What is your best low-calorie recipe?
I live at the beach and swimsuit season is right around the corner. Ack!! Ack!! Oh, and ACK!! Unless I want to frighten small children and embarrass myself I need to diet. However, I want to do it in a foodie way- with good low calorie homemade dishes. Help!??!!?? What is the best 'light' recipe you have? Links and/ or recipes would be soooo appreciated!
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24 Comments:
Probably my roasted/grilled veggie stew.
I grill or roast eggplant, portobello mushrooms, onions, red peppers, jalapeno peppers, cloves of garlic. Chop everything into good sized bite sized pieces, mince the garlic - toss into a pot along with a 28 oz can of Muir Glen Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes (the brand/type of tomatoes is VERY important in this recipe), rosemary, salt and pepper. and cook over med-low heat for about half an hour. At serving I'll throw in a few halved kalamata olives and a drizzle of olive oil.
So it's easy, fat free except for the drizzle of olive oil and the olives. And you don't need them, you can totally skip 'em, though they do make it better. I can eat this for weeks on end and never get tired of it.
chisai at 9:33AM on 04/02/08
Thai Coleslaw: Chop cabbage. If you have an onion, or half an onion, or some green onions (scallions), mince that and throw it in as well. Any cilantro waiting in the fridge? That'll go nicely, too, if you have it; chop it, as well. For the dressing: Juice some limes - for half a small cabbage, I usually use about three of them, but you can play it by ear. Season the lime juice with Thai fish sauce (I like Squid brand) and Splenda or the sweetener of your choice. Stir in just a tiny dab of cayenne or cracked red pepper - use the tip of a paring knife to pick up just a little, unless you're a metalmouth, but start sparingly. Taste the dressing. It should be sweet-sour-salty and slightly hot. Crank the heat up now and do any other adjusting. Pour over the coleslaw and toss the whole thing so the dressing is distributed. Taste again and adjust seasonings. Refrigerate while you fix the rest of your meal. Keeps well, and has even been known to appear on turkey sandwiches.
lemons at 9:52AM on 04/02/08
The key is to keep yourself full with whole grains, veggies and proteins (like beans). And they way to keep them yummy is to load them up with fresh herbs, spices, lemon juice, lime juice, and hot peppers. Here are some of my favorite "diet" foods:
Vietnamese noodle salad
Basil Lime Shrimp with Plantains
Beans
Lentils & quinoa
bitchincamero at 10:43AM on 04/02/08
Baked tilapia with loads of lemon juice- it's pretty moist on its own and needs little embellishment. Nice with a side of asparagus brushed lightly with olive oil, sprinkled w/ S&P and roasted for 6-8 minutes.
for an easy, light pasta dish, use 2 parts canned crushed tomatoes to one part julienned zucchini (or yellow squash), steamed, and one part peeled and cubed eggplant, sauteed with minimal olive oil. Mix ingredients together with your favorite seasonings- feel free to add garlic, onions, mushrooms, crushed red pepper. This is so flavorful, it's even pretty good on whole grain pasta. Actually, it's the only way I can eat whole grain pasta :)
Enjoy the beach, lucky duck!
Kerosena at 11:08AM on 04/02/08
I have a fantastic recipe for a dessert, although I have no idea what to call it.
Take the grated rind of a lemon and mix it in with some sugar/splenda and let the two soak up their flavors. Then, in a bowl, put in some washed and drained berries (raspberries, blackberries and blueberries seem to work the best), and on top of them put a dollop of tangy natural (Greek, if you can get it) yoghurt. Sprinkle on top the lemon rind/sugar mixture, and enjoy!
Really simple, great for the summer and delicious! It is really addictive!
Traveller at 1:00PM on 04/02/08
Svekolnik, also known as cold borsch. It's basically beets, cucumbers, scallions, eggs, dill/parsley, eggs and potatoes (you could just as easily leave out the last two). I wrote about it here. This is excellent in hot weather.
yulinka at 1:51PM on 04/02/08
This is a recipe for two. You can add more. And change it up in many ways:
Take two chicken breasts. Slice each one open, so that there is a cavity in there. I insert a slice of romano cheese, some fresh sage (chiffonade), and a slice of pear. Use toothpicks to close it.
Add some olive oil to a pan (not too much!). When it's hot, add your chicken breasts. Brown on each side for a few minutes. Remove them from heat, add some apple cider (sorry, I don't have a written recipe!). Deglaze pan with cider. Add the breasts back to the pan, let them simmer in the apple cider sauce until cooked through.
I like to serve this with wild rice (or if you're feeling indulgent, mashed potatoes) and a salad. Very healthy and lowfat. Few ingredients, tastes delicious, and looks nice enough for company. And you could put anything in that chicken slit - experiment with different cheeses and fresh herbs and fruits (or ham or whatever you want!)
lo82070 at 3:01PM on 04/02/08
Lemon Chicken
Boil lightly salted water in a medium saucepan. When it reaches a full boil, put in two chicken breasts. Let water come back to a boil. Remove chicken when fully cooked and let rest. Season broth with fish sauce, and add chopped green onions and cilantro. Slice chicken and serve with a dipping sauce of lemon juice, pepper, and optional lemon leaf chiffonade. Eat with broth over white rice.
unarata at 3:28PM on 04/02/08
I know this is going to be VERRRRRRRY unpopular but...A meal I make (that's helped me to lose 38 lbs and counting) is an Eggbeaters with Yolk omelet, Kraft Free cheddar cheese, Tarragon and powdered Penzey shallots. Takes seconds to make...total great comfort mouth feel and comes in a at a mere 140 calories, less than 5 grams of fat, 8 grams carbos. Accessorize it with pencil thin asparagus spears for scooping up the melted cheese---YUM.
bessfour at 3:32PM on 04/02/08
I'm not very good with nutritional information so I don't know if a bread recipe really fits into a diet plan. It's really good though! It's from a vegan cookbook it's an apple cake made with apple sauce instead of dairy.
PumpkinBear at 8:38PM on 04/02/08
Get yourself a big ol' bunch of celery. Trim off the ends. Wash well in cool water. Cut ribs crosswise into halves or thirds. Cut again lengthwise. After all ribs have been cut into sticks, consume.
;-x
LoCo at 12:49AM on 04/03/08
I make a sugar-free pie from regular pastry dough, apples and a jar of all-fruit preserves. Slice & peel the apples as you would for any apple pie. Melt a jar of apricot preserves and pour it over the apples. Also, you can add Splenda to taste. (This is basically a diabetic recipe but I figure it has to have less calories than a regular apple pie.) Bake as you normally would.
RichardCrystal at 11:10AM on 04/03/08
even though it's starting to get warm, i like lots of broth based soups and stews. they are sooo good for you and filling.
betsyg at 11:49AM on 04/03/08
For a snack, I love roasted chickpeas. They're great for you, take no real effort at all to make, have a great crunchy texture and are incredibly cheap.
Shelby at 11:57AM on 04/03/08
Oh, wow... Shelby... those sound AWESOME. I am making some tonight. Thanks bunches- that is exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for. Oh, and the broth based soups idea is spot on betsyg. I did the eggbeaters omelet and it was a nice change from my usual bowl of steel cut oats. I have also made the lemon/ berry dessert as suggested by Traveller and the veggie stew/ pasta topping suggested by Kerosena and Chaisai. The basil lime shrimp with plantains looks amazing and is on my list for the weekend. Y'all are the BEST!!! Thanks ever so much!
sbelle at 3:44PM on 04/03/08
You can check out my blog - I've posted the calorie information with most of the recipes. They usually range from 200-400 calories, and I'm going to make more low-cal foods since low-cal veggies are coming into season!
KarynMC at 5:59AM on 04/04/08
I should probably have given you the link: http://www.threepotato.blogspot.com
KarynMC at 6:00AM on 04/04/08
Steamed veggies with brown rice and peanut sauce.
Whenever I'm at a Thai restaurant I ask for extra peanut sauce, they usually charge like a dollar and I keep it in my freezer. Then I steam whatever veggies I have in my fridge, or even frozen ones like peas and broccoli, cook some brown rice, and toss it all up with a couple tablespoons of the peanut sauce, melted in the microwave. The spice and flavor of the sauce makes me not notice that there's no salt or garlic on the meal, and you don't need much of it!
embolini9 at 12:22PM on 04/04/08
OH another great one, for us pasta lovers, I found this in one of those really expensive Whole Foods magazines, it serves 2 people perfectly at less than 400 calories each!!:
Spaghetti squash with sauce
Roast a spaghetti squash (poke it, bake at 350 for an hour) and put it aside.
Saute 1/2 cup chopped onions in 2 T olive oil
Add 1 clove garlic
Add 1 pint grape tomatoes, some salt and pepper.
After a couple minutes, squish the tomatoes with a potato masher
Let the mixture simmer on low while you cut the squash in half, take out seeds with fork, and shred the rest of the flesh with a fork into a bowl. Mix squash with 1 T Olive Oil, some black pepper, and some grated romano or parmesan cheese.
Add basil to the tomato mixture and take off heat. Put squash into two bowls and top with tomato mixture and shredded cheese!
embolini9 at 12:30PM on 04/04/08
I usually make chili when I feel like I could stand to lose a few. Any basic recipe works, and you usually end up with something flavorful, filling, high protein and relatively low-carb. And even with a little bit of cheese and plain yogurt, it's still a healthy meal!
LizNYC at 2:11PM on 04/04/08
thai watermelon soup. puree a seedless watermellon and mix with fish sauce, hot sauce, lemongrass and water. garnish with crab or poached shrimp and cilantro. easy and good.
chefman at 9:41PM on 04/04/08
I am a total believer of eating fresh springrolls (salad rolls, summer rolls etc...) ! It has all the protein, grains, greens and flavor you need for a low calorie meal. You can fill it with all your fresh veggies, meats/tofu and have tons of flavor with fresh, light dips. Eating this for just a few days will keep you going and even drop a few pounds!
Every roll can be different, giving you variety and satisfaction beyond the basic salads! I've got so many recipes, it's crazy.
I'll even personalize a weekly menu for you. Just let me know what your favorite ingredients are and I'll even create some special dips just for you!
E-mail me or visit me via my blog!
Happy Spring Rolling to you!
Diane
td@whiteonricecouple.com
White On Rice Couple at 8:06PM on 04/06/08
I've recently lost 35 pounds, and here are a few things I think really helped:
Kashi Instant Oatmeal--kept me full until lunchtime
Smoked Almonds--for when I was craving bacon
Radishes--when I wanted something crunchy
Green Giant brand "Healthy Weight" frozen vegetable mix--have one serving at dinner, the other cold on a salad for lunch the next day
Cabbage-Mushroom Stirfry--one head Napa cabbage, sliced into approx 1" ribbons and 1 8oz package sliced mushrooms. Saute the mushrooms in a little oil or chicken broth until you think they're about halfway cooked, then add the sliced cabbage. When the cabbage just begins to wilt, add about a Tbsp of soy sauce and a Tbsp of sesame oil. If you have some, add a couple of splashes of rice wine vinegar. Cook until the cabbage is crisp-tender. This is usually enough for 1 dinner serving and 2 lunches.
pahenman at 9:22AM on 04/07/08
This is my fast food lunch...I get Amy's Tamale Pies....They are low calorie and high fiber. While one is microwaving for 4 1/2 minutes I cut up one romaine lettuce heart or 1/4-1/2 a head of iceberg, a red pepper and I dice some onion. I pour the tamale pie over the salad and serve it with Barbara's Mango Peach salsa (or whichever other I have around), perhaps a tablespoon of Total 0% yogurt and maybe a couple of sliced olives...It turns into an extremely filling Taco salad....which is less than 200 calories (and if you think of weight watcher terms it's only 2-2.5 points depending on whether you add the yogurt or the olives...)
gestalt768 at 12:51PM on 04/07/08