Wishbone Italian Fat Free Salad Dressing... Who Knew?

I have long feared the disgusting taste and texture of most fat-free foods. A better substitute for regular food would be to just start beating me mercilessly with a large heavy stick and then pouring hot sand down my throat.

So trying Wishbone Italian Fat Free Dressing was a nice surprise. Maybe one of the reasons why I rail against fat-free substitutes is because I know the basics of the food chemistry behind it all, and I know what it's doing in my mouth and in my mind to fool me into thinking that I'm satisfied. But apparently food chemistry has come a long way in a rather short time since I first dared to try fat-free stuff a few years back.

And it is a nice surprise, because i love a big salad with cucumber and tomato, and a sharp dressing with just a hint of sweetness to it. So I'm going to keep this stuff on hand from now on.

This weekend I'll be starting R&D on a vegetarian chili with all the body and mouth feel but with very little fat. I'm going to start development of the fat replacement using pureed black beans and a little boiled starch. Meat replacement will probably go along the lines of a wheat gluten / soy protein / black bean mix. Lots of red and green bell pepper because The Lovely And Talented Lisa likes 'em, l'onion because Justin would have demanded it (rest in peace, mon ami), enough chipotle in adobo to ring your bell at least once, and cook everything together in a hearty tomato base. I'll let it all meld together overnight in the fridge and serve it the following day. Should pick up some thickness and texture overnight. If it works I'll post the recipe.

Going on one meal today. We'll see how that goes.

KBO!