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If
you were to ask me what my favorite salad was, a handful
of salads would quickly come to mind: Greek salad,
Salad Niçoise and tabbouleh would certainly
make the short list. But in the end I would probably
have to pick Caesar salad as my absolute favorite.
(By the way, Caesar salad isn't named after a Roman
Emperor, but an Italian chef named Caesar Cardini
who, legend has it, invented the salad from leftovers
at his restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico in the 1920s.)
The
combination of crisp lettuce, crunchy croutons and
creamy dressing, combined with flavorsome Parmesan
cheese, is a true delight to the senses. Unfortunately,
a typical Caesar salad isn't so delightful for your
waistline. What with the calorie-rich croutons, dressing
and cheese, a serve of Caesar salad can easily top
the 500 calorie mark.
But
why should this wonderful salad be a guilty pleasure,
only to be enjoyed infrequently? Well, it doesn't
have to be. Ric and I both adore Caesar salad, and
we've spent a fair amount of time experimenting in
the kitchen trying to come up with a healthy version.
I'm
glad to report that after a few dismal failures we've
finally come up with what we believe is the perfect
Caesar salad: good tasting and good for you.
A
healthy Caesar salad
The
way we've made the salad healthier is to use olive
oil infused toasted whole wheat bread pieces instead
of fried croutons. The dressing in this recipe is
relatively high in calories (mainly from healthy unsaturated
oils), but it's also high in flavor, so a little goes
a long way. We're also not going to go overboard on
the Parmesan cheese. Finally, this Caesar salad is
a deluxe version with bacon bits-- but we're going
to use lean Canadian bacon instead of typical fatty
bacon. (You can, of course, use soy bacon if you don't
eat meat.)
Let's have a look at how these few small changes have
impacted the nutritional content of a Caesar salad:
Our Caesar salad contains substantially fewer calories
than a regular version. It's also lower in fat and
higher in dietary fiber. And best of all, it tastes
just as good as the regular version. Here's the recipe
so you can try this recipe out at home. This recipe
makes two servings.
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Place
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1
tablespoon finely grated Parmesan cheese,
1 tablespoon mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon lemon
juice, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 clove of
minced (crushed) garlic, 2 finely chopped
anchovy fillets, ¼ teaspoon salt and
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
in a jar with a screw top lid and shake until
well combined.
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Broil
(grill) 2 lean bacon rashers, such as Canadian
bacon, (rind and fat removed) on both sides
until cooked and chop into small pieces.
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Brush
bread with olive oil and toast
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Brush 2 slices of whole wheat bread evenly on
both sides with 2 teaspoons of extra virgin
olive oil and toast until golden brown.
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Remove
the crusts and cut into croutons.
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Place
3 handfuls of washed and dried romaine (Cos)
lettuce leaves in a salad bowl with half the
bacon bits and croutons, drizzle with the
dressing and toss gently to coat well. Scatter
the remaining bacon bits and croutons on top
and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of finely grated
Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
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