Recipe for Crunchy Napa Cabbage Asian Slaw with Sugar Snap Peas, Radishes, Almonds (and Cilantro?)

Even though I made it on a day I was out of cilantro, I loved this Crunchy Napa Cabbage Asian Slaw!

When I spotted this crunchy Napa Cabbage Asian Slaw recipe in The Sunset Cookbook, I knew I had Napa cabbage in the fridge, so I immediately started checking to see if I had the other ingredients.  I found sugar snap peas, radishes, green onions, sliced almonds, and all the dressing ingredients, but no cilantro.  It was cold outside and I didn't want to go to the store, so I thought I'd try making it without cilantro (gasp!) and all you cilantro-adverse people out there will be happy to hear that the salad was fantastic even without it.  Of course, cilantro lover that I am, I'd definitely add the cilantro if I had some on hand!

Recipe for Quinoa Side Dish with Pine Nuts, Green Onions, and Cilantro

This Quinoa Side Dish has extra flavor from Pine Nuts, Green Onions, and Cilantro

 How do you feel about quinoa?  It's something I was slow to warm up to, and for a long time I didn't think I'd ever be much of a quinoa fan.  Then last summer I made Quinoa Salad with Avocado, Radishes, Cucumbers, and Cumin-Lime Vinaigrette, followed by Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad, and I was surprised to discover how much I liked it.  This Quinoa Side Dish with Pine Nuts, Green Onions, and Cilantro may be my favorite quinoa recipe yet.  The quinoa is sauteed in oil for a few minutes before it's cooked in chicken or vegetable stock, and then a generous amount of toasted pine nuts and chopped green onion and a little chopped cilantro is stirred in before it's eaten warm.  If you're not a cilantro lover, I think chopped flat-leaf parsley could also be used here.  And if you haven't had quinoa yet, this is a recipe you should definitely try.

Recipe for Casserole of Lentils, Rice, and Sausage

This casserole of Lentils, Rice, and Sausage is Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free but loaded with flavor.

(This Revisited Recipe was updated with better photos and instructions in March 2011.)  When I announced the new recipe archives section for Casseroles, I mentioned  there were quite a few casseroles from the early days of the blog that needed updating, and this casserole of lentils, rice, and Italian sausage that I first posted in 2005 desperately needed a photo make-over.  Admittedly, this is not the most photogenic dish in the world, but it's loaded with flavor, reminding me of Mujadarra, one of my all-time favorite dishes of Middle Eastern Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions.  This recipe adds turkey Italian Sausage to make it a one-dish meal, maybe with the addition of a green vegetable or a tossed green salad.  The recipe also freezes well if you'd like to freeze individual-sized portions to take for lunches at work.

Friday Favorites: Five Favorite Casserole Recipes

There's a new section in the recipe archives for Casseroles, and these are five of my favorites.

Last week I created a new section in the recipe archives for Casseroles, something a few people had asked for through the years, and I thought it would be fun to announce it by spotlighting a few of my favorite casseroles.  When I was teaching school, I'd make a casserole nearly every weekend and divide it into containers to take for lunches during the week.  I know casseroles are a family-friendly dish, and I'm committed to finding more casserole options that are also South Beach Diet Friendly.

Recipe for Sweet Potato Hummus with Olive Oil and Sumac

I was looking through my newest cookbook purchase, and this Sweet Potato Hummus called my name!

I didn't have any special reason for making this Sweet Potato Hummus, other than the fact that it caught my eye in the latest cookbook from Costco that I was simply unable to resist, despite the fact that I already have far too many cookbooks.  (Do you have those moments too?)  The cookbook is called Power Foods, and it's a collection of recipes using 38 healthy ingredients, with information about each ingredient and creative and interesting recipes.  I love hummus and I love sweet potatoes, so I figured this would be a winner (and it was!)

Chopped Salad Recipe with Sugar Snap Peas, Jicama, Radishes, Tomatoes, and Green Garbanzo Beans

This Crunchy Chopped Salad has sugar snap peas, radishes, jicama, tomatoes, and green garbanzo beans!

It's a sign of spring when I start making big crunchy salads to eat for lunch.  My lunch salads can include just about anything that's in the fridge or on the counter, and when I come up with a combination that's especially good I'll often make it again the next day and take pictures for the blog.  I love crunchy ingredients in salad, so the crunch factor from sugar snap peas, radishes, and jicama gave this salad that extra something that made it a keeper for me.  The tomatoes and green garbanzo beans gave the salad some other textures, and I used a barely-spicy cumin-lemon vinaigrette that was perfect with the other flavors.

Recipe for Chicken, Black Bean, and Cilantro Soup

This tasty Chicken, Black Bean and Cilantro is a great use for leftover rotisserie chicken.

(This Revisited Recipe was updated and added to Recipe Favorites March 2011.)  If you're a regular reader you know I'm constantly going through the archives of the blog and updating old posts with new photos.  And if you want to see how much this recipe for Chicken, Black Bean, and Cilantro Soup needed a photo make-over, just look below at the original photo, with soup spilled all over the edge of the bowl! I'm still not the greatest photographer, but I'm leaving that photo here as proof that my photos are certainly  improving.

Friday Night Photos: Bambara Restaurant in Downtown Salt Lake City

Downtown Salt Lake City has a number of excellent restaurants, and one that I've been slow to experience is Bambara, located in the historic Hotel Monaco in the heart of downtown Salt Lake.  The restaurant has won an impressive number of dining awards and it's been open for years, but for some reason I ate there for the first time about a month ago.  I loved the restaurant so much I went back for lunch with my friend Bonnie and sister-in-law Amy (whose Amazing Chili has earned her quite a few fans on the blog.)  And this time I took my camera!  The first thing that caught my eye was these lovely salt and pepper shakers, custom made for the restaurant.

Recipe for Leftover Corned Beef Soup with Sauerkraut and Tomatoes

If you have leftover corned beef on hand, this soup is a tasty way to use it.

By the time most people read this it will be St. Patrick's Day, and I'm guessing you might be cooking Corned Beef in the Crockpot.  Since I cooked my corned beef over the weekend I've been experimenting with recipes for leftover corned beef, and this soup is the happy result.  (There were a couple of other experiments that weren't quite as happy, but let's not talk about those.)  This recipe was inspired by Ground Beef and Sauerkraut Soup, but the finished soup was quite different in flavor.  I ate it with some Swiss cheese sprinkled on top (to continue the decomposed Reuben Sandwich theme) and drizzled with a little balsamic vinegar.  And I didn't have any, but 100% Whole Wheat Irish Brown Bread would have been the perfect thing to dip into the soup.  Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

Crockpot Recipe for Red Lentil, Chickpea, and Tomato Soup with Smoked Paprika

I loved the smoked paprika in this CrockPot soup with red lentils, chickpeas, and tomatoes.

I've been loving smoked paprika lately, an infatuation that started when my friend Margarethe sent me a recipe for Spicy Roasted Butternut Squash with Smoked Paprika.  Then I got inspired about creating a crockpot soup with smoked paprika when I spotted a recipe for yellow split pea soup with smoked paprika in More Make It Fast, Cook It Slow, by Stephanie from A Year of Slow Cooking.  This was another one of those recipes where it took me a few tries to get it just right, but I served this version to my brother Mark and his wife Lisa when they stopped by on Saturday, and they both gave it a thumbs up.   And no matter how much we long for spring, you know there'll still be more cold wintery days before warm weather arrives, so make this soup in your crockpot next time it's a cold day where you are.

CrockPot Recipe for Salsa Pork Chops with Cumin, Garlic, and Lime

These tasty Salsa Pork Chops simmer in the CrockPot while you're busy doing other things!

When I looked at these photos for Crockpot Salsa Pork Chops, it got me thinking about what a balancing act food blogging can be.  Sometimes you hit a home run with a great recipe and great photos on the first try.  Occasionally the photos are perfect but the recipe is kind of "meh" when you taste the finished dish.  (Those photos get deleted immediately and that recipe doesn't make it on the blog!)  In this case, I made the recipe twice to try to get a better photo, and in both cases I wasn't completely satisfied with the photos.  However, I was completely happy with these tender Southwestern-flavored pork chops in a sauce that was just slightly spicy. This recipe was so good I've decided to live with the photo (at least until I make it again and try for a better one!)

Friday Favorites: Favorite Recipes For St. Patrick's Day

I'm going to be cooking this Roasted Cabbage with Lemon on St. Patrick's Day.

Even if you don't have the tiniest bit of Irish blood, you're still probably aware that next week is St. Patrick's Day.  I don't remember my mom ever cooking special food for this day, and since I've been a food blogger I've learned that many foods Americans cook for this holiday are not really Irish at all.  I am a little bit Irish, but even so I'm not claiming that my favorites in this post are authentic Irish recipes.  Still they're a fun way to celebrate the day.   I'm starting with Roasted Cabbage with Lemon, which is a dish I'd happily eat any time of the year, and it's a perfect side dish if you're cooking Corned Beef in the Crockpot.

Recipe for Better-than-Mom's Chicken, Broccoli, and Quinoa Casserole with Creamy Curry Sauce

Adding quinoa and not using canned soup makes this Better-than-Moms Chicken and Broccoli Casserole.

I made this Chicken, Broccoli, and Quinoa Casserole with Creamy Curry Sauce a few times to get it just right, and I really wasn't planning on posting the recipe right away.  Then today after I took the latest version out of the oven I ate some for lunch, had seconds, and realized I was looking forward to eating it again for dinner, and I decided that this recipe needed to be on the blog.

Kalyn's Kitchen Picks: Sriracha Rooster Sauce

I can't take a lot of heat, but I love Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce.

For years I remember seeing Sriracha Sauce on the tables in Asian restaurants.  My friends who loved spicy food always called this "Rooster Sauce" because of the rooster on the bottle.  I'm not someone who can handle ultra spicy foods, so for some ridiculous reason, I never tried it on my food.  Fast-forward quite a few years and I noticed food bloggers everywhere talking about the great flavor of Sriracha.  I tried it, and I've been loving it ever since whenever I want just a little spicy-hot flavor in something.  Even though I only use a little at a time I am now starting my second gigantic bottle of this stuff, so it seems like time to officially add it to Kalyn's Kitchen Picks, my list of food items and products that I happily buy over and over.

Recipe for Chicken Piccata with Fried Capers

I love this version of Chicken Picatta which has fried capers and doesn't use flour.

 (This revisited recipe was updated and added to Recipe Favorites March 2011.  This is a great version of Chicken Picatta for Phase One.)  Chicken Piccata is one of those classic dishes that are relatively easy to master, quick to prepare, and always tastes great. This recipe from my current favorite cookbook, Fine Cooking Annual, caught my eye because the chicken wasn't dredged in flour, and it called for a very minimal amount of butter compared to many recipes I've seen for this dish. But what really sold me on trying it was the fried capers.

Recipe for Made-from-Scratch Low-Sugar and Whole Wheat Bran Muffins with Apple and Walnuts

Here we are on a weekend when so many food bloggers are talking about festive Mardi Gras Foods, and I'm giving you Made-from-Scratch Low-Sugar and Whole Wheat Bran Muffins.  Oh my.  I hope that's not a sign that I am hopelessly un-hip, but I did promise on Twitter that I would share this recipe over the weekend, and I'm a woman who keeps her promises.   Besides, I like bran muffins, and my body reminds me often that eating more fiber is a good thing! 

Five Fun Things on Friday (3-4-11)

There are two fun reasons why I love seeing Jennette's name on a book cover!

Happy Friday everyone!  It's interesting how even when you are "retired" and work at home, Friday feels a bit different than any other day.  It's been a month since I've shared one of my lists of Five Fun Things, and this week I found some great ones, so read on and get ready to smile!

Recipe for Curried Chickpea Salad (from Joan's on Third, Los Angeles)

Now that I've tried this Curried Chickpea Salad, I really want to visit Joan's on Third in Los Angeles.

My fondness for chickpeas has been pretty well documented on the blog, so when my brother Rand spotted this Curried Chickpea Salad in the reader-requested recipes from the Los Angeles Times he e-mailed it to me.  I haven't been to Joan's on Third but it sounds like a place I should try to visit next time I'm there, and I loved this salad with so many of the flavors I think go well with chickpeas.  If you're a chickpea fan, this is a great salad to keep in the fridge for a snack or take to work for your lunch.  

South Beach Diet Phase One Recipes Round-Up for February 2011

This Spicy Sausage, Lentil, and Tomato Soup was Kalyn's favorite Phase One recipe for February.

Today let's celebrate March, the month when the Vernal Equinox heralds the arrival of spring with days that start to get longer again.  Even though in Utah the weather sometimes stays cold until late April or early May, the longer days are always a welcome change.  The first day of the month also means it's time for me to share the links I've been collecting through the month for South Beach Diet Phase One recipes I've posted this month or found on other food blogs.   I'm always excited to see all the tasty offerings people have cooked that are okay for phase one.