Three Ways to Make Noodles from Zucchini and Other Vegetables (and Recipes with Vegetable Noodles)

Low-Carb Zucchini "Noodles" are delicious and easy to make.

Have you noticed how many cooks are suddenly making "noodles" from zucchini and other types of vegetables?  I think the abundance of vegetable noodles popping up everywhere is mostly due to an amazing machine called the Spiralizer.  I'm a little obsessed with my Spiralizer lately, so watch for a few dishes with vegetable noodles coming up soon on the blog. But for those who don't want to spend nearly $35.00 for a machine to make noodles, there are actually several less expensive noodle-making gadgets that work pretty well.  I have three different cooking tools that make noodles from vegetables, so I thought it would be a fun Meatless Monday post to compare them for anyone who's curious about vegetable noodles.

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Baked Eggs Skillet with Avocado and Spicy Tomatoes (Paleo, Low-Carb, Gluten-Free)

This Baked Eggs Skillet with Avocado and Spicy Tomatoes only needs a few minutes in the oven.

I'm always looking for new low-carb breakfast ideas, and recently when I had avocados in the fridge that needed to get used I came up with this Baked Eggs Skillet with Avocado and Spicy Tomatoes.  If you're wondering why my avocados were in the fridge, back in 2009 I shared a life-changing discovery that ripe avocados will stop ripening and last for several days longer if you store them in the fridge.  (Please tell me I'm not the only one who can't resist those bags of avocados at Costco and then has a hard time remembering to use them?  If you have the same problem, this trick of putting avocados in the fridge will really help!) I'm totally in favor of avocado for breakfast, and this was a quick and delicious breakfast for two that only needs about 10 minutes in the oven.

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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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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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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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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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Baked Eggs and Asparagus with Parmesan (Low-Carb, Gluten-Free)

If you like baked eggs and asparagus, you'll love this combination for an easy breakfast.

This recipe for Baked Eggs and Asparagus with Parmesan is a quick-and-easy breakfast idea that can be on the table in about twenty-five minutes, and this will be a hit with anyone who likes runny egg yolks and asparagus.  Timing is everything for this recipe, and there are a few tricks to make sure the egg whites cook quickly enough so the yolks are still runny, but if you follow my tips in the recipe your eggs should come out perfectly.  I made this one morning when the asparagus in the fridge was calling my name and I was waiting for my nephew Jake to come for a cooking day, (probably unconsciously inspired by my favorite Baked Eggs with Mushrooms and Parmesan.)  Then I made it again the next day to write down the exact times to I could share it here.  Jake and I both loved this; hope you enjoy!

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Asian Quinoa Salad with Snap Peas, Red Bell Pepper, Celery, and Peanuts (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

I love the Asian flavors in this Quinoa Salad with Snap Peas, Red Bell Pepper, Celery, and Peanuts.

This blog is about the food (and not about me) and I work pretty hard to keep it that way.  But since many of you will be seeing this recipe for Asian Quinoa Salad with Snap Peas, Red Bell Pepper, Celery, and Peanuts on Mother's Day, I do want to say a little about my amazing mom, who died far too young and left a hole in the hearts of her children that can probably never be filled.   Now I attempt to forget about that hole by spending time with the grandkids and great grandkids my mom never met or didn't get to spend nearly enough time with, and I think often about how blessed we were to have a loving, talented, and generous mom who put her children's needs above her own and literally would have done anything for us.  If you're lucky enough to be spending Mother's day with your mom, do everything you can to pamper and appreciate her, because you have no idea how much you'll miss her when she's gone.  And if you're a mom yourself, I hope you're having a wonderful day with your kids.

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Brown Rice and Pinto Bean Salad with Poblano and Red Bell Pepper (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

Brown Rice and Pinto Bean Salad with Poblano and Red Bell Pepper is a perfect meatless side dish for Cinco de Mayo.

I already shared Twenty-Five Healthy Mexican Food Dinners for Cinco de Mayo, but for some reason I still had Mexican food on the brain last week when I cooked with Jake.  Maybe it was just the desire to use up some leftover brown rice and a Poblano chile that was in the fridge, but we had fun experimenting with those ingredients.  We both loved the resulting Brown Rice and Pinto Bean Salad with Poblano and Red Bell Pepper.  I especially like the color the red onion adds in this salad, but if you're not going to be eating it right away I would recommend using green onion instead, because the red onion flavor got stronger after the salad had been in the fridge a few days.  But that didn't stop me from gobbling it up for lunch one day, and this is great for a Meatless Monday lunch or side dish, even on the Mondays when it's not Cinco de Mayo!

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Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Feta, Capers, Red Bell Pepper, and Green Onion (Low-Carb, Gluten-Free)

My tastebuds were blown away by this Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Feta, Capers, Red Bell Pepper, and Green Onion!

There's a pretty steady stream of good food coming out of my kitchen, which means a recipe really has to be special to completely blow me away.  And even though it started out as an experiment when I found two smallish heads of cauliflower in the crisper drawer that needed to be used, this Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Feta, Capers, Red Bell Pepper, and Green Onion really did blow my mind. So, so delicious!  I'm calling it a salad, because it's good eaten at room temperature or even cold, but I actually tossed the cauliflower with the dressing before I roasted it. When it was cooked, I mixed the hot cauliflower with a very generous amount of crumbled Feta, then stirred in capers, red bell pepper and a little chopped green onion after the roasted cauliflower cooled for a few minutes.   Unless  you're a complete cauliflower hater (you know who you are) you simply must try this one!

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Quinoa Side Dish with Mushrooms, Green Onions, and Parmesan (Gluten-Free, Meatless)

Mushrooms, scallions, a tiny hint of soy sauce, and Parmesan make this quinoa side dish sing with flavor.

I know some people still aren't familiar with Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah), a trendy type of seed from South America that's eaten as a grain.  It's become popular partly because it's gluten-free, high in protein, and very nutritious, but it's also delicious when it's prepared well.   I started to really like quinoa when I made the Quinoa Side Dish with Pine Nuts, Green Onions, and Cilantro, and this Quinoa Side Dish with Mushrooms, Green Onions, and Parmesan is definitely a riff on that recipe.  But for this version I tripled the Umami factor with mushrooms, Parmesan, and just a hint of soy sauce added to the vegetable stock for a new quinoa side dish that's was really a wow for me.  If you haven't tried Quinoa yet, maybe this will be the recipe that gets you to try it!

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Spinach and Kale Salad with Greek Flavors and Feta-Lemon Vinaigrette (Low-Carb, Gluten-Free)

Eat your greens with all the flavors that make Greek salad so popular in this Meatless Monday dinner salad!

It's not hard to tell how much I love the Greek Salad flavor combination of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olives, and Feta, and recipe ideas with those ingredients are always popping into my head.  This Spinach and Kale Salad with Greek Flavors and Feta-Lemon Vinaigrette was inspired by my love of those traditional Greek ingredients combined with the need to use up two big containers of baby kale and spinach that somehow ended up in the fridge at the same time.  But what really moved this salad into the wow category for me was the idea of dressing the greens with a tangy Feta-Lemon Vinaigrette so all those flavors were well-distributed in the salad.  I could eat this over and over for a Meatless Monday lunch or dinner salad; hope you enjoy!

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Mediterranean Spaghetti Squash Sauteed with Vegetables and Feta (Low-Carb, Gluten-Free)

Roasted spaghetti squash combines perfectly with mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts, and Feta!

I think most bloggers would agree that one very fun thing about writing a blog is getting nice e-mails and comments from readers.  And sometimes those very nice readers will send you recipes that you love and plan to make over and over, which makes the nice e-mails even better.  This amazing recipe for Mediterranean Spaghetti Squash Sauteed with Vegetables and Feta came from a nice reader named Joyce.  She described the recipe to me and said if it sounded like something I'd like to try she would take a stab at writing up the recipe, and oh boy, did I ever want to try it.  Jake and I made this late in the afternoon on a long cooking day, making only a few minimal changes to Joyce's recipe, and before the night was over I had polished off all my share of the leftovers!  Even if you're not wild about spaghetti squash, if you like the other flavors here I'm willing to bet you'll like it as much as we did.

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Easter Breakfast Casserole with Asparagus and Artichoke Hearts (Low-Carb, Gluten-Free)

This Breakfast Casserole with Asparagus and Artichoke Hearts is perfect for Easter brunch.

Easter is so late this year that some people might think I'm jumping the gun with a recipe called Easter Breakfast Casserole with Asparagus and Artichoke Hearts.  But every store I visit lately seems to have asparagus on sale, and you really don't have to wait until it's Easter to make this, I promise.  Besides the lovely combination of asparagus and artichoke hearts, this breakfast casserole also has crumbled goat cheese and low-fat Mozzarella.  I loved everything about this; hope you enjoy!

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Cheesy Baked Cauliflower Tots (Low-Carb, Gluten-Free)

Bite-sized and delicious, these Cheesy Baked Cauliflower Tots are great for a snack or a low-carb side dish!

When a food idea takes off on Pinterest, it can quickly spread around the web, and I know that's where I first saw the idea of finely chopped cauliflower made into cauliflower "Tater-Tots." The original deep-fried Tater-Tots are one of those foods from childhood that I kept liking way into adulthood, and I love the idea of a healthier version made from cauliflower, so the minute I saw this I knew I'd be trying it.  I saw ideas for califlower tots that looked tasty from several other bloggers, but every recipe I found had an ingredient I didn't want to use (like breadcrumbs, cornmeal, heavy cream, or butter) so I started experimenting to come up with my own version.

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Slow Cooker White Bean, Mushroom, and Rosemary Spaghetti Squash Bowl

Love this delicious white bean and mushroom ragout, served in a bowl over spaghetti squash!

A few months ago a reader named Amy sent me this recipe for Rosemary, Mushroom, and Chickpea Ragout served over toast, and I printed the recipe and added it to my big folder of "must cook" ideas.  (Thanks Amy!)  Then a few weeks later I was flipping through my friend Stephanie's newest book 365 Slow Cooker Suppers and I noticed a slow cooker recipe with similar flavors.  So you know where this is going don't you?  I combined ideas from both those recipes, plus a few thoughts of my own, and came up with this Slow Cooker White Bean, Mushroom, and Rosemary Spaghetti Squash Bowl.  Jake and I loved this, and he also thought it was delicious served over rice if you'd prefer that to the spaghetti squash version.  Whether you eat it on toast, over rice, or in a bowl with spaghetti squash, this mushroom and bean ragout is a satisfying blend of flavors.

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Vegan Red Cabbage Bowl with Tofu and Peanut-Sriracha Sauce

Red Cabbage, red bell pepper, sugar snap peas, and baked tofu cubes, drizzled with peanut-Sriracha sauce.

Everyone who loves crunchy sweet raw red cabbage, please raise your hand.  (Kalyn has both hands raised.)  If you're not raising your hand I hope you'll consider making this Vegan Red Cabbage Bowl using crisp lettuce in place of the cabbage because I loved how the flavors combined  in this recipe, and I'd hate for any cabbage-avoiders to miss out on the other good things here.  Two things that ramp up the flavor are tossing the tofu cubes with a soy-sesame-ginger marinade before they're baked, and a hint of Sriracha in the peanut butter flavored sauce to give it just the right amount of spicy kick.  I made this a couple of times and in the final version I scattered the tofu cubes over the salad like croutons before I drizzled the sauce over, and I thought that was the perfect finishing touch.

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Pressure Cooker Mexican Beans with Avocado-Poblano Salsa (Vegan)

Pressure Cooker Mexican Beans are quick and easy.

I love black beans and garbanzos, but if I could only have one type of beans, I'd have to choose creamy and delicious pinto beans for my favorite.  In the past I've loved them in creamy Pressure Cooker Refried Beans and my favorite Pinto Bean Salad with Avocado and Tomatoes, and this recipe for Pressure Cooker Mexican Beans with Avocado-Poblano Salsa is also going to be one of those pinto bean recipes that get repeated often.   I made these a few times in my new Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker to get the timing and the seasonings just perfect, but it's probably the addition of avocado salsa that really puts them over the top, although if you don't want to bother making salsa, the beans would also be excellent topped with a purchased guacamole (like the Good Foods Chunky Guacamole Single Serve Cups I posted about recently.) 

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Roasted Cabbage with Lime and Sriracha

My love affair with cabbage continues with this Roasted Cabbage with Lime and Sriracha!

I've been a cabbage fan for a long time, but I think the beginnings of my love affair with cabbage probably were stirred by a bacon and cabbage salad my mom used to make.  I'd clean my plate when we had that for dinner, and not just because of the bacon either!  As an adult I've continued to love cabbage both raw and cooked, not only for the flavor but also because it's such an inexpensive, nutritious, and diet-friendly ingredient.   I've posted a lot of favorite recipes featuring cabbage through the years, and this Roasted Cabbage with Lime and Sriracha is definitely a riff on my Roasted Cabbage with Lemon, a recipe that's been hugely popular on the blog.  If you like lime and Sriracha Sauce, take a chance on the cabbage and I bet you'll like this one as much as I did!

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Cheesy Vegetarian Brown Rice Casserole with Broccoli and Mushrooms

I devoured this Cheesy vegetarian casserole with brown rice, broccoli, and mushrooms.

It took me a couple of dump-in-the-trash attempts to get this Cheesy Vegetarian Brown Rice Casserole with Broccoli and Mushrooms to come out the way I wanted it, but immediately after I finished taking that photo I sat down at the island in my kitchen and devoured the little plate of casserole, so I think experimenting with the recipe turned out to be worth it.  The version that worked out has a few steps that might seem labor intensive, like cooling the rice, reducing the broth, and cooking the mushrooms, onions, and broccoli separately before they get combined into the casserole. Nobody likes a simple recipe more than me, but I do think it's those little touches that helped me get the result I wanted, so I hope people will trust me on the extra steps.  And the recipe makes a generous 8 servings (or 10 side dish servings) so you'll have some to stockpile in the freezer for another day when you don't want to cook!

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