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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Mushroom and Feta Breakfast Casserole (Low-Carb, Gluten-Free)

Mushroom and Feta Breakfast Casserole has two of my very favorite ingredients!

(For Phase One Fridays I feature Phase One Recipes from the past that have been my personal favorites.  This recipe was updated with new photos and step-by-step instructions, May 2014.)  

I'm happy to have updated photos of this favorite Mushroom and Feta Breakfast Casserole to share for Phase One Friday this week, and if I was forced to choose only one breakfast casserole out of the many different ones I've shared here, this would have to be it.  There's something about the combination of mushrooms and feta that sounds like a perfect breakfast to me.   This casserole is also a sentimental favorite because back in 2008 I made this for breakfast when Genie from The Inadvertent Gardener stopped for a night as she was headed for California.  But whether you're having guests for breakfast or just looking for make-ahead breakfast options, breakfast casseroles like this are a good way to keep your healthy eating plan on track.  It would also make a nice option if you're looking for ideas for Mother's Day Brunch, hope you enjoy!

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Recipe for Penne Pasta with Spicy Italian Sausage, Mushrooms, and Spinach

I love this Penne Pasta with Spicy Italian Sausage, Mushrooms, and Spinach.  (You can make this or any pasta dish lower in carbs by using less pasta and more vegetables and meat.)

(Updated with better photos and thoughts about Dreamfields Pasta, May 2014.)   I first made this Penne Pasta with Spicy Italian Sausage, Mushrooms, and Spinach back in 2010, and when I found out it was World Pasta Day I posted the recipe right away, even though I didn't like the original photos much at all.  Now my photo skills have definitely improved and it wasn't a hardship at all to make this again to get better photos.  Scroll down to the bottom of the step-by-step pictures to see the original photo that still makes me wince a bit when I think about it being on the blog all those years. 

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Chard and Garlic Scape Pesto and Things I'm Thinking About on Tuesday (5-6-14)

Spring has sprung, and I'm rushing the season and thinking about Garlic Scape and Chard Pesto.

It's feeling a lot like Spring at my house, and even though I already complained about it once, can I say one more time that I'm feeling pretty serious garden withdrawals?  At my old house I would probably have volunteer chard coming up in the garden by now, and one of my favorite things to make in the spring is Garlic Scape and Chard Pesto like you see in the photos above.  If you like garlic, but don't know what Garlic Scapes are, use that link to go and read about them.  Then hit up your local organic grocer or farmer's market and make some of this amazing pesto right away!

Don't get me wrong, I love my new house, and I feel more than blessed to have a house that's big enough that my enormous family can come here for a party.  But I'm also optimistically making plans for a bit more gardening on-the-fly this year (until I can build a real greenhouse, hopefully this fall.)  Tonight I told my neighbor across the street how I was just going to slip a few tomato plants in among the flowers in a sunny but sheltered spot by my garage.  "The deer will eat them," she said, without even thinking twice.  I guess we're going to find out whether deer like tomatoes, mint, and basil, because those are the three plants I've decided I have to at least try growing outside this year.

Now on to a few more things I'm thinking about . . .

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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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Baked White Fish with Onions, Peppers, Olives, and Feta (Low-Carb, Gluten-Free)

I've been making Baked White Fish with Onions, Peppers, Olives, and Feta for years and love this flavor combination.

(For Phase One Fridays I feature Phase One Recipes from the past that have been my personal favorites.)  This recipe for Baked White Fish with Onions, Peppers, Olives, and Feta is one I came up with in the very earliest days of my blog, and it's a favorite quick dinner that I've been making it for years. You can make this with any type of mild white fish, but I probably use Tilapia the most, and using a topping with finely chopped red onion, red bell pepper, green olives, and Feta adds a lot of flavor to the mild-flavored Tilapia.  If you're not  a Tilapia fan, use any any mild white fish such as halibut, orange roughy, cod, or sole.  There's a small amount of mayo spread over the fish to keep the topping on, and that also keeps the fish moist when it's baked at a high temperature.  It's important to start with room-temperature fish pieces, so the fish cooks quickly without the topping ingredients getting too done.  If green olives are a non-starter at your house, try it with capers instead, but please try this way of cooking fish if you like these flavors and I bet it will become a repeater at your house too!

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South Beach Diet Phase One Recipes Round-Up for April 2014 (Low-Glycemic Recipes)

Kalyn's Favorite Phase One Low-Glycemic Recipes for April 2014 were Mediterranean Spaghetti Squash, Roasted Cauliflower Salad, Spinach and Kale Salad with Greek Flavors, Roasted Turnips with Balsamic Vinegar, and Slow Cooker Frittata with Broccoli, Ham, and Swiss.

It's May?  Seriously, I can hardly believe it but that doesn't mean I'm not happy to see the warmer weather arrive.  The only thing dampening the mood at Chez Kalyn is that I'm having serious garden veggie withdrawals at the idea of going another summer without a real vegetable garden.  last year I tried growing tomatoes and herbs on the deck, an experiment that had pretty mixed results.  In the end I realized my deck just doesn't get enough sun to really grow things well, and since my new house has the triple whammy of wind, a short growing season, and lots of critters to eat the crops, I'm planning to build a greenhouse for next summer.  There's even a perfect spot for it right outside the side door of my garage.  Meanwhile, it's farmer's market veggies and begging from friends for me for another year.  

Of course the arrival of a new month means it's time for another monthly round-up of South Beach Diet Phase One Low Glycemic Recipes I've posted on Kalyn's Kitchen or spotted on other blogs during the month.   There are some great finds from April, and I'm experimenting with a few more pictures, so let me know if you like that idea. 

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