The Complete Idiot's Guide to Quick and Easy Low-Carb Meals

Tod Dimmick books are beyond helpful; they are also fun, creative and realistic. With nearly 250 recipes, Tod has branched out into the Low-Carb lifestyle. Each recipe also provides a complete nutritional analysis for carbs and protein. The Italian Herb Omelet is delicious to make and has no carbohydrates, so if you skip the toast, you are already ahead of the game for the day. The "Magic Eggs" chapter brightens up your morning with recipes that include healthy ingredients like baby spinach (more like adding herbs than spinach) and portobello mushrooms and salmon. By rolling roast beef up in watercress there is no need for rolls and the tuna salad wraps encourage you to enjoy tuna without bread. By just changing one aspect of a recipe, Tod succeeds in cutting out the carbs or making the recipe very low carb. Some of the delicious recipes include: Rosemary-Lemon Halibut Sesame-Scallion Chicken Stir-Fry Quick-Grilled Beef Satay White Beans with Olive Oil, Gorgonzola, and Fresh Sage Grilled Vegetable Kebabs Iceberg Nests with Avocado, Bacon, and Tomato Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes Sherried Pears Tod Dimmick's books always provide delicious recipes that don't take long to prepare. The extra information sections also enlighten and entertain. ~The Rebecca Review

I was really impresed by the Idiot's Guide to low carbing. Where certain other low carb books are thinly veiled attempts to bash the lifestyle, the Idiot's Guide explains why this way of life is so healthy. The book is primarily full of great low carb recipes. There are breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, desserts, and even an entire section dedicated to kid-friendly meals. These aren't obscure meals that take a gourmet to appreciate. They are quick, easy, and very tasty. You get a lightning chicken stew, almond oatmeal cookies, meatloaf, chicken marsala, and tostadas. There are meals for vegetarians, meals for steak-lovers, and everyone in between. There's also information on low carbing, if you somehow got this book without knowing what a low carb diet is about. There's background information about carbs, about how our modern diet is overloaded with sugar. It encourages you to eat fresh fruits and veggies, to find balance in your food.

Packed from cover to cover with easy-to-make, mouth-wateringly delicious, low-carb recipes that can be prepared by even the most novice kitchen chef in twenty minutes or less, The Complete Idiot's Guide To Quick & Easy Low-Carb Meals is one of the most "user friendly" cookbooks that anyone could ever hope to encounter on their search for low-carb lunches, dinners, snacks, or desserts. With ever recipe being accompanied by a complete nutritional analysis (including carbs, proteins, and glycemic index data), the dishes range from Blueberry-Vanilla Breakfast Yogurt; Tuna-Stuffed Tomatoes; Curried Pork; and Moroccan Lamb Kebabs; to Sauteed Mushroom Enchiladas; Ham Steaks with Sweet Mustard Sauce; Lightning Chicken Stew; and Almond Chocolate Parfaits. Enhanced with a glossary, an extensive list of resources, a glycemic index and carbohydrate list, and a comprehensive index, The Complete Idiot's Guide To Quick & Easy Low-Carb Meals is a welcome and highly recommended addition to any and all family cookbook collections!

In a motivated mood, I asked my doctor recently to give me a good diet plan so I could take off many unwanted pounds. He didn't skip a beat. He told me that a healthy, balanced diet with low carbohydrate intake and daily exercise works. I have been at it for over three months now and the results in terms of pounds and inches lost are excellent. What a great way to lose weight, in a healthy manner, with a minimal amount of suffering. I am not feeling hungry, although I still long for certain foods. Thus, I have been experimenting with various low carbohydrate recipes, as I have grown a little bored with broiled meats, fish, omelettes and plain salad. Tod Dimmick's "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Quick and Easy Low-Carb Meals" is more than worthy of your attention if you are looking for good tasting food and meals with low carb counts. The book is designed for people on the go, who do not aspire to be Julia Child, and wish to adhere to a low carbohydrate lifestyle. All the recipes in this book, (almost 250), can be prepared in 20 minutes or less. From stocking your pantry through terrific ways to prepare breakfast, lunch, dinner, appetizers, snacks - there are choices galore to make your meals more exciting and interesting. Low carb doesn't have to mean "deprived." There is even a section for kids, who are difficult to tempt, especially when their friends are gorging on fast foods. I have had the cookbook for a little over a week and checked-out the chapters on fish, white meat, beef and lamb, bean cuisine, salads, veggies and desserts. So far, I have made: Low-Carb French Toast with Fresh Strawberries (yum!), Low-Carb Toasted Almond Wheat Cereal, and Florentine Scramble for breakfast; Ham and Swiss Roll-Ups, Turkey, Arugula and Almond Roll-Ups, an Open-Faced Tomato and Provolone Sandwich, and a Tuna Salad Wrap for lunch; Ginger Scallops, Broiled Lemon-Rosemary Chicken with Green Beans and Almonds, Red Beans and Rice, Herbed White Beans with Baby Spinach and Meatloaf for dinner; and Cheater' Crustless Chocolate Cheesecake (outrageous!), and Chocolate Chip Cookies. Needless to say, I feel much more motivated and less restricted as far as food is concerned. I also want to add that exercise is so important in the weight loss process. Even walking for a half hour everyday will help considerably. I highly recommend this cookbook. It will help you to enjoy the process of becoming a slimmer, healthier person. Good luck and ENJOY! JANA