Join the low-carb craze sweeping the nation

By Linda Masters, Bulletin Food Coordinator

http://www.baxterbulletin.com/news/...ews/452576.html
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Chicken with Cheese offers a tasty entree with only seven carbs. In addition to boneless, skinless chicken breasts, the recipe incorporates bacon and fresh tomato slices. Add a mixture of stir-fried carrots, broccoli and snow pea pods, and the total carb count for this meal is 13 per serving.

Everywhere you look, low-carb eating is in the news. There are low-carb cookbooks, low-carb snacks, low-carb entrees, low-carb fast food and low-carb diets. Low-carb rules.

The no-carb, low-carb craze began in the 1970s with the Atkins Diet. But recently, low-carb eating has found renewed popularity in the form of several new diets such as the South Beach Diet.

I have several friends who have lost weight using the South Beach Diet, which is basically low-carb eating. They all tell me the best part of the South Beach plan is you get plenty to eat and don't feel hungry or deprived.

Most low-carb diet plans eliminate sugar and "bad" carbs such as potatoes, white rice, pasta and white bread, which are many of the things we love. The plans, however, do allow measured amounts of brown rice and whole grain breads and pastas with "good carbs" -- complex carbohydrates which also contain fiber.

Weight loss is not the only benefit of low-carb eating. Those who subscribe to low-carb eating as a way of life contend they feel better and have more energy than ever before.

I personally do not use a low-carb eating plan. However, while doing research for this and other low-carb food features, I realized I am a big-time carb addict. Even if I don't turn to low-carb eating, I do need to pay more attention to my carb intake and make some dietary changes. I have switched to whole wheat bread in an attempt to eat "good" carbs. And, I started looking at how I could remake some of my favorite recipes to be more carb friendly.

For example, my favorite chicken enchiladas easily could be made into an enchilada casserole without using tortillas. The casserole would have the same Tex-Mex flavor provided by chilies and spices without the tortillas.

And, my favorite lasagna would be just as delicious if I used thinly-sliced zucchini instead of pasta for one of the dish's layers. Not only lower in carbs, the dish would be healthier because I incorporated a vegetable.

Carole Neuman of Mountain Home was kind enough to share her recipe for a delicious low-carb chicken dish I will add to my recipe file. The entree weighs in at 7 carbs per serving and is quick and easy to make.

Cheesy Chicken

4 slices bacon, cooked and drained
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup bread crumbs *
4 tomato slices
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon fresh marjoram
1 egg, beaten

Combine bread crumbs, salt, pepper and marjoram. Dip chicken into egg and coat in crumb mixture. Coat completely.

Brown 13-15 minutes in skillet over medium heat. Place one tomato slice on each chicken breast. Break bacon in half and crisscross over tomato. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and cook until cheese melts.

* I used fresh bread crumbs made from whole wheat bread.

Zucchini-Beef Bake

What could be better than a make-ahead casserole which includes a vegetable?

12 ounces ground beef
1 tablespoon oil
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup shredded cheddar
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Sauté zucchini, onion and mushrooms in oil until tender. Brown ground beef and add tomato sauce with seasonings. Mix beef with vegetables and put in baking dish. Top with cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Serves three. Each serving has 10 grams carbs.

Ham Loaf

1/2 pound ground smoked ham
6 ounces ground pork
1 egg
1/2 cup pork rinds, crushed*
2 tablespoons brown sugar substitute
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ham, ground pork, eggs and pork rind crumbs in a bowl. Put in loaf pan and bake 45 minutes to one hour. Mix brown sugar substitute, mustard and soy sauce together. Spread over loaf and make an additional 15 minutes.

Serves three. Each serving has 3 carbs.

*Crushed pork rinds substitute for bread crumbs.

Rosemary Pork Marsala

Pork Marsala has always been a favorite; and, best of all, it fits into a low-carb lifestyle. This is my own special version with the addition of rosemary. The dish also is good made with chicken breasts.

1 pound pork tenderloin
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup marsala wine
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced

Cut tenderloin into four pieces. Flatten each piece to a 1/4-inch thickness using a mallet or rolling pin. Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add pork and cook three to four minutes on each side or until browned. Remove pork and keep warm. Sauté garlic in pan drippings; add wines and tomato paste, stirring until blended. Add mushroom slices and simmer gently about five minutes. Return pork to skillet and cook until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Serves four.

Cheesecake Parfaits

What is life without dessert? This recipe is scrumptious whether you're counting carbs or not.

8 ounces cream cheese, softened (use low-fat or fat-free if you wish)
8 ounces frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/3 cup Splenda sugar substitute
Graham cracker crumbs
Fresh fruit or sugar-free syrup

Add Splenda to softened cream cheese; beat until smooth. Add frozen whipped topping and mix until smooth and thickened.

Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs into parfait glasses. Spoon enough cream cheese mixture to fill half the glass. Add another layer graham cracker crumbs. Fill remaining glass with cream cheese mixture. Top with favorite fruit or sugar-free syrup.

newsroom~baxterbulletin.com

Originally published Wednesday, May 19, 2004

Good article! Very balanced and the author didn't seem to have a bone to pick with low-carbing even though she doesn't do low-carb. And some of the recipes sound really good, although I'd lose the bread crumbs on the first one, to me they're not necessary and it sounds scrumptious without them.

And you would use this trans-fat laden crap over real whipped cream - why?

Indeed, these recipes need a lot of work - I almost dropped them from the article - but I decided we can be trusted to make better choices than what they printed.

I thought they were good as concept recipes. I never follow a recipe to the letter anyway, so I didn't pay that much attention to exact ingredients.

I agree, the recipes look good, but that dessert should be renamed chemical parfaits. There isn't one natural ingredient in the bunch

Because it's lower fat.....and probably no saturated fat. Even the ones that are proLC tend to stick with the LF whenever possible.



This is NOT a LC or low-glycemic dessert! LF, or FF ("immitation") cream cheese has added carbs (2 carbs/oz vs 0 for "real" cream cheese), whipped topping is just plain crap (7g carb/oz)....and graham cracker crumbs are high carb (1oz = 22g carbs) and high glycemic (74 on glycemic scale)!

I see this all the time. And reject most of the recipes because of it. It's really a shame....substitute fake food for natural. That's what got us into the trouble we're in!