Exclusive: Stay fit and slim - Try these 5 low-calorie recipes for effective WEIGHT LOSS

Having a low-calorie diet is essential in losing weight but if you don't enjoy what you eat, it's likely that you will soon give up on the diet and switch to unhealthy choices. So here are 5 recipes for yummy and unique dishes that will help maintain weight.

Prepare healthy food (Pic: Pixabay)

Are you watching your weight, but tired of eating the same old food every other day? Diet plays the most important role when it comes to one's weight loss journey and what makes following a healthy diet all the more difficult is the boredom that seeps in eating similar types of food day in and day out. To maintain one's weight it is important to NOT go on fad diets but make healthy eating a sustainable practice. Saurabh Singh Chandel, Executive Chef, Crowne Plaza Greater Noida, lists 5 recipes that are healthy and low-calorie. So try these different dishes while you watch your weight. 

Recipe 1: Broccoli and Quinoa Cake

Ingredients:

Quinoa: 30 gm

Broccoli: 50 gm

Basil: 1 gm

Dill: 1 gm

Parsley: 1 gm

Cilantro: 1 gm 

Egg: 1 no        

Salt: 2 gm

Black pepper: 1gm

Garlic Clove: 2

Bread Crumb: 5 gm

Cheddar Cheese: 5 gm

Olive oil: 5 ml

Method:

STEP 1

Cook quinoa: Rinse quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and drain. Bring quinoa and 1 cup water to boil in a very small pot, cover, lower heat to low, and simmer 10-12 minutes until tender and all the water is gone. Turn off the heat, let it stand for 5 minutes, and covered.

STEP 2

Steam broccoli: While cooking the quinoa, steam the broccoli until tender, being careful not to overcook. Drain well, let cool, and dry it. 

STEP 3

Place broccoli, scallions, herbs, cooked quinoa, egg, salt, pepper, garlic, and cheese into a food processor and pulse repeatedly until finely ground. Pulse in the bread crumb, mixing in well. Continue adding bread crumbs. You need to coat these with Quinoa.

STEP 4

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Carefully place patties in the skillet, lowering the heat to resist the temptation to move or fiddle with them. As they form the deep golden crust, they will naturally release themselves from the pan, and not stick- making flipping so much easier. Flip when golden and release after about 5 minutes.  Pan-sear the other side until slightly puffed in the centre lowering heat more if need be.

Recipe 2: Hummus Toast

Ingredients:

Tahina: 10 ml

Cold Water: 20 ml

Olive oil: 10 ml

Cumin: 2 gm

Sea Salt: 2 gm                        

Garlic: 2 nos

Boiled Chickpeas: 60 gm

Lemon Juice: 5 ml

Paprika: 1 gm

Multigrain Bread: 2 slices

Method:

STEP 1

Add tahini, cold water, olive oil, cumin, salt, garlic, and lemon juice to a food processor.  Puree until smooth.

STEP 2

Add in the chickpeas.  Puree, pausing halfway to scrape down the sides of the bowl until the hummus is smooth.  If it seems too thick, add in another tablespoon or two of water.

STEP 3

Taste and season with additional salt, cumin, and lemon juice.

STEP 3

Toast your bread, drizzle over the olive oil then pile the Hummus and put paprika olive oil on top.

Recipe 3: Steamed Fish

Ingredients:

Fish (sea bass): 150 gm

Spring Onion: 15 gm

Ginger: 5 gm

Chinese Cooking Wine: 10 ml

Oil: 5 ml

Premium Soy Sauce: 1 ml

Sugar: 2 gm

Salt: 1 gm

Cilantro: 2 gm

Method

STEP 1

Stuff 2 stocks of spring onion and thin slices of ginger in the fish. Pour on Chinese cooking wine and steam for 20 minutes.

STEP 2

Thinly julienne spring onions and slice up the rest of the ginger. Heat some oil. In the meantime, in a bowl, mix soy sauce and sugar.

STEP 3

Once the fish is cooked, transfer the fish onto a new serving plate and remove all the stuffing. Place spring onion and ginger on top of the fish and pour on the sauce. Drizzle on hot oil all over the spring onion, cilantro, and ginger, then garnish with some more spring onion.

Recipe 4: Barley Khichdi

Ingredients

 Barley soaked overnight: 60 gm

 Yellow moong dal: 15 gm

Cup tur dal: 15 gm

Olive oil: 5 ml

Cumin seeds (jeera): 1 gm

Hing: 1 gm

Turmeric powder: 1gm                   

Chopped green chillies: 2gm         

Ginger garlic paste: 2gm                 

Salt: 2 gm                                          

Water:120 gm

Method:

STEP 1

Heat the olive oil in a pressure cooker and add the cumin seeds, when the seeds crackle, add the Hing, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder and sauté on a medium flame.

STEP 2

Add the green chillies and sauté on a medium flame for a few more seconds. Add the barley, yellow moong dal, tur dal, salt, and water, mix well and pressure cook for 2 whistles.

STEP 3

Allow the pressure cooker to cool down then open the lid.

Serve immediately.

Recipe 5: Broccoli Moong Dal Ka Chilla

Ingredients:

Moong dal chilka: 20 gm

Broccoli: 10 gm

Green Peas: 10 gm

 Water: 60 m

Onion chopped: 3 gm

Ginger chopped: 3 gm

Coriander chopped: 2 gm

Salt: 3 gm

Green Chili chopped: 2 gm

Baking Soda:  2 gm

Ghee: 5 ml

Method:

STEP 1

Take soaked and drained moong dal and blend it in a mixer using little water to make a thick paste.

STEP 2

Pour it in a bowl and then take green peas and blend it too to make a thick paste.

STEP 3

Take a bowl and add moong dal, pea, and broccoli. Now add onion, ginger, coriander leaves, salt, and green chili in it. Mix it and then add baking soda to it.

STEP 4

Mix well and add water to make a thin batter. Add water in small batches to get your desired consistency.

STEP 5

Heat a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Add a little ghee to coat the pan. When the pan is hot, put the mixture on the pan and flatten out until thick. 

Cook for a few minutes until the bottom is golden brown and then flip and cook on the other side.