Shed the weight of a long winter with this fresh new repertoire of lightened-up salad dressings. These versatile mixtures, which double as dippers for fresh and cooked vegetables and toppers for mixed greens, will keep you eating healthfully and in style all summer long.

While most store-bought salad dressings pack on 50 to 80 calories per tablespoon, these homemade variations are a scant 20 to 25 calories per serving.

Buttermilk Peppercorn Dressing
Try this ranch-inspired blend with Boston lettuce, sweet onion and red peppers. Just 20 calories and 2 grams of fat per tablespoon.

Servings: 1 cup (250 mL)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (125 mL) buttermilk
1/3 cup (75 mL) light mayonnaise
1 tbsp (15 mL) minced fresh dill (or 1/2 tsp/2 mL dried dillweed)
1 tbsp (15 mL) dijon mustard
2 tsp (10 mL) wine vinegar
1 tsp (5 mL) cracked peppercorns
1 small clove garlic, minced
Pinch salt

Preparation:
In small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, mayonnaise, dill, mustard, vinegar, peppercorns, garlic and salt. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate in airtight container for up to 5 days.)

More lower-fat dips and dressings:
Yogurt Curry Dressing
Toss this mildly spicy dressing with grated carrots, coleslaw mix or broccoli slaw. Or mix it with shrimp and stuff into avocado halves. We use 2% yogurt because 1% and no-fat varieties tend to be watery. Just 25 calories and 2 grams of fat per tablespoon.

Lemon Orange Poppy Seed Dressing
This creamy citrusy dressing has a hint of sweetness that goes nicely with torn spinach and thinly sliced radishes. Just 24 calories and 2 grams of fat per tablespoon.

Tofu Caesar Dressing
All the Caesar without the guilt. This dressing uses silken tofu and light mayonnaise, which provide creaminess without the fat of regular mayonnaise. Just 22 calories and 2 grams of fat per tablespoon.

Feta Cheese Dressing
In order to keep the fat content as low as possible, we use mainly buttermilk in this creamy Greek-style dressing. Just 16 calories and 1 gram of fat per tablespoon.