Low-Fat Waldorf Salad

 

 
This is a refreshingly healthy but hearty side-dish salad, with fruits, nuts and vegetables. It's best served cold, so it's great to serve on a hot day. I'm heeding a friend's advice to include low-fat and low-calorie recipes, for fellow foodies who love to eat but are mindful of gain weight. So, here's to you, Chit! More such recipes to follow. (My hubby Ian has started photographing my test dishes with his new Nikon; this is one of his first photos (belatedly posted), and they come out so much nicer and sharper than the ones I took using my small but reliable Lumix.)

Ingredients:

3 large crisp apples of different colors, unpeeled

1 cup red seedless grapes, halved

1 cup green seedless grapes, halved

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 stalks celery, sliced into small, bite-sized chunks

1 cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise (or more to your taste)

2 tablespoons low-fat sour cream (or more to your taste)

1 tablespoon Italian (flat-leafed) parsley leaves, minced

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon sugar (optional)

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Several whole lettuce leaves, to line the serving bowl

Directions:

Halve and core the unpeeled apples, then slice into desired bite-sized chunks. Combine the apples, grapes, lemon juice, celery, walnuts and raisins in a bowl.

In another bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, parsley, lemon zest and sugar until well-combined. Pour into the apple mixture and stir until the pieces are well-coated. You can refrigerate the mixture at this point, covered, if to be served later.

Just before serving, arrange the lettuce leaves on the serving bowl and scoop the mixture on top. Or you can place the lettuce in individual serving bowls and scoop the apple mixture on top. Best served cold. Serves 4.