Recipe: Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Yogurt

Ingredients

• 1 medium-size or 2 small-size heads of iceberg lettuce
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 cup crumpled blue cheese
• 2 slices cooked and diced turkey bacon
• 1 de-seeded and diced tomato
• salt
• fresh ground pepper

Instructions

Step 1

The Benefits of Iceberg Lettuce
Iceberg lettuce may get a bad rap for lacking the nutrition of other lettuces or spinach, but it is - far and away - the most popular lettuce in the United States.

The average American consumes over 22 pounds of this stuff a year. And, it is super-low-calorie, a great source of vitamin K, and even the late, great James Beard noted "it adds good flavor and a wonderfully crisp texture to a salad." Who's to argue with the big JB?

Step 2

Core the Head of the Iceberg Lettuce
Start by coring and slicing your lettuce heads into quarters or halves, rinse thoroughly, and pat dry. Never cored a lettuce head before? It's pretty much my favorite part.

Step 3

Prepare the Salad Dressing
In a bowl off to the side, mix together your yogurt, balsamic vinegar, mustard, and garlic until smooth. Then stir in about half to three-quarters of your blue cheese.

Sprinkle in some salt and pepper, and your dressing is all set to go. This dressing is low in fat and relatively high in protein, so you can feel free to indulge a little with your serving size.

Likewise, the turkey bacon is as delicious as it gets, and lower in cholesterol and saturated fat than pig bacon.

Step 4

Top the Wedge Salad With Dressing
Sprinkle your bacon, tomatoes, and remaining blue cheese on your lettuce wedges, and drizzle with your dressing for the fancy finish. Serve with a steak knife and fork, and watch your family or guests polish their plates.

Remember that these salads are meant to be served individually, and, as an added bonus, I think they might be the only salads on record to take less time to make than they do to eat.