Consorzio Mango Fat-Free Dressing: A Review

Many of my favorite foods and dishes are vegetables or vegetable-based. From my grandmother's amazing cabbage salad to one of my own speciality dishes, spaghetti squash lasagna, I love fruits and vegetables. Packed with vitamins and fiber while remaining low in calories and fat, fresh produce is just as healthy as it is delicious.

Douse an otherwise crisp and healthful salad with a cup of bleu cheese dressing, though, or perhaps some creamy tahini, and suddenly what began as a light meal is laden with extra calories and saturated fats. As much as I enjoy indulging in these heavy dressings -- I find a drizzling of bleu cheese over a Cobb salad inspired -- I also like to explore using lighter salad dressings that are low in unhealthy fats. All too often, however, "low-fat" and "fat-free" turn out to be synonymous with "tasteless" and "unremarkable." Delicious salad dressings that are low in fat do exist, and I take a look at the Consorzio Mango Fat-Free Dressing to decide where this particular sauce stands.

The Consorzio dressing line is, as I was surprised to discover, a division of Annie's Naturals, a natural foods business specializing in organic and all-natural sauces, oils, marinades, and dressings. Co-owned by creator Annie Christopher and based in Vermont with nationwide distribution, some of Annie's Naturals' most loved products include the first-ever Raspberry Vinaigrette and the famed Organic Goddess Dressing. Annie's Naturals is a known and trusted brand in both natural food and general grocery stores alike.

That explains why I felt rather shocked that the Consorzio dressings do not advertise a connection to a powerhouse name like Annie's. Although the idea of a mango salad dressing paired with the pleasing bottle and label design alone were enough to capture my attention as a consumer, the flashing of a connection to Annie's Naturals would certainly have bolstered my confidence in the product. The link with Annie's, however, did not excite me as much as the delightful possibilities in marinating and salad-making that mango dressing seemed to offer. Spied at a local Safeway supermarket, the synthesis of mango and salad greens in a fat-free form seemed an infallible invention. I purchased a 12 ounce bottle and stirred it into that night's dinner side salad.

The Consorzio dressing tastes very sweet. Consisting a puree of mangoes and champagne vinegar, I had expected this. What I did not expect was just how sweet -- the salad dressing was so sugary that it burned my throat and tongue after a few bites of salad. I would advise any partaker of this sauce to use it sparingly.

That is easier said than done, however. In its clear glass bottle, the dressing is a soft yellow-orange color, just the pigment of any good, ripened mango. Drizzled over lettuce and other vegetables, the hue becomes so light that it is difficult to see well. As a result, I had difficulty knowing just how much dressing I poured over my salad, leading to a dish over-saturated with salad dressing.

To make this dressing a little more palatable and to give it some of the bite I had thought it would already possess, I mixed the Consorzio Mango with some balsamic vinegar. The result was more savory as opposed to blatantly sugary. Based on my experience with this Consorzio salad dressing, I predict that a mango vinaigrette would make a fantastic salad topper.

Made with all natural ingredients, the Consorzio dressing is very healthy. Free of fats, saturated or otherwise, this salad dressing is free of cholesterol, low in sodium, and has three grams of sugar. Each serving of one Tablespoon totals 15 calories. In terms of monetary cost, the salad dressing is much more pricey, totaling $4.50 for a single 12 ounce bottle, or $24.00 for the purchase of a case of six bottles. Given the unspectacular taste of the Consorizo dressing, I do not feel that this expensive product makes a worthwhile purchase.

Consorzio Mango Fat-Free Dressing simply does not make the cut as is. It may make a wonderful marinade for chicken or as a caramelizing agent for sweet steamed carrots. As a salad dressing, however, this product does not live up to the high quality that customers have come to expect from Annie's Naturals. Until Annie tries for another mango-based salad dressing, I advise fellow veggie lovers to stick with her Raspberry Vinaigrette, which is low in fat and sodium, or Gingerly Vinaigrette Low-Fat Dressing. Consorzio Mango Fat-Free Dressing just does not hit the spot in salads.