Comfort food recipes when you’re on a diet!

Ah, comfort food! Some of the very best recipes fall in this category. Unfortunately, these recipes usually do not match up with dieting. However, I have come into possession of a wonderful cookbook, taste of home: the comfort food diet cookbook. These recipes have been adjusted and tweaked by the Taste of Home committee to be deliciously comforting and diet worthy!

Less than 100 calories

Veggie tortilla pinwheels

Recipe provided by taste of home: the comfort food diet cookbook

This recipe is considered a “snack” but, the serving size is three pinwheels for a total of 94 calories! It sounds like a win to me!

Ingredients

• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese
• 4 teaspoons ranch salad dressing mix
• 1 package (2 ¼ ounce) dried beef, chopped
• ½ cup chopped fresh broccoli
• ½ cup chopped green onions
• ¼ cup sliced pimento-stuffed olives
• 5 flour tortillas (8 inches), room temperature
• Salsa, optional

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and salad dressing mix until blended
2. Stir in beef, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, and olives
3. Spread evenly over tortillas, roll up tightly and wrap in plastic wrap
4. Refrigerate for at least two hours
5. Unwrap and cut into ½ inch slices
6. Serve with salsa if desired

201-300 calories

Ham and apricot crepes

Recipe provided by taste of home: the comfort food diet cookbook

This recipe is typically made for breakfast but I don’t see why it couldn’t be great for brunch or lunch or even a savory dessert! In fact, this recipe seems so delicious I would happily try two crepes at only 258 calories!

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups milk
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 20 thin slices deli ham

Sauce

• 1 can apricot halves
• ⅔ cup of sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 2 cans (5 ½ ounces each) apricot nectar
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, beat the milk, eggs, and butter
2. Add flour and beat until well combined
3. Cover and refrigerate for one hour
4. Heat a lightly greased 8-inch nonstick skillet
5. Pour two tablespoons of batter into the center of the skillet
6. Lift and tilt pan to evenly coat bottom
7. Cook until top appears dry
8. Turn and cook 15-20 seconds longer
9. Remove to a wire rack
10. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing skillet as needed
11. When cool, stack crepes with wax paper or paper towels in between
12. Place a slice of ham on each crepe and roll up
13. Place in two greased 13 inches by 9-inch baking dishes
14. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes
15. Meanwhile, drain the apricots, reserving syrup
16. Cut the apricots into ¼ slices, set aside
17. In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt
18. Add the apricot nectar and reserved syrup, stir until smooth
19. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened
20. Remove from the heat, stir in butter, lemon juice, and apricot slices. Serve with crepes.

Now, if you were to join the comfort food diet that is described throughout this cookbook, you would be encouraged to take up yoga, pilates, walking, and other exercises to get the blood pumping and shed those stubborn pounds. Also included in this diet plan is a list of “free foods” that the book categorizes as “eat all you want”! These foods include:

• Cabbage
• Eggplant
• Garlic
• Baby corn
• Artichoke hearts
• Onions
• Bell peppers
• Spinach
• Zucchini and other squash

After discovering and reading through some of the chapters of the taste of home: the comfort food diet cookbook,  I feel compelled to do my best to give it a shot!