Ten Reasons I Love the South Beach Diet and Happy New Year Everyone!

It's the last day of the year, the time when people reflect on their lives, and I'm sharing my favorite photo of the year, vibrant red and yellow tomatoes from my garden. For me, the photo symbolizes some of what was good about my life and this blog over the past year, including cooking lots of fabulous fresh-tasting food, a new camera to photograph it with, and wonderful friends all over the world to talk with online about what we're growing and cooking.

They say the best blogs uniquely reflect the people who write them, and Kalyn's Kitchen comes from my split personality approach to food. On the one hand, I'm passionately interested in cooking and eating good food, while on the other hand I'm committed to the South Beach Diet way of eating. Whichever side of my food personality brings you here, I'm grateful for everyone who stops by and keeps coming back. I hope all my readers have good things ahead in 2007.

I've been taking a week off from the blog, and to my suprise, people are still visiting! I can tell from looking at the stats that a lot of people are looking for South Beach Diet help at this time of year. I've been doing a little diet backsliding myself from Thanksgiving to Christmas, so during January I'll be going back to phase one for a few weeks. To help others who might have the same idea, I'll be featuring phase one recipes for the month of January.

It's almost obligatory in the media world to end the year with some kind of top ten list, and although I previously shared why I love the South Beach Diet, here's my top ten list of reasons why.

Ten Reasons I Love the South Beach Diet

1. South Beach isn't a traditional low carb diet, so after the initial two weeks, you can eat rice, pasta, and bread, if you pay attention to the glycemic index when you choose your ingredients.

2. It's not a low fat diet, so if you limit saturated fats and trans-fats, you can still eat a lot of very yummy foods that would be forbidden on many traditional low-fat diet plans.

3. This diet has gotten me to start the day with a good breakfast, an important health habit I've never been able to achieve before.

4. If you're human like me, you can cheat a little and a few weeks back on phase one will take off any pounds that have crept back on. This flexibility should probably be number one on my list, because this is the only diet I've ever been able to stick to.

5. If you start eating the low-glycemic index way, you'll have more energy than you ever imagined. I simply never get tired during the day the way I used to.

6. An amazing variety of foods are actually low on the glycemic index, so the diet works for someone like me who thinks about food most of the time!

7. The cover of The South Beach Diet Book says "lose belly fat first" and it really does happen! (I recommend reading the book from cover to cover before you start the diet if you're considering it.)

8. When you stop eating white flour, sugar, high glycemic white rice, regular white flour pasta, and potatoes you won't get hungry the way you used to. I would never have believed this before I tried the South Beach way of eating.

9. When you stop eating sugar, your craving for it and other high-sugar foods will completely disappear. Again, it's amazing.

10. I've truly experienced that this diet can really change your life. I'll always be grateful that I discovered this way of eating and I know I'll never go back to my old eating habits again.

So there you have it, my top ten list for 2006! Tomorrow it's back to reality and back to recipes again for Kalyn's Kitchen. And whether or not you're interested in the South Beach Diet, if you like seafood I'm betting you'll love the yummy phase one recipe that's coming up tomorrow to kick off a month of phase one recipes.

TECHNORATI TAGS:
South Beach Diet Low Carb Glycemic Index

Happy Birthday, Rand!

I'm interrupting my break to let you know that today is my brother Rand's birthday. If you laughed on my birthday when he posted a picture of me in high school, now it's time to get back at him, even though seriously, he's about the greatest brother you could ever hope for. Here are some classic shots of Rand, and best wishes for a very happy birthday!

A *very* old photo, and the now famous shot of

Rand in an old-style bikini and glasses, about age 3.

This was Rand when he was still Randy,
age 6 and the birthday king for the day.

Rand in elementary school, campaigning for school president.
Notice he had those great copy-writing skills at a young age.

Rand in high school looking like quite a hunk.
Have a great day Rand! I love you.

P.S. For those who don't know, Rand gives me constant design and technical help on Kalyn's Kitchen. Not to mention that he generously donated two fabulous prizes for A Menu for Hope. If you want to see more evidence of his talent, check out his latest slide show about re-gifting on his own website, Untangled Life. I'm so thankful to have a multi-talented and generous brother like Rand.

Holiday Cooking with Herbs (plants, veggies, or flowers. . . )

The weekend is officially here, and so is the holiday season, so here's a special event for Weekend Herb Blogging. Bloggers are still cooking with herbs, plants, veggies or flowers, but this time it's recipes with a holiday feel. To make it more interesting, remember that WHB is a worldwide event, and your definition of holiday food depends on what part of the world you come from. Pull up to the computer, and prepare to sample holiday foods from all over the world!

Appetizers

Gattina has a light appetizer of Mushroom Terrine that's sure to be delicous and also great for anyone who's counting calories.

I do wish I could go visit Christine from Christine Cooks and taste some of this Holiday Brie en Croute.

From Ultimate Foodie at a really beautiful blog called That's Y Food comes this delightful looking Bruschetta.

I'd really love to live next to Haalo so I could go over and try these Green Curry Fish Cakes.






Sheela from Indian Spice Trail was not happy with how her photo turned out, but she did love the taste of this Cilantro Pesto. I can definitely magine how good that would taste.

Salads

A Grated Cucumber and Mint Salad that really appealed to me was sent by Anh of Food Lover's Journey.

The Hot Indian Coleslaw from Ruth at Once Upon a Feast must be good because it has lots of my very favorite herb, cilantro!

Lakshmi from Flavors of Indian Rasoi has a colorful and festive Corn Salad.

One of the most interesting looking salads I've seen for a long time is this Banana Blossom "Boat" Salad from Food Lover's Journey. Wish I could taste it!

My lovely neighbor and blogger-to-be Maria sent a recipe for Asian Fresh Pork and Shrimp Spring Rolls.

Main Dishes

Kate from Thyme for Cooking, the Blog, sent her recipe for a very festive looking Spinach Timbales with Fresh Tomato Basil Sauce.

From Haalo at Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once, this Globe Zucchini Stuffed with Chermoula Chicken looks festive and delicious.

Mandira from Ahaar tried a new recipe for Indonesian Whole Stuffed Chicken and the results were wonderful.

Anh from Food Lover's Journey is cooking Seared Tuna Steak with Roasted Capsicum Sauce which sounds just delightful.





You can't get more colorful than the Tri-Colored Bell Pepper Fried Rice and Bell Pepper Chutney from Cooking Pleasures.





Carolyn from Field to Feast was inspired by the way gem squash and pomegranates resembled ornaments on her Christmas tree and created Gem Squash with Pomegranate, Pecan, and Parsley Stuffing.

Baked Goods / Desserts

Orange Loaf was a big hit with the kids of Lakshmi from Flavors of Indian Rasoi.

Christine from Christine Cooks has remembered the recipe and added a few twists of her own to her Mother's Best Braided Raisin Bread.

Another stunning offering from the talented Christine is this Holiday Persimmon Flan, which looks like it would taste amazing to me.




From Virginie at Absolutely Green comes a delicious sounding Chocolate Sausage with Rooibos Tea Jelly. Click on the English translation link to read in English.



Another sweet treat from Virginie who always finds interesting ingredients for us, and this recipe for Christmas Tree Mendiants combines dark chocolate with fir tree oil for a Christmas sweet. Again, click the translation link for English.

The final recipe from Virginie is this Christmas Log with Dark Chocolate, Grenadian Beet and Hibiscus. Check out Absolutely Green for other Christmas treats, and again click the link for English.

Drinks and Soups

Scott at Real Epicurean has a holiday look to his blog, and he's sharing a great way to make Mulled Wine.

Indosungod from Daily Musings says this recipe for Vellanga Rasam is not strictly a holiday recipe, but since people often get sick during the holidays it's a good recipe to have around. This will make you feel better if you're getting a cold or just feeling low.

Breakfasts

At Once Upon a Feast, Ruth has several suggestions for holiday breakfast offerings including this Mushroom Leek Frittata. Also, check out the news about Ruth's new cookbook which you can order at her site.

Gifts from the Kitchen

Classic Christmas Chutney is from Ulrike at Kuchenlatein, and I'm guessing anyone would love to get one of these nicely-labeled bottles as a gift.

The Citrus Salt Sher made at What Did You Eat was another things that looked like it would make a great holiday gift.

I made three kinds of herb blends for gifts, starting with this Rosemary Salt.

The second herb mixture I made for gifts was Kalyn's Herb Blend.






My final mixture for gift-giving was Roast Chicken Seasoning Rub. I gave away my herb blends in plastic bags with my card attached.




Happy Holidays Everyone!
The next regular WHB recap will be on January 7, when we'll see what herbs, plants, veggies, or flowers people are going to be writing about in 2007! I'm leaving in a few minutes to go spend Christmas with these cute kids, so Kalyn's Kitchen will also be taking a little break until the end of the year. Before I go I'd like to wish anyone reading this a great holiday season, and let you know how much I've enjoyed getting to *know* so many of you this year. I haven't had time to make a new Christmas Podcast, but if you didn't hear it last year, the message still applies, so take a listen. Be sure you have the sound turned on when you click on the link.

TECHNORATI TAGS:
Food Recipes Cooking Weekend Herb Blogging

Menu for Hope More Than Triples Last Year's Total

The Menu for Hope campaign ended last night, and final total was $58,256.70, more than triple the amount raised last year! What an incredible effort by the world-wide food blogging community. Thanks to all you very generous people out there who donated prizes or bought raffle tickets, and a special thanks to the tireless Pim for coming up with this wonderful idea. Together we're all making the world a little better!

TECHNORATI TAGS:
A Menu for Hope

A Holiday Recipe from a Guest Blogger

If you've been reading this blog for a while you might remember me talking about my neighbor, Maria, who I predict will someday be a food blogger herself and who was previously was a guest photographer when she sent some photos from a fabulous dinner she had at Hell's Backbone Grill in Boulder, Utah. Maria is a pretty faithful reader of Kalyn's Kitchen, and she sent this recipe as a contribution for Holiday Cooking with Herbs. Don't you think it sounds just delish? I'm posting it here so you can all try it, and also so I can link to it in the recap which will be posted the morning of December 23. (If I don't have your link by early that morning I won't be able to include you because I'm taking off for a Christmas break right after I post that day.)

Asian Fresh Pork and Shrimp Spring Rolls
(Recipe from Maria)

These rolls are fun to make. Allow your guests get in on the fun, too.

For spring rolls:

4 ounces pork loin, trimmed of fat

12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 carrot, peeled and cut into long matchsticks

6 ounces Asian rice vermicelli noodles

Round rice sheets

Red leaf lettuce leaves

Sprigs of fresh mint, thai basil, cilantro

Cook the pork in a Pam-coated, non-stick skillet. Once cooked through, slice pork into thin (1/4 inch wide) strips. Set aside. Steam or boil shrimp until cooked then plunge into cold water to stop the cooking. Slice shrimps along the back into two portions (lengthwise). Set aside with pork. Steam, boil or microwave carrots for just a moment to soften slightly. Set aside. Boil and drain noodles per package instructions. Cool under water. Set aside.

Arrange pork, shrimp, carrots, rice noodles lettuce leaves and herbs adjacent to your work surface. One at a time, soak rice sheets into warm water to soften. Lay a rice sheet on a towel covered work surface. Working quickly, place some noodles, carrot, lettuce leaf and a few herb leaves on the near side of the rice round. Roll mixture forward (in egg roll fashion) one revolution then lay in a couple of pork and shrimp slices. Tuck ends inward and finish the roll. Continue making rolls until ingredients are exhausted (or you are).

For dipping sauce:

1 small piece of lemon grass, chopped

1 cups water

½ cup hoisin sauce

3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter

1½ tablespoons sugar

In a small sauce pan, simmer lemon grass for 6 minutes, strain out the lemongrass then add the remaining ingredients to the water and simmer an additional 5 minutes. Pour into individual serving cups and serve with spring rolls

Nearly $40,000 Raised!

The amount we've raised to help hungry people is now up to $5,260 $10 ,055 $13,380 $16,625 $21,568 $24,765 $29,040.70 $34,311.70 $39,311.70 with less than two days to go! Check out Chez Pim for the list of prizes or new prizes, or pick from my list of prizes from central U.S. bloggers. (Visit First Giving to see the newest total or make a donation.) I'm guessing that generous people will continue to dig a little deeper, and can't wait to see what the final total will be.

TECHNORATI TAGS:
Food Recipes Cooking Weekend Herb Blogging

Still More Kitchen Gifts: Roast Chicken Seasoning Rub

This is the last in my series of posts about homemade herb blends to give as gifts, my entries for Holiday Cooking with Herbs, which is replacing Weekend Herb Blogging for a couple of weekends. I started with Rosemary salt, yesterday I wrote about Kalyn's Herb Blend, and my final recipe is for this wonderful Roast Chicken Seasoning Rub. This is a blend with lots of herbs that compliment the flavor of chicken, plus the addition of paprika and a bit of cayenne pepper so you can create that slightly spicy rotisserie chicken flavor at home.

I got interested in creating a seasoning rub for chicken after I came to love the Pride of Szeged Fish Rub and Chicken Rub, both great products. I wasn't trying for a rub exactly like theirs; mine has more herbs that are traditionally used on roast chicken like thyme, sage, and rosemary. Certainly the two could be used for the same thing, but in my own kitchen I'd use their chicken rub for grilled chicken and my seasoning rub for rotisserie chicken which I'd cook on my George Foreman Rotisserie, one of my very favorite kitchen gadgets. If you don't have a rotisserie, this is perfect for regular roast chicken cooked in the oven. Anyone who likes roast chicken would enjoy this seasoning rub.

Again, an assortment of herbs and spices of various brands is combined to make this, from a big drawer full of spices where I keep large sizes I buy when they're on sale. (I have more bottles of herbs and spices than any cook really needs, but I'm good at sharing!)

The cayenne pepper and paprika give it a lovely salmon color, and it makes the outside of the chicken a beautiful color when it browns.

You can put this in jars, but if you're giving it away to a lot of people like I am, you might just want to opt for small plastic bags. I stapled on my business card, designed by the fabulous Rand who also designed the header for Holiday Cooking with Herbs.

Roast Chicken Seasoning Rub
(Makes about four cups, recipe created by Kalyn with inspiration from Pride of Szeged Chicken Rub)

1 1/2 cup garlic powder
1/2 cup dried thyme
1/2 cup dried parsley
1/3 cup onion powder
1/3 cup rubbed sage
1/3 cup dried rosemary (use cracked rosemary, or see note below)
4 T sweet paprika (I like Penzeys)
4 T cayenne pepper (or less, but this is only mildly spicy)

If you don't have cracked rosemary, start by putting the rosemary in the food processor with a steel blade and buzzing it for 2-3 minutes, until all the dried rosemary leaves are broken into small bits. Then add other ingredients and process about 30 seconds, until ingredients seem well combined. This should be stored in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid if you're keeping some for yourself.

Suggested uses: Wash whole chicken and dry with paper towels. Rub outside of the chicken with olive oil or butter, then rub on about 1 T Roast Chicken Seasoning Rub. Roast or cook on rotisserie as usual, about 15-20 minutes per pound, or until chicken tests 185 degrees with instant-read thermometer. (Edit 1-9-07 Many experts now think roasting to 160-170 is adequate, and I've become convinced that a lower final temperature gives a more juicy result.)

This would also be great on pork roast, as a seasoning blend for slightly-spicy roasted vegetables, mixed into butter for corn on the cob, or as a seasoning for sweet-potato fries.

Help people and Win Great Stuff:
We've more than doubled the amount raised last year for A Menu for Hope, with $5,260 $10 ,055 $13,380 $16,625 $21,568 $24,765 $29,040.70 $34,311.70 raised and three more days to go! Check out Chez Pim for the list of prizes or new prizes, or pick from my list of prizes from central U.S. bloggers. (Visit First Giving often to see the newest total!) It's wonderful how generous people are continuing to bid and so fun to watch the total steadily rising each day.

Thanks to Kat who has put together a new list with all the prizes that can be shipped internationally.

Some of the regional hosts in areas of the world where there are lots of food blogs are spending hours and hours working on this project to get these kinds of results. If you haven't had a chance, visit their blogs, leave a nice comment to thank them, and check their list of prizes while you're there:

US West Coast: Sam of Becks and Posh
US East Coast: Adam of Amateur Gourmet
Canada: Jasmine of Cardamom Addict
Europe and UK: David Lebovitz of Davidlebovitz.com
Asia Pacific: Helen of Grab Your Fork
Wine blogs: Alder Yarrow of Vinography.

And of course, thanks to the adorable Pim, our fearless leader, who's doing an incredible job of maintaining a master list of all the prizes (with photos!)

Share Your Holiday Recipes:

I'm getting some great entries for Holiday Cooking with Herbs, which need to be received by the morning of December 23. That day I'll post the collection of recipes, which will stay on Kalyn's Kitchen for a few days while I take a break for Christmas. Then it'll become a permanent link in the WHB stuff. (Recipes for this event can include any herb, plant, veggie, or flower, but I didn't think Holiday Cooking with Herbs, Plants, Veggies, or Flowers was a very catchy title!) You can send the permalinks to kalynskitchen AT comcast DOT net. Please include a link to Kalyn's Kitchen and the world Holiday Cooking with Herbs.

To Print Recipes:
You can print any recipe without the header, sidebars, or photos by clicking on the main title of the post, then printing.

Tags:
Food Recipes Cooking South Beach Diet Recipes
Low Carb Recipes Low Glycemic Index Recipes
Weekend Herb Blogging A Menu for Hope

More Kitchen Gifts: Kalyn's Herb Blend

I'm doing a series of three posts about gifts from the kitchen, my contribution to Holiday Cooking with Herbs, the Weekend Herb Blogging event for the holidays. Yesterday I shared my way of making Rosemary Salt, a delightful blend of sea salt and rosemary that's delicious on so many foods. (Coming tomorrow is Roasted Chicken Seasoning Rub.)

Today I'm sharing my recipe for Kalyn's Herb Blend, something I started making about ten years ago. At first I used the recipe for the American Heart Association Herb Seasoning, a great salt-free blend. Although my recipe has never strayed too far from theirs, I make this a little differently every year now, depending on what I have on hand and what new herbs I've become fond of. I've been giving this away for Christmas for years, and I've had people use it all and ask if they can buy more! This is my 2006 version, and now that I'm posting the recipe people can make their own after they've used it up.

From having made this for years, I'd say the essentials are the garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, parsley, savory, and pepper. You can add or subtract other herbs as desired. Create your own blend based on your favorites, and then name it after yourself and give it away for Christmas; I promise your friends will be very impressed.

At the risk of sounding like a food snob, I should say that a herb blend like this is not something I give my foodiest friends, who are more likely to want fresh herbs anyway. This is a good all purpose seasoning blend for people who cook a little, but who aren't likely to have a cupboard full of different herbs and spices. There are probably more people in the world like that than there are foodies like me with nearly every spice or herb that Penzeys sells, so most of your friends will love this.

Those of you who have seen my spice rack loaded down with Penzeys bottles might have forgotten that I also have a big drawer full of spices from various places. This blend is a good way to use leftover spices that you have around.

You can give the herb blend away in jars or in small plastic bags. This year I have a lot of people to give them to, so I've opted for bags, with a Kalyn's Kitchen card stapled on.

Kalyn's 2006 Herb Blend
(makes about 5 cups; this recipe was originally adapted from the American Heart Association Herb Seasoning, and I never make it exactly the same way twice.)

1 1/2 cups garlic powder
3/4 cup onion powder
1/2 cup dried thyme
1/2 cup dried basil
1/2 cup dried parsley
1/4 cup ground savory
1/4 cup rubbed sage
1/4 cup white pepper
1/4 cup celery seed
1/4 cup dried oregano

Put all herbs in to food processor fitted with steel blade. Pulse about 30 seconds, until herbs are well combined. Store in glass jar with tight lid.

Suggested uses: This herb blend adds great depth of flavor to meat-based soups, stews, pasta sauces, or casseroles. It's excellent in meatloaf or to season ground beef when browning. Mix with olive oil and toss with vegetables before roasting. Add a small amount to any marinade or sauce for chicken, pork, or beef, or add to flour to use for dredging meat. Use a small amount to season gravy or stock.

Another Gift Idea:
If the herb blend isn't right for your foodiest friends, here's a gift idea that might be. I was recently lucky enough to be offered a sample of this exquisite extra virgin olive oil from Alejandro & Martin, who gave me the olive oil but isn't paying me to tell you about it. I'm mentioning it here because this was truly the best olive oil I've ever tasted, and I've tasted a lot of good olive oil. This is like the stuff you dip your bread into at a fabulous restaurant, delivered to your friend's house in a beautiful box, inside another box with impresive crinkly paper to keep it safe during shipping. I received a sampler of four olive oils, all slightly different but equally delicious. If you don't have any foodie friends left to buy for, you might want to get some for yourself!

Help People and Win Great Stuff:
Only four more days left, and we've now raised $5,260 $10 ,055 $13,380 $16,625 $21,568 $24,765 $29,040.70 through A Menu For Hope! (Visit First Giving to see how much the total has gone up since I posted this!) Visit Chez Pim to see prizes from all over the world, including some fabulous new prizes, or check out the wonderful prizes from generous central U.S. bloggers. You also have another chance to win Photo Studio in a Box. Here's how to buy raffle tickets.

Share Your Holiday Recipes:
Entries for Holiday Cooking with Herbs need to be received by the morning of December 23. That day I'll post a recap of fabulous holiday recipes. That post will stay on Kalyn's Kitchen for a few days while I take a little blogging break for Christmas, and then it'll become a permanent link in the WHB section of the sidebar. (Recipes for this event can include any herb, plant, veggie, or flower, but I didn't think Holiday Cooking with Herbs, Plants, Veggies, or Flowers was a very catchy title!) You can send the permalinks to kalynskitchen AT comcast DOT net. Be sure to include a link to Kalyn's Kitchen and the words Holiday Cooking with Herbs.

To Print Recipes:
You can print any recipe without the header, sidebars, or photos by clicking on the main title of the post, then printing.

Tags:
Food Recipes Cooking South Beach Diet Recipes
Low Carb Recipes Low Glycemic Index Recipes
Weekend Herb Blogging A Menu for Hope

A Gift from the Kitchen: Rosemary Salt

We all know those amazing people who make incredible holiday treats like homemade candies and baked goods and give them out to friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Even back in the days when I was more interested in sugary treats, I was never one of those people. Still, even though I'm not a baker or a candy-maker, I do like to make something from the kitchen for Christmas. For many years now I've created interesting blends of herbs and spices to give as little holiday gifts.