Dukan Diet

It's July! In Utah this is a double-holiday month because we have Pioneer Day along with the 4th of July, so people here get two long weekends to spend celebrating.  And summer celebrations are prime time for grilling outside or starting to enjoy garden produce; I love the food from this time of year.  People tend to eat lighter foods when it's hot outside, which also makes this a perfect time to find new Phase One recipes from other blogs.  This round-up has some lovely ideas for grilled foods or garden vegetables; hope you'll find at least one or two recipes here that might become a favorite on your table.  (You can use the label Low-Glycemic Recipe Round-Ups to see all the posts like this one.)

I try to keep my fridge well-stock with vegetables and in the section for Low-Carb recipes you'll find an assortment of egg casseroles ideas that include veggies like Kale, Broccoli, Swiss Chard, Spinach, bell peppers, mushrooms, and even asparagus when it's in season.  But this Easy Low-Carb Southwest Egg Casserole is a recipe I came up with many (many!) years ago when the vegetable crisper was empty and I didn't want to go to the store.  The recipe uses drained canned tomatoes, canned green chiles, Mexican blend cheese, spices and eggs to create a delicious breakfast casserole that uses ingredients you probably always have on hand.  I love this with a generous dollop or sour cream and salsa to continue the southwestern flavors; hope you enjoy!

It doesn't take more than a peek at the South Beach Diet Phase One Recipes Round-up for May to see that food bloggers have made the mental switch to summer eating.  There are lots and lots of salads, an abundance of foods cooked on the grill, plenty of fish, very few soups or stews, and recipe titles with summer ingredients like Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Basil, or Pesto.  Everyone loves summer don't they, (even people who haven't spent 30 years of their life teaching elementary school!)  I get so inspired by the fresh bright flavors that come with summer eating, and I think this recipes round-up has enough good ideas to keep you eating delicious food for weeks, whether or not you're doing Phase One.

(You can use the label Low-Glycemic Recipe Round-Ups to see all the posts like this one.)

This new recipe for Green Chile and Chicken Mock Enchilada Casserole is not only perfect for  Daily Phase One Recipes, but the recipe is also Low-Carb and Gluten-Free, and I have a feeling this one is going to have a lot of fans.  To make this suitable for Phase One, I replaced the tortillas with layers of mild roasted green chiles from a can, and also used Hatch Gluten Free Green Chile Enchilada sauce, a brand new product I found at my store.  When I tested the recipe with Jake, we loved the flavors, and I shared some with my sister Pam and everyone in her family loved it too.  I've already made this twice in a week; if you like that spicy green chile flavor, make sure you give this one a try!

(You can see all the recipes from the month by clicking Daily Phase One Recipes.  Check after the recipe for Phase One Flashbacks from this day in 2012 and 2013.)

This delicious Slow Cooker Southwestern Pot Roast has only five ingredients!

(Today's pick for the month of  Daily Phase One Recipes is this delicious CrockPot Southwestern Pot Roast that I've made many times since I first posted it back in 2008.  I need to update this recipe with step-by-step photos, but actually this recipe is so easy you probably don't need them!  You can see all the recipes from the month by clicking Daily Phase One Recipes.  Check after the recipe for Phase One Flashbacks from this day in 2012 and 2013.)

This is one of my Five Ingredients Recipes and it uses canned beef broth and salsa to add southwestern flavor to pot roast that gets tender and flavorful in the slow cooker.   Please don't skip the preparation steps of browning the roast and reducing the beef broth on the stove before you add it to the slow cooker, because both those steps add a lot of flavor here.  You can do that the night before if you'd like, and then put the browned meat, broth, and salsa in the slow cooker to cook all day on low while you're at work.

(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!

This Grain-Free Meatloaf with Tomatoes, Fennel, and Flax Seed is low-carb, gluten-free, and South Beach Phase One.  And it's delicious!

(For today's post for A Month of Daily Phase One Recipes, I've updated the photos for this Grain-Free Meatloaf with Tomatoes, Fennel, and Flax Seed from 2007; this meatloaf has lean ground beef, turkey Italian sausage, roasted tomatoes or drained canned tomatoes, and flax seed meal instead of bread crumbs to bind the meatloaf together.  This recipe makes two meatloaves, but it freezes well, and this delicious meatloaf will probably get gobbled up pretty quickly.)

I'm  fan of meatloaf, so when I set out to make a Phase One meatloaf recipe, I came up with the idea of using flaxseed meal instead of bread crumbs so the meatloaf would be grain free. Flax seeds are very rich in nutrients, and the oil is popular as a nutritional supplement. But flax seeds are more nutritious than merely the oil because besides omega-3 fatty acids, the seeds are rich in both kinds of fiber and they also contain a phytoestrogen called lignans. Of interest to South Beach Dieters, flax seed meal has equal amounts of carbohydrates and fiber, which means no net carbs. The amount of flax seed meal I used in this recipe seemed perfect to bind the meatloaf together, but you could certainly use more.

Just make the barbecue sauce with all Stevia or Splenda and you can enjoy this pulled pork for Phase One!

(I'm afraid that breaking my arm three weeks ago put a crimp in any plans I had for a special round-up of Superbowl Recipes, but I decided I should at least end our A Month of Daily Phase One Recipes with some Phase One ideas that would work for Superbowl parties.  And as long as you skip the optional brown sugar in this low-sugar barbecue sauce and make it with all Stevia granulated sweetener or Splenda,  this pulled pork is perfectly legal for Phase One.)

When I mentioned on Facebook that I was making a version of pulled pork with low-sugar barbecue sauce, I had people asking me to post the recipe. That didn't surprise me, since this is a classic American dish, but I do want to start by saying that one reason I decided to tackle this was because I find most barbecue sauce recipes to be too sweet, without enough complex flavor undertones. I wanted to see if I could come up with a version that would suit my preference for more savory flavors, so if you try this recipe, be prepared for a sauce with plenty of mustard flavor, smokiness, and spice, and just the barest touch of sweetness.

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.

I really did enjoy my years teaching elementary school, but on April Fool's Day I'm glad I'm not at school with a whole room full of fourth graders trying to trick me.  Other than that, I love the first day of April, because when it's April there's no denying that it's spring!  That's true even if the Utah weather is dumping snow on us like it did over the weekend; it won't be long before we're growing veggies and herbs and enjoying the sun.  This time of year can be challenging in the eating department though; some days are still pure comfort food, but other days a simple salad seems like it would be plenty.  Luckily there's something for everyone in this month's South Beach Diet Phase One Low-Glycemic Recipes Round-Up; hope you will find something fun to try. 

This Broccoli and Radish Salad Recipe with Gorgonzola is a healthy red-and-green salad for your holiday buffet!

(Easy Broccoli and Radish Salad with Gorgonzola was updated with better photos, December 2014.)

Everywhere you look on Pinterest and on the blogs there are Christmas cookies, and even though I do have a few ideas for low-sugar and sugar-free cookies, truthfully I'm tired of the sweets and ready for something green and crunchy!  This Easy Broccoli and Radish Salad with Gorgonzola is the kind of simple salad I'd make for myself for a quick lunch, but don't you think the bright red and green colors (and the use of creamy Gorgonzola cheese) make this something you can get away with for a Christmas salad?  Personally I would head right for this on the buffet table.

Before we get to the recipe, let's talk about healthier salad dressing.  Blue cheese dressing is definitely a limited food if you're following the South Beach Diet or trying to focus on healthy eating.  But I love blue cheese dressing, and for years I've been buying Lighthouse Chunky Blue Cheese and mixing it half-and-half with buttermilk for an easy and more diet-friendly blue cheese dressing that still tastes wonderful. That's the dressing I used for this easy salad, but if you have a favorite dressing recipe, I'm sure homemade dressing will be even better.  (And if you're making homemade blue cheese dressing eight days before Christmas, more power to you!)

The holidays are absolutely the hardest time of year to stick to a more carb-conscious eating plan, and when I go to a party I'm always grateful if the hosts offer a few healthy-eating options.  And when I'm taking a pot-luck dish, I always try to take a lower-carb favorite that's something I love so I won't feel deprived if there end up being lots of other things I don't want to eat.  I already have a favorite red-and-green chicken salad that's amazing if you're a green olive fan.  But this week I bought one of those packs of shredded rotisserie chicken meat from Costco (so handy!) and the idea for this Rotisserie Chicken Christmas Salad with Avocado, Red Pepper, and Lime popped into my mind.  And even though I am a very bad blogger for not sharing this with you sooner, this will still be delicious if you make it long after Christmas is over.

Let's all wave goodbye to November.  And since another month has ended, it's time for another round-up of South Beach Diet Phase One recipes I've posted during the month or found on other blogs.  Since it's the month with a holiday where overindulging in food is part of the tradition, you might think November would be slim pickings when it comes to South Beach Diet Phase One Recipes, but this round-up has surprisingly good assortment of dishes.  And just in time, since my normal December plan is to be ultra disciplined the first three weeks of the month (since I know the days from Christmas to New Year's will be pretty indulgent.)  For anyone else who's doing a little pre-holiday dieting, I hope these recipes will be useful. 

(You can use the label Low-Glycemic Recipe Round-Ups to see all the posts like this one.)