Depending on the flavor and thickness of the brand of dressing you buy, you may want to consider adding a little lemon juice to it before tossing it with the salad. Lemon can really brighten the flavor and/or thin thicker dressings (thus requiring less dressing). Be careful, though—some brands are already pretty acidic, so adding lemon juice may make the dressing sour. Buy prewashed lettuces to save time.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 1 (3 1/2-cup) serving
Ingredients
3 cups bagged romaine
4 ounces Basic Grilled Chicken (see page 219) or lean store-bought grilled chicken breast strips
1/2 ounce (scant 1/4 cup) sun-dried tomato strips, or about 6 rehydrated sun-dried tomato halves (not oil-packed), cut into strips
10 fat-free herb-seasoned croutons (I used Marie Callender’s Fat-Free Herb Seasoned Croutons)
2 tablespoons bottled light creamy Caesar salad dressing (one that has 8 g of fat or less per 2-tablespoon serving; I used Ken’s Steakhouse Light Creamy Caesar)
1 teaspoon reduced-fat grated Parmesan cheese (look for it in a plastic canister or jar, not in the refrigerated section)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste, optional
Preparation
Step 1
Toss the lettuce, chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, croutons, and dressing in a large glass or plastic mixing bowl until well combined. Top with Parmesan and pepper, if desired. Serve immediately.
nutrition information
Step 2
Calories: 343
Step 3
Protein: 32g
Step 4
Carbohydrates: 27g
Step 5
Fat: 11g
Step 6
Saturated Fat: 2g
Step 7
Cholesterol: 70mg
Step 8
Fiber: 3g
Step 9
Sodium: 892mg
Reprinted with permission from I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening! by Devin Alexander. Copyright © 2010 Devin Alexander. Published by Clarkson Potter Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
Devin Alexander is the author of The Most Decadent Diet Ever, Fast Food Fix, and coauthor of The New York Times bestsellers The Biggest Loser Cookbook and The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook. She was a chef on NBC's The Biggest Loser and the host of Healthy Decadence on Discover Health and FitTV.
