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  Kathy Manweiler  

Restaurant salad dressings get light touch

Since I started slimming down salad dressings, lots of readers have written to me about their favorites in hopes that I could lighten those up, too.

Today, I'm tackling Carrabba's Creamy Parmesan Dressing, Panera Bread's Greek dressing and Panera's popular Raspberry Vinaigrette.

Substituting light mayonnaise for the real thing in Carrabba's Creamy Parmesan Dressing helped me trim the calories by 43 percent and the fat by 52 percent.

Drizzle two tablespoons of Lighter Creamy Parmesan Dressing onto your salad for just 65 calories and 5.6 grams of fat.

Extra vinegar and less oil help lighten up Panera's Greek Dressing. According to a "Panera Bread Cookbook" recipe, my version cuts the calories by 32 percent and the fat by 29 percent. But the numbers on Panera's Web site say that its Greek Dressing is a little healthier than the cookbook suggests. Using those statistics, I shaved off 16 percent of the calories and 11 percent of the fat.

A 2-tablespoon serving of this Lighter Greek Dressing contains 124 calories and 14.2 fat grams.

To slash the raspberry vinaigrette's calories by 62 percent and the fat by 65 percent, I used more vinegar, less oil and sugar-free jam. My version includes canola oil instead of olive oil because I prefer that flavor.

You can have two tablespoons of my raspberry vinaigrette for 75 calories and 7.1 fat grams.

We'll slim it down for you

Do you have a favorite food or popular recipe that you'd like to see made more healthful? Send your ideas and recipes, along with a daytime phone number, to me at kmanweiler@wichitaeagle.com or:

Don't Say Diet

c/o The Wichita Eagle

P.O. Box 820

Wichita, KS 67201

LIGHTER CREAMY PARMESAN DRESSING

½ cup light mayonnaise

¼cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼cup low-fat buttermilk

2 small garlic cloves, minced

½teaspoon fresh parsley, minced

½teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl.

Makes 1 cup.

Per 2-tablespoon serving: 65 calories, 1.6 carb grams, 118mg sodium, 5.6 fat grams

Slightly adapted from "Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2" by Todd Wilbur

The Wichita Eagle

LIGHTER GREEK DRESSING

½ cup red wine vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon shallot, minced

1 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced

1 teaspoon fresh basil, minced

½tablespoon Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper, to taste

½cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients except oil in a medium mixing bowl with a wire whisk. Once ingredients are combined, slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking to form an emulsion.

Makes 1 cup.

Per 2-tablespoon serving: 124 calories, 14.2 fat grams, 5mg sodium, trace of carbs.

Slightly adapted from "The Panera Bread Cookbook"

The Wichita Eagle

KATHY'S RASPBERRY VINAIGRETTE

½ cup raspberry vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons sugar-free raspberry jam

2 tablespoons Splenda

Salt and pepper, to taste

¼cup canola oil

Combine all ingredients except oil in a medium mixing bowl with a wire whisk. Once ingredients are combined, slowly pour in the oil while whisking to form an emulsion.

Makes about 1 cup.

Per 2-tablespoon serving: 75 calories, 3 carb grams, 1mg sodium, 7.1 fat grams

Adapted from "The Panera Bread Cookbook"

The Wichita Eagle

Reach Kathy Manweiler at 316-268-6266 or kmanweiler@wichitaeagle.com. For more Don't Say Diet recipes, visit the Alive & Well Web site at www.wichitaaliveandwell