Dear Jeanne: This is one of my favorite salads. If the fat were lower, I could probably eat it every day. Can you lower the fat content, please? Thank you for your help. — Michelle Johnson, Sandy, Utah
Dear Michelle: Since there were no amounts in the recipe, I had to guess how much of everything you were using. The fat comes from the nuts, the cheese and the dressing. Luckily, these are all things that can be reduced. I made a low-fat version of the dressing and reduced the amount of nuts. The original dressing was very sweet, and I made this one sweet, too, but if you prefer, you can add less sugar. I added gelatin to thicken it, so remember that if the dressing gets warm, it will thin out again.
BRIANNA'S SALAD
A variety of lettuces (about three heads), washed and torn, or prepackaged spring salad mix
Crumbled bleu cheese
Strawberries, grapes, chopped pears or craisins
Candied almonds, walnuts or pecans
Red-onion slices
Toss lightly and add dressing.
Dressing:
Equal parts Brianna's Blush Wine and Brianna's Poppy Seed Dressing
Candied nuts:
About 3 tablespoons sugar
Sliced, slivered or chopped nuts
Stir in pan until gooey. Pour onto aluminum foil to cool. Break up when cool.
This salad should be made just before serving and does not save well.
LOW-FAT BRIANNA'S SALAD
1/4 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds or pecans)
1 tablespoon sugar
Dressing:
1 1/2 teaspoons red onion, grated
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon canola oil
Pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon poppy seeds
1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup water
Salad:
3 heads red leaf lettuce or other assorted lettuces, torn; or 2 packages of spring salad mix
1 ounce ( 1/4 cup) bleu cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup craisins or 1 cup strawberries, grapes or pears
1/2 red onion, sliced into rings
1. Place the nuts and sugar in a small pan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Stir to coat all the nuts. Pour the nuts out of the pan to cool.
2. In a blender or a jar, combine the grated onion, sugar, vinegar, dry mustard, canola oil, salt and poppy seeds. Blend or shake until well-combined.
3. Combine the gelatin with 1 tablespoon of the water in a small bowl and allow to soften. Bring the remaining water to a boil and add it to the softened gelatin. Stir until completely dissolved, then add it to the dressing mixture and mix well. Place the dressing in the refrigerator to thicken for at least 30 minutes. (The original dressing is pink; if you would like it to look the same, simply add one strawberry to the blender and puree.)
4. Just before serving, remove dressing from refrigerator, toss into the salad and serve. Makes 4 servings.
Each serving contains approximately: Original Recipe: 314 calories; 20 gm fat; 11 mg cholesterol; 484 mg sodium; 32 gm carbohydrates; 6 gm protein; 3 gm fiber. Revised Recipe: 195 calories; 10 gm fat; 6 mg cholesterol; 139 mg sodium; 24 gm carbohydrates; 4 gm protein; 2 gm fiber.
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