Decadent, rich, gourmet foods that are also low calorie.

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  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    this is what im looking for too! real food!
    i always find roasting vegies makes them taste so nicer than other methods.
    creme fraiche instead of cream makes good sauces for certain things.

    im not long back from france as well so struggling not cooking lovely meals with wine n cheese n meats that r still tasty!
    Why not just eat the foods you like but in moderation. I havent yet found a food or meal that I like that if I really want it that I can fit it into my calorie goals.. I don't eat diet food I just eat food
  • ChrisM8971
    ChrisM8971 Posts: 1,067 Member
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    Oysters, lemon juice.

    Or oysters with bloody mary sauce
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,141 Member
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    Meals with fish and seafood are your best bet.
  • ElkeKNJ
    ElkeKNJ Posts: 207 Member
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    I made a meal this week that I really savoured, and light in calories:
    - oven-baked potatoes with rosemary and seesalt (skimped on the olive oil for the calories, but they came out a bit dry)
    - pangasius fish fillet with a sjalot and chives cream sauce
    - stir fried sea lavender


    edit: just deleted a comment on French restaurants, who cares what I think, to each their own right?
  • icrushit
    icrushit Posts: 773 Member
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    Haha, decadent and rich in my world = rich in fat. Given most folks looking for lower calorie meals seem to cut fat out before anything else, there's usually not much richness and decadence left, lol. In order to have decadent and rich *and* lower calorie, I would suggest cutting the carbs, that way you can still have all that lovely tasty fat :)
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
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    I get the best quality ingredients I can find, and find that as long as you don't mess around with them too much they will be the best-tasting meals. I do get meat from top-notch butcher, fish from wholesale fish market, specialties like cheese, marinated anchovies, olives, capers etc from online specialty retailers and buy fruit and vegetables from farmers markets and subscribe to a CSA. These do cost more than regular stores, but don't need the mountains of butter to make them luxurious and you don't need a lot of the expensive stuff to make a meal fabulous. My meals still revolve around lean proteins and mountains of vegetables and fruit, and I eat a lot of beans, lentils and whole grains cooked with various herbs, spices and always garlic.

    I also keep my eyes open for the unusual, like duck or goose eggs, rare honey or vegetables I've not seen before, then race home, shift through my recipe books for ideas or google recipes as a last resort.

    I rely on a few good recipe books and adapt the recipes which are a bit lardy. My favorite is Olives and Oranges. The zucchini with mint for pasta is devine, even with 1/4 of the parmesan and a dash of butter and olive oil.
  • geneticsteacher
    geneticsteacher Posts: 623 Member
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    Had a lovely meal in Seattle that was fairly low calorie. Grilled salmon with a sweet chili lime beurre blanc, chayote/jicama slaw, and a small serving of sesame rice.

    I made the beurre blanc when I got home - 2 tsp.approximately 50 calories and adds so much flavor. (I forgot this is a restaurant-sized recipe! Fortunately, the leftover sauce froze well.)

    http://www.elliottsoysterhouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Elliotts-Recipes.pdf
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    Most decadent, rich, gourmet foods that I've cooked in the past have been very high in calories. It's been beautiful food, although I haven't made most of these foods for around a year.

    I would ideally like to return back to the gourmet, decadent foods, but do it in another way that it is very reasonable calories.

    I've been altering my crepes, my meat roulades, my various salads and whatnot.

    I would like to ask if anyone has any suggestions for decadent, rich, gourmet, homemade foods that are easily made as low calorie?

    There really aren't any unless you have comfort and experience with molecular gastronomy.

    Foie Gras is still foie gras.
    A duck fat seared scallop is still a duck fat seared scallop.

    Which all that is fine, just eat less.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
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    Yet foie gras is very satisfying in an appetizer serving size - and that's how you get it to be lower calorie. A small amount of foie, with a pan sauce and grilled peaches is delicious.

    That duck fat seared scallop isn't a problem, either, unless you're eating a dozen of the things. A more usual serving size is four. There's not all that much fat that sticks to the scallop. Now if you're serving it in a duck fat sauce, well ... that's a problem.

    I had a really tasty lemon pasta and shrimp dish from Giada De Laurentis the other day. If you try it, make only half of the lemon vinaigrette at most. When we made it with the original recipe, the pasta was absolutely swimming in it. Totally unnecessary, and cutting that brings the calories per serving nicely in line. http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/lemon-spaghetti-with-shrimp
  • Roseygirl1
    Roseygirl1 Posts: 196 Member
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    Last night I served a composed salad:

    a bed of farmer's market fresh red leaf lettuce

    3 thin slices each diner of high quality prosciutto

    thin slices of hand made full fat mozzarella cheese

    black olives

    slices of freshly made artisanal pan ancienne (French bread)

    homemade mayonnaise and Dijon mustard

    Sliced ripe tomatoes


    It was delicious, satisfying, beautiful to look at and fun to eat!

    Great question!
    Rosey
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    There are ways to alter meals to make them still very decadent, yet lower in calories.

    If you already know this, what exactly are you asking for? "Rich" foods by definition mean high fat or high sweetness (or both). The only way to do that low cal is with artificial fats/sweeteners.

    A more pertinent question is why you are seeking out fake rich foods, when portion control already allows for including non-fake rich foods even when dieting (er, sorry, "lifestyle changing").
  • imaginaryplant
    imaginaryplant Posts: 93 Member
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    Thank you everyone for such amazing answers!
  • imaginaryplant
    imaginaryplant Posts: 93 Member
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    There are ways to alter meals to make them still very decadent, yet lower in calories.

    If you already know this, what exactly are you asking for? "Rich" foods by definition mean high fat or high sweetness (or both). The only way to do that low cal is with artificial fats/sweeteners.

    A more pertinent question is why you are seeking out fake rich foods, when portion control already allows for including non-fake rich foods even when dieting (er, sorry, "lifestyle changing").


    I think you misunderstood my original question. I apologize if it wasn't completely clearly written, my brain has been in a funny place lately. I think the answers given were perfect examples of what I was trying to get across.
  • stevenlcopeland
    stevenlcopeland Posts: 57 Member
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    I'm glad I never got hung up in the how food looks camp or worried about a food being rich and decadent. So I guess my suggestion of protein shakes, peanut butter, or if I really want to splurge boiled turkey necks do not fit the definition of gourmet. And we wonder why our species is getting fat, when actual time is spent worrying what might look good to eat or did it cost over 20.00 dollars a pound to purchase and my guests will be impressed when they arrive for supper. Glad I never got caught up in thinking food is part of my social life. But then again people may think I'm crazy spending my lunch hour at the YMCA trying to decide what decadent, rich, and gourmet exercise I'm going to do for the second time that day. Yes my gourmet breakfast before work consists of the same challenges at the gym.
  • imaginaryplant
    imaginaryplant Posts: 93 Member
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    I'm glad I never got hung up in the how food looks camp or worried about a food being rich and decadent. So I guess my suggestion of protein shakes, peanut butter, or if I really want to splurge boiled turkey necks do not fit the definition of gourmet. And we wonder why our species is getting fat, when actual time is spent worrying what might look good to eat or did it cost over 20.00 dollars a pound to purchase and my guests will be impressed when they arrive for supper. Glad I never got caught up in thinking food is part of my social life. But then again people may think I'm crazy spending my lunch hour at the YMCA trying to decide what decadent, rich, and gourmet exercise I'm going to do for the second time that day. Yes my gourmet breakfast before work consists of the same challenges at the gym.

    Uhhh...good for you? I guess that makes you the best person. Congrats. O_o
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
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    I think and hope you might like this site.
    Has a lot of recipes and the nutrition information for each.

    http://www.epicurious.com/recipesmenus/
  • tmbg1
    tmbg1 Posts: 1,296 Member
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    The Cook This Not That books have some really good recipes. If I am reading your request correctly, the duck recipe in that book is what you want. I made it and it is fantastic!
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
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    I love the More-than-demi-glace pastes. The 1-pound containers live in the fridge for a year or so. I usually have beef/veal, chicken, and mushroom. Each adds an incredible amount of richness to a sauce or gravy that lacks fat.

    Drain your own yogurt until it is very thick and use it anytime sour cream is called for.

    Never underestimate the power of 1 tablespoon of butter stirred in at the last minute to make a whole pan of veggies taste like they are drowning in butter sauce.

    Toss the salad or coleslaw in a bowl with the dressing -- it takes much less to coat the whole bowl than you think. 2 tablespoons of dressing goes a very long way.

    Don't skimp on olive oil. It's good for you.

    Oh, no. Now that I mentioned the buttered veggie thing, I think I'll have to glamourize those green beans tonight with a little lemon and butter. It'll definitely be worth the 50 calories. Or maybe really gild the lily and have buttered bread crumbs.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Cooking Light has a recipe section. You will find a ton of delicious meals there.
  • Rocket_Man44
    Rocket_Man44 Posts: 896
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    http://www.theironyou.com/

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