What are you putting on that?

By Kathy Manweiler

Since I started slimming down salad dressings, lots of readers have written to me about their favorites in hopes that I could lighten those up, too.

Today, I’m tackling Panera Bread’s popular raspberry vinaigrette along with Panera’s Greek dressing and Carrabba’s creamy parmesan dressing.

To slash the raspberry vinaigrette’s calories by 62 percent and the fat by 65 percent, I used more vinegar, less oil and sugar-free jam. My version includes canola oil instead of olive oil because I prefer that flavor.

You can have two tablespoons of my raspberry vinaigrette for 75 calories and 7.1 fat grams.

Extra vinegar and less oil also helped lighten up Panera’s Greek dressing. According to the “Panera Bread Cookbook” recipe, my version cuts the calories by 32 percent and the fat by 29 percent. But the numbers on Panera’s Web site say that its Greek dressing is a little healthier than the cookbook suggests. Using those statistics, I shaved off 16 percent of the calories and 11 percent of the fat.

A 2-tablespoon serving of this lighter Greek dressing contains 124 calories and 14.2 fat grams.

Substituting light mayonnaise for the real thing in Carrabba’s creamy parmesan dressing helped me trim the calories by 43 percent and the fat by 52 percent.

Drizzle two tablespoons of lighter creamy parmesan dressing onto your salad for just 65 calories and 5.6 grams of fat.

KATHY’S RASPBERRY VINAIGRETTE

1‚Ñ2 cup raspberry vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons sugar- free raspberry jam

2 tablespoons Splenda

1‚Ñ4 cup canola oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients except oil in a medium mixing bowl with a wire whisk. Once ingredients are combined, slowly pour in the oil while whisking to form an emulsion.

Makes about 1 cup.

Per 2-tablespoon serving: 75 calories, 3 carb grams, 1mg sodium, 7.1 fat grams

Adapted from the “Panera Bread Cookbook.”

LIGHTER GREEK DRESSING

1‚Ñ2 cup red wine vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon shallot, minced

1 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced

1 teaspoon fresh basil, minced

1‚Ñ2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1‚Ñ2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients except oil in a medium mixing bowl with a wire whisk. Once ingredients are combined, slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking to form an emulsion.

Makes 1 cup.

Per 2-tablespoon serving: 124 calories, 14.2 fat grams, 5mg sodium, trace of carbs.

Slightly adapted from the “Panera Bread Cookbook.”

LIGHTER CREAMY PARMESAN DRESSING

1‚Ñ2 cup light mayonnaise

1‚Ñ4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1‚Ñ4 cup low-fat buttermilk

2 small garlic cloves, minced

1‚Ñ2 teaspoon fresh parsley, minced

1‚Ñ2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl.

Makes 1 cup.

Per 2-tablespoon serving: 65 calories, 1.6 carb grams, 118mg sodium, 5.6 fat grams

Slightly adapted from “Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2” by Todd Wilbur.

KATHY’S ITALIAN DRESSING

Olive Garden’s Italian dressing is another one of my favorites, but it has 160 calories and 16 fat grams in each 4-tablespoon serving. To slim it down, I cut the amount of corn syrup, oil and grated cheese while adding a little extra vinegar.

The trick to thickening Olive Garden’s dressing is dry pectin, which you can often find near the canning supplies or in the baking aisle.

1‚Ñ2 cup plus 2 tablespoons white vinegar

1‚Ñ3 cup water

1‚Ñ4 cup canola oil

2 tablespoons corn syrup

2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese

2 tablespoons dry pectin

2 tablespoons egg substitute

11‚Ñ4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1‚Ñ2 teaspoon minced garlic

1‚Ñ4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

Pinch of dried oregano

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Combine all of the ingredients with a mixer on medium speed or in a blender on low speed for 30 seconds. Chill at least one hour before serving.

Makes about 11‚Ñ3 cups dressing.

Per 2-tablespoon serving: 71 calories, 5.7 fat grams, 5 carb grams, 300mg sodium, 0.7 protein grams, trace cholesterol, trace fiber.

Adapted from a recipe in “Top Secret Restaurant Recipes”

KATHY’S HONEY MUSTARD DRESSING

Chili’s honey mustard dressing contains 260 calories and 28 grams of fat in each typical 4-tablespoon serving, according to Chili’s Web site. I lighten it up by choosing light mayonnaise and finding a good combination of Splenda and honey. I also use a little less mayo along with a bit more mustard and vinegar. My changes to this dressing cut the calories by 38 percent and slash the fat by 61 percent.

1‚Ñ2 cup light mayonnaise

3 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 tablespoon Splenda

Pinch of paprika

Pinch of salt

Combine all ingredientsin a medium bowl and whisk until combined.

Makes 1 cup.

Per 2-tablespoon serving: 80 caloriess, 4 carb grams, 147mg sodium, 5.5 fat grams.

Adapted from a recipe in “Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2”

LIGHTER TANGY TOMATO DRESSING

Outback Steakhouse’s Tangy Tomato Dressing has 148 calories and 7.2 fat grams per 4-tablespoon serving, but I shave off 28 percent of the dressing’s calories by substituting Splenda for sugar.

1‚Ñ2 cup plus 1 tablespoon ketchup

1‚Ñ3 cup water

1‚Ñ4 cup white vinegar

1‚Ñ4 cup Splenda

2 tablespoons olive oil

1‚Ñ4 teaspoons paprika

1‚Ñ4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1‚Ñ4 teaspoon garlic powder

1‚Ñ4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1‚Ñ8 teaspoon onion powder

Pinch of dried thyme

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, whisking often, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes. Cover the dressing until cool, then put it in the refrigerator to chill.

Makes 1 cup.

Per two-tablespoon serving: 53 calories, 7 carb grams, 200mg sodium, 3.6 fat grams

Slightly adapted from a recipe in “Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2.”