Recipe: Low Fat Caesar Salad with Garlic Croutons

LOW FAT CAESAR SALAD

4 Slices French bread (3/4 oz), cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
8 cups romaine lettuce, loosely packed
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (1 oz), shaved*
FOR THE DRESSING:
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (72% less sodium)
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 cloves garlic

Combine bread cubes and crushed garlic in a large zip-top bag. Seal bag; shake to coat bread cubes. Turn bread cube mixture out onto a baking sheer; arrange bread cubes in a single layer.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes or until toasted.

Combine bread cubes, lettuce, and cheese in a large bowl; set aside.

Combine water and next 7 ingredients in container of an electric blender; cover and process until smooth. Pour over lettuce mixture; toss well.

*To shave the cheese into thin slivers, pull a vegetable peeler or a cheese plane across the top of a chunk of fresh Parmesan.

HOW WE DID IT:
* Eliminated the oil used in the home-made croutons (but they're still crunchy).
* Reduced the oil in the dressing and added Dijon mustard for flavor.
* Switched from whole anchovies to anchovy paste and used just enough for flavor. (Anchovy paste comes in a tube like toothpaste, so it's more convenient for measuring. Be sure to refrigerate it after opening.)
* Omitted the raw egg.
* Shaved the parmesan cheese instead of grating it to make it go further.

These notes were compiled by Mary S. Creel, R.D., the food editor of
Cooking Light.

Makes 4 servings (serving size = 2 cups)
Source: Cooking Light Magazine, June, 1994