Friday, April 21, 2006

Fat & Sugar Free Salad Dressings

My lunch today was
A SALAD WITH SLICED SEITAN ROAST and popcorn...
The meal pictured here is leftover thinly sliced seitan roast (on the side and on the salad), romaine lettuce and purple cabbage, with a bowl of popcorn (a food of the "gods"). The cup is actually a part if my magic blender and it has fat free balsamic vinagrette. I could add oil, but choose not to ... I prefer to get my fats by eating some good organic dark chocolate at the end of my meal! I have four favorite salad dressings: Balsamic Vinagrette, Sweet Mustard, sweet/sour mayo and a tomato based french style dressing. I sweeten with stevia and thicken my dressing with xanthan gum (a modified carbohydrate) or instant clear-jel (a modified corn starch) so that they stick. I like xanthan gum better and keep it on hand for gluten free baking also.

BALSAMIC VINAGRETTE
Clink to link to the recipe page.

SWEET MUSTARD DRESSING
Use equal amounts of mustard, mayo and water or vinegar. Sweeten to preference with stevia. Depending in the thickness of the mustard, you may need a little extra liquid. The mustard I use is thick and tangy. I combine this with a small hand whisk.

TANGY TOMATO DRESSING (my french style preference)
Place all in blender 3-4 minutes until thickened, this recipe makes 4 cups dressing.
6 oz tomato paste
2 C water
1 C apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce or liquid aminos
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp allspice ground
2 Tbsp honey
1/3 - 1/2 KAL brand stevia extract powder (depending on your sweetness preference)
1/2 Tbsp Clear-Jel OR 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
NOTES:
** To use with a mexican salad add 1/2 Tbsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp cilantros, 1/2 tsp oregano per 1 C dressing
**Use as a sweet and sour dressing, use larger amount of sweetener

SWEET/ SOUR MAYO DRESSING
I like this best on broccoli salad, shredded carrot salad, and cole slaw. Just whisk it smooth and use.
1/2 C favorite lite mayo
2-3 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/4 tsp KAL brand stevia extract powder

I usually make my own mayo and use the following recipe often, it comes from the Vegan Feast free recipe archives at:
http://www.bryannaclarkgrogan.com/page/page/661699.htm
Otherwise I bought the light vegan mayo pictured on sale, which is a little higher in fat, but also good.
BRYANNA’S DELICIOUS LOW-FAT VEGGIENNAISE
(can be soy-free) makes about 2 generous cups
This is a revised version of the recipe that appears in several of my cookbooks. For those who are allergic to soy, do not like tofu mayonnaise, or the commercial "light" mayos (most are not vegan, anyway), here is a delicious (and inexpensive) solution! It contains a small amount of oil, just enough for good flavor, and has only about 10 calories per T. (compared to 100 calories for regular mayo!). It’s smooth and creamy, and a little tangy, but not too much.
1/2 c. plus 2 T. cold water
1/2 tsp. agar powder OR 1 T. agar flakes
3 and 1/2 T. cornstarch (or wheat starch-- do not use tapioca, or arrowroot-- I tried these and it was terrible!))
1 c. any non-dairy milk (can be low-fat)
2 T. apple cider, plain rice vinegar, or white wine vinegar, or lemon juice
1 and 1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. dry mustard
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
In a small saucepan or microwave-proof bowl, mix together the water and the agar and let sit for a few minutes. Add the cornstarch and whisk well. If making in the pot on the stovetop, stir constantly over high heat until thick and translucent-- not white— OR:

Microwave option: Use the microwave-proof bowl for the mixture, and microwave on HI 30 seconds. Whisk. Repeat three times, or until thick and translucent.

Place the cornstarch mixture and all other ingredients EXCEPT the oil in a blender or food processor. Blend well, then add the oil slowly through the top while the machine is running. Blend until the mixture is very white and frothy and emulsified (you can't see any oil globules). (NOTE: This mayo doesn’t get thick as you blend it, like regular mayonnaise or soy mayonnaise made with lots of oil, so don’t blend it and blend it, thinking it will thicken as it blends—it won’t!! It will thicken in a few hours in the refrigerator.) Pour into a clean pint jar, cover and refrigerate. Keeps several weeks.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ooooo thanks for the recipes. I am always looking for a good salad dressing. I think the Tangy Tomato Dressing would be something my husband would enjoy. As always, everything looks great. :)

PS. I had a Magic Bullet last year. I used it for smoothies. One day for some unknown reason, the smoothie leaked out and down into the motor. I couldn't get it to work after that. Bummer, it was handy.

Amy O'Neill Houck said...

Mmmmm.. yummy, thanks for the recipe!

Vicki's Vegan Vice said...

yeahh! dressing recipes. the sweet & sour sounds terrific. don't think i've heard of stevia extract powder??? have a wonderful weekend, dori!

Eat Peace Please said...

I am going to email you Dori... just when I have time to dedicate and not just a short note like this. I did want to let you know I got your comment but didn't publish it because I didn't know if you wanted the whole world looking at your email address. So, just a heads-up that you'll be hearing from me soon.

Dori said...

Michelle, I have taken the tangy tomato recipe to church potlucks and served it to guests who are used to commercially prepared dressings. It has always been well liked. My tastes tend to run on the sweeter side, so I use the larger stevia amount.

Vicki - Here's a link showing the stevia I use. Different brands taste differently and the amount to use varies with each brand. With the KAL brand I use 1 tsp powder per 1 cup sweetening replacement. You can add sugar or preferred sweetener lad youto suit your tastes instead of KAL brand stevia powder.
http://vitanetonline.com/description/10412/vitamins/Pure-Stevia-Extract-Powder/

Hi Amy!

Leslie, I'll be checking my mailbox soon. Thanks for not publishing my e-mail.

Anonymous said...

I have just recently gotten into making my own salad dressings so I'm excited about your Tangy Tomato Dressing! However, I prefer using sugar (turbinado) over stevia. Do you have any idea how much sugar to use instead of stevia in this recipe? THANKS.

Dori said...

Starla, As a general guideline I sub 1 tsp of KAL stevia extract powder for 1 Cup of sugar sweetening taste. (1/2 tsp stevia = 1/2 cup sugar ,etc)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing.

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