Book Review: The Low-Carb Gourmet

Over the past few years, the latest "fad" in losing weight - a common problem in the United States and Canada - is the low-carb diet. In this cookbook, there are 250 delicious recipes that can satisfy your appetite while utilizing the low-carb theory.

Karen Barnaby is a chef in Vancouver. She began to have weight problems, and decided that a low-carb diet made sense to her. So, she began to use her culinary knowledge and develop wonderful tasting recipes that were low in carbohydrates. Through her efforts, she lost 70 pounds. Due to her success in weight loss, she decided to write this cookbook, her sixth book.

In this hardback book, there are color photographs which show a lot of the delectable recipes offered in here. Each recipe is also written in metric and imperial, so there are no conversions needed for a person who is accustomed to the opposite in measurements. In the introduction, Ms. Barnaby gives us a wide variety of ingredients that can help make meals flavorful and exciting. She shows us through her recipes, which prove that because you are eating a low-carb meal, it does not mean that you cannot have a wonderful meal filled with flavor!

And if you needed more information about this book, then you need to know that Ms. Barnaby has even included a section which provides the carbohydrate/fat/protein/caloric information needed for each recipe. The Table of Contents includes recipes for: breakfast, appetizers, soups, salads, vegetables, fish, poultry, beef, pork, lamb, sauces and desserts.

If you are on a low-carb diet, then you will be consuming Splenda. My doctor tells me that Splenda is actually a brand name for sucralose which is made from sucrose. It is 600 times sweeter than sugar and is not caloric. It was approved by the FDA in 1998 and is everywhere! In over 110 studies made on sucralose, there were apparently NO indication of toxic effects in humans or animals, and has been deemed safe for human consumption. From a food science perspective, when utilizing straight Splenda, and not a combination of sugar and Splenda, then baked goods will not brown as effectively. But, if you are diabetic, then I am sure that a pale cookie is no problem when you think of no cookie at all.

The recipes in this book are straight-forward, easy-to-read and easy-to-prepare. Ms. Barnaby does not use culinary terms that only a chef would understand. I would like to caution some cookbook buyers that there are some unusual ingredients that most homes in the United States and Canada do not utilize on a regular basis: tuna steaks, miso, capers, tofu, albumen powder, nori, flax (and more).

Many times, in cookbooks that offer low-fat, low-carb, vegetarian recipes, the recipes introduce us to international cuisines, or at least, international ingredients. At first, many people are not interested in taking the next step in trying the recipes, but I can assure you, that if you recover from the idea that you will be eating a daikon, then you will realize that the recipe for Daikon Radish, Chinese Cabbage and Tofu Soup is actually delicious!

There are also some vegetarian recipes in here utilizing tofu, such as Tofu-Roni and Cheese. Other delicious recipes offered in this book are: Kristine's Asparagus and Brie Frittata, Winter Vegetable Soup, Green Beans With Eggs and Nutmeg, Dark Chocolate Bars and Zucchini Cake.

I really enjoyed this book. I prefer to cook from fresh ingredients, rather than cans or packages. I like trying new ingredients and expanding on my current menus. If you are looking for a gourmet cookbook that is low-carb, then the so-titled book, The Low-Carb Gourmet is for you!