs in season. Finely cut some cucumber like it was a smashed garlic clove and add to the dressing. It entirely changes the flavor. I make the same dressing all the time, but it's not really the same each time.

To this great recommendation I'd strongly suggest some Dijon mustard which adds flavor but more importantly helps stabilize the emulsification of oil and water.

Also a splash of good soy sauce .

Most vinaigrette ratios say 3 parts oil to 1 part acid but I prefer 1.5:1, which also reduces fat.

 

[Cheryl J]

Whiskadoodle, what a great idea about adding finely chopped cucumber to vinaigrette dressings! Definitely trying that next time. And I so agree with you that dressing is often overused. I sometimes add a little dressing to the bowl first, then add the salad and toss.

I usually use the 3:1 ratio with oil and acid, but as jenny says, that can be adjusted according to what you like. And Dijon does help it all emulsify. And just so Sophia knows this, it's important to whisk the oil in with the vinegars - or easier yet, put everything in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid and shake, shake, shake.

Have fun experimenting, Sophia! Homemade salad dressings are far better than most from the grocery stores.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Try tomato juice or a plum tomato whizzed in the blender and some lemon juice or vinegar as the base. Add whatever else you enjoy, garlic, S&P, hot peppers, horseradish, fresh or dried herbs, soy sauce, mustard etc...