Low Carb 1-2-3: 225 Simply Great 3-Ingredient Recipes    by Rozanne Gold & Helen Kimmel Order:  USA  Can Rodale, 2005 (2005) Softcover     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson The cover bills Low Carb 1-2-3 as 'The Low Calorie, Low-Carbohydrate Cookbook'. Each of more than 225 recipes uses only 3 ingredients (in addition to salt, pepper and water); is coded as 'very low carb' (VLC), 'low carb' (LC), or 'indulgent low carb' (ILC); and tagged with the number in grams of 'carbs that count' (i.e. excluding fiber). Rozanne Gold tells us that 'cooking simply also is the best way to eat healthfully'. She recommends stocking your pantry and fridge with various herbs, convenience foods, condiments, dairy products, even champagne! Recipes are divided into: Morning Food, Party Food, Soups and Starters, Meat, Poultry, Fish and Shellfish, Vegetables and Side Dishes, Desserts, and Snacks. I'd start my day with cranberry-lime juice and frittata with pancetta and basil, or maybe the stir-fried eggs with shiitake mushrooms. For a party snack or dinner appetizer, I plan to try smoked salmon "paté" with pita crisps, the little camembert popovers, and definitely chicken-pesto satays. For Starters, chilled avocado soup appeals, as does jade zucchini soup with crab, or how about 'chilled asparagus with creamy sesame dressing'? Meats next. I like the look of parmesan-crusted pork tenderloins, or slow-braised lamb with merlot (and 40 cloves of garlic!) In Poultry, I'm intrigued by chicken breasts with slow-roasted grapes, by pecan-crusted chicken breasts, and cold poached chicken with avocado and mango. On to Fish with enticing seafood dishes like sautéed snapper in champagne sauce and wasabi salmon. A selection of the Vegetable plates would make a meal in itself - such as green beans with pesto and walnuts, roasted peppers with balsamic syrup and toasted pine nuts (yumm!), or short-stack tomatoes and onions. Desserts are always favorites with me - this cookbook suggests a variety of fruit/cheese/nut combinations, as well as mouthwatering desserts like fresh raspberries with lemon-maple sauce, italian zabaglione using a sugar substitute, and (believe it or not) chocolate-dipped strawberries. Finally, 50 low-carb Snacks are suggested, from sliced peach with goat cheese and pecans to dark chocolate with almonds and expresso - all with carbs and calories indicated. The cookbook ends with suggested Menus for different mealtimes and for holidays and other special occasions. Feel the need to reduce carbs, calories or glycemic index after holiday over-indulgence? Low Carb 1-2-3 offers appealing foods, that are simple to make, with data on carbs, fats, fiber, protein and calories on every recipe page. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews