I am a sucker for free magazines. Even when they are terrible, I will still pick up a copy to peruse on the off-chance that something new and novel will hit me in the brainpan. Most of the time I’m disappointed, because you get what you pay for, right? But I keep picking them up, because I am an eternal optimist.

So today I was shocked and surprised to find some recipes in the latest installment of My H-E-B Texas Life that I might actually make.

I know, wtf?

Of course, H-E-B’s “recipes” usually involve a) purchasing lots of H-E-B branded products and b) very little actual cooking, so I wouldn’t make these recipes exactly as described, but I think they’ve got potential. For instance, their Spaghetti Squash with Sausage and Greens recipe is a variation on a dish I make fairly often, because microwaving spaghetti squash is dead simple, and replacing high-carb pasta with low-carb spaghetti squash is awesome. (FYI: 1/2 cup of cooked spaghetti squash equals approximately 4 grams of net carbohydrates, according to About.com.)

Another one I am tempted to try (replacing the pasta with spaghetti squash, methinks) is the Calico Pasta Dinner recipe. The ingredients call for sweet potato, sour cream and feta cheese crumbles, garlic, fresh basil, sun-dried tomato strips, roasted red and yellow peppers, pasta and salt and pepper. Since they’re microwaving the sweet potato and using prepared ingredients for most of the rest of the ingredients, this is a 15-minute recipe and sounds delicious. It’s also visually appealing with all those colorful ingredients.

Calico Pasta Dinner (image via My H-E-B Texas Life magazine)

Finally, I would also try the Mahi Mahi Dinner in a Bag, which is an easy version of a classic French cooking technique called en papillote. You throw all your fish and veggies into a parchment paper bag, cook it in a super-hot oven (400F) for 25 minutes, et voila! A tasty baked dinner that didn’t require much more effort than preheating the oven. Since you can replace the mahi mahi with any type of fish you prefer, you could make a variety of different meals, depending on whatever captures your fancy or fits your budget.

So yes, for once my free magazine trolling has paid off. Grab these recipes from My H-E-B Texas Life’s January 2012 issue at your local H-E-B or online and make ‘em your own.