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Posted on Tue, Oct. 21, 2008

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Hail Caesar: Salad dressing is lightened

BY KATHY MANWEILER

The Wichita Eagle

Ordering a side salad can be a nourishing way to fill out a meal. But if you want to eat healthfully, steer clear of the Caesar dressing because it drowns those veggies in fat and calories.

Outback Steakhouse’s Caesar dressing is so popular that chef Todd Wilbur features it in his collection of top-secret restaurant recipes.

But if you make Outback’s dressing at home, just two tablespoons will cost you 127 calories and 13 fat grams.

I made it diet-friendly by using light mayonnaise, less olive oil plus a little extra lemon juice and egg substitute. I also stir in Splenda instead of sugar.

This recipe calls for anchovy paste, which you can find in the canned fish aisle of the grocery store.

My version of Outback’s dressing cuts the calories by 46 percent and slices off 52 percent of the fat. You can have two tablespoons for 69 calories and 6.3 grams of fat.

I like to use this dressing on my Chicken Caesar Sandwich. That simple sandwich requires 2 slices of toasted whole-grain bread, 3 ounces of chicken breast, a couple of green lettuce leaves and 2 tablespoons of my Caesar dressing for a grand total of 373 calories, 11.3 fat grams and 6 grams of fiber.

Reach Kathy Manweiler at 316-268-6266 or kmanweiler@wichitaeagle.com. For more Don’t Say Diet recipes, visit the Alive & Well Web site at www.wichitaaliveandwell.com.