Ingredients
For the salad
- 1 small Iceberg lettuce, outer leaves removed
- 6 Roma tomatoes
For the dressing
- ½ cup full cream milk
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp smoky paprika
- pinch of cayenne pepper
Low-fat wedge salad with smoked tomatoes
A light low-fat wedge salad alternative. If you can’t get buttermilk, you can make your own by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to half a cup of milk. Mix, stand for 5 minutes and you’ll have some delicious buttermilk!
Method
To make the Smoked Tomatoes
Preheat oven grill to high. Turn on the medium gas hob on medium. Place a wire rack over the hob and arrange whole Roma tomatoes on top. Using tongs, keep turning the tomatoes every 10 seconds or so, until the skins are lightly charred and beginning to break.
Transfer tomatoes onto a roasting tray and into the oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven, peel skins and place peel tomatoes in the fridge to cool.
To make the Low-Fat Dressing
Mix milk with lemon juice in a jug. Set aside for 5 minutes, for the milk to curdle and turn into buttermilk. Add paprika and cayenne pepper. Mix well. Set aside.
To assemble, cut the Iceberg lettuce into wedges and arrange on a flat serving platter. Cut smoked chilled tomatoes in half lengthways and arrange around the lettuce wedges. Drizzle the salad with Low-Fat Buttermilk Dressing.
Martyna Candrick is a Sydney-based recipe developer, e-cookbook author and food blogger. As well as writing her own food blog, Wholesome Cook, she has worked for all-natural brands such as Anathoth and Brookfarm and is a regular contributor to Honest Cooking Magazine.
Tips and Tricks
On the whole, lettuce does best stored in your vegie crisper. Wrap with a dampened paper towelling cloth and keep in a plastic bag in your crisper for longer life. Ideally, lettuce should be consumed within 3-5 days.
If you’re only using half a lemon, store the other half covered with cling wrap in your fridge and use within 2-3 days.
Choose bright, firm flesh tomatoes – they should give a little when squeezed but not feel soft. Try to buy tomatoes that have been stored at room temperature as these will have a stronger flavour and will be slower to break down than those stored in the fridge.