My husband and I have been trying to shed a few pounds, and I have to laugh when he tells me he had the salad bar for lunch. He thinks he’s eating healthy, but he doesn’t realize that some salad dressings contain more fat and calories than a lean sandwhich would!
So what’s the solution to tasty salads? For years we as consumers saw an influx of fat free salad dressings, but in my opinion they were horrible. When you remove all the fat from the ingredients, you are taking away a good portion of the flavor. Kraft has come up with a solution, and now provides healthy yet tasty dressings in their line of Light Done Right salad dressings. My favorite is Raspberry Vinaigrette, and it is a staple in our household.
Nutrition Facts (Per 2 tablespoon serving)
Calories: 60
Fat calories: 35
Total fat: 4g
Saturated and trans fat: 0g
Polyunsaturated fat: 1.5g
Monounsaturated fat: 1.5g
Sodium: 270mg
Total carbs: 5g
Fiber: 0g
Sugars: 5g
Protein: 0g
Cholesterol: 0%
Ingredients
Water, sugar, vegetable oil, extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, red raspberry juice concentrate, lemon juice concentrate, xanthan gum, dried onions, spice, citric acid, potassium sorbate and calcium disodium EDTA as preservatives, poppy seeds, natural and artificial flavor, oleoresin paprika.
Taste
Two tablespoons doesn’t sound like a lot of dressing for an entire serving of salad, but this Raspberry Vinaigrette is very thinned down, almost the consistency of water, and it blends easily into the entire salad. The top has a plastic cover with a small hole, so it’s easy to squeeze out only a small portion.
My other favorite dressing is Hidden Valley Ranch, but it contains 140 calories per serving! When I use Kraft Light Done Right, I’m cutting my calories by more than half and the product still manages to retain a wonderful flavor. Ditto for the fat grams, this only has 4 grams compared to 14 in regular ranch.
Kraft calls this dressing a sensible solution and I have to agree whole heartedly. When we have company for dinner, 75% of the time our guests will choose the Raspberry Vinaigrette over ranch or other dressings.
It’s well known that olive oil is one of the good oils, it’s a heart healthy oil. A friend of mine consumes it each day in his breakfast health drink, and he has lowered his cholesterol by 30 points in 2 months. His Dr was astounded. Personally, I don’t care much for the taste of olive oil, but the flavor blends in nicely with the rest of the ingredients so that the olive oil taste is not overpowering.
Another way I use this dressing is as a marinade on foods. I love to cut up slices of zucchini or cucumber and let them marinate for a few hours. It makes a nice light snack. Kraft also has some good recipes on their website, all using the Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing.
The 16 ounce bottle holds 16 servings, and usually costs around $2.40 at my local grocer. It goes on sale quite often, and that’s when I stock up. I used to be a ranch dressing person, while my husband’s former favorite was bleu cheese. We have both switched to Kraft Light Done Right Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing, and we do not feel deprived. This does NOT taste like a diet dressing. It is full of a raspberry and vinegar flavor, a bit tart and a bit sweet. It’s a real hit with our family!
