Searching for new dressings and sauces for my diet.
By marguicha
@marguicha (223964)
Chile
June 3, 2011 6:13pm CST
Many of you know I´m dieting with the Mediterranean diet. This asks for lots of veggies (as most diets do) and nuts. Today I found a sauce to be used over salad greens or carrot sticks. I found it yummy and easy to make as all I have to do is put everything in the blender and let the machine do its job.
It has nuts (it says soaked cashew nuts, but I´ll use almonds as cashew nuts are too expensive in my country), water, lemon juice, a bit of curry powder, garlic, onion and salt. After it is blended, you add fresh minced dill, parsley and basil leaves. Sounds wonderful. Besides the kind of nuts, I will use dry dillistead of fresh as I don´t have fresh dill at this time of the year.
Do you notice that it doesn´t have oil at all? I think you can keep it in the fridge for some days if you don´t use it all the same day. I ask my daughter to give me those little jars of baby food to put small quantities of food, such as this dressing.
Do you use homemade diet dressings? Are they just italian dressings (olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper) or are you more sophisticated? Share!
1 person likes this
9 responses
@moonchild1au (6237)
• Australia
4 Jun 11
I am fortunate not to have to worry about dieting at this stage but I know it won't last forever if I don't eat healthily now...one of my favourite salad dressings is just plain old balsamic vinegar with some cruched garlic mixed in with it...it gives the salad a nice tang...another one I love is just using lemon juice...lemon juice is great on lettuce leaves...I am getting hungry just thinking about it. 
1 person likes this
@marguicha (223964)
• Chile
4 Jun 11
This is going to be my last comment until I eat a lucsious lettuce salad with som arugule and baby chard, all from my garden.
I´ll make a vinegar dressing with some dry oregano and parmesan cheese. YUMMY!!!
I´ll make a vinegar dressing with some dry oregano and parmesan cheese. YUMMY!!!
@hardworkinggurl (37063)
• United States
4 Jun 11
Hi marguicha 
I specifically create vinaigrette dressings, although I have not used the nuts that sounds good and fun. I will have to try that.
If I am in a hurry usually it is the Italian but I prefer all types of vinaigrette with raspberry too.
I specifically create vinaigrette dressings, although I have not used the nuts that sounds good and fun. I will have to try that.
If I am in a hurry usually it is the Italian but I prefer all types of vinaigrette with raspberry too. @marguicha (223964)
• Chile
4 Jun 11
This dressing looks creamy with the ground nuts. I bet it´s a wonder. I love to try out new things.
@allen0187 (58582)
• Philippines
5 Jun 11
that's a nice recipe you got there. if you don't mind, i do hope you can post most recipes here for salads and salad dressings/sauces.
i'm sticking to a lot of veggies myself and admittedly, having a dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar can be tiring for the palate.
i'll definitely try the one that you just posted here.
thanks for sharing!
@marguicha (223964)
• Chile
5 Jun 11
I am checking good dressinngs that are dietetic. I have other recipes that I have invented.
Have you tried light yogurt instead of mayo? A dressing with plain light yogurt, a bit of mustard, minced parsley, salt and pepper is very nice. If you want it with more flavour, put some vinegar over your veggies before and toss.
@vegegirl (828)
• Australia
3 Aug 11
Hi, your new recipe sounds like it is a "raw food" recipe, that is why it requires soaked nuts. There are many nice raw food recipes, if you do a search on it.
You can also use hummus (processed cooked, or sprouted chickpeas with lemon, tahini and garlic) or mix tahine with lime juice for a nice dipping sauce.
you can also blend fresh tomatoes with lemon juice, some sun-dried tomatoes and dates or agave nectar for a low fat dipping sauce.
@marguicha (223964)
• Chile
6 Aug 11
Thanks for the tips, but many of your ingredients for dippings are beyond my budget. Tahini, dates and sun dried tomatoes are very xpensive here. My only luxury as dressings go is olive oil. And I make them all myself: I dionñt like the bought ones and they, too, are expensive as they are mostly imported. But I´m not searching for dippping sauces, but for light dressings such as a vinagraitte and the like.
@bhanusb (5709)
• India
5 Jun 11
Hi marguicha, it sounds that your preparation will be wonderful. All the ingredients you use are testy. But we never mix basil leaves to make salad or other food items. We use basil leaves as medicine. The extract juice from basil leaves are very useful to cure cough and cold.
@marguicha (223964)
• Chile
5 Jun 11
I didn´t know that use of basil. But italian pesto is made mainly from basil and olive oil.
@fixerupper3530 (173)
• United States
4 Jun 11
I like the recipe that you mentioned. Here in the USA it seems that all of our dressings have Soybean oil which is not healthy in large amounts. I buy organic dessings that use grapeseed oil, or olive oil as the base.
@marguicha (223964)
• Chile
4 Jun 11
I prefer to make the dressing myself. There are lots of wonderful dressings you can make that are very unexpensive. When I have several visitors and need many dips, I make mayo with a blender (1 whole egg, oil, half a lemon, salt and pepper) and use it as a base for different dips.
@marguicha (223964)
• Chile
4 Jun 11
There is food more fattening than others, jak. I´m trying to eat more salads and soups to fill my stomach.
@d4nk1337sauce (44)
• Canada
4 Jun 11
id say just dont over do it. dont eat fast food. if your healthy enough i wouldn't even need to call it a diet just eating habits and you'll still look great.
@marguicha (223964)
• Chile
4 Jun 11
My weight was fine for 60 years until I quit smoking. The first month I ate more sweets than I had ever eaten in the rest of my life. I put on 20 pounds and I have not been able to slim down as metabolism is slower when you get older. So it is a reasonable diet for me now. I have shed around 3 pound in a month and a half, withount having to go hungry.
