IF YOU PUT “LOW CALORIE RECIPE” INTO GOOGLE

     Google lists a lot of high-calorie recipes that have a couple of low-calorie ingredients. Which low-calorie ingredients somehow, magically, remove all of the other calories, making it a low-calorie dish. That’s what people seem to think, anyway.

     But Google did lead me to a treasure. The LOW CALORIE RECIPES page below was clearly created by home economists who have a real, down-to-earth grasp of the situation. They say of their recipes that “all contain less than 500 calories and are packed with healthful nutrients. Best yet, these are not ‘diet’ recipes, but great food your friends and family will also enjoy.” Also on the site is a discussion of “the pros and cons of eating low-cal.” An excellent site indeed.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/lf_hl_low_calorie
/0,2661,FOOD_21616,00.html

COOKING LIGHT MAGAZINE

     If you like gourmet recipes that don’t go overboard on calories, COOKING LIGHT.COM is perfect for you. Unlike some “low-fat” sites, they have recipes that call for small amounts of butter and bacon fat, because they know how much flavor these fats add to recipes. They use the flavorful fats in ways that give the most flavor with the fewest calories. They do makeovers, taking a favorite fatty family recipe and turning it into something equally delicious and low in calories. They have a thousand tricks to make dishes taste delicious without many calories, and they’ll teach you those tricks.

     Like chicken and dumplings. You boil the chicken, and you know that delicious broth has a thick layer of fat. They say to let it cool slightly, put the broth into a ziploc bag, cut a hole in the bottom corner, and let the broth drain out. Stopping it when the fat starts coming out. CLEVER!

http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking/

HEALTHY, HEARTY CROCKPOT RECIPES

     These are great low-fat recipes with generous amounts of protein to keep away the hunger pangs. If you don't have a crockpot, substitute a dutch oven or other ovenproof covered pot. Bring the pot to a brisk simmer on top of the stove, then cook at 300 to 350 degrees in the oven until done.

http://busycooks.about.com/od/healthycrockpotrecipes
/a/healthycrockpot.htm

ROASTED CITRUS TURKEY BREAST

     These LOW FAT RECIPES are not the pathetic things you see on some low-fat sites. These are Roasted Citrus Turkey Breast, Banana Pecan Loaf, and suchlike. These are good.

http://www.low-fat-recipes.com/

HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS RECIPES

     The list starts with “7 Luscious Recipes That Are Secretly Healthy” and goes on from there.

http://www.rd.com/channel/weight-loss-recipes/

LAURA’S LEAN BEEF RECIPES

     Laura raises extra-lean, healthy beef. She’s a good cook too. I know because she has produced a bunch of recipes that are (1) relatively simple, (2) low in fat and calories, and (3) beautifully seasoned and tasty. I’ve purchased some lean round steak (sorry, Laura, it wasn’t yours) and we’re having her Beef With Bok Choy tonight.

http://laurasleanbeef.com/inTheKitchen/recipes/recipesearch/lowfat.html

     Later: the taste was delicious, though beef round steak is a bit chewy cooked that way.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Healthy-Living/Low-Calorie/ViewAll.aspx