I'll have my dressing on the side, please.
It’s a dieter’s mantra, our motto when we face the treacherous outside restaurant world. And, on the whole, it’s a pretty good rule of thumb to follow. Restaurant-style dressings and sauces can pack a serious caloric punch, causing you to chow down on extra calories without even realizing it.
Most typical restaurant-style salad dressings will cost you about 200 calories per serving – especially thicker sauces like Caesar, Ranch and Blue Cheese. But even the healthy-sounding vinaigrettes at many popular restaurant chains can be sneaky, packing in fat and sodium. Unless you’ve studied a menu before hand, you will have no idea what you're feeding your Badass.
For example, at Panera, the popular lunchtime café and sandwich chain, you might order a healthy salad with the “Herb Greek Vinagrette” salad dressing. Sounds pretty light and relatively healthy, right? Wrong. This innocent-sounding vinaigrette contains a whopping 220 calories and 24 grams of fat in a mere 1.5 oz serving (About 3 tablespoons)!
Many of the salad dressings, sauces and marinades we use at home aren’t much better. Take a look at the back of your trusty bottle of Ranch dressing and you’ll see many ingredients you don’t recognize, plus oodles of extra sugar and more calories than you need to be wasting on what is, essentially, a condiment.
It’s not just salad dressings that can catch us in a serious condiment calorie conundrum. Other sauces, spreads and dips can be diet traps as well. A quick swipe of mayonnaise could mean 100 calories and 9 grams of fat. That Honey Mustard sauce you love to dip your chicken in? It’s usually made with a sour cream or mayonnaise base – with artificial colors and flavors and added sugars to make it yummy.
What’s a Badass to do? … Make your own dressings!
When concocting your own salad or entrée, you can easily whip together your very own Badass dressing. Not only are they healthier, cheaper and tastier – they’re versatile and can be used on all sorts of meats, salads and vegetables.
I normally take a few minutes and make a small serving that is enough for the meal at hand. BUT, I also occasionally make enough for a week and store it in a glass jar in the refrigerator.
Are you confused? Wondering how in the world you can make your own dressing? Don’t be! No matter the homemade dressing, there are almost always a few basic elements:
- Acid: Red wine vinegar, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, orange juice, lime juice, etc.
- Oil: Think any healthy oil, such as extra virgin olive oil, grapeseed oil, etc.
- Seasonings: Salt and pepper are a must, plus fresh or dried herbs, garlic, wasabi, cumin, curry, you name it! This is where you make the dressing your own.
- Thickener (optional): Greek yogurt, feta cheese, pureed avocado, etc.
My “go-to” salad dressing is super easy to assemble, and I put it on nearly every salad I make at home – I love balsamic vinegar, and I’m never disappointed!
Badass Foodie Creamy Balsamic Dressing
Note: All measurements are VERY flexible – I usually experiment with a “dash of this, dash of that” so play a bit and figure out what you enjoy!
- 2 - 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 heaping spoonful of nonfat Greek Yogurt (for thickening and creaminess!)
- 1 pinch of salt and pepper
- ½ tsp of agave nectar (or a pinch of sugar)
- Fresh herbs – usually a bit of basil, cilantro or rosemary
Blend, and pour over your favorite salad or vegetable dish. Easy!
Hungry for more? Here’s a few other ideas:
Homemade “Honey” Mustard
- ¼ cup lowfat or nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon of paprika, garlic and cumin
- 1 teaspoon of agave nectar (natural sweetener – but honey could work, too!)
Blend and serve – this makes a thick, creamy honey mustard sauce – perfect for sandwiches, salads and chicken!
Cucumber Dill Dressing
- 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
- 3 tbsp fresh dill (chopped)
- 1 tsp agave nectar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ½ cup cucumber, peeled and seeded, then chopped into small chunks
- Salt and pepper to taste
Orange Citrus Vinaigrette
- 2/3 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp honey
Coming tomorrow: It's Friday! Stretch yourself to revive yourself!