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Recently, we've gotten many, many requests to start reviewing Low Carb Cookbooks and
offering our recommendations for those worth making a part of your kitchen's collection.
Below are those recommendations. We don't promise to have made all the recipes
in each book, but we have made a good representative sample, as well as
reviewing the other merits of the book. If you hear of a newly published one you
think we should know about, drop us a note and call it to our
attention. We want to hear from you if you've authored one as well!
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12-03-01 - Truly
Low Carb Cooking — Volume I:
By Karen M. Rysavy
Book Description:
 ISBN: 0-9714929-1-3
Spiral Bound
Clear Plastic Cover — Front & Back
116 Pages of actual recipes
Recipe Illustrations: On Cover Only
Table of Contents: Yes (areas plus recipe-by-recipe)
Index: No
Nutrition Info Given: Partial (Carb, Fiber)
UPDATED:
We've recently received a copy of the newest print of Karen's cookbook and have
been inspired to explore more of her recipes. I want you to try her Almond
Biscotti, her Cinnamon Coffee Cake and her Hearty Dark Bread.
And winter's a great time to try her Lobster Bisque and Cream of
Vegetable Soup! Delish! Here's our original review:
Karen's book is written with wit and warmth. It includes her "before
and after" photos, an introduction, and recipe notes. She also personally
signs each volume that goes out. The book is divided into five food/cooking
categories covering everything from Appetizers to the aptly named, "Fabulous
Fakes" (her category for Breads and Sweets.) The book is well organized,
uses bold, clear text, and we could find no "typos". Karen's total belief
and commitment to this way of eating is both evident and comforting.
Gram counts for Carbohydrate as well as Fiber is given for each
recipe with caveats where appropriate.
Now, onto the recipes themselves. It was recommended we try Karen's
Peanut Nirvana (page 119). If you didn't like one other recipe
in this book (which won't be the case!) this recipe would be worth the
price of the book. It's actually relatively simple, but I can assure
you, "Nirvana" is a perfectly apt title for this one. It was a favorite
among many of us trying it out. And right next-door to it (in the book, that
is...) is her Maple Nut Cake with Maple Nut Frosting. These are
also not to be missed — the same goes for her Fried Donuts (page 110.)
All her dessert recipes use Splenda exclusively.
To warm your cockles, there's a real winner in her Cream of Vegetable
Soup (page 61.) Her Impossible Breakfast Pie (page 70) is one I approached
with some trepidation — it didn't seem like something I'd like, but one
of our testers talked me into it and I really loved it!
Another useful inclusion is her recipes for two versions of homemade low-carb
bake mixes to keep on-hand. Several of her recipes call for the mixture
as recipe ingredients. The last one I'll mention here is her Cheese
Pots (page 81.) She describes them this way: "Not a soufflé, and not a quiche,
these tasty little sides have deep brown, chewy crusts and a decadent creamy
middle." These are so good. If you're a cheese lover, you could get
addicted to these little "pots".
There's lots more here, so buy the book and cook, cook, cook!
It's available from
Amazon.
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01-30-01 - Fabulous Lo Carb Cuisine
By Ruth Glick
Book Description:
Softcover
Light Street Press; ISBN: 0970629303
125 Pages of actual recipes
Recipe Illustrations: None
Table of Contents: Yes (By areas - individual
recipes unnumbered)
Index: No
Nutrition Info Given: Carbs, Protein, Calories, Fiber
Ruth Glick is an accomplished author, having worked on seventeen books in total
since 1984. She has recently found low-carb and has brought the same talent and
level of enthusiasm to her recent dietary enlightenment. We are the lucky
benefactors of this effort, as Fabulous Lo Carb Cuisine is an excellent
kitchen resource!
Ruth begins with a great introduction (she calls it "Confesions of a lo-carb cook")
that explains how she arrived at low-carbing in the first place. Ruth is an excellent
writer, so you'll want to read every word. She further explains her reasoning and
procedures for nutritional information reporting on her recipes. Realistic
portions are listed so carb counts translate well to your actual meal consumption.
While she includes fiber counts, she does not automatically deduct it from the
carb count. Lastly, the book is arranged exceedingly well, with creative category
titles that are as appetizing as the food. Wouldn't you rather dig into "Gourmet
Greens" and "Dazzling Desserts" than "Sides" and "Sweets"? Each recipe begins with
a notation of sorts that offers up a story, the history of the dish, or just an
extended description.
So — what did we love? Well, at this writing, we have a lot more recipes to try,
but we did make a number of them that we can highly recommend. You have to
try her Fruit Pizza (page 114) with Marzipan Crust (page 113)! The
heavenly mix of almonds, cream cheese, and fruits is one of those dishes you
continue to savor in your mind even after you've eaten it. And her Orange Almond
Candy (page 105) will have you convinced you're cheating (relax, at less than 2 carbs
a serving, you're safe!) Moving on to main dishes (yes, I always start with desserts),
we come to Salmon Pie (page 95). Now I would never have thought to make
a pie from Salmon. But this is really delicious. It serves beautifully too. It's
ever-so-chic to serve salmon these days, so it would fit the bill for a dinner
party or small reception. For a "homier" taste, try her Pork Chops with Sauerkraut
and Tomato (page 86) or her Tangy Pot Roast with Vegetables (page 72).
Missing Chinese? You'll want to try her Kung Pao Chicken (page 89). It
is so good! And you can control how hot you make it
(so, I'm a whimp!) For appetizers, you won't want to miss her White Pizza
(page 26) or the
strangely compelling Spanakopita Bake (page 16) — it's Greek — just make
it. Lastly, her Cream of Tomato Soup (page 11) is better than mine (tsk, tsk)
so I am switching recipes.
Ruth has created a real work of art here and you won't want to miss out on
this one! It's available at Amazon.
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By Teena Brooks & Contributors from the web