Blue Cheese Salad

You can serve the dressing in a serrated red bell pepper surrounded by lettuce in a flat decorated bowl. This salad may be varied by adding baby peas and bacon bits. Leftover bell pepper may be frozen to be used later when making an omelet or for decorating a cream soup.

Salad

    1 large iceberg lettuce
    ½ cup sliced celery stalks
    ¼ cup chopped green bell pepper
    ¼ cup chopped red bell pepper
    2 tablespoons sliced green onion
    1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
    1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
    4 sprigs fresh parsley
    1 red bell pepper

Blue Cheese Dressing

    2 cups mayonnaise
    5 tablespoons low-fat buttermilk
    ½ cup crumbled blue cheese
    ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
    ½ teaspoon creamy horseradish
    ⅛ teaspoon sweet paprika
    ⅛ teaspoon mustard powder
    Pinch salt
    Ground black pepper


1.  Salad: In a flat decorated round bowl, layer the lettuce,
     celery, chopped bell peppers, onion, parsley and cheese.

2.  Garnish with sprigs of parsley evenly spaced around the rim   
     of the bowl. Cut the top off the red bell pepper and remove
     the seeds and membranes. Use a sharp knife to serrate the
     edge. Arrange the red bell pepper in the middle of the lettuce.

3.  Dressing: In a medium bowl, mix the mayonnaise,
     buttermilk, blue cheese, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish,
     paprika, mustard, salt and pepper. Spoon the dressing into
     the serrated bell pepper.

     Variation: To make a buttermilk garlic dressing, whisk
     ½ cup mayonnaise, 1/3 cup buttermilk, 1 tablespoon cider
     vinegar,1 tablespoon snipped parsley, 1 tablespoon chopped
     green onions, 1 crushed garlic clove, 1 teaspoon Dijon-style
     mustard and ½ teaspoon seasoning salt in a medium bowl.

     Hint: To "snip" parsley, place parsley in a bowl and use a
     kitchen scissors to snip at the parsley until it looks like it is
     finely chopped. This is an easy method for chopping herbs.