"Non-diet" recipes you rely on

tralala99

I've found that some recipes I used to eat a lot of before I started counting calories are pretty easy to fit into my new way of eating. Ina Garten has a chicken chili recipe that I eat a lot, and Smitten Kitchen's escarole and orzo soup with turkey meatballs is really good as well. Servings of each of these usually run around 350 calories, taste good, and are super filling. I could easily serve them to other people without feeling like I'm imposing anything on them. Having made both of these recipes in the last couple of weeks, this got me wondering what other foods and recipes people already ate, or are not traditional "diet foods," that they have found to be tasty and relatively low-cal (or low-carb, or whatever you're doing). I'm hoping this thread can become a good place for everyone to share their own discoveries.

autniccole

Okay so, I don't know if they count as "non-diet," or not, but the recipes on Skinnytaste.com are all amazing. None of them feel like you're eating anything low calorie or health conscious. The chicken cordon bleu is one of our household favorites, but we have tried probably 20+ recipes from there and every single one of them has been AMAZING.

ksolksol

Sweet potato and tomato soup, with or without red lentils. Saute some garlic and onions until translucent. Add broth/water combo (reduces sodium. Add a sweet potato and (optional) 1/2 cup or so red lentils and cook until soft. Add canned, chopped, no-salt tomatoes and basil or Italian seasoning if desired. Use immersion blender to puree until smooth, or use a potato masher for a chunkier texture. Add a pinch of sugar &/or salt if necessary, but it's usually not. A hit every time I've served it.

IGbnat24

What's the definition of a 'diet' recipe? Stir fry made with lean meats and tons of veggies is a great meal for anyone. Mix up the spices and offer rice for those who want it. A beef or pork roast (or even a whole chicken) baked with potatoes and veggies is another good one. Taco salads are awesome if you use a leaner ground meat and you can offer up tortilla shells or chips (corn tortillas are very low cal). Use less butter or oil that's called for, don't fry foods, remove skin from poultry, or just serve yourself smaller portions. There's no reason you can't eat what everyone else is eating but there's also no reason that what you eat on a diet should taste like 'diet' food and be unappealing to those not watching their weight.

JoRocka

I pretty much live on stir fry (I make it almost weekly)

taco variations

meat sauce (no pasta- just lots of meat and some sauce)

grilled chicken variations

steak

and all manner of veggies

and eggs +veggies

that's pretty much all I eat outside of loads of junk food. which I do.

tralala99

Yeah, as far as what counts as "non-diet," I know that that's kind of a nebulous term. I think I meant that it was either a food that you already ate, or one that doesn't really have "diet" connotations culturally. Maybe even something you could serve at a party or bring to a potluck or something without it sticking out in any way. I count calories but try to fit pretty much everything in that I want, so I totally get that this definition is a little shifty. I'm mostly just hoping people will share any pleasant surprises they've had.

I really like to cook and try out new foods, so I follow a lot of food blogs. It's always nice to run across a recipe that happens to be lower calorie.