Salad Dressing

[Loop-Master]

Love me some salads but this Kraft Krap is getting old.

I love Olive Garden's dressing but don't live near one to keep some around.

Just looking for better quality/brands and in any flavor. Any suggestions?

Reduced fat is preferred.

[pcbb]

i'm looking too

[Stratobuc]

Newman's???

[dohootowl]

Newman's???

That was my first thought!

Stratobuc--why are we frequenting the food threads?!?!

[Throttleneck]

http://www.fromne.com/scadmin/images/product/150Thumbs/DorothyLynchHomeStyleDressi.jpg
Dorothy Lynch = Awesome.

Comes in Light as well.

[Fred Farkus]

My wife made some homemade dressing yesterday: balsamic vinegar, strawberries and almonds. Sounds weird but my god, it was fantastic...

[arthur rotfeld]

Dressing is really easy to make. You have better quality ingredients at home.

We make one with....

Mustard
Honey
Balsamic Vinegar
Hemp Seed or EVO Oil

...in roughly equal proportions. I just make about 3/4 of a jar and then adjust with more of whatever might be needed.


You could add herbs, garlic, etc.

[21stcenturykid]

Dressing is really easy to make. You have better quality ingredients at home.

We make one with....

Mustard
Honey
Balsamic Vinegar
Hemp Seed or EVO Oil

...in roughly equal proportions. I just make about 3/4 of a jar and then adjust with more of whatever might be needed.


You could add herbs, garlic, etc.

Very similar to what my mum makes. It's Amazing!

[Loop-Master]

Yep, a homemade version of dressing may in fact be the way to go

[Fred Farkus]

Love me some salads but this Kraft Krap is getting old.



The Kraft stuff is garbage IMO. In fact, I don't really care for any of the Kraft food products, but that's another story.

Anyway, nothing fancy here but this is one of my favorites for a simple, no B.S. and really good Italian dressing you can get off the shelf at Wal-Mart:

http://www.foodfacts.com/images/items/007874207520.jpg

But in general I prefer dressings we make at home. Simple to make and much better than anything you'll get in a bottle from a store.

[Ruraltom]

The wife and I have tended to use just seasoned rice wine vinegar (like Marukan brand) and a good quality extra virgin olive oil. When you 'make' the dressing yourself you can also use as little EVO or as much as you like.

[GCDEF]

http://www.farmerboygreekdressing.com/houserecipegreekdressing.htm

Farmer Boy low calorie Greek.

[arthur rotfeld]

The wife and I have tended to use just seasoned rice wine vinegar (like Marukan brand) and a good quality extra virgin olive oil. When you 'make' the dressing yourself you can also use as little EVO or as much as you like.

If you have a rice wine vinegar, you can try your hand at ginger dressings, which are great too.


I think one of the major benefits to homemade dressing is the opportunity to use the best fats.

[chrisgraff]

You'll never go back once you realize how easy it is to make your own.

• acid (vinegar or lemon juice)

• oil (extra-virgin olive oil is best)

• salt & pepper

• sugar (honey, orange juice...anything - just enough to balance the acid)

• ??? (garlic, basil, shallots, ginger...anything)

twice as much oil than acid....add stuff, taste, add, taste.

Done.

[Tonekat]

I've been known to just drizzle basalmic vinegar on greens....no oil or anything else.

When I do buy a bottle at the store, I look at the labels and see what has corn syrup in it...and put it back on the shelf. Look at the number of calories in a mere two Tbsp (that's usually the standard measurement they go by on the nutrition label). You'd be surprised which ones have the most calories.

[Mike9]

I make my own for most every meal - the simple one takes about a minute tops. Ceasar takes planning and a couple of extra steps, but well worth it.

Simple:
Lemon juice
Dijon mustard
EVOO

I like a little more acid than oil

Ceasar:
One egg yolk at room temp
Lemon juice
Mix the juice and the yolk together and let sit - (cooks the yolk)
Add anchovy to taste and mash together with the yolk mix - (if you don't like anchovy you can substitute the original ingredient which was Worcestershire sauce)
I add a little garlic to mine
Drizzle in EVOO while you whisk the dressing to a creamy consistency.
For a kick I'll sometimes add a shot of Sriracha depending on what we're having.

Note: make your Ceasar dressing in a large bowl then add your greens, cheese, croutons, whatever to that.

When I find Balsamic on sale I'll buy three or four quarts and cook it down to a syrup. I put that in a squeeze container and drizzle it on all kinds of stuff - salad, meat, fruit - hell it even tastes good on ice cream. :aok

[FUSER]

Try the new Kraft Mango Chipotle. Very nice and addictive.

[Jason Calieri]

Like others have said, make your own! Healthier and MUCH tastier. And it's super easy.

My go-to dressing is usually balsamic vinegar, a little dijon mustard, extra virgin olive oil, bit of salt and pepper, and some finely chopped shallot if I happen to have some. 2 parts oil to 1 part vinegar.

EDIT: oops, forgot to mention a little fresh minced garlic

[claudel]

https://hannaford.elsstore.com/app/images/product/large/07320900156l.jpg


Golding Farms Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette Dressing is great stuff as far as nutritionally iffy prefab in a bottle dressings go.

[strumminsix]

Here is a simple recipe for a Greek/Italian style:
Reginas Red Wine Vinegar + Virgin Olive Oil + pinch of salt, pepper & oregano

I know plenty who use this as their whole recipe and a few use it as a starting point.

From there I add crumbled imported feta and I de-pit Greek Kalamat olives and add into the mix!

[Teleplayer]

Annie's. Natural and organic. You can even find it at Target; thus, you don't need to pay the price-gouging prices at Big Grocery Store, Inc. or Whole Foods.

Also check Braswell's from Georgia. Great salad dressings and sauces. More expensive, but really good - especially their tomato and Vidalia Onion dressing. Yum. There are others I use too; natural and/or organic. Can't think of their names now.

About two years ago I started really reading the ingredients labels on salad dressings made by Food, Inc. Really scary stuff. Chemicals I didn't even know how to pronounce. I looked a couple up online. You DON'T want to put most of that crap into your body.

[pickaguitar]

I love the dressing at McDonald's (Newman's Southwest salad dressing I guess)
Wish I could find it at the grocery store

[A-Frame]

You'll never go back once you realize how easy it is to make your own.

• acid (vinegar or lemon juice)

• oil (extra-virgin olive oil is best)

• salt & pepper

• sugar (honey, orange juice...anything - just enough to balance the acid)

• ??? (garlic, basil, shallots, ginger...anything)

twice as much oil than acid....add stuff, taste, add, taste.

Done.

Yep.
And if you're lazy, just look for the stuff on the shelves that is closest to this.

[enocaster]

Homemade vinaigrette for me, too. I use 3 parts oil to acid, though. Fresh lemon juice is my favorite acid; I add fresh ground pepper, a generous amount of kosher salt, finely minced garlic (it sinks right to the bottom after you shake it, flavoring the dressing without raw garlic in your salad), dijon mustard, parsley, and thyme.

[Loop-Master]

Thanks. Great suggestions!

[onemind]

Depends on the salad, Trader Joe's Tuscan Dressing (Balsamic Vinaigrette) is very good. I'll make my own as well, Garlic powder, Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, some Mustard (even whole grain is good) Pretty often I just like a few squeezes of lemon juice, some good olive oil and some coarse salt and fresh ground pepper.

[tjmicsak]

Dressings are acid combined with oil.
Any vinegar, red wine, white, or malt, or maybe even rice wine vinegar, lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice.......
Combine that with olive oil. Balsalmic is a great choice for some good flavor. I can eat a plain old red wine and olive oil dressing any day.
Think of good adjuncts like sliced almonds, pine nuts, crazins, or even fruits and berries, apples, or dates.
Even cheese like blues, chopped deli meats and cheeses for a chef salad is still healthy as you are making the main foods the greens.
The combinations are as limitless as your taste buds can imagine.

[VCuomo]

You'll never go back once you realize how easy it is to make your own.

• acid (vinegar or lemon juice)

• oil (extra-virgin olive oil is best)

• salt & pepper

• sugar (honey, orange juice...anything - just enough to balance the acid)

• ??? (garlic, basil, shallots, ginger...anything)

twice as much oil than acid....add stuff, taste, add, taste.

Done.You can (and should) leave out the sugar. For instance, a quick homemade salad dressing is a 3:1 ratio of EVOO to red wine vinegar, with seasonings to taste.

This also makes a great steak marinade! Marinate some good ribeye (or your steak of choice) in this for 8 to 24 hours (make sure to add some minced garlic or garlic powder to the mixture), then put 'em on the grill. Periodically baste the steaks with the marinade while they're grilling. When the steaks are done, take the leftover marinade and heat it up on a stove till it starts bubbling, and you have a great sauce to put on the steaks (or salad) if you want. I've been eating steaks this way since I was a little kid.