Good salad dressing with spinach?

[jencanteven]

Hello all!

I've been making sprouted bread sandwiches with spinach and protein (applegate turkey, grilled chicken, etc) to get some spinach in my diet.  I'd like to try a salad but I'm not sure what type of dressing I could buy would go well with the spinach AND be relatively healthy.  I usually do the "fork trick" where I dip my fork  in the dressing and then eat the salad so I don't mind if the recommendations are kind of high in calories.  I'm pretty picky with dressings but I usually like casear (creamy or vinagrette), some ranches (but every "organic" one I've tried thusfar I've disliked!), and sesame ginger.  

Any and all suggestions are welcome!  Thanks everyone! 🙂

[Odyssey13]

@jencanteven  Spinach, for me, needs a light vinegrette dressing. I like a flavorful raspberry one and sometimes use Newman's Italian.

You can also steam the spinach and put raspberries or strawberries on it and forego the dressing. If you want, add some feta cheese.

Have you tried any kale? It's getting a lot of attention in the news for being a superfood.

Welcome to the forums.

[jencanteven]

@Odyssey13 I love the berries and feta idea!  I usually don't like spinach cooked but that sounds right up my alley!  

Regarding kale:  I have tried it in chip form (both homemade a storebought, guess which one I liked better haha).  I've also had it in juices which I love but I don't have a juicer at home so that could get pricey.  I would like to try it in a salad but I'm kind of scared I won't like it haha I'll have to be brave one day and just do it!

Thanks for the welcome! 🙂

[Odyssey13]

@jencanteven  For the kale, you can also steam it, so it's not as hard. Try mixing a bit of it in a salad with some spinach.

One of the best pizzas I've had was a thin crust with spinach and feta cheese. When I fix that salad, it's almost as good as the pizza without the crust.

Years ago, my aunt made a hot bacon dressing to go over spinach, which wilted it. I'm not sure that it's somethng I'd want to have now, since the main ingredient is bacon drippings (grease) but it was flavorful.

[carl669]

we've done raw kale in a salad and it's great.  you just need to make sure you julienne it into very thin strips.

we also make a simple homemade kale chips that i love. (the store bought ones are horrible to me).  pretty simple prep as well:

heat oven to 375

cut center rib out of kale.  cut the pieces into approximately 2"x3" strips.  line cookie sheet with foil.  spray foil with olive oil.  place kale pieces on foil and rub them in a little (to coat the bottom with oil).  spray the top of the kale with oil as well.  sprinkle with salt.  bake in oven for 8-10 minutes (or until you get the crispiness you want).  eat entire bunches of kale in one fell swoop.  (seriously...this happens)

note: drizzling oil on the kale has never worked for us - the chips never got crisp.  i highly, highly, highly recommend you use something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Misto-Brushed-Aluminum-Olive-Sprayer/dp/B00004SPZV.  it's cheap and has a ton of uses.

[janicekay63]

I love to make a spinach salad using sliced strawberries, thinly sliced red onions and Balsamic vinegar! You can also add almond slivers or walnuts. You can mix the vinegar with a little sugar if you want to.

[Mel2]

I love spinach salad with chickpeas and walnuts. Chuck them all together and whisk some lemon juice with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. really tasty! 

[KC12]

I like my dressings to have a good amount of acid in them. A squeeze of lemon juice with a pinch of salt and a bit of pepper works. Vinegar (I like apple cider or red wine) with dijon mustard and some seasonings also tastes pretty good in my book. Though I always have other things in my spinach salads. I don't think I could eat just spinach and dressing.

Also, if you are eating a sald, try to make sure there is some fat in the meal so that you can absorb the vitamins and minerals. It can come from the dressing, but there are other salad toppings (nuts, seeds, avocado) that also have fat if you want to keep the dressing low calorie.

[SilviaFitbit]

Great ideas everybody! Now I have a lot to do on the weekend, I actually love to cook new receipts and try them out, I don't usually use spinach in my receipts but it's nice to do some different 

[HelenaFitbit]

My favorite dressings are: 

Balsamic vinegar + olive oil + s/p + basil bits + mashed onion (1tsp) + mashed garlic (1/2 tsp) + chunks of tomato.

Chimichurry sauce blended with cream cheese or greek yogurt. 

Balsamic vinegar + olive oil + mashed garlic + basil bits +  blueberries (frozen, dump them in the bowl and let them thaw, their juice will blend with the rest). 

[13]

I use olive oil, fresh squeezed garlic, fresh lemon juice, salt and peper. I do not like store bough dressings but, i really love this dressing. I put all of the ingrediants in a dressing bottle and shake it. It stays good for about a week.

[kawaiiko]

I bring a salad for lunch to work everyday.  I usually put in kale, romaine, radishes, shredded carrots, english cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, red cabbage and Sometimes feta.  I make my own dressing too.  I don't really like the store bought ones b/c they add preservatives, which make me bloated or give me hives (as I have lots of herbal allergies).  

I use a red vinegrette dressing.  I use this recipe here.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/absolutely-fabulous-greekhouse-dressing/

[scoobie57]

I take a salad for lunch each day and make my own dressing.  Nothing fancy, but take olive oil, lemon juice, sirachi sauce and a splash of vinegar,  It's got a bite with the sirachi but I like it instead of the sweetened up one's you buy in the store.

[TMcD]

The FoodNetwork website as a nice lime vingeratte salad dressing that I use on spinach salads

[sk_0615]

I like a lot of the Annie's Organic salad dressings, my favorite is the lite raspberry vinaigrette. I would normally have a spinach salad with some chopped almonds and craisins, or strawberries and goat cheese! 

[Caity]

My all-time favorite salad is super simple just spinach with salsa and a couple of crushed tortilla chips. I sometimes eat it just with those ingredients or add other veggies and maybe a little cheese.

[EricJRW]

A warm bacon dressing can't be beat. <recipe>

[SunsetRunner]

Marzettis makes a really good roasted garlic italian. I topped spinach with hardboiled egg, shredded cheese, deli turkey and cherry tomatoes. Delish! Also it spinach is good for greek dressings too.

[KSUmom]

I love love love OPA by Litehouse ranch dressing and it is so good on spinach. It's a yogurt type dressing. Lower in sugars and calories

[Gigi63]

I like Kuhne Yogurt dressing with herbs. You can get it. At a store called,"Fresh Market". Otherwise you can order from a company online. www.foodservicedirect.com. Search yogurt dressing. They also have one that has yogurt with dill. Both are good. 2 Tbsp, for 45 calories and I measure it.