Low-Carb Cookbook, The: The Complete Guide to the Healthy Low Carbohydrate Lifestyle–with Over 250 Delicious Recipes, Everything You Need to Know About … the Pantry, and Sources for the Best Prep
September 7th, 2010
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Product Description
Supporting a growing nutritional movement that emphasizes a reduction in carbohydrate intake, the author of Great Food without Fuss, who herself lost sixty pounds on a low-carb diet, provides readers with all the detailed information they need to make the dietary switch. 35,000 first printing. Tour.Amazon.com Review
Written by a James Beard Award-winning author who’s also a writing teacher at the revered Culinary Institute of America, The Low-Carb Cookbook presents a colorful approach to the low-carb, high-protein diet so many people swear by. The author, Fran McCullough, has herself lost 60 pounds by following a low-carbohydrate diet, so you know you’re in good hands. With more than 250 recipes, including appetizers, sauces, sides, main dishes, and delectable desserts, it’ll keep you cookin’.
She’s definitely taken a gourmet approach to the recipes. While they’re all tempting, notables include Three-Grain Pancakes with Raspberry-Orange Sauce, Nut-Crusted Swordfish with Romesco Sauce, and Crème Fraîche Ice Cream. Unlike the many other low-carb cookbooks out there, McCullough gives advice for tracking down the best prepared food products and additional tips for healthy food preparation (for example, she recommends organic meat and dairy products whenever possible and cautions that “free-range” chickens are allowed to stick their heads out of their cages–not necessarily given the chance to frolic freely on the farm). There’s also an interesting comparison of low-carb books, including Protein Power, Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution, The Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet, and The Zone, which boils down to this: they all emulate many aspects of the Overeater’s Anonymous recommended diet. But where the diet books that started the low-carb craze may not be all that original, The Low-Carb Cookbook certainly is, with its wonderfully creative and classy recipes. The perfect choice if you want to rise from a food-boredom rut or entertain for friends–and not let on that you’re counting carbs. –Erica Jorgensen
September 7th, 2010 at 10:41 pm
I fell in love at page 13. Fran M. has written many other cookbooks and read even more; she is truly a gourmand. Now she’s discovered low-carb! This book is a must for the low carb kitchen: A great foreword with the medical lowdown on low-carb; a section on “the low carb gurus” comparing and contrasting Atkins, Zone, Protein Power, etc; a great “Panty” section telling what to throw out of your cupboards (or give away); how to entertain non-low-carb’ing friends; this book is filled with useful sections. Oh, and the recipes! I started this diet eating cheese, meat, and meat with cheese on it. What variety I’ve found here! Some recipes are more exotic, and some suited for “weekday” cooking. Desserts! Strawberry gelati! Cheesecake! Chocolate mousse! (I may have to get that ice-cream maker).
THANK YOU! (Could the next edition have photos please? And a longer index?) Note: The “Sources” section with where to get low-carb pantry staples is worth it alone!
Rating: 5 / 5
September 8th, 2010 at 12:36 am
After extremely disappointing results with recipes from Atkins and the Carb Addict people, in desperation I turned tothis cookbook. I was pleased to note that Ms. McCullough is an editor of several cookbooks, and my faith was justified. I have made several recipes (try the Red Hot chili — it’s great!) and all have been successful and tasty. I especially appreciate the long introductory section where she goes into detail about ingredients and pantry-stocking for the low-carb lifestyle, and the information on sweeteners was extremely interesting and useful. The other thing I like best about this cookbook is the extensive list of recipes for vegetables and side dishes — I already know how to cook the meat, so adding variety with the limited number of low-carb veggies is important. I’ve recommended this book to several friends, with great results for them as well.
Rating: 5 / 5
September 8th, 2010 at 3:06 am
I bought both this book and the one by D. Chud. They are both nice books, but I found this book, (“The Low-Carb Cookbook” by F. McCullough) to be more practical – Fran gives you a rundown of low carb pantry items and resource guide for finding these items – lots of unusual low-carb products that would be otherwise hard to find (low carb Tortillas, for instance). Many recipes are short and easy to prepare – there are “classic” American (Fried chicken with lowcarb crispy coating),French (vicchyssoise,beef burgoyne), and Italian style (caponata,Italian meatloaf) recipes as well as recipes using some more commonly found Asian and Southwest (carnitas) ingredients. The book is organized in the usual manner: appetizers,soups,salads,main dishes,condiments, veggies,side dishes, desserts and each section has good and interesting low-carb recipes. Each recipe has the carb,protein and fat counts, so you can get an idea of how the carbs would change if you make substitutions. In addition, she has some more unusual basic recipes (how to prepare your own pork rinds / cracklings)that I haven’t seen before. My favorite parts are special sections spread throughout the book with topics like how to prepare a low-carb Turkey stuffing, how to make a low-carb “breadings” for meat,and low-carb wrappers of lettuce to mention a few. I really enjoy this book and have shared it with co-workers on the low-carb diet. One last comment is that another book for low carb eaters which is complementary in nature to the “The Low-Carb Cookbook” is “The Complete Meat Cookbook” by Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly. In that book you get a lot of buying info on meat (difference between prime and choice, how to choose a ham,beef,pork,lamb and veal)as well as how to prepare meat easily and with good flavor and tenderness, while on a budget. The accompanying side dish recipes in this book are probably not low carb (you have to watch the ingredients, some are low carb), but the meat preparations are easy and delicious, a good complementary book to “The Low Carb Cookbook”.
Rating: 5 / 5
September 8th, 2010 at 3:11 am
My wife is very supportive of the Atkins Low Carb diet I am currently following. I have lost over 30 pounds and have maintained my weight while travelling for the last 4 months. On the weekends she cooks for me and is constantly looking for good recipes to add variety to keep me interested in staying on the Atkins Plan. She recently made the Vichyssoise recipe that is in this cookbook and I fooled 4 people at work into thinking it was potato soup that was pureed! If you like southern style cooking, there is a Smothered Pork Chops recipe that is to die for! The Garlicky Baked Chicken is another one of the excellent recipes. We have selected many more recipes that we are going to try and are having a 100% hit rate on good taste with this cookbook so far.
The sources provided by the author so that we can order items that supplement the Atkins Diet, i.e., low carb tortillas, Sugar-free syrups, Splenda, Blueberries, etc. are very good. In fact, my wife called and ordered a case of the tortillas tonight and I can’t wait to try them! I would highly recommend this cookbook to anyone currently on a low carb diet!
Rating: 5 / 5
September 8th, 2010 at 5:49 am
I didn’t have a clue about how I, (a non-cook with no imagination) could succeed with the low carb eating plan. Until I got this cookbook. It is full of delicious, easy, minimal fuss ideas for great snacks, meals, etc. And also the author shares alot of great tips for eating low carb for your life. With family, entertaining, holidays. I thank her everytime I open this wonderful book!
Rating: 5 / 5