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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Wednesday, June 29, 2005

RECIPE DOCTOR
Light version of Martha's BLT salad

By Elaine Magee

Q. I saw this salad and dressing recipe on the Martha Stewart Web site. Would you mind making it the Recipe Doctor way?

A. I actually love lightening Martha's recipes because they tend to be well done and this makes my "lightening" job much easier.

The original recipe calls for 24 strips of bacon but I was able to cut that to eight strips of turkey bacon (or center-cut bacon) and I switched to spinach, a more nutrient-rich lettuce, instead of green leaf lettuce.

For the avocado dressing, I kept the avocado, but decreased the olive oil from 8 tablespoons to 2 1/2 and added fat-free sour cream. If this recipe makes eight servings, then we cut the calories by 163 and the fat grams by 16 grams per serving!

LIGHT BLT SALAD WITH AVOCADO DRESSING

  • 8 strips of Louis Rich turkey bacon (less fat, center-cut bacon can be substituted)
  • 8 cups (large bag) of pre-washed raw spinach leaves
  • 3 vine-ripened red tomatoes (4 if they are smaller in size), in 1/4-inch slices
  • 3 vine-ripened yellow tomatoes (4 if smaller in size), in 1/4-inch slices
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the dressing:

  • 1 ripe avocado, with pit and peel removed and flesh sliced
  • 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 4 teaspoons lime juice
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons fat-free sour cream
  • 2-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Pan-fry bacon in nonstick skillet until crisp, and place on paper towels to drain and cool.

For avocado dressing, place avocado slices, basil, garlic, lime juice, vinegar and sour cream in food processor bowl and process until combined. Slowly add olive oil through the feed tube and process until the dressing is smooth. If you want to thin the dressing, stir in 2 tablespoons of water.

To assemble the salad, arrange the spinach in a large salad bowl. Drizzle half of the avocado dressing over the top. Arrange the tomato slices. Arrange the whole bacon slices over the tomatoes.

Drizzle the rest of the avocado dressing over the top and season with pepper. Serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings.

Per serving: 155 calories, 6 grams protein, 11 grams carbohydrate, 10 grams fat (2 grams saturated fat, 6.3 grams monounsaturated fat, 1.7 grams polyunsaturated fat), 10 milligrams cholesterol, 4 grams fiber, 245 milligrams sodium (not including salt to taste). Calories from fat: 59 percent. Omega-3 fatty acids 0.7 grams. Omega-6 fatty acids 1 grams. Weight Watchers Points 3.



Elaine Magee's new book "Fry Light, Fry Right" is now in bookstores. You can submit a recipe for Elaine to "doctor" at www.recipedoctor.com. Personal responses can't be provided. This column is distributed by Knight Ridder News Service.