Flavorful Cheater Sesame Ginger Dressing packs a ton of Asian zing on salads, veggies & lean proteins. It’s sweet, savory & perfect as a dressing or sauce. And the best news is? Drum roll please! It’s light and lean and only six calories per two tablespoon serving—that’s near zero!

We’re a little embarrassed to share how often we fall back on Cheater Sesame Ginger Dressing. We “may” have a little problem with it. We keep all of the ingredients on hand to take care of our Asian fixation, so whipping up a batch of this slightly sweet, savory liquid of the Zen gods takes minutes!

But, BHL, Why Is This a Cheater Dressing?

bottle cheater sesame ginger dressing and part of recipe ingredients — Save those old Walden Farms bottles to reuse for your favorite homemade dressings and marinades. It’s a super time saver!

We owe it all to one of our favorite short cut “ingredients” and yes, we know it’s a dressing in its own right. But the beauty of Walden Farm’s Calorie Free Dressings and Marinades is they act to extend volume and also add a layer of flavor—and that’s cheatin’ right?

We use Walden Farms dressings like most people use oil. And we’re tricky. We like it because it’s thick and pre-made (I mean convenient…) and doesn’t have any unhealthy oils. The ingredients are fairly “innocent.” But, did we mention it’s also low-no calorie? So, lots of flavor and zero calories—isn’t that almost magic?

By using a zero calorie dressing, we get to choose which kind of healthy fat will go into our dressing recipes and we can use that healthy fat in a much smaller quantity, so our dressings are flavor-packed, but super low calorie, low fat, low sugar, AND low carb! For instance, we used Spectrum’s Organic Toasted Sesame Seed Oil in the dressing and only had to use one teaspoon for the flavor. Sesame seed oil is an excellent source of fat, yet we used so little, the dressing didn’t become calorically dense; perfect for WLM (weight loss mode)!

The Importance of Limiting Unhealthy Sources of Fats

And guess what? A light dressing leaves room for yummy salad toppings that also add extra fat and loads of flavor like sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds, almonds, walnuts, and avocado—oh bring us that creamy, buttery avocado, please?!

close up cheater sesame ginger dressing with whisk microplane — Sesame seeds are optional. Save the calories in the dressing by adding them to the salad if you choose.

We have room in our daily calorie budget for these extra toppings, because we’re not using up 200 calories on a high fat dressing that’s probably made with unhealthy fats like partially hydrogenated soybean oil!

Most prepared dressings use soybean oil. And nearly all commercial soybean oil is partially hydrogenated. (Oh, I’m talking about you Mr. Trans Fatty Fat.) If you want to deep dive into crummy oils, Mayo Clinic has a nice explanation of trans fat and it’s effect on inflammation.(source)

By using certain “better-choice” products judiciously, as ingredients in recipes, we’re able to conveniently control caloric density in our daily meal plans, while adding layers and layers of flavor. That’s important in any diet, but especially in the post-bariatric surgery world where we are told to eat low fat, lean, dense protein, and healthy veggies. It’s especially true during the acute weight loss mode when many of us consume an average daily ceiling of 800-1200 tightly-knit calories as recommended by many bariatric plans. And Cheater Sesame Ginger Dressing firmly fills that requirement and adds a depth of flavor, as well.

What Is a Bariatric Diet?

Here’s an interesting study published in the March 8, 2017 issue of Advances in Nutrition dealing with the Nutritional Recommendations for Adult Bariatric Surgery Patients: Clinical Practice where they discuss the way a post-bariatric diet should ideally look. (source)

Psssst! Here’s another Tip! Save your Walden Farm Salad Dressing bottles. Peel off the labels, wash and sterilize them in the dish washer. Then, pull them out and re-use the bottles to store your favorite homemade dressings. Use a black grease pencil or sharpie to label the dressing and add the date you made it. It’s such a time-saver to have your dressing ready to go when you’re tossing a healthy salad.
bari healthy life

Use Cheater Sesame Ginger Dressing So Many Ways!

close up of mustard crusted salmon confetti chopped salad with cheater sesame ginger asian dressing — One of Bari Healthy Life’s favorite uses for Cheater Sesame Ginger Dressing. We call this “lucky leftovers” because the leftover Mustard Glazed Salmon gets paired with Crunchy Confetti Chopped Salad to make an explosion of Asian flavor.

We love using Cheater Sesame Ginger Dressing on salads, especially our Crunchy Confetti Chopped Salad. It’s amazing with added protein like leftover Mustard Glazed Salmon, or Mustard Crusted Chicken Breasts…now that you mention it, we’re also seeing we might have a little issue with mustard!

But Cheater Sesame Ginger Dressing is also amazing tossed with veggies like Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Broccoli, or dressing zoodles or in lo mein, using near zero calorie shirataki noodles. We even stir it into soups and have used it at the end to add a stir fry sauce to a quick weeknight saute. You can even make a faux pho using boxed bone broth and some of this sesame ginger love!

There are many variations of BHL Sesame Ginger Dressing

sambal oelek country dijon and ground mustard — Vary the flavor of Cheater Sesame Ginger Dressing by swapping out the mustard or by adding a hit of spice with sambal oelek.

Make it bangin’ by adding a teaspoon of sambal oelek (we like Huy Fong brand and it’s readily accessible at most grocery stores—located on the Asian isle), or substitute the dry mustard for a heaping coffee spoonful of Country Dijon from Grey Poupon. Add a splash of Extra Dry Sherry for even greater zing!

Tip for Storing Fresh Ginger

We heart fresh ginger, but don’t often use it all before it threatens to go bad. And, we hate when good ginger goes bad…so to keep that from happening, just toss the entire hand of ginger into the freezer until the next time you need it. Then, simply remove it from the freezer and grate it, peel and all, using a microplane. You get the flavor you want, fresh ginger pungency and heat, and it’s even easier to grate frozen than fresh!

One of BHL’s Favorite Multi-Taskers

garlic frozen ginger and microplaner — BHL’s favorite microplane multi-tasker makes grating garlic and frozen ginger quick and easy.

This is our favorite microplane. (Here’s our affiliate link in case you’re a gadget geek like us.) We like it because it’s razor sharp and has a larger profile which means food doesn’t “slip” off of it like it does on smaller microplanes. And THAT means, fewer grated knuckles and a “little less chef” in the dish. IYKWIM? We use our microplane to grate garlic and ginger, and also to grate hard cheeses from Parmesan, Romano, Manchego, and beyond, so dang versatile!

Can You Modify Cheater Sesame Ginger Dressing into Earlier Bariatric Stages?

Bariatric Stage 1, Clear Liquid Diet Mods

Because of the spiciness of this dressing, we wouldn’t recommend using it during a clear liquids, Bariatric Stage 1 Phase. If you are on a clear liquid diet, chances are you’re either very newly post-surgical or you’re experiencing dietary issues. It’s better to keep clear liquids very bland and boring during this brief period in order to give your new tool an easier time healing.

Bariatric Stages 2–3, Full Liquid Stage & Puree/Soft Stage Mods

Cheater Sesame Ginger Dressing from Bari Healthy Life is ideal for these two stages. Often, we struggle with a desire for more variety and flavor during a full liquids, Bariatric Stage 2, or puree-mechanical soft diet, Bariatric Stage 3 diet.

You’ll need to make some modifications. Simply omit the optional sesame seeds, use a smooth mustard rather than the hot ground mustard, omit the sambal oelek, and use 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger and ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic in place of their fresh counterparts.

MAKE IT BARIATRIC STAGE 2, FULL LIQUIDS: Faux Pho Asian Protein Broth

With minor modifications, this dressing will add tons of flavor to broth as a faux pho soup. Whisk or stir 1/2–1 scoop unflavored protein powder into a portion of your cold broth to form a paste. Continue adding 1–2 cups broth. Then, add the dressing to your preference level. Slowly heat Faux Pho over low heat or in the microwave at half power to prevent clumping. Protein powder will clump at temperatures exceeding 140°. (Don’t worry, I’ll make this into a separate post and tag it for Stage 2, Full Liquids.)

MAKE IT BARIATRIC STAGE 3, MECHANICAL SOFT: Asian Chicken, Shrimp, or Salmon Mousse

Add the Asian rock star to flavor a can of chicken, tuna, or salmon. Add Greek yogurt to the canned meat or seafood, maybe a little Chinese Five Spice Powder and a little onion powder. Then add the dressing to your preferred spice level. Pulse mixture in a food processor or blender until it’s smooth. The dressing can also help thin the mousse down to your preferred consistency. (I’ll give this recipe its own post, too!)