Hello Recipe Club,

Dana Carpender's low-carb journey began eight years ago, but came dangerously close to failure when three weeks into her low-carb diet, a frightening thing happened: she walked into her kitchen and didn't have a clue what to serve for dinner. For a girl whose friends had nicknamed her The God of Food, it was a scary, disorienting and disheartening moment. After all, years of creative, low-fat/high-carb cooking had left Dana with a repertoire of fabulous dishes. Unfortunately, all those low- fat/high-carb meals tasted great but had left Dana still a size 20, not to mention tired, and blood pressure pushing borderline high. For Dana, those recipes had to go!

By contrast, after just weeks of low-carb dieting, Dana had lost ten pounds, lowered her blood pressure and increased her energy dramatically. It was clear to her that this was the type of eating her body wanted and needed. Dana was a low-carb eater for life. But what to make for dinner every night! It is usually at this point - - the "I-can't-take-one-more-day-of-fried-eggs-for-breakfastand- plain-steak-for-dinner" moment - - that many otherwise successful low-carb dieters give up. Not Dana! Instead she vowed that she would become at least as good at lowcarbohydrate cooking as she had been at low-fat cooking. 

So, after seven years of trial and error in the kitchen, and three years of publishing her very popular low-carb newsletter, Dana published 500 Low-Carb Recipes in October, 2002. It has quickly become the best-selling low-carb cookbook in America, selling more than 250,000 copies. The good news is that Dana has just released another cookbook called, 500 More Low-Carb Recipes, and I might have a copy for you! Just drop me a note HERE and include your email address. I'll notify you on Friday, November 5th if you won a copy, then I'll erase all the emails.

Today's topic...

Low-Carb appetizers perfect for any holiday party this year.

Chinese Sticky Wings

Mmmmm. Chinese chicken wings

Makes about 28 pieces

Ingredients:

3 pounds (1.4 kg) chicken wings
1/4 cup (60 ml) dry sherry
1/4 cup (60 ml) soy sauce
1/4 cup (85 g) sugar-free imitation honey
1 tablespoon (10 g) grated gingerroot
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon chili garlic paste

Preparation:

Cut your wings into drummettes if you didn't buy them that way. (Keep those pointy tips to make chicken broth!) Put your wings in a big zipper-lock bag.

Mix together everything else, and pour it into the bag. Seal the bag, pressing out the air as you go. Turn the bag a few times to coat, and throw it in the fridge for a few hours and a whole day is brilliant.

Pull out the bag, pour off the marinade into a bowl and arrange the wings in a shallow baking pan. Give 'em a good hour in a 375°F (190°C) oven, basting every 15 minutes with the marinade. Serve with plenty of napkins!

Each serving will have: 62 calories; 4 g fat; 5 g protein; trace carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber; 0 usable carb. Carb count does not include polyols in the sugar-free imitation honey.

NOTE: Sugar-Free Imitation Honey

This is one of those "I knew low carb had really hit the mainstream when . . ." products. I knew we were mainstream when my grocery store started carrying sugar-free imitation honey! This is a polyol syrup with flavoring added to make it taste like honey, and the two I've tried, one by Honey Tree and the other by Steele's, are not bad imitations.

Sugar-free imitation honey is becoming more and more available and a useful little product it is—in baked goods it adds some extra moisture, while in things like barbecue sauces it adds the familiar syrupy quality. I can get sugar-free imitation honey here in Bloomington at my local Marsh grocery store, and I've heard that Wal-Mart now carries a brand. For that matter, many of the low-carb e-tailers carry Steele's brand of imitation honey. In short, it shouldn't be too hard to get your hands on some.

Remember that sugar-free imitation honey is pretty much pure polyol. Slather it on your low-carb pancakes or biscuits with too free a hand, and you'll pay the price in gastric distress.

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Southwestern Stuffed Eggs

These spicy eggs were a huge hit at the party I took them to!

Makes 12 pieces

Ingredients:

6 hard-boiled eggs
2 tablespoons (30 g) mayonnaise
1 tablespoon (15 g) plain yogurt
1 tablespoon (10 g) minced onion
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon (15 ml) cider vinegar
1/8 teaspoon garlic, finely minced

Preparation:

Peel your eggs, and slice each one in half. Remove the yolks to a mixing bowl and arrange the whites on a platter.

Mash the yolks well with a fork, then mash in the mayonnaise and yogurt. When the mixture is smooth, stir in the seasonings.

Stuff the seasoned yolks into the whites. You may sprinkle a tiny bit of chili powder or paprika on top to make them look festive, if you like.

Each serving with: 57 calories; 5 g fat; 3 g protein; 1 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber; 1 g usable carb.

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Cajun Nut Mix

Just a little spicy, and way tasty, this has what we call a "more-ish" flavor.

Makes 3 cups (450 g), or 9 servings of 1/3 cup (50 g) each

Ingredients

1 cup (150 g) dry-roasted peanuts
1 cup (150 g) cashew pieces, raw
1 cup (150 g) pecans
4 tablespoons (60 g) butter
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
salt

Preparation:

Combine your nuts in a 9" × 13" (22.5 × 32.5 cm) baking pan.

Melt the butter, and stir all of the seasonings into it. Pour this mixture over the nuts, scraping out any spices that stick to the bottom of the pan you melted the butter in! Stir the nuts to coat.

Roast the nuts at 300°F (150°C) for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Salt to taste.

Each serving with: 306 calories; 28 g fat; 7 g protein; 10 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 7 g usable carb.