Low calorie recipes for weight loss, try these 5 restaurant style meals

For those trying to lose weight, eating healthy should not come with compromise on taste and flavours. Healthy food can be tasty too. Here are 5 tasty and healthy low-calorie recipes perfect for weight loss.

You may have heard this: weight loss is 70% diet and 30% exercise. You may spend hours in the gym, but real results can be seen only when you make changes to your diet. To make it slightly easy, we’ve curated some restaurant-style low calorie recipes that are packed with flavours and nutrients. So, get cooking.

Tomato and barley soup.

Smoked tomato and barley soup by Chef Paul Kinny, 212 All Good

Calorie count: 190 per serving

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped onions

6 Large Ripe Tomatoes

1/3cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped carrots

5 basil leaves

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoons smoke paprika

1/2 teaspoons raw sugar

2 tablespoons cooked barley

1/3 teas spoon black pepper.

Salt to taste

1/2cup wood charcoal

1/2tablespoon butter

Method:

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the onions, celery, carrots, garlic and oil and sauté for 5 to 10 minutes, or until all vegetables are almost tender.

Blanch and smoked the tomatoes in a deep bowl with charcoal and butter.

Then add the water, smoked tomatoes, 2 tablespoons cooked barley, ground black pepper and smoke paprika powder.

Stir thoroughly and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, or until soup is thickened.

Put in a mix jar and make a fine smooth paste strain and serve hot garnished with cooked barley.

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Sicilian mushrooms.

Sicilian mushrooms by Chef Anindya Chatterjee from The Kettlery

Calorie count: 120

Ingredients:

200 gm/1 packet fresh button mushroom quarters

2 tsp chopped garlic

1 tsp chili flakes

5 basil leaves chopped

50 ml olive oil

10 cherry tomatoes (halved)

Salt to taste

Black pepper a pinch

Method:

Heat pan, add olive oil

Add garlic and cook for a few seconds on medium heat. Add basil, and tomatoes

Increase the heat, add mushrooms, and cook till almost dry

Add chili flakes and season.

Serve hot, with crusty bread/pav

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Hummus

Bayroute Hummus by Ajay Thakur, corporate chef at Bayroute

Calorie count: 160

Ingredients:

Chickpea

Tahini

Garlic

Ice cold

Lemon juice

Strained yogurt

Sumac powder

Method:

Put all the ingredients in a blender until smooth & creamy. Refrigerate for 30 min. Put in a serving bowl top with strained yogurt & garnish with sumac Serve chilled with pita bread

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Raw mango, rose apple, water chestnut salad from Izaya.

Calorie count: 240

Ingredients: 

50 gms raw mango

80 gms rose apple

40 gms water chestnuts

15 gms spur chilies

30 gms shallots

10 gms basil

20 gms palm sugar

30 ml light soy

20 ml veg oyster sauce

20 ml lime juice

Salt to taste

Method:

Cut the raw mango, rose apple and water chestnuts in juliennes.

Slice the spur chilies and the shallots and combine them with the rest of the salad ingredients.

Combine the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl. Adjust the taste according to the sourness of the lime.

Add some finely chopped basil to the dressing.

Add the dressing to the salad mixture and toss well with just enough dressing to coat all the ingredients.

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Beetroot soup.

Vegan Beetroot, coconut & ginger soup from The Pantry

Total Calories - 35

Ingredients:

60 gms beetroot

40 gms sweet potato

60 gms coconut milk

20ml refined oil

150ml veg stock

15 gms onion

10 gms garlic

20 gms ginger

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Salt to taste

Method: 

Preheat oven to 400 °F.

Wrap each beet and sweet potato in aluminium foil and place in a baking dish or tray. Roast the beets in the oven for approximately 1 hour or until beets are fork tender. Once cooked, remove the beets from the foil and let cool until you can handle them. Chop the beets roughly into chunks. No need to be precise – it all gets pureed.

When the beets begin to roast, peel the sweet potatoes and chop roughly into chunks. Drizzle with enough oil and season with salt pepper. Spread out on a baking tray and roast for 30 minutes, flipping the potatoes halfway.

While the beets are cooling, heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of refined oil. Once hot, add chop onions, ginger and garlic. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until the softened and lightly browned.

To the pot, add the cooked beets and sweet potatoes, vegetable stock and seasoning with salt & black pepper. Stir well and cook at a simmer for 10 minutes.

Transfer the soup in batches to a high speed blender or use an immersion blender to purée until the soup is smooth.

Add the coconut milk and stir thoroughly to incorporate. Drizzle coconut cream on top.

Serve with thin slice of roasted coconut strips.

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