Customer Reviews

Fantastic Food with Splenda: 160 Great Recipes for Meals Low in Sugar, Carbohydrates, Fat, and Calories

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4 star:		(2)
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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I came on line to order this amazing book for my friend on the South Beach Diet and was so suprised to see someone question it's accuracy because I am a Weight Watcher (points are in the book), and hate labels that lie! First of all in my copy, that I got a couple weeks back, the first recipe - Strawberry Lemonade- has the ingredients and I did not see a lot of typo's - so hers must have been a bad copy. I did find the 0 grams on the "compare" page - but it is clearly just an innocent mistake. The page highlights that Ms. Koch's Cinnamon Pancakes and Apple Butter Syrup have 11 grams of fat and then "compares" them to regular pancakes and syrup with 3 pats of butter. Since it clearly (in a box) says YOU SAVE: 9 grams of fat - along with 56 carbs, 195 calories and 7 points!!! by having hers instead of the "usual" pancakes and syrup you can see the fat grams on the high fat and sugar comparison should have been 20 (not 0). Yet, just to be sure I re-calculated several recipes with my own nutrition calculator, and they were all perfect - no errors - with accurate data and weight watcher points.
More important - this book not only has great food - Chai Tea, Pumpkin Muffins, a bunch of great Coleslaws, Spinach Salad (with hot bacon dressing), Sloppy Joes, ice creams and even Cheesecake for breakfast - every single recipe I have made has been easy and delicious. It is the first book I have found that does such a good job cutting the fat along with the sugar and carbs and that has good recipes for everyday use (and a bunch for the holidays). I am ordering another book, and her dessert book, as soon as I finish this review and recommend you do so too. You will not be disappointed.

I received "Fantastic Food with Splenda" as a gift, and what a treat! While you could confidently serve these recipes for company, this is a cookbook you'll use everyday, not just when cooking for special occasions. Author Marlene Koch's dedication and nutritional expertise show through in the well-crafted introductory chapters where she shares solid information on ingredients, techniques and dietary issues as well as in the balanced selection of recipes.

The book is weighted toward desserts and baked goods, but it includes a nice assortment of salads, main courses, side dishes and condiments. In fact, the biggest surprise to me was information on the calories packed into food that I thought was healthy. No more store-bought Three-Bean Salad for me. Marlene's recipe saves fat and carbs and is even tastier than the standard versions! Also delicious is the Chinese Chicken Salad and I can hardly wait to try the Barbequed Pork Sandwiches, Caribbean Chicken and Southwest Salmon.

Recipes for low fat and calorie dressings, sauces and beverages help readers cut the fat and sugar from all parts of a daily menu. Healthy ingredients and complex carbohydrates such as oats and brown rice are the focus in many recipes, but never at the expense of flavor. Yummy snacks and desserts include Spicy Pumpkin Muffins, Sour Cream Almond Poppy Seed Loaf, Strawberry Dream Pie and a plethora of cheesecakes.

Marlene truly teaches you how to have your cake and eat it too.

I have been on a moderate carb diet for a few years and was experimenting with recipes that would fit with my exchange diet and carb counting. Splenda had been on the market for only a year and few people knew how to cook with it and gain good results. Enter Marlene Koch into my life. Her recipes from this book were just what the doctor ordered. There is just enough sugar to make the textures in the food work, but the carb count and fat content was "a perfect fit" for my diet needs. Not only that, but every recipe I tried tasted fantastic and this book has allowed me to return classic recipes such as three bean salad, coleslaw, gingerbread and "sugar" cookies back into my diet without guilt or ill effects. I've made many of the recipes in this book and make her "Heavenly Cheesecake" for my holiday table each year.

Thank you Marlene for all your hard work. I'm looking forward to reading and cooking from more of your books!

I have tried many receipes from this book, and there is only only one that I won't make again. Not only are the receipes in the book excellant, but I have used the book as a resource for changing other receipes to use Splenda. I have also modified some of the book's receipes to use more whole grains with good results. We like the fact that not only do the receipes use Splenda, but they are also low in fat. My only complaint is that the book does not show the number of grams of sugar, as we don't use the Diabetic exchange method, but use the food index and load information. I also have her prior book "Unbelievable Desserts with Splenda" which does give the sugar grams with the carbohydrate grams. However, I like this book better because it provides receipes for a wider variety of foods.

"160 Great Recipes for Meals Low in Sugar, Carbohydrates, Fat, and Calories"

The use of the sugar substitute product, Splenda® is used extensively throughout. Recipes can be used in conjunction with: The South Beach Diet, The Zone, Atkins, Diabetes Meal Plans (includes exchanges) and Weight Watchers (includes "points").

Advantages of using Splenda® is:

* no calories
* no aftertaste
* no blood sugar effect
* safe for all to use

Included are nutritional analysis about each recipe, information about Splenda, sugar, fat, and diabetes, "food trivia", and "chef's tips". Without sacrificing the taste, recipes include some yummy drinks: Strawberry Lemonnade, Citrus Splash, and Chocolate Frostie. Marlene Koch includes some high energy breakfast treats that are low in sugar but give you a sweet start to your morning. How about Lemon Cottage Cheese Pancakes, Stuffed French Toast, or Peanut Butter and Oat Breakfast Bars. Healthy salad recipes without all the oil. mayonnaise, or sugar such as: Creamy Carrot and Raisin Salad, Sweet and Sour Party Slaw, and Asian Peanut Slaw. Favorite and versatile vegetables include: Glazed Carrots with Dill, Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage, and Boston Baked Beans. Sugar and fat-savings condiments recipes such as: Thai Peanut Sauce, Microwave Cinnamon Applesauce, and Bread and Butter Pickles. Find protein-packed entrees: Sloppy Joes, Simple Southwest Salmon and Sweet and Sour Chicken, and many more. Mouthwatering desserts with reduced carbohydrates. Try the Traditional Egg Custard, Pumpkin Mousse and Ginger Snaps, Key Lime Pie, and Black Forest Cheesecake Parfaits plus you will view lots more cookies, pie recipes and cakes.

Fantastic Food with Splenda is published by M. Evans and Company, Inc., New York, M. Evans or Amazon. ISBN 1-59077-021-8, hardcover, 244 pages, $21.95.
Opinion by Reviewer:

I have tried the Creamy Carrot and Raisin Salad and the Asian Peanut Slaw and both are excellent! It is well-organized and recipes are easy to follow with nutritional information to help make your meal planning a snap. I highly recommend Fantastic Food with Splenda.

A friend of mine gave me this book for Christm,as the year that it first came out. I immediately began using it. Chai tea, hot cocoa, pumpkin muffins, glazed carrots, etc. all became quick favorites. My niece came for a visit and together we would cook up recipes to test. All winners. I sent her a copy for her birthday and she was thrilled. She had asked me to send her some of the recipies, I decided that it was just easier to send her the whole book!
For me, the only negative aspect of some of the recipies is that they are way to spicy (picante). Now I just modify the amount of spices I add and all are happy with the result!

Splenda is that neo-sugar substitute which is derived from sugar but without the 'bad stuff' diabetics must avoid, making it a fine substitute in cooking. The few cookbooks on the market devoted to Splenda, however, usually focus on its applicability to desserts: finally there's a title which covers a wider range of uses, from Chai Tea to French Toast and Bourbon Chicken, in Fantastic Food With Splenda: 160 Great Recipes For Meals Low In Sugar, Carbohydrates, Fat, And Calories. Each recipe concludes with a diabetic exchange note plus a list of carbs, fat and other results. There's a wide range of dishes, from chutneys and main courses to jams and sweet sauces. It's the variety of dishes which makes Marlene Koch's cookbook exceptional.

Marlene Koch has done it again! Another great book! Recipes are easy taste great! The Weight Watchers point is anadded bonus. I would highly recommend this book to anyone regardless of whether they are watching their weight or sugar intake.

Marlene Koch did the impossible. Provided healthy recipes for everyday people using everyday ingredients. Some cookbooks with complicated ingredients and recipes just frustrated me, but Fantastic Food has me enjoying cooking again. The Asian Barbecued Pork Tenderloin is great; Spicy Orange Beef was a hit with everyone in the family and the Zesty Chicken Strips with Sweet Mustard Dip is the best in the world. The Sweet Balsamic Vinaigrette is absolutely tops. It's almost hard to believe you're cooking healthy when everything tastes so great. I have made several other recipes and intend to make everything in this book. It is truly terrific!!!

I like this cookbook. I have tried the strawberry lemonade, which was great, and a cheesecake. I look forward to trying more things. It also has the weight watchers points listed which is nice.