Skip to main content

Low Calorie Creamy Caesar Dressing


Good morning and happy Wednesday! Its rainy here but I'm not letting that make me feel gloomy. Its pretty amazing how gorgeous and mild this fall has been. Like I rode my bike to work on Monday and didn't even need gloves. In fact, I was sweating by the time I got there! I am still enjoying salads and have not needed to transition to entirely hot foods yet. I am sure that time is coming, it always does here in Toronto! As my brother says, where else does the temperature range from +30 Celsius to -30 Celsius on a regular basis??

Speaking of salad, I have a great recipe for you today.

I know fat is all the rage right now, and while long gone are the days where any health experts recommend a fat-free diet, the researchers I trust agree that fat should still be eaten sparingly.  Why? no matter how healthy the fat you eat, it is extremely calorically dense and most North Americans don't burn enough calories to justify eating much of it.  Sorry, there is no evidence that you can eat even the most 'miraculous' oil in unlimited amounts without packing on weight!

Also, despite what many high fat diet proponents preach, the research I have read indicates that protein and fibre help you feel full, not fat.  Certainly I have found that to be the case for me.  If I dress a green salad with a fat free dressing or a high fat dressing, there is no difference in how long it will keep me full (not long unless there is a big fat serving of protein in it!).  Besides, I prefer to get my fats from food (nuts, nut butters, fish, avocado, cheese, etc.) instead of from oils.  I just find that solid food always makes me feel more satisfied than liquids, including oils (which are often highly processed, by the way!). They also tend to add more flavour.  The only oil I use for flavour is toasted sesame oil, which, because it is so potent, has to be used in small quantities anyways.

So I generally prefer to make oil-free dressings and then add a healthy fat to my salad like nuts or avocado, or as my protein.  Caesar dressings are usually calorie bombs full of olive oil.  This one is super low in calories but also really flavourful.  When I make Caesar salad, I skip the croutons - I hate them - and often add some extra veggies in like grape tomatoes and cucumbers.  You can add a few tbsp. of parmesan cheese into the dressing, but I just sprinkle it on top before serving.

You can veganize this recipe by using non-dairy yogurt and umeboshi plum paste in lieu of the anchovy paste.

Low Calorie Creamy Caesar Dressing

1 cup low-fat or fat-free yogurt
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. anchovy paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste

Whisk together yogurt, mustard, anchovy paste and garlic.  Add vinegar, lemon juice and whisk again until smooth.  Season to taste.  If you find it too thick for your liking, thin out with a few extra tbsp. of vinegar.  Keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.

I have shared this recipe with Vegetarian Mamma's Gluten-Free Friday.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Japanese 7-Spice Kelp Noodles

I love trying new spices and seasonings, so I am very excited that the President's Choice Black Label line now has a bunch of new spice blends available.  My most recent find: Shichimi Togarashi, or Japanese 7-Spice blend. It's a combination of crushed red chili flakes, sea salt, Szechiuan peppercorns, black and white sesame seeds, poppy seeds, orange zest, wasabi powder and nori seaweed flakes. I make Japanese-inspired dishes all the time, but resort to the same old flavours most of the time: miso, soy, sesame, ginger and garlic.  I was so excited to be able to liven things up a bit. This dish is easy and tasty, although be warned that this seasoning packs punch.  I used 1 tsp, which ended up being too spicy for me, and I have a high tolerance for heat!  I recommend 1/4-1/2 tsp, or, if you don't like heat at all, make your own at home and omit the red chili flakes.  You'll get all the flavour without the heat. I served these noodles with a mix of seafood (

Blackfly Coolers: Product Review

Summer is over! Well, at least if you're a student. Officially it doesn't end for a few weeks, and it certainly still feels like summer. Yeah, I hate it. This f*cking hot, humid weather needs to end NOW! We made the most of our last weekend of the summer with our annual trip to the CNE on Friday, with a crowd of friends. It wasn't unbearably lot, thank goodness, and the girls and their friends had a blast on the rides.  Saturday I had to work, and Sunday was errand day. Monday we took the girls berry/apple/pear picking but didn't last long due to the heat. I organized the house to prepare for the construction workers starting back up yesterday, while Adam took the girls for a swim in our neighbourhood pool. Yesterday was the first day of school. Grade 2 and Grade 5. Yep, the girls are growing up.  We are fortunate that the girls don't have much anxiety about school, they are so much more confident than I ever was as a kid! But now, in the midst of our reno ch

How to Look Like a Celebrity

Okay, I know you're going to be interested in this post! I am sure virtually every woman in North America has wondered how Hollywood celebrities achieve such 'perfect' bodies.  Well, at CAN FIT PRO last week, one of Hollywood's top fitness trainers, Eric the Trainer , was there to tell us fitness professionals the secrets! Eric the Trainer, gave several presentations, and I caught the one on Celebrity Secrets, and it was most interesting!!!  I also found some of what he said rather disturbing. First off, he was very upfront about the fact that celebrities come to him for improve their appearance.  Not to improve their health or athletic performance.  To look their best.  He admitted that his approach then, is entirely dedicated to that end. Male and female celebrities are trained in completely different ways because Hollywood wants women to be lithe and thin and in his words, "look like they dropped out of heaven looking this way without every having ste