I LOVE Cookbooks!

My hubby is often joking that he is going to have to build another room just for my cookbooks. I can't help it...I love to collect the buggers. I get bored easily and want to keep trying a new recipes. My collection includes very old cookbooks such as the Better Homes and Garden Cookbook we were given as a wedding present, a very old Farm Journal cookbook, and very new such as the newest edition of The Joy of Cooking. I even have a 3 inch 3 ring binder with all my finds off the internet. I am constantly perusing the internet cooking websites for new jewels. OK, so I'm obsessed. It's probably cheaper than shoes. (I'm a foody, not a shoey. I know, that was bad.)

So today, I want to share one of my favorite finds with you. A little back story is needed here. I am a diabetic, and I am not always the best about my food choices. And you aren't going to necessarily find diabetic recipes here, although I do try to keep the carbs in mind. But in an effort to control my blood sugar and lose weight I started trying to really lower the number of carbs I was consuming. I also wanted this type of food to taste good and be satisfying. Who wants to live without sugar and carbs? In my quest for low carb recipes I came across this gem of a cookbook...Carb Wars Sugar is the New Fat by Judy Barnes Baker.


This is a wonderful cookbook for making delicious low carb meals. It not only has delectable recipes, but is also very informative as well as educational (please don't let that work deter you...it is not at all like a school text). The introduction has a great deal of information on the low carb lifestyle as well as the history of low carb eating and the science of it. The Getting Started section lists a variety of plans for low carb eating if you are so inclined. Both of these sections are well-written and researched.

Then you get to the yummy part. Everything from soup to nuts is included in this book. It's easy to make meat dishes low carb, or veggie dishes. But Ms. Baker has even included breads, such as popovers, tortillas, cornbread and yeast breads. She has done a tremendous amount of legwork in searching out a variety of substitutes for the traditional whole wheat flour we are all so used to using.
Her desserts are amazing...lemon bars, cheese cake and even fudge. Included is a recipe for classic cheesecake cups that is quick and simple, and a really great sugar fix. In the condiments I particularly like the bar-b-que sauce. I always make a double batch of that. I really could go on and on about this book, but you should check it out yourself either here or here. I swear you will love this book. I wouldn't lie to you! Honest!

Pasta! Pasta!

Who doesn’t love pasta? And how many of us avoid it like the plague? All those carbs and refined flour. Trying to be healthy I have tried the whole wheat pastas, and frankly, they didn’t do it for me. It was similar to eating soggy cardboard. What to do, what to do. Well, hold on to your hats, you can now have your pasta and eat it, too! There is wonderful new pasta available called Dreamfields. It is a low carb, low glycemic index pasta that actually tastes great. It has twice the fiber of regular pasta and only 5 grams of digestible carbs. I don’t totally understand how it works (science is not my strong suit). The pasta is coated with something called inulin that prevents all but 5 grams of carbohydrates from being digested. I guess digesting carbs is what makes them bad. The pasta also barely raises blood sugar. Diabetics swear by this pasta.


I LOVE this stuff!! I use it exclusively in anything that calls for pasta. One of the best things about the pasta is it doesn’t absorb liquid the way other pastas do...like when you make a pasta salad of some type, and by the time you get to eating it, the pasta has absorbed the dressing. I have not had that issue with the Dreamfields.


One down side...it is tough to find. There are 6 varieties, but the stores that do carry it usually on carry a couple. The pasta can be ordered on line...but I want to be able to get it when I want it.


So, we need to unite forces. Everyone needs to try these wonderful pastas and spread the word. Then inundate your grocery stores with requests for it. Be cooks on a mission. Get that pasta available everywhere! Pasta lovers everywhere, UNITE!!!


And here’s the link so that you can learn all about the pasta, get recipes, and coupons, and even order.


WE can have PASTA and be HEALTHY.