Salad dressing help, my eyes are crossing

[Randi R]

I've been looking for a pretty decent non-vinagrette type salad dressing that's good (duh) and not full of a lot of full-fat mayo or blue cheese. I tried the search engine here but my eyes crossed. :(

I found one that was pretty good in a Canyon Ranch book that called for (all lo-and no-fat) buttermilk and mayo, rice vinegar and a lot of garlic and herbs, but I've been unsuccessful anywhere else...

Anybody have any favorites? As good as this one is, I'm getting pretty tired of it!!

[funniegrrl]

You can take any salad dressing recipe that uses mayonnaise and sub low-fat for regular. For example, I'm actually quite fond of the Hidden Valley Ranch mix made with a little more buttermilk and a little less mayo than called for, and using low-fat mayo.

I love Green Goddess -- very retro. Of course, you can use low-fat mayo and sour cream, and thin it out with a little water or milk or buttermilk to help it go further:

1 cup mayo
1 garlic clove
1 TBS fresh chives, chopped
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup fresh parsley leaves, loosely packed
1/3 cup sour cream
2 TBS tarragon vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Mix/puree it in a blender.

[VictoriaL]

I like the Penzey's creamy peppercorn dressing base and use it with lowfat mayo/ sour cream.

[Tizzylish]

I really like this dressing, but I don't use it on iceberg lettuce, I use it on hearts of romaine because that is what we prefer.

Hearts of Iceberg Lettuce with Ranch Dressing

The 'Berg's back! For a while it was almost embarrassing to even think of eating Iceberg lettuce?it was blacklisted as flavorless, colorless and watery. But Iceberg is an All-American favorite that doesn't deserve to be shelved. It's refreshing and crisp, and the 'rents are sure to love it because it's probably what they grew up on. And it's so simple! To serve, I just split a head of iceberg into wedges and top them with some homemade ranch dressing and fresh chopped chives. Nothing simpler. Nothing better.


1 small head iceberg lettuce
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, pressed through garlic press or finely minced
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped chives, plus more for garnish
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper



Peel off any wilted or discolored leaves from the outside of the lettuce. Trim the core even with the bottom of the lettuce and cut the lettuce into quarters through the core. If the quarters look too big for a single serving, either cut them in half or trim them to whatever size you feel is a good serving.

Combine the sour cream, yogurt, mayonnaise, garlic, vinegar, and chives in a bowl until well mixed. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

To serve, set the wedge of iceberg in the center of a salad plate, spoon the dressing over and dash it with a good pinch of chives.

Show: Good Deal with Dave Lieberman
Episode: Laid Back Mid-Week Dinner

[SaucyChef]

CL's Creamy Caesar Dressing is a standard in our house. I make it every other week or so. Here's the recipe:

Creamy Caesar Dressing
From Cooking Light

This recipe goes with Caesar Salad with Bagel Croutons

1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 garlic clove, minced

Combine all ingredients in a bowl; stir well with a whisk.

Yield: 1/2 cup (serving size: 1 tablespoon)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 26(62% from fat); FAT 1.8g (sat 0.2g,mono 1.3g,poly 0.2g); PROTEIN 0.8g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 22mg; SODIUM 124mg; FIBER 0.0g; IRON 0.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 1.6g

Cooking Light, JUNE 1996