Hot Coffee Mocha

Here is another example of bringing coffee bistro fare into your own kitchen, every bit as delicious, and for much less money. "Hot Coffee Mocha" (page 538) is a pleasing blend of brewed coffee, non dairy milk, chocolate syrup, and vanilla extract. Everything is heated together, poured into individual mugs, and topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Impress your family and friends with this easy and scrumptious treat whenever the mood strikes!

Keeping it "McDougall Friendly" checklist:

• No changes necessary!

Soy Latte

You don't have to go to expensive trendy cafés to enjoy designer coffee drinks. You can easily create them in your own kitchen at a fraction of the cost and without leaving the comfort of your home. The "Soy Latte" (page 538) is made from two ingredients: Hot strong coffee, and soy milk. (Sugar is optional). Simply top hot coffee with steamed soy milk (using a milk steamer, or whisking over the stove), and that's it! This is a nice indulgence when a little pick-me-up is needed.

Keeping it "McDougall Friendly" checklist:

• Select soy milk with no added oil.

Stone Fruit Smoothie

The "Stone Fruit Smoothie" (page 530) takes advantage of the summer stone fruits - peaches, plums, and apricots - to make a more unusual smoothie, straying from the typical berries, orange juice, and banana combinations. Mixed only with nondairy milk (plain or vanilla), this is a simple concoction and a great way to enjoy part of the summer bounty. Again, I like to pre-freeze my smoothie fruit so I have a thick end result, but the recipe does not require this, calling for the addition of ice cubes instead. If your fruit isn't super ripe and/or sweet, you might want to add a small amount of pure maple syrup, agave syrup, or other sweetener of choice.

Keeping it "McDougall Friendly" checklist:

• No changes needed!

Favorite Fruit Smoothie

"Favorite Fruit Smoothie" (page 532) is one of the author Robin Robertson's favorites, and so explains the name of this particular smoothie. A winning combination of mango, strawberries, orange juice, and frozen banana, no wonder it earned this title. Easy to make, as are all smoothies, and if you like your smoothies more on the thick side (as I do), try freezing the strawberries and/or the mango at least a day ahead of time, as well as the bananas. You might need a spoon instead of a straw using this approach!

Keeping it "McDougall Friendly" checklist:

• No changes needed!

Papaya Paradise Smoothie

So far the "Papaya Paradise Smoothie" (page 532) is my favorite smoothie in this book (although I still have three more to try). The combination of flavors is perfectly tropical and sweet, and if you make sure all the fruit is completely frozen before making the smoothie, it can be as thick as a milkshake (which is how I prefer my smoothies). The base recipe calls for 2 frozen bananas, and 2 fresh papayas, but I've noticed that papayas come in two sizes: HUGE (like the size of a large butternut squash), or small, about the size of a mango. I assumed in this case the recipe was referencing the smaller sized papaya, or roughly around two cups. The liquid part of the smoothie is pineapple juice and (optional) coconut milk. Since coconut milk is very high in saturated fat, I opted not to use it, and instead used ½ cup of soymilk and ½ teaspoon of coconut extract. This provided the wonderful coconut flavor without the fat, and excellent and delicious substitution. Garnish the smoothies with fresh strawberry or pineapple. Aloha!

Keeping it "McDougall Friendly" checklist:

• While technically no changes are necessary, coconut milk is very high in fat, more specifically, saturated fat. To make a healthier version, use soymilk  (½ cup) and coconut extract (½ teaspoon) instead.

Purple Haze Fruit Smoothie

Some of us of a certain age will remember the original Purple Haze, and maybe this was the inspiration for the "Purple Haze Fruit Smoothie" (page 531). This particular smoothie is bright, vibrant, and chock-full of vitamins and antioxidants. The purple comes from blueberries, which are combined with fresh mango, frozen banana, nondairy milk, and dates. Not an overly sweet smoothie (and part of this could be due to the unsweetened soymilk I use), the fresh fruit flavors are allowed to shine through. If you are fortunate enough to have a recording of the original Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix, by all means play the song while you sip this drink!

Keeping it "McDougall Friendly" checklist:

• No changes necessary! :-)

Strawberry-Banana Smoothie

There are 11 smoothie recipes in this cookbook, and the "Strawberry-Banana Smoothie" (page 530) is the 6th one I've tried so far. This, to me, is my basic smoothie recipe - strawberries, bananas, and soymilk. (Sometimes I'll use orange juice in place of the soymilk). Easy, tasty, and uses ingredients that are usually on hand. The twist in this recipe is the optional addition of strawberry jam to intensify the flavor, especially nice if you have less than stellar fresh or frozen strawberries. Since I've started making my own soy yogurt at home, I will sometimes substitute this for the soy milk for extra nutrition and a little more complex flavor.

 Keeping it "McDougall Friendly" checklist:
                                                                                                                      

• No changes necessary!

Hot Cocoa

Sometimes nothing else will do but a steamy mug of "Hot Cocoa" (page 540), and since it is so easy to make, satisfaction is only moments away. I recently discovered a way to make cocoa in my Vitamix blender, simply by adding all the ingredients to the blender jar, and blending on high for six minutes. You end up with hot steamy cocoa without worrying about stirring, burning, or scorching in a pan over the stove. Of course, the stove top method works perfectly fine, but I admit, I am very excited about using my Vitamix for all future hot cocoa experiences. (I'm not sure if other blenders would work this way, but the Vitamix is able to heat liquids to high heats such as soups and gravies, and now, hot cocoa!) Simple ingredients in this recipe: non dairy milk, cocoa powder, sugar, and vanilla extract. Perfect to chase away a winter chill!

 Keeping it "McDougall Friendly" checklist:

                                                                                                                            

• No changes necessary! :-)

Smoothies in Winter

I like smoothies any time, but the "Smoothies in Winter" (page 530), which uses pumpkin, is especially seasonal this time of year. A mixture of puréed pumpkin (fresh, or from canned), frozen banana, pure maple syrup for added sweetness, soymilk, vanilla extract and spices, it is very reminiscent of pumpkin pie. (If you happen to have any plain vegan yogurt on hand, substitute half of the milk with the yogurt for a treat that tastes like pumpkin cheesecake!). This is a wonderful winter treat, and as the recipe suggests, could even be served in place of eggnog at a holiday gathering.

Keeping it "McDougall Friendly" checklist:

                                                                                                                            

• No changes necessary! :-)

Tropical Smoothie

Nothing is as easy or pleasing as a smoothie poured right out of your blender! Any combination of fruits, juices, nondairy milks, sweeteners, and flavorings, not to mentions greens, chia seed, or flax seed somehow magically combine to yield delicious drinks that can be part of a meal, an entire meal, or a healthy snack. The "Tropical Smoothie" (page 529) reminded me of a Piña Colada (minus the rum), combining the flavors of mango, pineapple, and coconut (a cherry on top would have been a great finishing touch!). The mango was fresh, sliced right off the core and into the blender; the pineapple came from a combination of fresh chunks and canned juice; and the recipe called for one cup coconut milk, but I avoid this product due to the high fat, and high saturated fat content, so instead I used an equal amount of soymilk with ½ teaspoon coconut extract added for flavor. Even lowfat coconut milk, which this recipe calls for, contains 16 grams of fat (12 grams of which are saturated fat) and 180 calories, versus soymilk which contains only 4 grams of fat (0.5 saturated) and 81 calories. This made a full blender of drink, enough to serve 2-4, per the recipe, and my husband and I managed to drink it all in one sitting!

Keeping it "McDougall Friendly" checklist:

• Technically, no changes are necessary to keep this McDougall Friendly, but coconut milk contains a huge amount of saturated fat, so I opted to use soymilk with ½ teaspoon of coconut extract for flavor. This worked exceptionally well! By the way - were you to use full fat coconut milk, you would have been adding 57 grams of fat (51 grams of which are saturated fat), and 552 calories!

Peanut Butter & Banana Smoothie

"Peanut Butter & Banana Smoothie" (page 529) is the first smoothie recipe in the "Smoothies and Blender Drinks" section of the "Beverages" chapter, and is suggested as a quick breakfast alternative for those who might otherwise opt to skip this meal. That wouldn't be me. Not only do I always eat breakfast, it is usually fairly substantial, and this smoothie would likely be only a part of my overall meal. That being said, this was still a tasty treat (I had it as a mid-morning snack), made up of just three ingredients: chilled nondairy milk, frozen bananas, and creamy peanut butter. I found it a little too thin for my liking; I could have thickened it up with the addition of ice cubes or more frozen banana (per the "smoothie tips" provided in the sidebar), and if I make this again, I will keep this in mind.

 

Keeping it "McDougall Friendly" checklist:

                                                                                                                           

üBe sure to use peanut butter that contains no added oils.

Fresh Cherry Smoothie

When fresh cherries are in season, the "Fresh Cherry Smoothie" (page 531) is a wonderful way to enjoy this delicious fruit. Here is another smoothie that is much richer than one made with simply fruit, juice, and/or nondairy milk. The ingredients here include raw cashews, nondairy milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract, along with the cherries. How can this not end up tasting good after a whir in the blender?

Keeping it "McDougall Friendly" checklist:

ü     No changes necessary! J

Creamy Orange Smoothie

Who doesn't like a smoothie? Most of the time, they are like a healthy version of a milkshake! I save smoothies for special treats, because it is just too easy to add a lot of quickly absorbed calories to a meal, but when I do partake, I thoroughly enjoy it! Not too long ago I had some oral surgery, and was only able to eat soft foods for a few days. Perfect time for a smoothie! On this occasion I decided to try the "Creamy Orange Smoothie" (page 531), which really is closer to dessert than, say, a smoothie made from fruits and juice. Made from orange juice, vegan vanilla ice cream, and ice cubes, this goes together fast, and goes down even faster! But I didn't feel bad indulging myself under the circumstances, would you?

Keeping it "McDougall Friendly" checklist:

ü So far I have not found any commercial vegan ice-creams that are oil free. You could skip the vanilla ice cream concept altogether and use a fruit sorbet instead, but this would change the nature of this smoothie entirely.

Orange & Cinnamon-Spiced Coffee

"Orange & Cinnamon-Spiced Coffee" (page 539) combines cinnamon stick, orange zest (from a fresh orange), and ground coffee and brews them up for a cup of café au cheer.  If you are a coffee lover like me, you will appreciate this variation on the basic cuppa joe.  I didn't really notice too much orange flavor, so maybe next time I'll add more.  The cinnamon flavor seemed to intensify as the coffee cooled down some.  A nice way to serve coffee for a festive occasion.