Makeover Restaurant Recipes

  • Have you gone out and just loved a particular dish at a restaurant but wanted to find a way to prepare it at home and make it healthier?

    Well I'm a big fan of the Zesty Chicken Border Bowl at Taco Bell, but with salad and dressing it comes in at a whopping 730 cal and 40 grams of fat (for a salad!!!!) So I made up my own version. Here goes:

    Makeover Zesty Chicken Border Bowl

    1/2 Buena Vidal Low Carb Wrap
    4 oz of Cooked Chicken diced or shredded
    1/4 C Fat Free Refried Beans
    1/2 C Steamed & Shredded Cauliflower (this is your rice)
    1 C Lettuce
    1/4 Medium Tomato diced
    1 T Salsa
    1 T Low Fat Ranch Dressing
    1/4 C Low Fat Shredded Cheese

    Take your 1/2 tortilla and cut it into matchstick sized pieces (using a pizza cutter is the easiest way to cut these) put in a heatproof pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 min or until they are turning a light golden brown. Remove from oven and cool. Take a regular sized bowl and spoon your warmed up refried beans on the bottom, add warm shredded cauliflower, then your lettuce, tomato, chicken, and cheese. Mix your salsa and dressing together and drizzle on top and then sprinkle your low carb strips on top. Voila!

    My stats are as follows:

    353 Cal
    13 g Fat
    23 g Carbs
    39 g Protein

    Note: 1/2 the carbs in this come from the FF Refried beans so if you are want a lower carb count cut out the beans. If you want to save a bit more on fat you can also use FF versions of the cheese and dressing (I'm not a fan so I opt for low fat).

    Anyone else have any "restaurant" makeover recipes????
  • KFC's "Famous Bowl" - my DH loves it, but it comes in at 740 calories and 35 grams of fat.

    Here's my version of it - not really a recipe, but you'll get the idea. DH has potatoes and much more cheese than I do - I stick to cauliflower and just a bit of cheese.

    Mashed potatoes (or cauliflower)
    Corn
    Diced, cooked chicken breast, seasoned with Rotisserie seasoning
    Fat-free chicken gravy
    FF shredded cheddar cheese

    Assemble in a bowl, in order listed above. Modify portions size and/or ratio of ingredients to suit your plan. Enjoy!
  • MMMM Cindy that sounds SO good. I think I'll have to try that one! I'd definetly use the mashed cauliflower. Unfortunately I'm a potato addict and the minute I eat one I can't stop!
  • I like chile relleno's but at the restaurants around here they are always battered and fried and then smothered in sauce and cheese.
    I take the chile peppers and sear them in a pan, no oil, I just use a non-stick pan. I only get them partially cooked, put them into an oven safe dish, then I smear a big spoon of NF refried beans on the pepper. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top and pop into the oven for about 20 minutes.
    It would be easy to add other ingredients...seasoned ground beef or chicken before the cheese for example.
    I serve them beside a green salad.
    This gives me the flavors I enjoy, without the batter or oils from frying.
  • I had taste an incredible fresh crab appetizer at Swiss Louis Italian and Seafood restaurant in SF (where I live).

    It was just a few days back and trying to prepare it at home.