I am adding an intro paragraph to this post that I didn’t plan. I started writing it late December, hoping to post on January 1st for New Year’s resolution crowd but life got in the way….my job was super busy and we lost half our staff in a week! So then, I guess it is appropriate that I post ‘quick salad hacks: dressing edition’ geared towards the busy individual a few days late….because I was busy! I did utilize one of my own shortcuts during my busy time and it did prevent me from munching on extra calories during a time period where I didn’t have the energy to concentrate on me! So….now….on to the what I had planned the post to be…
Picture it…Sicily 1904
No…
Nope…
That can’t be right
Picture it…Cleveland…maybe 2013. My workplace was having weight loss challenge to start the new year. What that meant was the usually ignored, and recycled, salad bar in our employee cafeteria would see new customers. It also meant that Cleveland’s favorite condiment of ranch would be in high demand.
Well, I had been right and my workplace ended up not having enough ranch for both the restaurant and the employee cafeteria. I had made the decision to save what we had for the restaurant, since people were paying about $14 a salad after all, compared to the free lunch we were given at the job. Well, I had been on my break when a member of our housekeeping team complained to the GM that there was no ranch and she was trying to lose weight. The GM questioned me about it and I told him ‘supplies were limited’ which, since he was a ‘health nut’ did not like this answer and next thing I knew our remaining ranch was available to staff. I proceeded to watch the housekeeper drown her salad in ranch, cheese, and deli meats all while pushing aside the vegetables to get to those items…eventually tossing a plate of lettuce and tomatoes.
Well, Ma…get to the point.
The point is….salads are only as healthy as the components that make them.
Too many times we eat or order salads that have fried chicken, too many unhealthy toppings, or unhealthy dressings drenching out the nutritiousness.
So I am here to share 3 simple changes I have made to dressing a salad to cut back in calories and fat. Well…three at home changes and one professional kitchen insider advice!
I will start with the professional kitchen perspective. Most health experts advice I have read, will tell you to get the dressing on the side because you can monitor your own dressing amounts. As someone who works in a kitchen my advice is to ask for less dressing. Dressing on the side ends up being more in volume and leaves one less satisfied because you are pouring on top whereas a salad tossed in dressing uses less overall….so if you want to cut out calories on salads while dining out just tell the server to special prep less! You will still get a flavorful salad but not as calorie heavy as normal.
But now…on to the three dressing changes!!!
1. Substitute Greek Yogurt for Creamy Dressings! Low fat Greek Yogurt is protein rich leading to a sense of fullness. When I am looking for a quick, low maintenance dressing or dipping sauce for my salad or veggies I turn to Greek yogurt+pre-mixed packets. Ranch…creamy Italian….or another seasoning blend….it can be made quickly and easily and without guilt. The packet includes instructions of 1 cup of mayonnaise and 1 cup of milk….but I have found Greek Yogurt and water will create a consistency I like!
Option number two: making a fruit vinagrette with jelly/jam. I love using jelly/jam as a vinaigrette base…especially in tossed salads. It is so simple to create from pantry items and adds a unique flavor. I am guilty of buying novelty jams at country stores or farmers markets that don’t sound too appealing on toast….or rather I am not a fan of jam on toast. So I use these purchases as a dressing base. Simply place a small scoop of desired jam in a bowl and whisk in some complimentary vinegar. ‘I don’t cook…so what is complimentary vinegar’ you say?!?!….well for darker fruits like cherry, blackberry, etc use red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar. Lighter fruits like peach, apple, or orange marmalade, etc use white wine vinegar or white balsamic. But always create to your taste! Play around! It may take a couple of tries! Most vinagrettes use a lot of oil…so by combining in a bowl before tossing you can monitor how much oil goes in! Monitoring oil is great for calorie counting programs because oil is a big source of added calories in salads.
This is a good way to use up novelty jams that you may buy in the spur of the moment. I used Satsuma Pepper Jelly….whereas it sounded delicious at the farmers market…it doesn’t compel me to spread on toast. Mixed with vinegar, a little oil, salt and pepper however and it makes a pleasant dressing to a spring mix or spinach based salad.
Finally, number 3, is an almost calorie free option and kinda my favorite. It is simple yet tasty. I will throw a peace of citrus on the grill and use only that as my dressing! Grilling citrus changes the flavor of the fruit…it makes it sweeter and adds a bit of smokiness. It also makes it a lot juicier so a half a lemon/lime/orange etc goes a long way. I usually squeeze it on my greens with a little bit of salt to toss and enjoy.
So there you have my hastily written salad hacks for a busy life! For when we want to make health changes but life gets in the way!
Let's Twist This! 