Crumbled blue cheese is a common ingredient in specialty salads and as a specialty topping on foods such as burgers and pizzas. It can be found in salads such as wedge salads with iceberg lettuce, crumbled bacon and ranch dressing, and in summer salads with ingredients such as pecans, walnuts, strawberries and lettuce. But blue cheese is also high in calories and fat; according to the USDA National Nutrient Database, just 1 gram of blue cheese includes 100 calories and 10 grams of fat, including 5 grams of saturated fat. To cut back on fat and calories, there are many alternatives to blue cheese crumbles.
Low-Fat Dressings
In place of blue cheese crumbles on a salad, or instead of melted blue cheese crumbles on a burger, you can get a similar taste with fewer calories and zero fat grams with a low-fat blue cheese salad dressing. Wish-Bone, for example, makes a chunky blue cheese dressing that is fat-free and has just 30 calories per 2-tablespoon serving.
Healthier Cheeses
Consider using low-fat blue cheese crumbles, which are available at your local supermarket, usually alongside traditional blue cheese crumbles. Or, switch to lower-fat cheeses, such as Sargento Reduced-Fat Mozzarella, which contains 80 calories and 4.5 grams of fat per ounce, or Kraft Natural Cheese Crumbles in Feta, which contains 74 calories per ounce and 6 grams of fat.
Other Salad Toppings
Flavorful salad toppings that add only a minimum amount of calories and fat include: celery, carrots, peas, corn, hard-boiled eggs, diced chicken, tomatoes, heart of palm, edamame, radishes, beets, pickles, baby corn, peppers, cucumbers, raisins and dried cranberries. Mix and match a variety of toppings to find a mix you like.
Other Burger Toppings
Blue cheese crumbles can add an unhealthy kick to a burger or sandwich. Instead of heaping on the calories, try adding a variety of other ingredients instead to kick up the flavor. Try sautéed onions or mushrooms, flavored mustards, reduced fat mayonnaise, horseradish, pickles, cucumbers, avocado slices, spinach, tomatoes, peppers, coleslaw, sauerkraut, bean sprouts, reduced-fat sour cream, or pizza sauce. Don't forget to use lean ground beef to make your burger even healthier.
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