Recipe For Leftover Chicken Chopped Salad with Cafe Rio Style Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

(For Phase One Fridays I highlight Phase One recipes from the past that have been my personal favorites.  This salad is one I often make in the summer with leftover grilled chicken and my favorite Cafe Rio Style Dressing.)

No matter what time of year you come to my house, you'll often find leftover grilled chicken or rotisserie chicken in the fridge, and this salad is one of my favorite ways to use it. There are endless ingredients that work in a chopped salad with chicken and Cafe Rio Style Creamy Tomatillo Dressing, but I'm partial to radishes in this salad, and for me, cilantro is also a must. I ate the salad you see in the photo sitting on my new deck looking out over the garden, and thinking to myself that leftovers don't really get any better than this!

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Recipe for Basil, Arugula, Scallion, and Lemon Pesto Sauce for Grilled Fish, Chicken, Meat or Vegetables

This pesto sauce with basil, arugula, scallions, and lemon is fantastic with grilled fish, chicken, or vegetables.

When I shared the recipe for Ultra Easy Avocado Sauce, I mentioned how I'm a sauce person.  I love the way an easy sauce can dress up simple grilled fish, chicken, meat, or vegetables for quick summer meal.  The sauce shown here on grilled salmon is a kicked-up version of my beloved Basil Pesto with Lemon, with arugula, scallions, walnuts, and a touch of mayo turning it into a flavor-filled creamy sauce for just about anything you'd like to eat it on.  When I had leftovers of this in my fridge, I ate it on almost everything I cooked until it was gone, and if you like these flavors I'm guessing this might become one of your favorite summer sauces.

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Recipe for Grilled Fresh Salmon Burgers with Caper Mayonnaise

Salmon Burgers with Caper Mayonnaise are fantastic with or without the bun!

I'm always surprised when people tell me they don't have an outdoor grill.  At my house the grill is under a covered deck, and it uses natural gas, so I'm always ready to grill.  I don't venture out there much in the dead of winter, but from early spring to late fall you'll find me out there cooking all kinds of meat, fish, and vegetables on the grill.  This recipe for Grilled Fresh Salmon Burgers with Caper Mayonnaise is one I tried with my nephew Jake, and we gobbled ours up without a bun, but they would also be delicious on a bun with lettuce, tomato, and the caper mayonnaise spread on the bun.  And the good news is, if you don't have an outdoor grill you could easily cook these on a Stove-Top Grill Pan with equally good results!

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Recipe for Greek Frittata with Zucchini, Tomatoes, Feta, and Herbs

This Greek Frittata with Zucchini, Tomatoes, and Feta is good for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

(Updated with better photos and instructions, June 2012.)  On Sundays I like to post meatless recipes on the blog so anyone who's participating in Meatless Monday can find them the next day.  Usually I post a brand new meatless recipe every Sunday, but there's a good reason I'm making an exception for this Greek Frittata.   A few weeks ago I made this favorite frittata from 2006 so I could take new pictures (greatly needed!)  Then I noticed that through the week I ate pieces of this at various times for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and it struck me what a versatile meatless dish this was, so I decided that Greek Frittata with Zucchini, Tomatoes, Feta and Herbs must be a perfect option for Meatless Monday. 

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Eating Vegetables from the Garden! (2012 Garden Update #5)

There's plenty of Grilled Zucchini on the menu at my house!

Last time I shared an update about my garden I was excited about baby vegetables starting to appear, and now a few weeks later I'm happily using vegetables and herbs from the garden and looking forward to more to come.  The photo above shows what happens when you don't keep up on picking the zucchini.  Most of these are about the size I like, but the two giant 8-Ball Zucchini in the back are going to be grated up and turned into something like Savory Whole What Zucchini Muffins with Green Chilis and Cheese!

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How to Grill Zucchini - Perfect Every Time!

Perfect Grilled Zucchini, something I make as a side dish all summer long!

(For Phase One Fridays I highlight Phase One recipes from the past that have been my personal favorites.  This easy recipe for Grilled Zucchini is something I make several times a week all summer long!)

For most of my life I was kind of lukewarm about zucchini. When I was a kid, my mom would dip it in egg and fry it, something I liked ok, but didn't love. It wasn't until I discovered how great grilled zucchini can taste (and my mom started making "creamed" zucchini") that I really started appreciating the zucchini that sprout up overnight in the garden.

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Recipe for Spicy Cabbage Slaw with Chicken and Cilantro

Spicy Cabbage Slaw with Chicken and Cilantro is a cool meal for hot weather!

One of the recipes from the blog that I make often is Spicy Mexican Slaw.  It seems to be something I never get tired of, and  if you're also a fan of that recipe you'll recognize that this Spicy Cabbage Slaw with Chicken and Cilantro is a slightly different version of the Mexican Slaw, with the addition of diced cooked chicken that's been marinated in the dressing for a little while.  I play around with recipes like this all the time, and sometimes wonder whether the recipe is different enough to be worth a new post, but I've made this twice now for parties where it was a hit, and I'm very fond of the leftovers, even after a day in the fridge.  If you're looking for a cold lunch salad that will keep well (as long as you have a fridge where you work) this might be just the thing.

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Recipe for Sweet and Sour Broccoli Salad (Version 2.0)

This is a salad I've been making for years, but cutting the broccoli in smaller pieces is a big improvement!

(Updated June 2012 with better photos and a new way of chopping the broccoli that I think is a big improvement!)  This recipe for broccoli salad with red onion, bacon, cheese and a sweet and sour mayo-based dressing is something I've been making for years.  I've experimented with Splenda, Granulated Stevia, and Agave nectar in the dressing, used more or less bacon and cheese (depending on how diet-friendly I wanted to make it), and switched out the traditional raisins for chopped pecans, and no matter how I changed it up, the salad has always been a hit.  But recently I attended a baby christening party for my nephew Aaron and wife Amee's darling new baby girl and Amee's Aunt Lynette had a new twist on the salad that really wowed me.  Presenting Sweet and Sour Broccoli Salad Version 2.0, with the broccoli chopped into much smaller pieces!

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Recipe for Egg Salad in Pita with Green Olives, Green Onions, and Dijon

I loved this version of egg salad with green olives and Dijon!

This recipe idea for egg salad with green olives, green onions, and Dijon is something that popped into my head one day when I wanted something quick to eat.  I loved the combination of green olives in egg salad so much, I made it again a few days later and took some photos.  I ate my egg salad with olives inside whole wheat pita for a quick lunch option, but you could also use it spread on whole wheat bread with lettuce for a more traditional egg salad sandwich.  For a phase one option, I also tried using the green olives in the filling for deviled eggs; that post will be coming.

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Visiting Lark Restaurant in Seattle

The welcoming front door at Lark, 936 12th Avenue, Seattle.  (Photo by Kelly from Sass and Veracity.)

I spent last weekend at BlogHerFood in Seattle, where I had an amazing time soaking up knowledge, seeing some of my favorite people in the world, and spending a little time exploring the Seattle food scene.  I've been attending Blogher conferences since 2006, and it's no secret that I'm a huge fan of the BlogHer media empire and all the amazing people associated with it.  And in the food blogging world, I know (and adore) so many food bloggers that it feels like an impossible task to write the kind of wrap-up post that mentions all the bloggers I saw or met for the first time.  So let me just say that I felt nurtured and inspired every minute of BlogHerFood by the wonderful people I was surrounded by.  Meeting amazing people really is one of the best parts of food blogging!

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Recipe for Zucchini Bake with Feta and Thyme

A delicious side dish with zucchini, yellow squash, eggs, Feta, sour cream, parmesan, and thyme.

(For Phase One Fridays I highlight Phase One recipes from the past that have been my personal favorites.  I am just starting to get zucchini and yellow squash in my garden, and this is favorite zucchini side dish will be on the menu soon!)

This is a recipe I came up with to use the surplus of zucchini in the garden, so I'm begging for understanding from readers who don't have garden veggies available. The good news is that this recipe can easily be made with zucchini and yellow squash from the store or farmers market too. I consider this to be a season-spanning vegetable side dish, but with the protein from a couple of eggs and the feta cheese, it could easily be a main dish too.

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Recipe for Asian Spinach Salad with Chicken, Mushrooms, Peppers, and Almonds

A main-dish spinach salad with chicken, mushrooms, peppers, and almonds.

(Updated with step-by-step photos and an improved recipe, June 2012.)  There are a lot of good reasons to eat spinach, whether or not you're trying to lose weight.  But when I am trying to eat mostly protein and vegetables, a big spinach salad like this is one of my favorite things to have for dinners.  I made this on a day when I had some mushrooms in the fridge begging to be used, but they're definitely optional.  You could also make the salad with some other type of greens, but spinach is such a nutritional powerhouse, and it's delicious with the Asian-flavored dressing in this salad.

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Cross-Cultural Salad Recipe with Tomato, Avocado, Jicama, Lime, and Feta

Lisa's Cross-Cultural Salsa inspired this Cross-Cultural Salad with jicama!

When I tried out the recipe for Lisa's Cross Cultural Salsa, I fell in love with the combination of flavors and immediately started thinking about what else I could add to this to make it more of a salad.  Since the salsa had that lime and tomato thing going on, jicama seemed like something that would be a lovely addition.  It also added a nice crunch, and jicama is such a low-glycemic vegetable that I'm happy about thinking of more ways to use it.  The resulting salad with tomato, avocado, jicama, lime, and feta was definitely a keeper, at least based on my tastebuds!

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Recipe for Asian Flavored Wild Salmon Patties with Ginger, Scallions, and Sesame-Lime Mayonnaise

These Salmon Patties start with chopped raw salmon that's seasoned with Asian flavors.

(For Phase One Fridays I highlight Phase One recipes from the past that have been my personal favorites.  Since I am in Seattle enjoying the seafood and attending BlogHerFood, it seemed like a perfect time to feature this wonderful recipe with wild salmon.  Enjoy!)

Last year my brother Dave and his four sons went to Alaska and fished for salmon and halibut.  I've been the grateful recipient of some of the frozen wild salmon and halibut they had shipped back to Utah, so lately I've been looking for some new ideas for cooking both these types of fish.  If you enter "salmon recipes" into the search bar on the blog, you'll see quite a few recipes for salmon, including Salmon Patties made with canned salmon, but this type of salmon patties are a completely new way to cook salmon for me.  They're made with chopped raw salmon, flash frozen so they keep their shape, and then pan-fried in a small amount of olive oil.  The salmon patties are seasoned with Sriracha and plenty of ginger and scallions and served with a delightful sesame-lime mayonnaise that goes perfectly with the salmon.

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Cooking Tips for Gardeners: Cooking with French Tarragon

French Tarragon grows like a weed, and it's a wonderful flavor when used in small amounts!

Since I started doing garden updates in 2006, I've enjoyed writing about my garden on the blog, and talking about how I use the garden produce in recipes.  This year I decided it would be fun to do a whole series of Cooking Tips for Gardeners, each time spotlighting something I grow in the garden that might be an ingredient not everyone was familiar with.  And when I noticed that my French Tarragon was completely out of control a few weeks ago, I thought that would be a good place to start!

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Recipe for Stir Fried Turkey (or chicken) with Sugar Snap Peas and Peppers (and Tips for Chinese Cooking)

Stir-Fried Turkey (or chicken) with Sugar Snap Peas and Peppers, or use any veggies you'd like!

(Updated with photos and better instructions June 2012.)  I don't know why it's taken me so long to get to this recipe in my quest to update my older recipes with better photos, but I first made this recipe  in September 2005.  Maybe it's because the original version was made with celery instead of peppers, which certainly made the dish a lot less colorful.  When I decided to update this I switched the celery for a mixture of red and yellow peppers, and also changed the cooking sauce a little so this could be a phase one recipe.  I couldn't resist adding a tiny bit of Sriracha to the sauce as well, but that's totally optional.  Actually you could switch out any of the vegetables here for something else and come up with a dish that's pretty good as long as you cut the pieces the same size and shape and pick veggies that cook quickly.  Enjoy!

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Recipe for Baby Kale and Mozzarella Quesadillas with Sriracha-Ranch Dipping Sauce

Quesadillas with baby kale and mozzarella, served with a spicy Sriracha-Ranch Dipping Sauce.

Some of you guys who haven't yet joined the Baby Kale Fan Club might think I've gone a little too far with this recipe for Baby Kale and Mozzarella Quesadillas with Sriracha-Ranch Dipping Sauce.  It was just an idea that popped into my head when baby kale had been on sale and I had an abundance of it in my fridge, and when Jake and I were making the first quesadilla I wasn't sure it was going to be anything special.  But oh my, the quesadillas were so amazingly good with the dipping sauce.  I don't know if this is something you could get a green-veggie phobic kid to eat, but it would certainly be easy enough to make a plain cheese quesadilla for the kids if you made this for a family dinner.  And if the adults in the family like leafy greens, I promise this will be a hit!

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Baby Vegetables! (2012 Garden Update #4)

I'm always excited by the arrival of the first baby vegetables in the garden!

Back in the old days when people would carry around photos of their kids and grandkids (instead of posting them on Facebook), I once had a friend suggest that I start carrying around photos of my baby plants.  I never did go quite that far, but there's no doubt that the arrival of baby vegetables is something I look forward to eagerly every year.  I hope this post doesn't inspire too much baby-vegetable envy among my readers and blogging friends, because this year it got warm very early in Utah, and because I was going on a long trip I planted my garden much earlier than usual.  I thought if it didn't make it, I would replant when I came back from the trip, but the weather gods were smiling on the garden and the veggies got an early start!

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South Beach Diet Phase One Recipes Round-Up for May 2012 (Low-Glycemic Recipes)

Kalyn's favorite Phase One recipe this month is Heart of Palm Salad with Tomato, Avocado, and Lime (with or without cilantro!)

It's Summer!  I don't know how it get here quite this quickly but everywhere I go on the internet people are talking about hot weather and lots of salads have been on the menu at my house. I love summer; maybe it's all those years of being a teacher!  And when the weather gets warm and gardens start to produce lots of lovely veggies, I think it's so much easier to stick to a healthy eating plan.  And of course the arrival of a new month means it's time for another monthly round-up of the Phase One recipes I've posted this month or spotted on other food blogs.  Whether you're thinking about Phase One or just trying to eat things that are light due to the hot weather, there are a lot of delicious-sounding options this month!

(You can use the label Low-Glycemic Recipe Round-Ups to see all the posts like this one.)

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