Diet Recipes Blog

Sour Cream Soft Cookies recipe - 190 calories

Ingredients:
1 cup sour cream (8 ounce carton)
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
cinnamon sugar

Preparation:
1. Measure the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder into a sifter.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter or margarine with the sugar until well blended; beat in the eggs and vanilla.
3. Sift in the flour mixture, adding alternately with sour cream to make a thick batter.
4. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls, 4 inches apart, on greased cookie sheets; spread into 2 inch rounds; sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.
5. Bake in a hot oven (400° F) for about 12 minutes (or until lightly golden around the edges).
6. Remove from the cookie sheets and let cool completely on wire racks.

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Raspberry Sorbet recipe - 174 calories

Ingredients:
500 g raspberries
6 tablespoons creme de cassis or creme de cacao
95 g caster sugar
1 small lemon, juice of
95 ml water

Preparation:
1. Place the sugar and water in a pot and heat until the sugar dissolves (usually before the water starts boiling).
2. Do not stir, but instead set the mixture aside to cool and then place in the refrigerator until it is completely cold.
3. Mix the cold syrup with the raspberries and creme de cassis or creme de cacao in a food processor or blender.
4. Whiz until smooth and then (if desired) push through a sieve to remove the berry seeds (if you like a little crunch in your sorbet, you can leave the seeds in).
5. Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker.
6. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can also do it by hand, by stirring the frozen edges into the center every hour or so until it is nearly frozen.

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Gingersnaps recipe - 102 calories

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups soft whole wheat flour
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup soft unbleached flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 cup light molasses, warmed
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup water

Preparation:
1. In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients together.
2. Mix the molasses with the oil and water. (If the molasses are not warm enough to dissolve into the water, use the microwave to warm them a little.)
3. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
4. The dough should be quite stiff, and not particularly sticky - if it’s too soft and sticky, add a little more flour.
5. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
6. Roll out the dough to about 1/4″ thick, and cut out with cookie cutters.
7. Line some cookie trays with parchment paper or lightly oil them, and place the cookies on them.
8. Re-roll and cut the scraps, until the dough is gone.
9. Bake for about 10-14 minutes, until lightly browned and set (the cookies will harden up as they cool).

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Palmiers recipe - 86 calories

Ingredients:
1 (375 g) packet puff pastry
2-3 tablespoons caster sugar

Preparation:
1. Roll the pastry on a surface sprinkled with caster sugar out to a rectangular shape (about 8×14 inches), and trim the edges with a sharp knife.
2. Sprinkle some caster sugar over the top of the pastry.
3. Fold in the long sides of the rectangle so that they meet in the center, and sprinkle with a little more sugar.
4. Fold in 1/2 lengthways and slightly press.
5. Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
6. Cut the pastry roll into slices (about 0.5 inches each) and place them on a lightly greased oven tray, about 4 inches apart.
7. Bake in a moderately hot oven for about 10 minutes, then turn the palmiers over and bake for another 10 minutes (or until crisp).
8. Remove the palmiers from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool.
9. Sprinkle with sifted icing sugar.

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Chocolate Brownies recipe - 134 calories

Ingredients:
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3 eggs
3/4 cup butter
1 cup flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:
1. In a microwaveable glass bowl, microwave the chocolate until melted.
2. Stir in all the other ingredients.
3. Grease a 13 x 9 pan.
4. Bake at 325 degrees F for about 30 minutes (or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean - don’t overbake!).

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Eggs on the Grill Candy recipe - 130 calories

Ingredients:
30 yellow Smarties candies
200 g white chocolate
120 straight pretzel sticks

Preparation:
1. Spread wax paper on a cookie sheet.
2. Arrange the pretzel sticks, laying side by side, into groups of four.
3. Melt the white chocolate.
4. Drop a small amount of chocolate (approximately 1 teaspoon) onto the center each group of 4 pretzel sticks.
5. Top each “egg white” with one yellow Smartie.
6. Cool until set.

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Strawberries with Cream Cheese Dessert recipe - 125 calories

Ingredients:
2 lbs fresh strawberries (medium to large work best)
2 (3 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar (or to taste)
4 ounces sour cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of grated semisweet chocolate (optional)
1/8 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
blueberries, for garnish (optional)

Preparation:
1. Wash the strawberries.
2. Cut out a small hole/core at the top of each strawberry (where the cream will sit).
3. In a bowl, blend the cream cheese, sour cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and almond extract (if using) on medium speed until light and fluffy.
4. Optional: Fold 2 tablespoons of grated chocolate into the cream mixture.
5. Spoon the mixture into a decorating bag (or use a large zip lock bag, cutting avery small piece off one of the bottom corners to use as the decorating tip).
6. Squeeze the cream mixture into the holes/cores of the strawberries.
7. Top each strawberry off with a blueberry (optional).
8. Chill for at least an hour before serving.

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South African Syrup-Soaked Fritters recipe - 178 calories

Ingredients:
500 g cake flour
20 ml baking powder
2 eggs, beaten
125 g butter
2 ml salt
milk
oil (for deep frying)

For the syrup
750 g sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
2 inches ginger, peeled
4 whole cloves
375 ml water

Preparation:
1. Prepare the syrup the day before making the fritters and chill thoroughly.
2. Dissolve the sugar in water over medium heat.
3. Add the spices and ginger.
4. Boil together for about 10 minutes.
5. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.
6. Rub in the butter; add the beaten eggs with enough milk to blend into a stiff dough.
7. Chill the dough in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
8. Roll out the dough 1/4 inch thick and cut into strips approximately 3×1 inches.
9. With a sharp knife, cut each strip into 3 smaller ones, leaving them attached at one end.
10. Braid the strips loosely and pinch the ends to secure.
11. Drop a few at a time into hot oil.
12. Cook until lightly-browned and puffed.
13. Lift out and drain for about 1 minute of crumpled paper towels, then drop them at once into the chilled syrup.
14. Soak in syrup, lift out and drain in a sieve until dry.

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Chocolate-Peanut Butter Truffles recipe - 101 calories

Ingredients:
12 ounces best-quality semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup finely chopped salted peanuts
2 tablespoons butter, cut into bits
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preparation:
1. In a large saucepan, combine the chocolate chips, peanut butter, cream and butter; heat over moderate heat, stirring, until the chocolate is completely melted.
2. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and a pinch of salt.
3. Transfer to a bowl and chill for about 4 hours (or until firm).
4. Form mixture by heaping teaspoons into balls and roll lightly in the chopped peanuts.
5. Chill on a baking sheet lined with wax paper for about 1 hour (or until firm).
6. Store in an airtight container, chilled, for up to 2 weeks.

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Lemon Squares recipe - 138 calories

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
powdered sugar

Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. Butter a 13×9x2-inch baking pan.
3. In a food processor, combine 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, the butter pieces and the coconut.
4. Process until moist clumps form.
5. Press onto the bottom of the prepared pan.
6. Bake for about 20 minutes (until the edges are golden).
7. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, 2 cups sugar, baking powder, lemon juice and the remaining 1/4 cup flour until well blended.
8. Pour over the hot crust.
9. Bake for about 25 minutes (until the topping is set and light brown).
10. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.
11. Cut into squares and dust tops with powdered sugar.

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