Homemade Fat-Free Salad Dressings

Salads are a mainstay of dieting and fat-free dressings are the perfect choice. With a few pantry staples, it's possible to make your own homemade fat-free salad dressings and save money while watching your weight.

Plain, fat-free yogurt is the perfect base for creating homemade salad dressings. For a thicker, creamier consistency, the yogurt should be drained in either cheesecloth hung over a bowl or in a strainer. Strain for at least two hours to remove as much liquid as possible and keep the yogurt in the refrigerator during the straining period.

Honey is a great sweetener for yogurt-based salad dressings and you should always look for locally-produced honey. Check your nearest farmers market or community market for local honey.

I have two yogurt-based fat-free salad dressing recipes that even my "don't care about calories" man enjoys.

Fat-Free Honey & Dill Salad Dressing
1 six-ounce container fat-free, plain yogurt, well-drained
1 tablespoon light honey (or to taste)
2 teaspoons dried dill weed
Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well-mixed. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving to allow the flavors to meld. This recipe makes approximately three-fourths of a cup of dressing and it keeps well in the refrigerator for one week.

Fat-Free Creamy Italian Salad Dressing
1 six-ounce container fat-free, plain yogurt, well-drained
1 tablespoon light honey
1 tablespoon vinegar, any flavor (red wine, balsamic, rice, tarragon)
One-half teaspoon EACH granulated garlic, granulated onion, dried parsley and ground black pepper
One-fourth teaspoon EACH dried basil, dried oregano, dried thyme and celery salt

To create approximately one cup of fat-free salad dressing, combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well. This dressing will keep for up to one week when refrigerated.

Another popular salad dressing is Honey Mustard - and the ingredients are all fat-free!
4 tablespoons light honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon rice vinegar (or other light vinegar)

Whisk all ingredients together and let rest for about one hour before serving. This dressing, like the others, keeps well in the refrigerator for up to one week.

In my article Simple Summer Farmers Market Dinner, I wrote about the easiest fat-free salad dressing ever to cross my lips. Following an overheard conversation at the farmers market, I whisked together the juice of one-half of a lemon and one-fourth of a cup of local honey. We like black pepper and I added a few grinds to the dressing.