A healthy Caesar salad
The way we've made the salad healthier is to use olive oil infused toasted whole wheat bread pieces instead of fried croutons. The dressing in this recipe is relatively high in calories (mainly from healthy unsaturated oils), but it's also high in flavor, so a little goes a long way. We're also not going to go overboard on the Parmesan cheese. Finally, this Caesar salad is a deluxe version with bacon bits-- but we're going to use lean Canadian bacon instead of typical fatty bacon. (You can, of course, use soy bacon if you don't eat meat.)

Let's have a look at how these few small changes have impacted the nutritional content of a Caesar salad:





Our Caesar salad contains substantially fewer calories than a regular version. It's also lower in fat and higher in dietary fiber. And best of all, it tastes just as good as the regular version. Here's the recipe so you can try this recipe out at home. This recipe makes two servings.

Mix together dressing

Place 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 clove of minced (crushed) garlic, 2 finely chopped anchovy fillets, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper in a jar with a screw top lid and shake until well combined.

Cook and chop bacon

Broil (grill) 2 lean bacon rashers, such as Canadian bacon, (rind and fat removed) on both sides until cooked and chop into small pieces.

Brush bread with olive oil and toast

Brush 2 slices of whole wheat bread evenly on both sides with 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil and toast until golden brown.

Cut into croutons

Remove the crusts and cut into croutons.

Assemble and serve

Place 3 handfuls of washed and dried romaine (Cos) lettuce leaves in a salad bowl with half the bacon bits and croutons, drizzle with the dressing and toss gently to coat well. Scatter the remaining bacon bits and croutons on top and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of finely grated Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.