Homemade Light Southwest Salad Dressing

Ok, if you have been reading this blog much at all (or stalking looking at my MFP food logs) you should know by now that I LOVE mexican food.  One of my favorite salads is a good southwest chicken salad.  

I was looking for a good light southwest dressing to use to make an at home version and wasn't having any luck.  So I started googling/pinteresting recipes and I came up with one that is just the BOMB!!!!!  This stuff is sooooooooo good that I definitely look forward to eating a salad for lunch!!!  And super simple....it doesn't get much better than that!

1/2 cup light mayo
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1 package taco seasoning
1 package ranch dressing
add water to achieve desired consistency (I use 1/4-1/2 cup or so??)

I personally measure it and put it into snack size ziploc baggies.  Then I cut the corner off with scissors when ready to serve and squeeze it onto my salad like a dressing pack from a restaurant.  It makes it super easy to pack lunches that way.  And I had great luck with the shelf life that way.

In my salad:
Romaine lettuce blend
Spinach leaves
1/2 avacado
1 serving grilled chicken (I buy fajita chicken strips from Sam's to use when I don't have any grilled breasts on hand)
black beans
tomato (if I have it)
red onion
corn if I want extra calories/filler (but usually make without)
tortilla strips (if I have extra calories to spare - this is a treat)

I hope you enjoy as much as I do!  Let me know what you think!

Did you like this post?  

• Leave a comment!  Who doesn't like to get a little page love! :o)
• Sign up to receive new posts via email....simply put your email in the white box at the top of the page.    Then you don't have to remember to keep coming back to check for new posts!
• Share the blog link with your facebook friends!
• Pin a link on Pinterest...and don't forget to follow me!
• Like my "Losing It" facebook page (I am posting at least once a day here!) -  https://www.facebook.com/losingit2012

Ranch dressing - the true test

I recently saw a recipe posted on Pinterest claiming to make Ranch dressing that tasted just like the full cal version with only 55 calories for a 1/4 cup serving.....really??  Anyone that knows me knows what a Ranch connoisseur I am.  That is one of the few things that I will sacrifice my weight watchers points for the full calorie version.  But a sacrifice it is.  Did you know that the full buttermilk version has 110 cal and 17% of daily intake of fat for a 2T serving size (it didn't list the grams for the prepared)?  And the low fat version still has 70 calories and 5g of fat, again for only 2T.  I don't know about you, but 2T of ranch just isn't enough for me!!!

But the low fat/low cal versions just don't taste the same.  I have tried and tried but just can't bring myself to lose the flavor to save the points.  Fortunately I have discovered Raspberry vinaigrette so I am not eating ranch as much as I once was, but I still like a good ranch salad.  And especially with summer coming up, I am sure I will be eating even more salads.

So I decided to give it a try.  I mean really, what did I have to lose? Worst case I wasted the ingredients and pour then entire thing down the drain.

So I got the ingredients at the store and tried it out last night.  I have to say I was pleasantly surprised!  It was good, especially for so few calories/points.  I actually thought it was too rich.  So I will list the recipe I used and the modifications that I plan to try the next time.

Protein Ranch dressing
1 cup cottage cheese - (I used 1/2 cup low fat and 1/2 cup fat free)
3-4 tsp Buttermilk Ranch seasoning - for me, the whole packet appeared to be 3 tsp.
1/4 cup water (can use milk, but will add calories) - I just used water.  Add more liquid if the consistency is too thick for your taste.

Add ingredients to blender and blend until smooth (about 3 minutes).

This was only 4 WWpp for THE ENTIRE RECIPE!  You can get 4-6 servings from it.  That is less than 1 point per serving!!!!!!!!

I thought it was a little too rich.  I think next time I will try adding more cottage cheese - since the recipe on the packet calls for 1 cup mayo and 1 cup buttermilk, I will try to increase the cottage cheese by 1/2 and depending on how that turns out, I may even increase another 1/2 cup to 2 cups total to see if it evens out the ranch flavor.

So if you are a ranch lover like me, give this recipe a try!  Save your points for dessert!  :-D

Raspberry vinaigrette chicken salad

Lunch today reminded me that it's time to start adding some recipes on here.

I think this has to be my favorite salad right now.  Not really a recipe, but thought I would share.

Salad greens
Grilled chicken breast, cut
Kraft light Raspberry Vinaigrette salad dressing
Salad Pizazz Raspberry Cranberry Walnut Frisco salad topping (I found in the produce section at Wal-Mart)

YUM!

Tip:  I put my salad in an oversized container with a lid.  Then shake to make sure the dressing coats all of the lettuce.  It's not pretty but it's practical.  :-)

Sorry for terrible quality photos.  These were quick and dirty with my cell phone.