Great organic salad dressings: we found six flavorful choices for a better-dressed salad - Cooking And Nutrition Tips

TENDER GREENS, JUICY TOMATOES, CRUNCHY CARROTS, crisp cucumbers -- your fresh salad deserves a superb organic dressing. To help you find one, we gathered 30 bottles of salad dressing in several flavors, chopped some organic lettuce, and invited the Natural Health staff to taste and tell. Here, in alphabetical order, are our six top choices:

BRAND                     NUTRIENT INFO *

New Organics Italian      50 calories, 4.5 g fat, 260 mg
Roasted Garlic Dressing   sodium

Seeds of Change Roasted   60 calories, 3 g fat, 0 g
Red Pepper Vinaigrette    saturated fat, 290 mg sodium

Walden Farms Organics     110 calories, 10 g fat, 2 g
Bleu Cheese Dressing      saturated fat, 250 mg sodium

Walden Farms Organics     120 calories, 11 g fat, 1.5 g
Caesar Dressing           saturated fat, 190 mg sodium

Whole Foods Honey         90 calories, 8 g fat, 1 g
Mustard Dressing          saturated fat, 200 mg sodium

Whole Foods               100 calories, 12 g fat, 1 g
Italian Vinaigrette       saturated fat, 210 mg sodium

BRAND                     COMMENTS

New Organics Italian      This brand won for its nicely balanced,
Roasted Garlic Dressing   slightly sweet, and mellow garlic flavor.
                          Tasters thought it had the ideal consistency.

Seeds of Change Roasted   This dressing rated a perfect 10 from some
Red Pepper Vinaigrette    tasters, who described it as thick, sweet,
                          and tangy with a fresh pepper flavor.

Walden Farms Organics     Tasters used a lot of exclamation points
Bleu Cheese Dressing      to describe this dressing. They loved (!)
                          its thick, creamy texture and tangy blue
                          cheese flavor.

Walden Farms Organics     Tasters rated this extra-thick Caesar
Caesar Dressing           "excellent" for its lemony, garlicky
                          flavor. They agreed that it was the
                          cheesiest-tasting.

Whole Foods Honey         This honey mustard dressing had the best
Mustard Dressing          balance of sweetness and spice. Tasters also
                          liked its light, creamy consistency.

Whole Foods               This zesty dressing beat other balsamic and
Italian Vinaigrette       Italian vinaigrettes. Tasters liked the herbs
                          and called it flavorful but not overpowering.

* Serving size is 2 tablespoons.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group