Power Greens Breakfast Casserole with Feta and Mozzarella (Low-Carb, Gluten-Free)

Power Greens Breakfast Casserole with Feta and Mozzarella has a whole pound of greens!

When I shared the recipe for Power Greens Salad with Blueberries and Almonds, I raved about how much I love the Power Greens mix of chard, kale, and Spinach I've been getting at Costco.  And if you know my food preferences at all, you might have guessed I'd be making some kind of breakfast casserole with this delicious mix of greens.  In the last couple of weeks I've made this Power Greens Breakfast Casserole with Feta and Mozzarella four times, so that's a sign of how much I like it!  And last weekend my friend Sean from Punk Domestics stayed at my house when he was in town for the Alt Conference, and when I fed him some of the leftovers for breakfast, he gave the recipe a thumbs up.  I actually used a full pound of the greens mix in this, which helped balance out the generous amount of cheese!  I think the combination of cheeses here went really well with the variety of greens, so if you like the idea of starting out the day with a healthy dose of greens, give this a try!

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Raw Zucchini Salad (Zucchini Carpaccio) with Lemon, Herbs, and Goat Cheese (Low-Carb, Gluten-Free)

Use small fresh-from the garden zucchini to make Raw Zucchini Salad with Lemon, Herbs, and Goat Cheese.

(For Phase One Fridays I feature Phase One Recipes from the past that have been my personal favorites.  I've been seeing small perfect zucchini at the farmer's market for the last two weeks now, so it seems like a perfect time to make this Raw Zucchini Salad with Lemon, Herbs, and Goat Cheese.)

Zucchini Carpaccio is a dish I've been intrigued by since I first heard about the idea of thinly slicing zucchini and then marinating it in a dressing of olive oil and lemon juice, so I have no idea why it's taken me so long to try it. It was the Carpaccio of Raw Zucchini from Sidewalk Shoes that finally pushed this dish to the top of my list. Pam used a recipe from Tyler Florence, but I ended up making my own version, heavy on lemon and herbs, and with the addition of a little goat cheese, since I'm always in favor of goat cheese in a salad!

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Leftover Chicken Salad with Mustard, Hearts of Palm, and Olives (Paleo, Low-Carb, Gluten-Free)

Use leftover grilled or rotisserie chicken to make this Leftover Chicken Salad with Mustard, Hearts of Palm, and Olives.

When it's summer, grilled chicken breasts are always on the menu at my house.  And if I'm going to take the time to prep the chicken, marinate it, and then grill it, I'm probably going to make extra grilled chicken for leftovers.  I already have 20 Summers Salads to Make with Leftover Chicken, but that doesn't stop my brain from coming up with more ideas.  Not long ago I made Rosemary Mustard Grilled Chicken for a big family party, and with some of the leftover chicken I made this Leftover Chicken Salad with Mustard, Hearts of Palm, and Olives.  Not only was this a delicious low-carb salad, but if you choose ingredients carefully it's Paleo, Whole 30 approved, and gluten-free.  If grilled chicken isn't on the menu at your house, this would also be delicious with leftover rotisserie chicken, the ones that jump into your basket when you're at Costco.  Enjoy!

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25 Favorite Healthy Cucumber Salads to Keep You Cool

Summer means cucumbers, and here are 25 Cucumber Salads to eat all summer long!

How do you feel about cucumbers?  I'm always kind of shocked when someone tells me they don't like them, but then I realize maybe those cucumber-adverse people have only had grocery store cucumbers.  Those overly large waxy creatures are a poor substitute for fresh garden cucumbers, which are loaded with a delicate flavor that I just love.  If I don't have cucumbers from the garden I love the mini Persian cucumbers that you can buy at Costco, or the European cucumbers that are available all year.  As soon the weather gets hot I start craving cucumber salads.  Back in 2011 I posted ten favorite cucumber salads, but four years later I have a lot more favorites, so I'm updating this post to share 25 Favorite Healthy Cucumbers Salads to Keep You Cool.  Hope you enjoy trying some of them!

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Slow Cooker Brown Rice Veggie Bowl with Asparagus, Red Bell Pepper, Zucchini, and Feta (Gluten-Free)

This Meatless Monday Slow Cooker Brown Rice Veggie Bowl has asparagus, red bell pepper, zucchini, and Feta

Summer means garden-fresh vegetables, and this Slow Cooker Brown Rice Veggie Bowl is a simple way to cook them without heating up the house.  I made this with my nephew Jake and even though we ended up tasting it at the end of a long cooking day when we had sampled lots of other things, we gobbled this up and I was excited to have the leftovers another day.  The recipe couldn't be simpler.  Start by cooking brown rice in the slow cooker with vegetable stock, spices, and a chopped onion until the rice is nearly done.  While the rice cooks, chop up vegetables of your choice; we used asparagus, red bell pepper, and zucchini, but you could also substitute other vegetables that taste good with Feta such as yellow summer squash or green beans.  Add the vegetables and cook until they're tender, then stir in some crumbled Feta and serve, topped with a little more feta sprinkled on top.

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Recipe for Grilled Sriracha-Sesame Turkey Meatballs

Yes, these Sriracha-Sesame Meatballs really were cooked on the grill!

(For Phase One Fridays I feature Phase One Recipes from the past that have been my personal favorites, and these Grilled Sriracha-Sesame Turkey Meatballs are something I've been making for a few years now.  You could also cook the meatballs on top of the stove, or right on the grill grates as well if you don't have a grill pan like mine.  This recipe was not originally Phase One, but I discovered you could make the meatballs with almond meal for a phase one version.)

I'm known as the queen of cooking gadgets among my friends, and a few years ago I got a new stainless steel grill grid pan from Sur La Table that really got me excited.  It's flatter than the grill pan I use to cook vegetables, with holes that are small enough to make it perfect for cooking lots of interesting things on top of the grill.  It was definitely this pan that got me thinking about cooking these Sriracha-Sesame Turkey Meatballs on the grill.  I'm always looking for interesting ways to cook ground turkey, and these Sriracha-sesame flavored meatballs were a big hit with several people I tried the recipe on.

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Green Chile Turkey Taco Salad with Peppers and Avocado (Paleo, Low-Carb, Gluten Free)

This Green Chile Turkey Taco Salad with Peppers and Avocado has a dressing that's seasoned with green chile salsa.

I'm a big fan of taco salad, so recently when my niece and cooking assistant Kara was doing the Whole 30 challenge, I thought it would be fun to come up with a taco salad that's Whole 30 approved.  I also wanted a taco salad that didn't have beef, and this delicious Green Chile Turkey Taco Salad with Peppers and Avocado is the combination we came up with.   Simmering the meat with green chile salsa and other seasonings, using a little of the same salsa to add flavor to the dressing, plus adding green and red bell peppers and finely chopped fresh Poblano chiles to the salad greens gives this salad a lot of savory chile flavor with just a little heat.  Kara and I both loved the flavor of this turkey taco meat mixture; if you have family members who don't want salad it would be delicious inside tortillas for regular tacos as well.

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Summer Means Grilled Vegetable Salads, and Things I'm Thinking About on Tuesday (6-17-2014)

Whole Wheat Orzo and Grilled Vegetable Salad with Feta, Olives, and Herbs

Even though the official first day of summer is a few days away, lately I've been thinking of those things I love to cook in the summer but never make any other time of year, and grilled vegetables that get turned into salad are at the top of that list.  I love grilled vegetable salads, and there are a couple on the blog that are my all time favorites, starting with the Whole Wheat Orzo and Grilled Vegetable Salad with Feta, Olives, and Herbs shown above.  I could eat this all summer long!  Two more grilled summer salads I'm equally crazy over are Grilled Sweet Potato Salad with Basil, Thyme, and Feta and Grilled Zucchini Greek Salad.  Did you notice the common ingredient in these three favorite grilled salads?  Yes, I do love Feta cheese and recently my favorite Feta cheese showed up again at Costco after I hadn't been able to find it for a couple of years.  It doesn't take much to make me happy; finding that Feta at Costco again totally made my day, and the summer has gotten off to a good start.

Now, here are a few more things I've been thinking about . . .

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Power Greens Salad with Blueberries and Almonds (Paleo, Gluten-Free, Vegan)

This delicious healthy salad has power greens, blueberries, and almonds to help you eat your SuperFoods.

It's Father's Day in the U.S., and all day today I'll be thinking about my amazing father, and wishing I could spend a few hours with him.  My dad was a loving and intelligent guy who liked music, reading, Kentucky Fried Chicken, tartar sauce, and any dish that had shrimp in it, and if he was still here there's no doubt I'd be making his favorite Shrimp and Macaroni Salad today.  I don't think anything can prepare you for the loss you feel when both your parents are gone, but I'm still grateful for holidays like today and how they remind me of what amazing parents I had.  If you're lucky enough to be spending the day with your dad, I hope you have a wonderful time.

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Cuban Flank Steak Recipe (Low-Carb, Gluten-Free, Can Be Paleo)

Flank steak is delicious when it's marinated in Cuban flavors and grilled.

 (For Phase One Fridays I feature Phase One Recipes from the past that have been my personal favorites,  and this Cuban Flank Steak is one of my most-used ways to cook beef on the grill.   If you're grilling for a beef-loving Dad this weekend, I can promise this will be a hit!)

In one of my previous lives, before I became a food blogger and a South Beach Dieter, I used to be president of my local teacher's association, aka the teacher's union. This was a demanding high-pressure job that I sometimes loved, sometimes hated, but one thing I did enjoy about the job was the chance to travel. I went all over the U.S., and it was in Miami Beach that I had my first experience with Cuban food. I loved the way beef and pork were marinated in lime juice in the Cuban cuisine, so a few years ago I tried to re-create that flavor in this flank steak. If you like flank steak, give this flavorful Cuban-style marinade a try!

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Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Italian Sausage, Tomatoes, Kale, and Basil Vinaigrette (Low-Carb, Gluten-Free)

You won't miss the pasta in this Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Turkey Italian Sausage, Tomatoes, Kale, and Basil Vinaigrette.

I guess I'm having a little fling with cauliflower because this Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Turkey Italian Sausage, Tomatoes, Kale, and Basil Vinaigrette is the latest in a string of fun cauliflower experiments.  In the last few months I've shared Cheesy Baked Cauliflower Tots, Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Feta, and Fried Cauliflower Rice with Shrimp, and all of them had that special something that means the recipe is going to be a repeater in my kitchen.  That's also true for this latest cauliflower experiment where I used roasted cauliflower as the base of the salad and combined it with browned turkey Italian Sausage, cherry tomatoes, and barely wilted kale.  If it's a bit hot to use the oven where you are, use a toaster oven to roast the cauliflower.  (And I should probably be sharing something like this pasta salad the week of Father's Day, but unless dad is a cauliflower-avoider, I promise this salad is so delicious you won't even miss the pasta!)

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Kalyn's Kitchen Picks: Prepworks Progressive Fresh Herb Keeper (and Ten Favorite Recipes with Fresh Herbs)

Keep your fresh herbs much longer in the fridge with this Progressive Fresh Herb Keeper.

Are you a fan of using fresh herbs in cooking?  I love all types of fresh herbs, and for years I've been growing basil, parsley, mint, rosemary, thyme, dill, French tarragon, and sage.  But one herb I've never had any luck growing (either outside or in my kitchen window herb garden) is cilantro.  And if you're a cilantro fan you know that fresh cilantro doesn't keep well in the fridge, which is why I was so excited to discover this Prepworks Progressive Fresh Herb Keeper.  This plastic herb keeper will keep cilantro good in the fridge about 10 days, (and maybe longer but my cilantro doesn't stay around longer than that!)  You fill the bottom of the herb keeper with water up to the line, snip off the ends off the bunches of cilantro, and push them down into the tube so the ends are in the water.  Of course you can use this for other types of herbs too if you're not a cilantro fan!

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Slow Cooker Spicy Brown Rice and Black Bean Cheesy Bowl (Vegetarian, Gluten-Free)

Use the CrockPot to cook this Spicy Brown Rice and Black Bean Cheesy Bowl and keep the kitchen cool.

When you live where it's hot in the summer, using the slow cooker to cook amazing food without heating up the house is one of the best tricks I know.  In fact, on my slow cooker site I feature Slow Cooker Summer Dinners each year, and this Slow Cooker Spicy Brown Rice and Black Bean Bowl would make a perfect summer dinner cooked in the CrockPot.  It took me a couple of tries to get this recipe just right, and for the final version I had the wild idea of cutting up some cubes of string cheese and stirring them into the rice and beans mixture for the last 30 minutes of cooking time, so this is a spicy brown rice and black bean cheesy bowl.  Everyone likes cheesy don't they?  I tested several versions of this out on my niece Kara and her family, and they gave the thumbs up to the version with cheese, but it's definitely optional if you prefer it without the cheese.

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Recipe for Spinach Salad with Bacon Dressing (Low-Carb, Gluten-Free, Can Be Paleo)

It only takes the tiniest bit of bacon to add great flavor to this Spinach Salad with Bacon Dressing!

(For Phase One Fridays I feature Phase One Recipes from the past that have been my personal favorites, and this flavorful salad dressing with a little chopped bacon is something I've been making for years.  The recipe has been hanging out way back in the archives on the blog since 2005 without a single photo, and I finally remembered to take some pictures to update the post!)   

Spinach salad with bacon is a culinary classic, and in the very early days of my blog I came up with this spinach salad that features a slightly creamy dressing with chopped bacon.   It only takes the tiniest amount of bacon to make this Spinach Salad with Bacon Dressing really taste amazing, and I use pre-cooked bacon and then crisp it in the microwave and blot away as much fat as possible, so if you're someone who normally avoids bacon because of the saturated fat, please do not call the bacon police!  There are endless combinations of ingredients you can add to the salad besides the bacon dressing, but sliced mini-peppers, olives, sunflower seeds, and Feta like you see in this photo is probably my favorite.  And if you're not adverse to a little bacon once in a while, this bacon dressing is also fantastic drizzled over sliced tomatoes!

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Roasted Barramundi with Tomato and Olive Relish (Low-Carb, Paleo, Gluten-Free)

My niece Kara and I both loved this Roasted Barramundi with Tomato and Olive Relish.

A few weeks ago I had a fun cooking day with my gorgeous niece Kara, and we came up with this recipe for Roasted Barramundi with Olive Relish.  The recipe was so good that Kara has already made it at home (and sent me the photo) before I managed to get it up on the blog!  We tried this out when Kara was doing the Whole 30 eating plan, and for people who care about such things this recipe is completely in line with Whole 30 or Paleo eating, and it's also South Beach Diet Phase One.  But even if you don't care the tiniest little bit about any of that, you should make this because it's amazingly delicious, and easy to make after a long day at work.  If it's getting warm where you live, I recommend roasting the fish in a toaster oven to keep the kitchen cool.

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Summer Means Basil Vinaigrette, and Things I'm Thinking About on Tuesday (6-3-14)

Grilled Halibut with Basil Vinaigrette, and it must be summer because I already have Basil Vinaigrette in the fridge!

It's feeling like summer, and recently I wanted to make some Basil Vinaigrette, which made me realize how much I'm seriously missing the garden from my old house.  Last year I tried growing a few vegetables and herbs on the deck and in the kitchen window, but even though they started out well, the plants on the deck didn't produce much and keeping herbs watered in a sunny kitchen window turned out to be a challenge.  So last week I decided that while I plan for my future greenhouse (hopefully next year!) I just had to plant some things outside.  I do have parsley, several types of sage, French tarragon, thyme, and Greek Oregano by the front walk, but I was missing a few of my favorite herbs, so I got some visiting nephews to carry up the containers I'd used on the deck and planted a row of big pots by the front porch.  Now I have pots filled with basil (x2), rosemary, flat parsley, dill, and mint, and can happily cook with herbs all summer long!  And I've already got Basil Vinaigrette in the fridge, so life is good at Chez Kalyn.

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South Beach Diet Phase One Recipes Round-up for May 2014 (and an announcement)

Kalyn's Phase One Recipe Picks for May 2014 were Baked White Fish with Onions, Peppers, Olives, and Feta, Stir-Fried Broccolini with Oyster Sauce, Fried Cauliflower Rice with Shrimp, Sugar Snap Peas, and Red Pepper, Shrimp and Black Bean Salad with Cilantro, Cumin, and Lime, and Baked Eggs and Asparagus with Parmesan.

It's summer, and if I needed a reminder I got a good one when I looked at the bookmarks where I save recipe links to feature here every month and realized I didn't have one single soup, stew, or chili recipe this time.  I like a good bowl of soup as well as the next person, but I couldn't be happier to say bring on the salads! But before we get to the food, I want to talk a little about these round-ups.

This post makes 74 months of writing monthly South Beach Diet Phase One Recipes Round-Ups for the blog, and times have changed.  I still love the South Beach Diet, but now a lot of people reading my blog follow other types of low-carb or grain-free eating plans.  (That was the reason I gave the blog a makeover last year, adding new tabs so recipes could be sorted by diet type.)  After asking for opinions on Facebook and giving it a lot of thought, I've decided to make the monthly round-ups more broadly focused, hopefully making them more useful for people who aren't strictly following South Beach. I'll still include recipes that are South Beach Diet Phase One of course, but I also want to spotlight interesting recipes that are Low-Carb in general, Paleo, Whole 30, and possibly others. As always, all the recipes in the round-up will be grain-free, making them Gluten-Free as well, and there will be some type of labeling system to make it easy to see which recipes are Phase One or another plan. That new format will be coming next month; hope you like it. And if you have any thoughts about this, please share them in the comments!

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