Skinny Recipe: Fresh and Light Apple Celery Salad

With summer right around the corner, we’re all looking for light, refreshing foods to keep us cool. This salad is perfect for a hot day when you don’t want to turn on the oven or as a cool side dish if you’re grilling at home. If you have leftovers, add cold cubed chicken for a hardier lunch the next day. Click on the links for nutritional information.

Ingredients

• 4 large heads Belgian Endive
• 4 large firm red apples, cored and halved
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 6 large ribs celery, strings removed
• 1 cup white raisins
• 1 large head romaine lettuce, washed, dried and chilled
• 1/2 chopped walnuts
• Watercress sprigs
• 1 recipe Creamy Lemon Dressing (see below)

Creamy Lemon Dressing

• 1 cup fat-free plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Whisk together until blended.

Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

Directions

Wash the endive, separate into individual leaves, wrap in paper towels and place in a plastic bag. Chill for at least 1 hour. In the meantime, slice the apple halves into thin slices and toss gently in the lemon juice. Slice the celery into thin slices. Toss together the apples, celery and raisins with the creamy lemon dressing. Shred the romaine. Arrange 3 or 4 endive leaves on an individual salad plate. Make a bed of the shredded romaine in the center of the leaves. Top with a spoonful of the apple mixture and sprinkle with walnuts. Garnish with a watercress sprig and serve immediately.