Gifts in the Mail

I came home today from work to find TWO cookbooks in the mailbox. My mother, who lives in Lubbock, Texas, sent me a Splenda cookbook, with a variety of recipes from breakfasts, to lunches, to dinners, to desserts. I looked through it this evening, looking for a recipe I could share, and thought that this one looked pretty neat:

Warm Spinach Salad

1 bag (7 oz.) baby spinach greens
1/2 c nonfat salad croutons
1/4 c white vinegar
1/4 c water
1/4 c Dijon mustard
3 T Splenda granular
5 slices turkey bacon
1/4 c chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

Place spinach greens in colander. Wash and remove stems; drain well. Place in serving bowl and add croutons. Blend vinegar, water, mustard, and Splenda granular. Set aside. Slice bacon into small thin strips. Place in medium saucepan and fry over medium-high heat until crispy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add onion and garlic and cook over medium-high heat 1 to 2 minutes, stirring often. Add vinegar mixture and simmer 1 to 2 minutes. Pour over spinach and croutons. Toss well. Serve immediately.

Nutrition info:
Serving size: 1 3/4 cups (one-fourth of the salad)
Total calories 90
Calories from fat 30
Total fat 3.5g
Saturated fat 1 g
Cholesterol 10 mg
Sodium 660 mg
Total carbohydrate 5 g
Dietary fiber 5 g
Sugars 1 g
Protein 5 g
Exchanges per serving - 1 fat, 1 vegetable

[Splenda from Publications International, Ltd. 2004]

Sounds like a very good low-carb, low-fat, healthy salad. It’s now on my “to make” list.

The second cookbook was sent by my sister-in-law, Alice, who lives in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina. It’s called More of the Four Ingredient Cookbook by Linda Coffee and Emily Cale. Now, some of you may remember that on January 3, I posted about my office manager and her desire for two-ingredient recipes. That generated a few responses, on and off-line, about three and four-ingredient recipes. I even found a website with some four-ingredient recipes, and shared it with her. So it’s interesting timing that Alice sent me this cookbook. I’ve already found several recipes I’m looking forward to trying.

Tonight’s dinner was a quick, tasty, filling one. I called DH on my way home and asked him to take out some ground beef, flour tortillas, and grated cheese to thaw. (I live 20 minutes away; had to finish the thawing in the microwave.) DH had requested this dish; it’s one I got from my friend Diane. While it has potatoes in it, there aren’t many, and they add to the great flavor.

Beef and Potato Soft Tacos

1 c frozen southern-style hash browns (the cubed ones)
1 T vegetable oil
3/4 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 of small can tomato paste
grated cheddar cheese
salsa
flour tortillas (whole wheat or low carb are best)

Brown the hash browns in the oil. Remove to drain on a paper towel. Wipe the skillet. Add ground beef, and cook, breaking up into small pieces. When beef is cooked, add the tomato paste and mix to combine. Add potatoes. Serve with cheese and salsa on warm tortillas. Serves 2-3.


Fun times ahead! I get to test some recipes for Ruth of Once Upon a Feast. She’s writing a cookbook, and must have testers for the recipes. She sent me six, and they all look yummy. I shared them with DH tonight, and he’s looking forward to them, too. We’ll be having the first one Friday night, since I’m teaching a class at Cal State Thursday night for a friend. I’ll get to share the title of the recipe and a photo of my finished product, but the recipes are going to have to wait until she publishes the book and we all buy a copy.


food, cooking, recipes, healthy cooking, low carb recipes