Some of us (ahem) are still working on shedding that seasonal surplus padding. If you're trying to eat a bit lighter these days, consider making my modified Cobb salad for lunch or even dinner. It's a great way to get your greens and lets you enjoy a bit of turkey, blue cheese and bacon without going whole hog.

The original Cobb salad was a favorite of Hollywood movie moguls, who ordered it regularly at the legendary Brown Derby where it was invented in 1937. In one of those impromptu, “what can we whip up with what's in the fridge” moments, Bob Cobb, the Derby's owner, threw together a salad with whatever he had on hand and served it to Sid Grauman, owner of the landmark Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.

Grauman liked it so much he requested a “Cobb salad” again the next day. It was added to the menu by popular demand.

My version isn't that different, but I've trimmed the fat in four ways; omitting the eggs altogether; using less bacon and a leaner cut; cutting back on the blue cheese, and making a lighter dressing.

Your salad will only be as good as the sum of its ingredients, so buy the freshest, and the best. I bought my bacon and smoked turkey at the farmers' market, from two Hudson Valley vendors famous for their free range pork and poultry products.

Kat's Kinder. Leaner Cobb Salad:

2 oz Canadian bacon

1 head Romaine lettuce

1 half pint cherry tomatoes

2 scallions

2 oz blue cheese

1/3 cup low fat buttermilk (I use Saco's powdered buttermilk , mixed with Skim Plus)

1/3 cup plain nonfat yogurt

2 Tbs cider vinegar

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

12 oz smoked turkey or chicken breast, pre-cooked & cubed

1 avocado, sliced into small pieces

Cook the bacon in a frying pan over medium heat for about 3 minutes on each side. Remove and drain on a paper towel.

Wash and dry the lettuce and tomatoes. Tear the lettuce into bite-sized pieces and cut the tomatoes in half, if you like (if they're small enough leave them whole.)

Cut the scallions coarsely and place in a food processor. Pulse till finely chopped. Add the blue cheese, buttermilk, yogurt, vinegar, Worcestershire, cayenne, black pepper, and salt to taste (go easy on the salt; there's plenty of it in the bacon and cheese already.)

Put the lettuce in a salad bowl; add the tomatoes and turkey. Toss with the dressing, and sprinkle the bacon and avocado on top.

Image: old postcard of Brown Derby Restaurant Los Angeles, California