Customer Reviews

15-Minute Low-Carb Recipes

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was so excited to see that Dana Carpender was coming out with a 15 minute recipe book. I have the 500 low carb recipes book and am tremendously pleased with it, but this new book is so awesome that although I have used my 500 recipes book religiously for months, it has sat on the shelf for the last week. I have made a different recipe every night this week using this 15 minute recipe book and am enthralled. I've made Sour Cream Ham Supper (my husband loved this), Spanish Rice (scrumptuous, I think I found my new favorite), Beef and Artichoke Skillet (fabulous),Ham and Beans Skillet (so easy, and absolutely delicious), and tomorrow I'm making Pepperoncini Beef; I can't wait. I've never enjoyed cooking so much. All the recipes are so fast and easy. So far, they've all been extremely tasty, too. Dana, keep up the good work.

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 just said "try the Atkins' Diet." So, I did...and it is excellent! What a great way to lose weight, in a healthy manner, with a minimal amount of suffering. I am dropping pounds, not feeling hungry, and ready to experiment with low carbohydrate food recipes, as I have grown a little bored with broiled meats, fish, omelettes and plain salad.

I bought an Atkins' recipe book, and wanting more variety, I also picked up a copy of Dana Carpender's "15 Minute Low Carb Recipes: Instant Recipes For Dinners, Desserts and More." This book is wonderful - great meals, lunches and snacks in a jiffy. Many of the recipes call for inexpensive ingredients, which is great considering the expense of a high protein diet. Meat, fish and shellfish aren't cheap. Her skillet dinners are excellent. I have tried nine of the recipes so far and the results have been delicious. The meals have been easy to prepare and Ms. Carpender's tips and shortcuts cut down preparation time considerably.

I find that I am using this cookbook more than my Atkins book. There is so much variety that meals have become less boring. While losing weight is difficult, variety and food that tastes good make the process less painful. I highly recommend this compilation of creative, effortless low carbohydrate recipes.
JANA

So far we have tried 6 of the recipes from the new 15 Minute Low-Carb Recipe Cookbook and I have 3 more to try this week -- and as all of them have been "keepers" so far, I know that the others will be also.

It is great to have quick and easy recipes that have fantastic flavor that the whole family can enjoy. And having almost all of the ingredients in my pantry or freezer already is a real bonus.

This is my third book of Dana's and I know I will be buying any new one she comes out with as well.

Well now she's gone and done it: I'm in love with cooking again. At least this time, it won't result in the extra poundageJ.

Dana Carpender is the straight talking diva of the modern Low-Carb movement and in her latest cookbook, 15-Minute Low-Carb Recipes, she really delivers on her promise. Thank goodness that some authors do realize that just because people want to lose weight and be healthier doesn't necessarily mean that they suddenly have an hour to spend in the kitchen getting dinner ready every night! If a low-carb convert only bought this book and The Everyday Low Carb Slow Cooker cookbook by Broihier and Mayone, he/she would do very well and have every base covered cooking for themselves and their families, for *all* three meals plus desserts. Here's a sampling of my (so far) favorites from Dana's cookbook:
· Egg Foo Yong (like what it sounds, really more of an omelet but very sophisticated)
· Jalapeno Lime Scallops
· Salmon in Ginger Cream (fresh, simple and tastes gourmet)
· Asian Pork and Cabbage (I always used to hate cabbage, but now I look forward to it)
· Chicken Chili Verde (my carb-eatin' family spoons it into tortillas, I just devour it straight - a family-praised dish)
· Italian Sausage w/ Onions and Peppers
· Brewery Chicken with Vegetables

Here's a weird fact: although these recipes make liberal use of prepackaged foods (such as frozen and canned veggies, jarred minced garlic, bagged salad greens, seasoning blends, baking mix, etc) and spices for time-cutting, most of them also make liberal use of fresh veggies along with the omnipresent meat and eggs. Really, I eat more fresh-cooked veggies now that I have this cookbook than ever before. She's even gotten me to try "new" vegetables, like turnips, which I never would have used in my high-carb days. Yup, I am now a culinary swank, my friend.

The author has a no-nonsense, conversational style that let me know right away that not only has she "been there, done that" but that she isn't the type to waste her own time much less mine. There's an introductory section in which Dana preps the cook on her timesaving cooking techniques and tips on what and how to stock a low-carb pantry to make it even more convenient. I strongly suggest that you read this section first, as it will really help you streamline your speed-cooking sessions. The next most important section is the Omelet section, in which the secrets to a foolproof omelet are revealed. Really and truly, if you follow her method (well it's not actually Dana Carpender's method but one I've seen chefs on food network demonstrate before) you will be able to make perfect omelets for breakfast every time, which of course is indispensable in the low carb diet. The cookbook is then divided into sections based on the main meat being cooked, plus all-in-one skillet recipes, and side dishes that sub for the more traditional (read: carby) options like mashed potatoes and rice.

Okay that's enough babble for one review. Let's just say that I urgently recommend this cookbook to anybody who is trying to maintain a low-carb lifestyle and/or still keep their family happy at mealtimes. It works, you'll be happy and you may win a few more converts to low-carb along the way.
-Andrea, aka Merribelle

Are you interested in eating more healthily, but hate to cook? Dana Carpender does it again with this amazing collection of quick, easy, healthy recipes.

I have and enjoy her previous book on 500 Low Carb Recipes, so I picked this one up as soon as I saw it. Like many people out there, I am thrilled to have quick and easy recipes to make. I don't always want to spend hours in the kitchen!

There are bunches of 15 minute breakfasts, collections of 15 minutes chicken and turkey dishes, 15 minute salads and tuna dishes. There is even a collection of slow cooker recipes that only take 15 minutes of prep time.

There are soups and dipping sauces, drinks and vegetables, and of course desserts!

If you think low carb has to be difficult or boring, think again. These dishes are quick, healthy, and quite delicious. Highly recommended!

This book is a great resource to help keep you on your low carb diet. Dana Carpender's books are always well done, and this is no exception. Her foods are good, and most of them are real foods, not the horrid Frankenfoods sold as low carb by many other authors. I don't spend much time in the desserts section, as I don't do many sweets.

The Mexican Cabbage Soup (pg 202) is a great example of real, good, quick food in this cookbook. I've done 101 variations on that theme after eating this one. The entire family has eaten quite well.

The chapter on low sugar condiments is well worth the price of the book. Make your own ketchup and a few other condiments, rather than buying special, expensive diet ones, and you've just paid for the book!

I LOVE 500 low-carb Recipes. I thought it was the best low-carb cookbook out there--until 15 Minute Low Carb Recipes came out. I LOVE it! I hate to cook--which is what made low-carbing so difficult for me at first. But thanks to Dana's cookbooks, I've been able to stick with it. We love all the omelets (Cumin Mushroom omelet is WONDERFUL) and skillet meals. The Sour Cream Ham Supper is wonderful--my whole family loves it. I made the Italian sausage soup last night and it was a big hit--and so fast! I bought a counter top grill and a crockpot just to try the other recipes. My favorite so far is the Slow Cooker "Barbecued Ribs"--they were WONDERFUL! We all love the Beef, Sausage and Spinach burgers.

Thank you for this superb cookbook--I wait anxiously for your next one!

I bought this since trying to eat low-carb when you have 30 minutes between jobs to throw something together is much harder than it should be. So far, I've absolutely loved every recipe I've tried! Well, okay, all but one - the Pork Crusted Pork burnt something awful despite following the directions to the letter. That one exception aside, Dana Carpender's directions are almost stupidly easy to follow, and unlike some other time-oriented cookbooks I've found, this one actually gets it right! I had the Not-Just-For-Breakfast Burrito for dinner tonight, and it was fabulous. It's true that most of the recipes aren't exactly haute cuisine, but for me, it's been a wonderful introduction to what really CAN be accomplished with fifteen minutes in the kitchen. I'd definitely buy a sequel!

This low carb cookbook is truly fantastic! I've tried at least 10 of the recipes and all have become favorites. The chicken wraps are so good that when my partner recently ordered some at a popular restaurant, he said mine were better!

The recipes are tasty, easy, and quick (I take my time with them and always end up with a full dinner within 30 minutes). There is a great variety of dishes including vegetables, which helps to prevent boredom and to provide a wide variety of nutrients. A nutritional breakdown is included for each recipes and variations and side dishes are suggested. Low carb desserts and beverages are also provded, as are several slow cooker recipes - 15 minutes in the morning or the evening before leads to a great dinner waiting for you after work!

This is another great book by Dana Carpender. These recipes were much needed in our times of rushing around and thinking you have no time to cook low-carb. As always she gives the number of servings, total carb count and fiber counts that we who low-carb need most. Her recipes are delicious and the serving sizes are more reasonable than most others who add servings to make the carb count lower. Her sizes are more appropriate to what we are really going to eat.

The book is divided into easy chapters, making it very simple to find what you are looking for. Be it 15 minute burgers, poultry, skillet suppers, eggs, soups or desserts...they are all catagorized to find easily.

All of the recipes I have tried so far are flavorful, and quick and easy to prepare. I highly recommend this book and her others also.