Great-Tasting & Guilt-Free? Salad Dressing Taste Test
From spray bottles to multipurpose marinades to the not-so-obvious dressing swaps, Hungry Girl has got you covered when it comes to dressing up your food the guilt-free way...
Litehouse Tangy Orange Citrus Dressing, Sauce & Marinade
PER SERVING (2 tbsp.): 50 calories, 0g fat, 190mg sodium, 13g carbs, 0g fiber, 12g sugars, 0g protein
What Is It? Three products in one versatile bottle -- amazing! Look for it in the fridge section at the supermarket.
Why We Love It... A bit fruity and a little tangy, this stuff is great for salads, slaws, grilled chicken, fish... just about anything. It's THICK, so if you want it to have a more dressing-like consistency, just add a little water. P.S. We're also huge fans of Litehouse's Thai Peanut variety.
Newman's Own Lighten Up! Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing
PER SERVING (2 tbsp.): 35 calories, 1.5g fat, 390mg sodium, 5g carbs, 0g fiber, 4g sugars, 0g protein
What Is It? This dressing is a way better choice than its cousin, Newman's Own Orange Ginger Dressing, and it has just one-third the fat and about half the calories.
Why We Love It... We love to toss this sweet dressing with some crunchy broccoli cole slaw, leave it in the fridge to marinate, and then EAT IT! A totally guilt-free, Asian-inspired side dish or snack.
Wish-Bone Light Blue Cheese Dressing
PER SERVING (2 tbsp.): 40 calories, 2g fat, 310mg sodium, 6g carbs, 0g fiber, 2g sugars,
What Is It? A creamy, light dressing... Sounds like an oxymoron, right? But this is for real, and it's super-delicious.
Why We Love It... Perfect for a guilt-free wedge salad (so retro!). Most fat-free versions of blue cheese dressing don't taste that great, and many "light" ones are still pretty high in fat, with about 7 grams per serving. So this one's a winner!
Ken's Steak House Lite Accents Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
PER SERVING (10 sprays): 15 calories, 0.5g fat, 95mg sodium, 2g carbs, 0g fiber, 2g sugars, 0g protein
What Is It? A sprayable salad dressing with around 1 calorie per spritz.
Why We Love It... This dressing is sweet and tangy, with a perfect honey-mustard kick. And we love spray dressings so much that we've been known to sneak a bottle or two into restaurants. Shhhhh...
Wish-Bone Salad Spritzers Ranch Vinaigrette Dressing
PER SERVING (10 sprays): 15 calories, 1g fat, 70mg sodium,
What Is It? A little competition is healthy, and Wish-Bone's line of sprayable dressings actually came before the versions from Ken's, but we're fans of 'em both!
Why We Love It... Even if you're not a huge salad fan, there's just something fun about spritzing your leaves. And this particular dressing flavor rocks hard!
Maple Grove Farms of Vermont Fat Free Cranberry Balsamic Dressing
PER SERVING (2 tbsp.): 30 calories, 0g fat, 180mg sodium, 7g carbs, 0g fiber, 6g sugars, 0g protein
What Is It? All of the cranberry-sauce flavor without the crazy calories. (Did you know 1/4 cup canned cranberry sauce has more than 100 calories?!)
Why We Love It... This sweet stuff is like Thanksgiving year-round. Pour it on salads, turkey, veggies, and more.
HG's Dressing DOs and DON'Ts:
- Dip, don't pour. Sure, you made a good decision by ordering the dressing on the side at the restaurant, but did you know that the dressing sometimes has more calories than the entire salad?! So if you don't know the nutritional stats, your safest bet is to dip your fork lightly in the dressing before you bite into those greens as opposed to just pouring it on top.
- A little olive oil and balsamic vinegar go a long way.
- Don't confuse balsamic vinaigrette with balsamic vinegar. Straight-up balsamic vinegar typically has very few calories (10 - 20 per tablespoon) and no fat. Balsamic vinaigrette or dressing, on the other hand, often contains fat and a LOT more calories, since it's usually made with some type of oil and other high-calorie ingredients (like sugar, mayo, honey, etc.).
- Salsa and BBQ sauce are great dressing swaps -- although you probably wouldn't want to use them at the same time.
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