Homemade salad dressing: can't believe it took me this long to go there

Definitely agree with you on that!

I made strawberry lime sorbet in my Vitamix yesterday.  1/2 c water, 1 16 oz bag frozen unsweetened strawberries, half a peeled lime (recipe called for a whole, I think I'll do that next time), less than 1/4 c splenda and 4 oz marscapone cheese.  Blend and freeze until solid.  Very yummy!  

That sounds really good.  I am not familiar with that type of cheese, but I assume it is pretty soft.  Do you think substituting greek yogurt would work?

Sounds awesome!!  

I love mascarpone cheese, so this recipe would be something I would love to try. Thanks!

That is why I feel just a little bit dumb.  Here I am over 2.5 years out and I just figured this out.  Not that I am a big cook, but I am skilled with a blender :)  I didn't even think about losing the preservatives- I was more focused on putting healthier ingredients in (except splenda- not healthy stuff, but low calorie at least).  

This is probably a really stupid question- but is there such thing as a lower fat version of olive oil??  

Heh, I don't think so.  But there are dressing options that nix the oil and use things like yogurt for the fat component.  

This is one of my favorite dressing recipes.  I haven't made it post-op, since salad is still a dream to me, but it's great.  If you're worried about fat you could use lower fat options for the first three ingredients.  Or just use less dressing!  Or use 4T of yogurt and 1T of the mayo and sour cream.  Lots of ways to vary it.  

2 tablespoons mayonnaise 
2 tablespoons sour cream 
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon onion powder 
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon rice vinegar 
2 tablespoons fresh chives, minced, or 1 tablespoon dried chives
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded

This looks good- I will give it a try.  Thanks!  Do you think you can make Thousand Island using half miracle whip and half yogurt for the base?  Can't decide if that is disgusting or brilliant :)

I forgot to reply to this.  I think you could!  Yogurt, salad dressing/mayo, and sour cream seem to be mostly interchangeable with stuff like this.  Maybe make a 1/2 batch just in case.  

all this talk of Vitamix- I don't have one and evrey time I look at them all the different models leave me confused. What do you guys have and how do you like it?

I spent A LOT of time researching to figure out the differences.  Here is what to consider in a nutshell:

     The blenders use the same motor, so the price range goes from $300-$600ish, yet the overall performance is identical.  What do you get for more money?  Nothing in my very humble opinion.  You get "preset" buttons- so the broccoli soup recipe mentioned above- you could use a setting that will turn the blender off for you.  Not worth it IMHO.  Higher end models you do get the second blender cup thingy- meant for grinding grains, better for making hommade peanut butter, etc.  The cheaper model though can make those items as well, but if you anticipate heavy use of that sort of grinding it would be worthwhile to invest in the container designed for this. Higher end models gets more recipes- available for free online.  

     On the Vitamix website you can buy a refurbished model for $300, which is what I did.  Then I went in to Costco and saw the same thing for $300.  Stupid.  My refurbished came with a 5 year warrenty, store bought is 7 years, and I had to wait for it.  Not that big of a deal, but worth noting.  I read all sorts of folks *****commend the refurbished models.  So if you are pining for a more expensive one, that is a way to get the bells and whistles for less.  You can get free shipping if you enter a code 

Here is a website that goes over any conceivable question you may have- I found it really helpful. It also reviews Blendtec blenders, a major competitor to the Vitamix. Here is what I bought and I freaking love it!  Basic version, works amazing.  The tamper, on the other hand, I broke on my first use.  I had the lid off like a dumb ass, and put it too far in.  I replaced it with an ebay version- cheaper and I like it better.  I may eventually pick up a used grinder thingy, but I suspect it would just gather dust so hence I am waiting to see if I really "must" have it.  Here is a link to the blender I bought off of the website.  Please note that there is a model that is a 2 speed, and a model that is a variable speed.  I do think it is worth it to have the variable speed- allows you to slowly increase speed up or down.

If you get one... the first couple times you use it with a heavy load (making ice cream for example) you will smell a slight burning smell.  This is just a new thing and will go away- nothing wrong with the blender.  The blender I bought came with a DVD and receipe book.  If you end up buying used, these really are not necessary- although what I bought did come with it.  There are a million youtube videos demonstrating how to use it, and the vitamix site has the recipes there.  If you buy one take the time to watch some videos so you can "see" how to load it and what to expect.  If people complain, most times it is because they didn't take the time to watch the dvd or a video to learn how to make the most of the blender. 

Be warned- what I bought does not fit under a cupboard.  There is a much more expensive model that does though if that is important to you.  When I redid my kitchen I intentially left areas without a cupboard for this reason so no issues for me, but if you have a small kitchen this may be important. 

I swear, when I finish my teaching career I am going to get a job selling these.  I love them that much! Before I bought this I kept trying cheaper models... ended up replacing those so much it would have paid for the damn Vitamix!  Anyway, compared to a standard Oster- Oster is junk.  The Ninja was better than the Oster, but still crappy.  I detest ice chuncks in my protein shakes, and you can't make soups in the Ninja.  I would not even attempt ice cream in the Ninja. Now for a modest priced blender than Ninja is not too bad.  My daughter will inherit this one.  I then bought a used Vitamix... seriously old model.  Dropped $100 knowing that if I decided to get the refurbished one I could trade it in for a $100 credit, no harm no foul.  Really liked the old one, but it did still have a bit of a problem with ice chunks... although when I was using it I was not well-versed yet in how to load it.  After 1 week on the oldie, I ordered the refurbished one.  I was sad that they no longer used a metal container, but I really like the lighter weight plastic one anyway.  My other daughter will be takng the old Vitamix to college- she LOVES it too!