By Kalyn Denny of Kalyn’s Kitchen

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Kitchen Parade

November is Diabetes Awareness Month, a time when the American Diabetes Association and other groups are joining together in a campaign to raise awareness about a disease that impacts 24 million children and adults in the United States. The ADA defines diabetes as “a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life.”

When your body is not processing sugars and starches properly, controlling them in your diet becomes critical. People with diabetes should pay attention to their carbohydrate choices, limit refined sugar, and concentrate on eating plenty of non-starchy vegetables and other foods which are low on the Glycemic Index, a measure of how quickly food turns to glucose in the body. To help, the American Diabetes Association has identified the Top Ten List of Diabetes Superfoods, so I thought it might be fun to see what food bloggers are cooking from each category of foods on their list.

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Simply Recipes

1. Dried or Canned Beans

Beans are high in fiber and full of complex carbohydrates which digest slowly, and they’re an amazingly versatile for recipes. Lisa at Homesick Texan makes Basic Black Beans, which remind her of Austin, where they’re a side-dish staple, while Katie at Eat This combines black beans with spinach, another superfood, for her Black Bean and Spinach Soup. At Kitchen Parade, Alanna makes black bean soup many times, until she settles on her perfect At Last ! Black Bean Soup (pictured). There are many types of dried beans, and the Thirteen Bean Soup at Use Real Butter sounds good, or for a type of bean soup that’s a bit unusual, how about the Indian Sour Mung Bean Soup from Lisa’s Kitchen?

2. Dark Green Leafy Vegetables

Not only are dark green leafy vegetables low on the glycemic index, but they’re loaded with nutrients, and you could hardly find a more diabetes-friendly dish than the Kale and Roasted Vegetable soup at Simply Recipes (pictured.) Another leafy green is chard, which I used recently on my own blog in Spaghetti Squash and Chard Gratin, and Amy from Cooking with Amy also uses it in Syrian Lentil Chard Soup. Collards are another type of healthy greens, and the Slow Cooked Vegan Collard Greens from Wasabimon look like a good choice.

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Lucullian Delights

3. Citrus Fruit

You may be surprised to see fruit on a list of foods for diabetics, but citrus fruits are loaded with fiber and vitamin C, and they’re perfect to eat as a snack. If you want to use them in a recipe, might I suggest Fennel, Olive, and Pink Grapefruit Salad from Anne’s food or Mixed Greens Salad with Grapefruit and Warm Shrimp from Bewitching Kitchen.

4. Sweet Potatoes

It wasn’t until I started food blogging that I realized there were lots of options for sweet potatoes besides the sweetened marshmallow-topped type, but now Spicy Sweet Potato Fries are on of my favorite side dishes. Sweet potatoes are a great low-glycemic option to regular potatoes, and there are some creative ways to use them, such as the Baked Sweet Potato Falafel from 101 Cookbooks or Yellow Split Pea Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Kale from Susan at Fat Free Vegan Kitchen.

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Karina’s Kitchen

5. Berries

Berries are packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber, and there are plenty of ways to eat them besides sugary desserts. For example, Kristen makes Blueberry Salsa at Serious Eats, and Vanessa at What Geeks Eat has an outstanding looking Blueberry Chicken Salad. Strawberry Salad with Balsamic Vinegar from Chaos in the kitchen also looks like a great low-sugar way to use berries.

6. Tomatoes

When tomatoes are fresh from the garden, all you need to do is slice them, drizzle on a bit of olive oil, add some sea salt, and enjoy. The good news is that cooked tomatoes also are loaded with vitamin C, iron, and vitamin E, so eat them up in dishes like Restaurant Quality Crockpot Tomato Soup from A Year of Slow Cooking or Tuscan Tomato and Bread Soup from What’s For Lunch Honey. You could also get your tomato vitamins from something like Meat-Filled Zucchini in Tomato Sauce from Lucullian Delights (pictured.)

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Kalyn’s Kitchen

7. Salmon or Other Fish High in Omega-3 Fatty Acids

As long as you stay away from the breaded-and-fried versions, all fish is a healthy menu option for diabetics, but salmon and other fish that are high in Omega-3 fatty acids have even more health benefits. Even if it’s not grilling weather, things like Chipotle Lime Salmon from Elana’s Pantry or Miso-Marinated Grilled Salmon from Andrea Meyers (pictured) can be cooked on a stove-top grill pan. I also love the sound of Pan-Seared Salmon on Spinach with Tarragon Sauce from Closet Cooking or Poached Sockeye Salmon from Stephen Cooks.

8. Whole Grains

I learned from my friend Susan at Food Blogga that there are 19 types of whole grains, and any one of the grains on her list is a healthful choice, but I’d like to put a word in for quinoa, which is also high on protein and low on the glycemic index. It’s probably one of the lesser known whole grains, but I’m sure the Quinoa Salad with Lime and Fresh Mint from Karina’s Kitchen (pictured) would be a hit with most people. Another quinoa dish that really made me do a double-take when I saw it was the Japanese-Inspired Quinoa from Chocolate and Zucchini. If you’re new to this uber-healthful grain you might want to check out Five Ways to Eat Quinoa at The Kitchn.

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The Perfect Pantry

9. Nuts

Nuts not only provide healthy fat, but they also have magnesium and fiber, and they’re one of the best foods to snack on for hunger control. There are many types of nuts, but Lydia uses cashews in the Muhammara (Pomegranate, Pepper, and Nut Spread) at The Perfect Pantry (pictured). I’m also intrigued by the Miso, Tahini, and Walnut Paste at Just Bento, which is used as a topping for broiled or baked vegetables, and the Quick Pecan Salad at The Well-Seasoned Cook.

10. Fat Free Milk and Yogurt

I’m a huge fan of fat-free Greek yogurt, and my favorite low-sugar dessert is Greek Yogurt with Agave Nectar and Pecans (pictured), which would be good option for someone with diabetes. Two Fat Als have Greek Yogurt Parfait, another healthy dessert option with fat-free Greek yogurt, mangos, and a touch of honey. If you can’t find Greek yogurt where you shop, Over the Hill and On a Roll can show you How to Make Greek Yogurt, and they have a nifty idea of using it as a spread instead of cream cheese as well.

Whew! There are a lot of new recipe ideas for anyone who’s following a diabetes-friendly or low-glycemic eating plan. Of course you can always find even more recipe options by entering any one of these Diabetes Superfoods into the recipe search engine at FoodieView.

Kalyn Denny also blogs at Kalyn’s Kitchen, where nearly all the recipes will be diabetes-friendly, since she’s focused on creating low-glycemic recipes using fresh ingredients.

Recipe Roundup: Preserving Seasonal Produce

by Meeta Khurana from What’s For Lunch, Honey?

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What’s for Lunch, Honey?

Each season brings along it’s own various varieties of fruit and vegetables. We all have our favorites: be it asparagus or rhubarb in spring or tomatoes and strawberries in the summer or pumpkin, apples and pears in the Fall or a variety of root vegetables in the Winter. There is no better way to enjoy your favorites beyond the seasons than preserving them in jams, jellies, relishes or chutneys.

I will often find myself in the kitchen and different times of the year with the mission to preserve. For me Spring, Summer and Fall are the busiest times of the year when I set out weekends to make chutneys or jams with my favorite fruits and vegetables. So I am already excited in June that I will be enjoying a fresh raspberry jam in November.

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Shiny Cooking

I know several fellow food bloggers have lovely huge gardens bursting with fresh vegetables and fruit, I myself have kind neighbors, friends and in-laws who are generous throughout the year and share their bounties with me, Then there are the CSA boxes that come in every week or one picks up produce at their local Farmer’s Markets. Whatever the source is fact is preserving or canning is the unbeatable and inexpensive way to go when you need to use up your surplus produce.

If you are new to preserving, my Preserving 101 is a great place to start. The post includes not only several great recipes for jams, relishes and jellies but also has a few useful tips and tricks to make the beginner feel comfortable.

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Cooking With Michele

Otherwise I hope that this roundup with several recipes from across the food blogs will help you find some new flavor twist and give you many more ideas on how you can use your fruit or vegetables to enjoy later on in the year. It’s a good idea to bookmark this roundup as I try to cover fruit and vegetables available throughout the year.

Over at Shiny Cooking you will find a fantastic article about canning peaches. With step by step instructions this is an extremely handy post and one that I myself used this year to can my peaches and apricots. Or maybe you prefer this spicy peach chutney from Anja over at Zwischengang.

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What’s for Lunch, Honey?

Cooking with Michelle takes her ripe tomatoes from her garden and freezes them while I make some gorgeous tomato and apricot chutney. 

Dirty Kitchen Secrets has a brilliant article on pickling and shows you how to pickle cornichos cucumbers and over at The Constables Larder pickled lime is served with a slow baked pork.

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Citron and Vanile

Lydia over at The Perfect Pantry uses cider vinegar to make a delectable cranberry and pear chutney, while I spice my cranberry and pear chutney with a hint of star anise. 

As citrus fruit will be coming into season in a few months, I found this perfect kumquat chutney recipe from Citron & Vanille, which can be used with a variety of meats. Lemons make a dreary day turn bright yellow and this lemon curd will brighten your day for sure. You can use it not only for desserts but it’s perfect on a wholewheat roll for breakfast too!

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What’s for Lunch, Honey?

EatMakeRead has a great chutney recipe using figs. Kelly’s raisin, fig and ginger chutney is mouthwatering to say the least. I love figs too and often make this fig and ginger preserve when figs are at their ripest and sweetest.

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Citron and Vanile

Savory Sweet Life has an exquisite relish recipe for a red bell pepper relish, which can be enjoyed with a variety of cheese and crackers. Peter from Souvlaki for the Soul makes an extravagant caramelised fennel relish with Ouzo. I can hardly wait to try this myself. Jo shares her grandmother’s recipe for orange pinapple cranberry relish - a recipe which has been passed down from generation to generation. Hot dogs and burgers will enjoy that added zing with this cucumber and zucchini relish. It’s easy to make and big on taste.

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Eat make Read

Kevin from Closet Cooking is always the one to come up with delicious and unique recipes and I absolutely adore his green tomato and jalapeÒo jam. It’s got the perfect tartness with the right amount of heat to it.

Culinary Travels of a Kitchen Goddess makes a regal damson jam, which she then goes on to use in her Autumn fruit crumble. A hint of cinnamon adds gives this plum cinnamon preserve a delectable highlight.

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Cafe Lynnylu

Always Order Dessert preserves quince with this great vanilla bean and anise poached quince recipe and she share an super tip on peeling quince. Another great way pf preserving fruit is making candy or pate de fruits like Linda from make life sweeter does. She makes a delicious quince candy, which can be enjoyed for weeks. Lynn from Cafe LynnLu also makes sweet treats with her pineapple pate de fruit.

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Dirty Kitchen Secrets

Vanila Basil has a great recipe for pickling beetroot, which is perfect in salads or just on it’s own. Allie makes a lovely pickled vegetable mix using purple cauliflower. Local Lemons shares the secret behind canning heirloom tomatoes with a lovely tomato sauce and I share a my favorite and versatile roasted tomato sauce to be used on pizzas and with pasta.

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Souvlaki for the Soul

Finally an extravagant pear and champagne confit from Cake and Commerce rounds up this medley of preserving produce.

Meeta is a passionate food writer, cook and photographer. She experiments in her kitchen and presents her flavor combinations in exciting new dishes. Her blog What’s For Lunch, Honey? was selected as one of the Top 50 Best Food Blogs by Times Online UK and offers over 500 recipes all peppered with a good dose of life.

By Susan Russo of Food Blogga

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Food Blogga

Don’t wait for Thanksgiving to enjoy sweet potatoes. These tasty tubers are already plentiful at farmers’ markets and grocery stores across the country.

Sweet potatoes are loved for their creamy, smooth flesh and sweet flavor. They’re also getting a lot of attention for their high nutritional value. Considered a “super food,” sweet potatoes are excellent sources of fiber and vitamins A and C. People watching their weight prefer them too since they’re digested more slowly than white potatoes and keep you satiated longer.

Although sweet potatoes are available year-round, they are best during the cooler seasons of autumn and winter. They’re highly versatile and can be steamed, boiled, baked, roasted, sautéed, and even grilled. They add sweetness to any breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert and are usually ranked high on people’s lists of favorite vegetables. So don’t wait any longer. It’s time to get cooking with sweet potatoes.

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Erin Cooks

How could your day not be wonderful when you start it off with a stack of these luscious Sweet Potato Pie Pancakes from Closet Cooking or a big and tender Sweet Potato Waffle from Feeding Maybelle? If you’re on-the-run, then grab a Healthy Pineapple Sweet Potato Muffin from Jersey Girl that’s packed with heart-healthy flaxseed and palate-pleasing pineapple.

For a satisfying lunch or light dinner, treat yourself to a bowl of spicy, fragrant Curried Sweet Potato, Carrot, and Red Lentil Soup from Dinner With Julie. Or warm up with my hearty and nourishing African Sweet Potato and Peanut Butter Soup made with sweet pineapple, brown sugar, and creamy coconut milk. For latkes that are big on flavor but small on calories, try these Baked Sweet Potato Latkes with cinnamon-spiked light sour cream dipping sauce from Erin Cooks. You’ll be surprised at how well sweet potatoes and crab get along in these crunchy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside Sweet Potato Crab Cakes from One For The Table.

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Food Blogga

Tired of plain ‘ol mashed potatoes? Swap the butter for some heart-healthy olive oil and make my Mediterranean inspired Olive Oil, Caramelized Onion, and Sage Mashed Sweet Potato. With pomegranate season upon us, you’ll have to try my sweet and tangy Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Pomegranate Glaze.

Sweet potatoes casseroles are a perennial favorite. No wonder. They taste just like dessert! For a traditional version laced with aromatic spices, try this Sweet Potato Casserole from Ramblings from a Gypsy Soul. Craving something more exotic? Then Greedy Gourmet’s Caribbean Chickpeas and Sweet Potato Casserole, flavored with lime and coriander, is for you. The folks at Cooking By The Seat Of My Pants know that everything tastes better with bacon, so every Thanksgiving they make their famous Twice Baked Sweet Potato Casserole with Bacon.

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Food Librarian

When it comes to desserts, sweet potatoes have an affinity for pecans and brown sugar. That’s why you should make Culinography’s Ode to Carolina Sweet Potato Praline Bread or Serious Eats’ Sweet Potato Cake with Pecan Streusel. Both are insanely sweet, sticky, nutty, and irresistible.

The Food Librarian smartly paired sweet potatoes with chocolate in her mile-high, chocolate frosted Halloween Sweet Potato Cake. It’s frightfully delicious! Don’t let being gluten-free stop you from enjoying sweet potato cake. Try this remarkably moist Sweet Potato and Apple Coffee from Gluten-Free Gobsmacked.

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Homesick Texan

Perhaps the most beloved of all sweet potato desserts is Southern sweet potato pie, and Homesick Texan has corralled the best recipe out there: her Uncle Richard’s Sweet Potato Pie.

Whether it’s breakfast waffles or dinner time casserole, sweet potatoes have a way of always fitting in, deliciously.

You can find more delicious recipes from all over the internet using sweet potatoes on the FoodieView Recipe Search Engine.

Susan Russo lives in Southern California where she is addicted to local farmers’ markets. She publishes stories, recipes and photos on her cooking blog, Food Blogga, and is a regular contributor to NPR’s Kitchen Window.

By Andrea Meyers of Andrea’s Recipes

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What’s For Lunch, Honey?

With a crispy snap in the air, I can feel the coming of autumn. The nights and mornings have been chilly, the summer garden is dying down, the mums are starting to bloom, and I find myself craving warm comfort foods. Pumpkins are an autumn favorite for us because there are so many things to make with them, but our favorites are soups, breads, and desserts. Here are some ideas to get you started on an autumn pumpkin cooking and baking adventure.

Soups

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Closet Cooking

Pumpkin soup is popular around the world and acts as a palate for a variety of spices and flavors. Meeta’s Spiced Lamb Pumpkin Goulash is flavored with cloves, allspice, and chiles, a winning combination with a bit of a kick. Susan puts a Mexican twist on her pumpkin soup with jalapeno, cumin, cayenne, and some chili beans. Melissa’s experimental pumpkin soup with carrots and smoked paprika sounds perfect for autumn. Stephanie’s Jamaican pumpkin soup is flavored with ginger, garlic, allspice, turmeric, and nutmeg, a flavor combination sure to turn your thoughts to a sunny beach.

Breads

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Kalyn’s Kitchen

Pumpkin bread is one of my autumn favorites and food bloggers know how to create lovely flavor combinations. Karina’s Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chai Bread has apple cider (or juice or orange juice), chai spices, cranberries, raisins, and pecans, and you can even add chocolate chips if you feel adventurous. Maria’s Pumpkin Apple Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel makes a perfect autumn breakfast that young and old will enjoy. Peabody’s Pumpkin Spice Bread with a Maple Cheesecake layer in the middle will keep the cheesecake lovers in your life very happy. Meeta’s Roasted Pumpkin and Chocolate Bread Pudding starts with a whole wheat challah base and adds pumpkin, chocolate, and spices, so even if it’s not technically pumpkin bread you still get full pumpkin goodness with bread.

Breakfast

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Pinch My Salt

We enjoy pumpkin at breakfast in all sorts of baked goods, but Kevin shows how he makes his oatmeal then stirs in pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and spices to make Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal, surely a family pleaser. Kelly can’t decide if her Pumpkin Pecan Bread Pudding should be for breakfast or dessert, but with pumpkin bread, maple syrup, cream cheese, and pecans, I would probably vote for both. Sarahs’ Delicious Pumpkin Pancakes have mashed banana in the batter as well as pumpkin, surely giving them a wonderful moist texture. One of my family’s favorite autumn breakfasts is Pumpkin Scones with a crunchy cinnamon sugar topping, an easy breakfast you can even make ahead.

Pies & Tarts

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Dozen Flours

Pumpkin pies and tarts are as classic as a little black dress for autumn parties and dinners, and it’s easy to come up with creative variations. Kalyn’s Reduced-Sugar Pumpkin Cheesecake is sure to please anyone on a low-sugar diet, and even those who aren’t. Mango Power Girl has a gorgeous eggless Chocolate Spice Pumpkin Tart with a chocolate crust that will bring exclamations of delight. Karina’s vegan crustless gluten-free Pumpkin Pie will make everyone happy, and Meeta’s savory Pumpkin Feta Tart makes a beautiful brunch dish or even an appetizer. You can’t go wrong with any of these.

Cakes

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Karina’s Kitchens

Pumpkin cakes are easy to dress up or keep casual depending on what you want, but either way they are delicious. Our busy family enjoys simple cakes for dessert, and there is plenty of inspiration to share. Nicole spices her casual Bundt Pumpkin Spice Cake with pumpkin pie spice mix, but you can mix up your own with cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg. Barbara’s simple Pumpkin Fruit Cake has a mix of dried fruits with the pumpkin, a delicious cake to whip up when you need an easy dessert. Katrina makes her simple pumpkin loaf cake look beautiful with a clementine cream cheese frosting between the layers. Lori’s simple Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is perfect for potlucks since you can slice the oblong cake in any size pieces you need.

Cookies

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Andrea’s Recipes

Pumpkin cookies are another popular dessert, and they run the range from bar cookies to drop cookies and to whoopie pies. Julia’s Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Bars would capture any pumpkin lovers eye, with a snickerdoodle layer, a pumpkin pie layer, and white chocolate and pumpkin pie spice drizzle on top. Nicole combines pumpkin, chocolate, and pumpkin pie spice to make her memorable chewy Pumpkin Spice Fudge Cookies. Amy makes her mother’s recipe for Pumpkin Cookies, a beautiful way of sharing her mother with her own children. My own family likes Spicy Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, which are really cookies, with a decadent cream cheese filling and even crystallized ginger.

There are many things you can make with pumpkin, and you can find many more recipes in the FoodieView Recipe Search Engine.

Andrea Meyers enjoys the autumn harvest, including carving jack-o-lanterns, roasting pumpkin seeds, and making her family’s favorite pumpkin bread and pumpkin pancakes.

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Coconut & Lime

By Rachel Rappaport of Coconut & LIme

Apple Cider is no mere juice. It is an unfiltered, nonalcoholic beverage that gets its translucent color from suspended bits of apple. While it is delightful as-is, it can also be used in other ways.

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Home Ec 101

Looking for a breakfast treat? Try these apple cider pancakes. Apple cider muffins come together in a snap and are perfect for a weekend breakfast. A high fiber option would be this apple cider variation on hot oatmeal.

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Mega Crafty

Last year I made some yeast-raised apple cider doughnuts. Cake doughnuts are a lot denser but also have a delightful apple cider flavor. While doughnuts are great for breakfast, they make wonderful snacks as well.

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My Little Avocado

Try this hot mulled cherry apple cider at your next brunch.

This roasted butternut squash salad with cider dressing looks perfect for a light dinner or lunch. Afterward, you can serve this apple cider pudding cake.

This apple cider cheddar fondue looks perfect for chilly nights at home.

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My Kitchen Cafe

Live far from an orchard? Try making apple cider yourself at home. Another variation is this red, delicious looking crab apple cider. Then you can make this mulled apple cider rum.

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Adorn Inc

You can find even more delicious recipes including apple cider on the FoodieView Recipe Search Engine.

Rachel Rappaport is a food writer and recipe creator who lives in Baltimore, Maryland. You can check out over 600 of her original recipes at her award winning food blog, Coconut & LIme.

By Kalyn Denny of Kalyn’s Kitchen

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A Year of Slow Cooking

It’s not hard to understand the appeal of the Crockpot slow cooker, since everyone has times when they’re just too busy to cook, but we’d all love to have a good meal ready when we get home. I’m a fan of the crockpot, and use it often all year round. If you’re new to crockpot cooking, or don’t use your crockpot nearly enough, here are some tasty-sounding slow cooker ideas, sorted by cooking time to help you when the schedule isn’t leaving much time to cook.

I’m sorting recipes by the cooking time the food blogger has recommended first, but many crockpot dishes can be cooked for a longer time on low or a shorter time on high, so if a recipe appeals to you, check the individual blog to see if there is an alternate cooking time that will work. Now dust off that slow cooker and get cooking!

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The Perfect Pantry

Slow Cooker Soups or Stews to Cook All Day:

Soup weather is rapidly approaching, so let’s start with soups you can throw in the slow cooker and leave all day. If you’re really going to be gone for a long time, you might opt for the Moroccan Lentil Soup (pictured) from Stephanie at A Year of Slow Cooking, which cooks on low for 8-10 hours and makes plenty for leftovers. Chels from We Are Not Martha tested out her Slow Cooker Chili on a day she was home to watch it, but now says she’s ready to let it cook all day while she’s at work. Eat This serves up spicy Chicken and Hominy Stew that cooks on low in about 7 hours. The Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup from Sweetnicks cooks for 8-10 hours, and what a budget-friendly recipe! Finally, I love meatballs, green chiles, and cilantro, so the Slow Cooker Mexican Meatball Soup from Simple-Nourished-Living seemed like a perfect combination.

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Andrea Meyers

Other Slow Cooker Dishes That Can Cook All Day

What if you’re going to be gone all day but don’t really feel like soup or stew? No worries, because there are plenty of other slow cooker options that can cook all day, like the Ropa Vieja from The Perfect Pantry (pictured) which cooks on low for 9 hours. At Baking Bites Nicole cooked the meat for her Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwich for 7 1/2 hours and it was falling-apart tender. The Slow Cooker Beef and Potatoes from Cooking by the Seat of My Pants cooks for 8 hours on low. If you have 7 hours, you can make Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage from Columbus Foodie, seasoned with a surprise ingredient. Thai Pork with Peanut Sauce from Savour Fare cooks on low for 8 hours, and when you get home, you just need to cook the rice. Life’s Ambrosia has Slow Cooker Pulled Pork that cooks for 8 hours, giving you plenty of time to buy the buns. If you can find the intersting Anasazi beans, you can make Slow Cooker Anasazi Beans from A Fridge Full of Food, which cook in 8 hours. Finally, who wouldn’t love to come home to The Inadvertent Gardener’s Slow Cooker Roast Beef with Fresh Sage and Dried Tomatoes?

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Kalyn’s Kitchen

Slow Cooker Dishes to Cook in 3-6 Hours
When you’re going to be gone for part of the day, having a dish that cooks in 3-6 hours is a perfect way to use the slow cooker. I love the sound of the Chicken Tortilla Soup from Andrea Meyers (pictured) which cooks in 5-6 hours. My Kitchen Cafe used the slow cooker for Maple Brown Sugar Ham which she says she’ll cook on low for 4-5 hours next time. At The Feast Within, Gabi makes Slow Cooker Black Beans that can cook in 4 hours on high. Alanna from A Veggie Venture says her Slow Cooker Peanut Soup was perfectly done in 6 hours. The Healing Vegetable Curry from Karina’s Kitchen cooked in the crockpot for 6 hours when she didn’t want to heat up the kitchen. Finally, one of my personal favorite crockpot dishes is Chicken Fajitas in the Crockpot (pictured) which I usually cook on high for about 3 hours.

If you haven’t been giving your slow cooker enough time on the kitchen counter, I hope you’ll try at least a couple of these crockpot ideas from great cooks. You can also find lots more Crockpot Recipes in the recipe search engine at FoodieView.

Kalyn Denny also blogs at Kalyn’s Kitchen, where she shows her love of crockpot cooking with an entire section of Crockpot Recipes in the recipe archives.

By Anne-Marie Nichols of This Mama Cooks!

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Zen Can Cook

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Herbivoracious

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Spork and Food

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Stacey Snacks

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Thyme for Cooking, the Blog

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Lynda’s Recipe Box

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It Ain’t Meat, Babe

And now we come to zucchini

 

First, let’s tackle breakfast. Yes, my dear, you can have your zucchini first thing in the morning with Healthy Tipping Point’s Zucchini Waffles, though Caitlin has these for lunch. She uses healthy pancake mix as her base and adds a shredded zucchini, and tops with Laughing Cow cheese. Instead of savory, why not make it sweet and drizzle on some honey or agave nectar instead?

 

And to go along with your waffles, try Vegan Epicurean’s Zucchini Bacon. While she writes that no one will mistake it for the real thing, it’s a vegan alternative to soy bacon and probably healthier than even the lean turkey bacon you can get at the store. Fun uses for this would be to chop it up in spinach salads or to add to soups.

 

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Vegan Epicurean

 

Now let’s skip on over to dinner. (You can heat up the leftovers for lunch, too!) There’s Kevin at Closet Cooking’s Herbed Zucchini and Feta Quiche with a Brown Rice Crust. Not only is a brown rice crust healthier than a pastry crust, it’s gluten free and a great way to use leftover rice. You could make his recipe even healthier by substituting egg whites for a few of the eggs (3 egg whites for 1 egg) and using skim milk and a low fat feta cheese.

 

fresh365 and Chez Us both like using zucchini in enchiladas: Zucchini Enchiladas and Zucchini and Red Pepper Enchiladas with Two Salsas. I can’t decide which one I like more. Chez Us’s Zucchini and Red Pepper Enchiladas with Two Salsas with its pumpkin seed salsa is enticing. Yet fresh365’s recipe seems healthier and easier to make. They both look delicious though and I can’t wait to try them.

 

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Closet Cooking

 

Finally, it’s time for dessert, my favorite place to use zucchini, especially when combined with chocolate. Our Best Bites makes Chocolate Zucchini Bread, while Ciao Chow Linda tries her hand at Chocolate Zucchini Cake. Linda suggests draining the shredded zucchini “in a colander for an hour or so with a weight pressed down on the top” to get rid of the excess moisture. If you like your chocolate in cookie form, try Daisy’s Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies at Compost Happens. If you like bar cookies, try Heidi’s Sneaky Moms Chocolate Chip Bars on her Tried-and-True Cooking blog. (I love the food themed music on her blog, too.)

 

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Chez Us

 

I hope these recipes will inspire you to make a dent in this year’s zucchini and summer squash harvest. Enjoy!

 

Looking for more zucchini and summer squash recipes? You can find plenty of them on the FoodieView Recipe Search Engine.

 

You can also find Anne-Marie at This Mama Cooks! On a Diet or This Mama Cooks! Reviews.

By Rachel Rappaport of Coconut & Lime

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Words to Eat By

The American Cancer Society suggests that one can reduce the risk of cancer by maintaining a healthy weight. Obesity has been linked with an increased risk of breast cancer in post menopausal women. Taking steps like increasing exercise and eating a diet rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables can go along way towards reducing your cancer risk.

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Chef in You

Start your day with a whole grain breakfast. Not only is it full of fiber, it will make your feel full longer, making it less likely that snacking will occur between meals. Oatmeal is a great choice. Don’t have time to make oatmeal in the morning? Try making it overnight in the slow cooker. This steel cut oat method is classic or try a version that is cooked with fruit for added flavor. Or try this mixed grain breakfast cereal.

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Dine, Dish, Delish

For lunch, try this healthful pinto bean and wheat berry soup. Another way to eat wheat berries is in a salad that combines the whole grain with vegetables. A fun way to eat your vegetables is in the zucchini and heirloom tomato salad. Instead of pasta, the zucchini is cut into thin noodle-like strips. This lentil salad is full of legumes and fresh vegetables.

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Eat this

For dinner, aim for lean proteins and let vegetables be the star. This one pan salmon and roasted vegetables is an easy way to get healthy fats and tons of vitamins. Grilled vegetable kabobs can be a main dish or a side. Instead of having a starchy side dish, try this recipe for a savory fruit salad.

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Kalyn’s Kitchenl

As always, you can find more recipes to combat cancer on the FoodieView Recipe Search Engine.

Rachel Rappaport is a food writer and recipe creator who lives in Baltimore, Maryland. You can check out over 600 of her original recipes at her award winning food blog, Coconut & Lime.