South Beach Diet Phase One Monthly Recipe Round-Ups

Starting in March 2008, this page has links to  the once-a-month recipe round-ups of all the phase one recipes posted on Kalyn's Kitchen that month, as well as delicious phase one recipes I've found on other great blogs. Enjoy!

Click for Latest Info About Printing Recipes on Kalyn's Kitchen

Pasta and Noodles for Lower Carb Eaters: Two New Types of Pasta from Dreamfields

Woo Hoo! More Dreamfields shapes!
For a while now I've been touting Dreamfields Pasta on my blog, since it allows me to eat the pasta I love without getting more carbs than I want. Since I've been eating the lower carb way and writing this blog, I've made some yummy pasta recipes using Dreamfields Pasta. Now there's some exciting news from Dreamfields: two new pasta shapes are joining their line. Dreamfields is introducing lasagna and rotini, both of which which should be available soon. With spagetti. linguini, penne, and macaroni previously available, this expands the Dreamfields line to six pasta types. Both these new shapes are going to be available sometime in the spring of 2006, but I have not found them yet in the stores near me. They both contain the same lower carb, lower glycemic advantage of other Dreamfields pasta, with only 5 net carbs per serving. Here is where to find a store near you that sells Dreamfields pasta. If you live outside the U.S. or you can't find it where you live, you can order Dreamfields online.

Recipe for Leftover Grilled Chicken Stir Fry with Curry

I've been talking lately about how I want to eat more veggies, and doing pretty well on that goal. Now I want to work on another one of my goals, not wasting food. I do manage to pass on quite a few of my leftovers to my nephew Jake, but still I'm producing too much food on a regular basis. I need to get back to my idea of making up a new recipe from leftovers. This recipe is something I came up with to use some of the leftover grilled chicken and asparagus from the Food Blogger's Dinner I had on Saturday. I created this recipe using leftover Curried Chicken on the Grill and leftover asparagus, but any leftover chicken would work here, as long as the original flavor would blend with curry. I added some bright orange bell pepper for color, and you could also use any leftover vegetable such as broccoli, carrots, or cauliflower in place of the asparagus.

Weekend Herb Blogging #25 Recap and Hoping for Spring!

Another weekend, and another great group of herb blogging posts to report on. This weekend I was hoping for spring, and the forsythia buds I saw in my yard were an encouraging sight. But alas, by Sunday it was starting to snow. I figured it would snow again, because Saturday I got all excited and cleaned off my porch, moved the barbecue grill back to its summer l

ocation, and even washed off some porch chairs and sat outside enjoying the weather for a while. As I was sitting there, I said to myself, "This can't last. I have to prepare myself, because it will snow again at least one more time." At least I got a little taste of summer, and I know the end is in sight.

Utah Food Bloggers Come to Dinner!

What would you cook if you had two food bloggers coming for dinner? That was the decision I had to make for Saturday night, when Vanessa from She Craves and Erin from Erin Eats came to dinner at my house. As far as we know, the three of us are the only food bloggers in the Salt Lake area, and possibly the entire state of Utah. Any other Utah food bloggers lurking out there?

Signs of Spring - Forsythia Buds

The forsythia bushes by my porch are getting quite a few buds, so I know soon they'll have lovely yellow flowers. Some of my neighbors south-facing bushes have flowers already. All this makes me feel very happy because before long I'll be able to start planting things in the garden and nurturing the perennial herbs, a few of which are already perking up. Stay tuned.

Weekend Herb Blogging

Penne with Sausage, Beans and Broccoli Rabe (Rapini)

I've been on a quest to get my Salt Lake City markets to stock Broccoli Rabe (pronounced raab). I live in the center of Salt Lake and within blocks of my house I have Costco, Smith's Food King, Albertson's, and Wild Oats, and I couldn't find it at any of them. Smith's promised to get it for me, but when I went to pick up my Broccoli Rabe, it turned out to be broccolini, quite tasty, but not what I was after. This week Smith's called again to say they had Broccoli Rabe for me (also called Rapini.) But when I went to pick it up, the produce label said Rappini, and I also didn't see the small buds that were supposed to resemble broccoli. It was only when I decided to cook my Rappini and found a few very small "broccoli" buds that I was convinced that this was really Broccoli Rabe.

The Perfect Noodles for Dieters: Shiritaki Noodles with Veggies and Peanut Sauce

Yesterday, I mentioned that I'd be writing about Shirataki Noodles today. I imagine many of you don't know about these noodles since I had never heard of them myself until about a week ago. That's when I was reading LivinLaVidaLoCarb, and happened to catch a post talking about noodles made from fiber with practically no carbs, fat, or calories to speak of. I was even more intrigued when I read about another brand of Shiritaki Noodles that LivinLaVidaLiCarb claimed had a more authentic pasta feel. I had to try them.

Recipe for Asian Spinach Salad Many Ways

I might be in a rut with my salad recipes, since I manage to use red peppers nearly every salad I make lately. I love red, yellow and orange peppers, but this salad recipe also has one of the Superfoods, spinach, something I really love in salad. In fact, nearly every ingredient in this salad, spinach, grapes, peppers, snow peas, cashews, and soy sauce, is listed as being one of the world's healthiest foods. And it tasted great, so how can you beat that?

Weekend Herb Blogging #24 RecapStill Learning About New Plants!

Hard to believe we've been doing Weekend Herb Blogging for 24 weeks now, but this is really week #24 for the event where food bloggers write about herbs, plants, veggies, and flowers, and send me the links for a recap published on Sunday every weekend. You can check the Weekend Herb Blogging Archives if you're a blogger who would like to participate. Every week I'm surprise

d how much I learn, and this week is no exception.

A Great Investment for $5.00: The South Beach Guide to Good Fats and Good Carbs

I've been getting a lot of e-mails from people who came to my blog from the article in Woman's World Magazine. And while I don't mind answering a question if I have the answer, I'm not really an expert on the South Beach Diet. I only know the way I did it and what worked for me. I strongly believe that the only way any diet can work is if you plan what you eat around your own food preferences. If you don't get to eat foods you really enjoy, you won't be able to stick to the diet.

Recipe for Braised Napa Cabbage with Shitake Mushrooms

(Updated March 2009) Napa cabbage is one of those ingredients that can be served raw or cooked, and in early 2006 I enjoyed this cooked dish of braised napa cabbage with shitake mushrooms. I hate looking back at my old photos, and this recipe is due for a new picture, but even with this completely unimaginative photo, it's still a delicious and nutritious dish.

Recipe for Brown Rice with Cashews and Herbs (and Discovering Macadamia Nut Oil)

I have a good friend named Sandy who lives in Reno, Nevada. For quite a few years Sandy and I served together on the Board of Directors of the National Education Association, which meant we went to meetings together in Washington D.C. four times a year. We had a great time exploring our nation's capitol, especially the restaurants! Since then we've kept in touch, and still love to talk. Sandy's daughter recently got married in Hawaii and she sent me a bottle of Hawaii's Gold Macadamia Nut Oil that she picked up while she was there. Macadamia nut oil was not something I was familiar with, but I knew that macadamia nuts are full of "good" fat, so I was interested in using the oil to cook with. Also I'd been wanting to try some recipes using brown rice, so this was a recipe that caught my eye.

Out of the Kitchen - Into the Classroom

For a while now I've been thinking it might be fun to share little glimpses into my fourth grade classroom once in a while. Today something happened that I thought was quite wonderful. We were going to be reading a story later centered loosely around Martin Luther King Jr., so I asked the kids to write about him for the Daily Topic, something they write every day in their student planner. I realized they knew that MLK day had come and gone, so I explained to them that later we would be reading a story that involved MLK and Rosa Parks. After I finished a very bright girl came over to my desk, and said in the most serious voice imaginable, "Ms. Denny I guess I am just so dumb, but I never can keep it straight about Rosa Parks. Was it the white people or the black people who had to sit in the back of the bus?"

What a wonderful example of how the consciousness of a society can increase with each generation. She truly had no idea. To her it was not at all apparent that black skin had been considered inferior. This is why I love being a teacher. We get to see how the potential for human beings really can be increased, just by exposure to the good that is in others.

Weekend Herb Blogging #23 RecapCounting Down to Spring!

It's time again for another recap of the Weekend Herb Blogging posts people have been sending in this week. Once again food bloggers around the world have written about interesting herbs, plants, veggies, or flowers and sent the links to share for Weekend Herb Blogging. If you're not familiar with Weekend Herb Blogging, (which isn't just about herbs, and isn't just for the weekend), you can read how this all got started or how to participate in the Weekend Herb Blogging Archives.

Food Blog Finds: Finding More Low-Glycemic Recipes on Other Food Blogs

I'm going to start sharing some Food Blog Finds with you once a week or so on Kalyn's Kitchen. These are some of the great-sounding lower carb recipes I've seen on other food blogs recently.

Recipe for Spaghetti with Italian Sausage and Arugula.

Of all the salad greens, there's no question my very favorite is arugula, especially the baby arugula that comes in small plastic tubs already washed, so convenient. My step-sister Karyn grows her own arugula, something I guess I must try this year, although the hot summers in Utah make it a little hard to grow lettuce.

Bok Choy with Soy Sauce and Butter

(If you're a new visitor to Kalyn's Kitchen who found your way here from the article in Woman's World Magazine, welcome. You can find archives links by category for the recipes featured on my blog in the left sidebar. On the category page it tells what phase of the diet I believe each recipe is suitable for. I've been eating the South Beach way since August of 2004 and writing this blog since April of 2005, so if you're any phase one of the diet, you'll find a lot of good recipes in the archives.

Weekend Herb Blogging #22 Recap (And the Oscar Goes To . . .)

I'm having a really great Sunday today, helped out by a lot of people saying nice things about my photo which appeared in Woman's World Magazine as part of an article on the South Beach Diet, and getting some outstanding links for Weekend Herb Blogging from some wonderful bloggers out there. Tonight is the Academy Awards, and I have to confess, besides being something of a movie buff, I'm also a great fan of the awards telecast. I know it's hopelessly corny to admit it, but I'm rather dazzled by the stars, the dresses, and the whole ceremony. For that reason I'm busy writing most of the WHB recap this afternoon instead of procrastinating until late evening like I sometimes do. I hope you've been having a great weekend as well.

Exciting News For Kalyn: Kalyn's Kitchen Featured in Woman's World Magazine

If you're a regular reader of Kalyn's Kitchen you know I've been hinting for a while about some exciting news relating to a magazine, a photo shoot, and the reason I am no longer going to be able to keep my age a secret. Now it's time to let you all in on it: Kalyn's Kitchen was featured in an article about the South Beach Diet which appears in the March 14 issue of Woman's World Magazine. The magazine showed up in stores today in Utah and other places too, judging from the number of blog visitors and e-mails I've been getting. Woman's World is sold mostly in grocery stores near the checkstand if you want to see the article.

Recipe for Chicken and Asparagus with Curry Sauce (updated)

If you're the kind of cook who would turn his or her nose up at a recipe containing canned soup, you can just click through to the next blog now, no offense taken. But if you're open to the idea that sometimes convenience ingredients can actually taste good if used properly, this is a delicious recipe. In fact, one time the two committed foodies Rand and Bradley arrived at my house, starved after being delayed at the airport, and I pulled a couple of packages of this out of my freezer, cooked some rice pilaf and made a salad, and they both proclaimed it to be a fabulous meal. After that kind of reception I decided it was time to retrieve this recipe from the archives and give it a photo.

Recipe for Chicken Penne Casserole (and Sophie Cooks in Kalyn's Kitchen)

Over the weekend my friend Susan and her adorable daughter Sophie came for another cooking lesson. About once a month we cook something together that's kid friendly, i.e. cheesy and not too spicy. This recipe was an old family favorite that I adapted to use Dreamfield's pasta. For sure it's a rich dish, and not something you'd serve every night, but this was delicious.