Tamarind Eggplant with Bell Peppers & Mango

It took me a long time to appreciate eggplant, and in the past if I saw an eggplant recipe in one of my cookbooks I would quickly turn the page. For one thing, I didn’t really know what to do with it, since most recipes seem to encourage cooking it in copious amounts of olive oil, or smothering it with pounds of cheese. 

But through the years my food curiosity, combined with a few very satisfying experiences worked to change my mind about this humble vegetable, and now I seek eggplant recipes out. It really helps when you come across a recipe like the “Tamarind Eggplant with Bell Peppers & Mango”, page 328. 

The bold flavors of tamarind, chile, mango, and cilantro liven up this dish, and the finished “stew” is delicious served over grains or noodles. I went with brown rice udon noodles, giving the presentation an Asian persuasion.

This is a one-skillet stove top dish that comes together very easy. Onion, eggplant, and peppers are cooked in until soft (no oil necessary, even though the recipe calls for 2 Tablespoons -  just a little broth or sherry will do the trick). A little more cooking after adding tamarind paste, fresh orange juice, and mango, and that’s about it! I liked the bright and vibrant colors, the fresh flavors, the creamy texture of the eggplant combined with the crunchier texture of the bell peppers. If you’re not sure you like eggplant, this recipe would be a good one to experiment with.

The recipe calls for three small Asian eggplants, but I couldn’t find any that day, so I used one medium size regular eggplant. I also didn’t have access to tamarind paste, so I used the substitution suggestion in the recipe notes, a combination of lime juice and brown sugar.  

Keeping it “McDougall Friendly” check list:

• Instead of using oil to sauté the vegetables, use a nonstick skillet with a small amount of water, broth, or sherry.

Tempting Tempeh Chili

“Tempting Tempeh Chili”, (page 300), takes a vegan approach to traditional meat-and-bean chili, with tempeh stepping in for the carne. The traditional flavors of chili (chili powder, oregano, cumin, garlic) are combined with pre-cooked tempeh, pinto beans, onion, and bell pepper, then mixed with crushed tomatoes. The chili is simmered for 45 minutes to blend and develop the flavors (and I find setting the completed dish aside for a couple of hours further improves both texture and flavor), then topped with minced fresh cilantro. If you haven’t cooked with tempeh before, this would be a good introductory exploration. The recipe is easy to follow, and the flavors of the chili are readily absorbed by the tempeh. Don’t forget to pass the toppings at the table. I used hot sauce (the recipe as written has very little spice heat), fat free plain yogurt (in place of sour cream) and diced red onions. Warm corn tortillas, or fresh cornbread as the recipe notes suggest, would both make good side dishes. The one tablespoon of olive oil for sautéing the veggies was easily omitted, and I didn’t have to change anything else in this recipe.

Keeping it “McDougall Friendly” check list:

• Omit the oil when sautéing the veggies. Use a nonstick skillet, and replace the oil with water or broth. 

Tofu Pizzaiola

At a glance the name of this recipe, “Tofu Pizzaiola” (page 286), gives you the impression it’s going to be some sort of tofu pizza. But in reality, the word pizzaiola describes a sauce made with tomatoes, garlic, and oregano. These are definitely ingredients found in pizza sauce, so my initial impression probably wasn’t too far off. This recipe calls for canned diced tomatoes, and oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. I prefer to use the oil-free sun-dried tomatoes that come in a resealable pouch. They are soft like raisins, already cut in julienne strips, and contain no oil at all. Added capers and olives provide a bright burst of flavor and round out this rich and delicious sauce.

The second part of this recipe consists of preparing the tofu. The instructions say to brown the tofu in heated oil in a large skillet. While it is very easy to dry-fry tofu in a good quality nonstick skillet, using no oil at all, you won’t get as much browning as you do when cooking in oil. I have no problem with that, and is typically how I would have worked around this. But recently I’ve added an air fryer to my kitchen collection, and it was easy to “fry” the tofu strips in this handy appliance, achieving both crispy and browned tofu strips, without using oil.

The pizzaiola is served over the prepared tofu, and I was more than pleased with the flavors and textures. I only wish I’d doubled the recipe, it was that good, and the small portion of leftovers even better. There is something about flavorful tomato based sauces that improve overnight, and this was certainly the case here.  

Keeping it “McDougall Friendly” check list:

• Use oil-free sun-dried tomatoes instead to those packed in oil. Alternately, you can try rinsing the excess oil off the oil-packed variety before adding to the sauce.
• Omit the oil when browning the tofu. Use a high quality nonstick skillet and “dry-fry” instead, or, if you have an air fryer, try “frying” the strips using this method.

Moroccan Spice Chickpea & Sweet Potato Stew

“Moroccan-Spiced Chickpea & Sweet Potato Stew”, page 262, is a colorful and boldly spiced stew that can stand alone, or be served over a whole grain of your choice. The vegetable medley alone is enough to impress – carrots, onions, celery, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and green beans. Add to this a blend of exotic spices, including ginger, coriander, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and the mixture really comes alive. One thing it didn’t seem to have, though, was a hot spice, so I added two tablespoons of chile paste to the pot. This might be too spicy for some, so if you decide to turn up the heat, start with a little at first, and add more if necessary. I served this delicious stew over a bed of whole wheat couscous the first night, and for a leftover lunch, I added a little broth and served it as a thick soup/stew. The only adjustment I made was to leave out the oil when sautéing the vegetables. Healthy, pretty to look at, delicious to eat. What more could you ask for?

Keeping it “McDougall Friendly” check list:

• Omit the oil when sautéing the vegetables. Use a non-stick pot and/or replace the oil with broth, water, or sherry. 

Tamarind Chickpea Stew

I never get tired of soups and stews, and this time of year I really crave them. To me, there is nothing better on a brisk autumn day. Recently the “Tamarind Chickpea Stew”, page 260, found it’s way to our table, and it fit the bill perfectly. Simple, whole foods, hearty and satisfying, pretty to look at, and delicious flavors. Tamarind paste is made from the fruit of the pod of the tamarind tree, and in fact, you can buy tamarind pods in some ethnic and specialty grocery stores, and make it yourself. A much easier way is to buy prepared tamarind paste in a jar, but this isn’t an easy item to find either. Happily, you can also prepare a tamarind substitute by blending three parts lime juice with 1 part molasses, which is what I did for this recipe. I have had tamarind in my kitchen in the past, but I use it so seldom, this combination is a perfect substitute for the small amount used in most recipes.

This stew consists of onion, potato, chickpeas, tomatoes, green chilies, peas, and a combination of Middle Eastern spices, including coriander, cumin, and black pepper – and of course, the tamarind. It is slightly sweet from the addition of maple syrup, with everything somehow coming together in a most pleasing manner. That’s the magic of soups and stews!

Keeping it “McDougall Friendly” check list:

• Omit the tablespoon of olive oil when sautéing the veggies. Use water or broth and a nonstick skillet instead.

Chickpea, Tomato, & Eggplant Stew

I’m now just about convinced I’m an authentic eggplant fan. Having recently tryed a handful of recipes from this book that include eggplant, a vegetable that in the past, I was only mildly fond of, I find I’ve changed my mind. Either these recipes are perfectly made for eggplant, or I’m getting better at working with it, or my tastes are just changing. In any case, I’m glad I am finally able to happily include this beautiful vegetable in my regular recipe rotation. The “Chickpea, Tomato, & Eggplant Stew”, page 258, is an elemental, earthy combination of onion, eggplant, carrots, potatoes, red bell pepper, chickpeas, and tomatoes, brought to full flavor with garlic, parsley, oregano, and basil. There are only two steps in the recipe preparation, sautéing a portion of the veggies, and adding the rest of the ingredients to simmer for a bit. Easy, satisfying, and tastes even better the next day, if you have any leftovers.

The recipe as written only calls for 1 tablespoon of oil. It’s easy to omit this altogether, using any other liquid you prefer for sautéing the veggies.

Keeping it “McDougall Friendly” check list:

• Replace the oil with water, broth, soy sauce, or sherry for sautéing the veggies and/or use a nonstick pot.

Tuscan White Beans & Broccoli Rabe

“Tuscan White Beans & Broccoli Rabe”, (page 256), is a main dish that can be on the table in 30-minutes or so, providing you have cooked beans on hand. Five simple ingredients – broccoli rabe, garlic, beans, broth, and fresh rosemary – make up this stove-top meal, with broth standing in for the oil called for in the recipe. If you look closely, you might notice I did not use broccoli rabe, substituting broccoli instead. I have tried broccoli rabe a handful of times, and so far I’m not a fan, so I opted to take the safer route, and use broccoli crowns in their place. The dish seemed a little dry, so I included a cup of broth to make it more soupy. The recipe notes also suggest the optional addition of cooked pasta for an even heartier meal.

As simple as this dish looked, I was pleasantly surprised to find the combination of flavors exquisitely pleasing. Was it the broth? The fresh rosemary? The overall combination of everything? I can’t say for sure, but my husband and I ended up eating the entire potful in one sitting, that’s how much we both enjoyed it.

Keeping it “McDougall Friendly” check list:

• Replace the 2 Tablespoons of olive oil with ½ - 1 cup of vegetable broth.

Eggplant Paprikash

Hello, and thank you to any of my faithful followers checking in, and likely wondering if I was ever coming back. I’ve not given up on the blog, there has just been a lot of living life and shifting priorities. I do plan to keep working through the book, one recipe at a time, and hopefully I’ll pick up the pace a bit! I couldn’t have been more pleased with my come-back selection of “Eggplant Paprikash”, (page 321). I admit to not always being a fan of eggplant, but over time I have come to enjoy it more, finding particular recipes where this humble vegetable really shines. This recipe is definitely one of those. According to the headnotes, this Hungarian dish is traditionally made with chicken, sour cream, and bacon drippings. In this rendition, the eggplant stands in for the chicken, vegan sour cream easily replaces the dairy version, and liquid smoke provides the bacon flavor. I have actually been making my own soy-based yogurt using the yogurt setting on my Instant Pot (see one here) and a vegan starter from Cultures For Health (find them here), which stands in perfectly for sour cream, and is free from additives and oils. Today there are several vegan sour cream and yogurt products commercially available as well, so you shouldn’t have any problem finding that.

If you’re like me, you might have thought the only way to make eggplant palatable was to drown it in oil, but this dish definitely proves that isn’t the case. Even though the recipe calls for two tablespoons of olive oil for sautéing the veggies, I just used a little extra broth instead and had excellent results. The dish consists of sautéed onion, garlic, eggplant, and bell pepper, simmered in a mixture of vegetable broth, paprika, and canned diced tomatoes, until the eggplant is tender. The sour cream and liquid smoke are added at the end, just before serving. If you like your food a bit more garlicky, as I do, you can add the garlic towards the end of the cooking time to preserve the flavor.

The end result was delectable!  I thought that the combination of such basic ingredients would be more pedestrian, but the complexity of textures and flavors definitely elevate this to a cut above the ordinary. I served it with a simple couscous pilaf and steamed kale.

Keeping it “McDougall Friendly” checklist:

Replace the 2 tablespoons of olive oil with a small amount of broth. 

Tempeh & Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

My husband and I recently returned from a trip to Ireland, a place I have wanted to visit for a very long time, and my first European adventure. Traveling is often a challenge to healthy eating, especially when you add the word “vegan” to the criteria. Ireland was no exception, and in fact, we really had to go out of our way to find the healthiest options available during our time in Dublin, Cork, Killarney and Galway. Shepherd’s Pie seems to be a mainstay in this part of the world, but we weren’t lucky enough to see any vegan versions of this almost completely plant based dish on any of the menus in any of the restaurants we dined in. By the time we got home, I was really craving a Shepherd’s Pie, so I decided to try this version of “Tempeh and Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie” (page 304). While even a further departure from traditional Shepherd’s Pie, with sweet potatoes used as the topping, it was very delicious and really satisfied my craving.

This dish can take some time to prepare, so plan ahead, and as the recipe notes suggest, everything can be assembled ahead of time at your leisure, then popped in the oven to bake when you are ready to eat. The recipe also suggests using seitan, veggie burgers, or vegetarian burger crumbles instead of the tempeh if you want, and depending on which option you use, there will be a degree of preparation time needed for that. I opted for seitan this time around, using the recipe from this book (see my review here). You will also need to prepare the Mushroom Sauce from this book (see my review for that here.) Then of course, the sweet potatoes have to be cooked and mashed. I spent a leisurely afternoon putting everything together and rather enjoyed being back in my kitchen after a couple of weeks away. I found the effort well worth it!

Onions, carrots, peas, and corn round out the rest of the pie filling, and with the bright orange topping of sweet potatoes, this makes a bright, beautiful, and colorful dish, not to mention delicious! I took my picture prior to baking it in order to show a “cut away” revealing all the pretty colors.

It is quite easy to omit the oil called for in this dish – see my notes below.

Keeping it “McDougall Friendly” checklist:

• Omit the margarine when mashing the sweet potatoes. I just used the soymilk called for, adding a little more as needed to achieve the correct level of moistness.
• Omit the oil when sautéing the vegetables and tempeh; for the veggies, use a nonstick skillet with a little water, sherry, or broth instead. If you are using tempeh, you can bake it or “dry fry” it in a skillet to crisp it up. You will not get the browning you would with oil, but as an ingredient inside a mix of moist ingredients, this becomes less of a standout. 

Seitan with Ancho-Chipotle Sauce

If you like cooking with seitan, and if you like a well-seasoned sauce with a pop of smoke and spice, you will no doubt enjoy the “Seitan with Ancho-Chipotle Sauce” (page 310) as much as I did. Making seitan from scratch is super easy, and there are an abundance of recipes available if you want to try, including from this book (see my review here). You can also purchase seitan in most well stocked groceries and natural foods stores if you are so inclined. Either way, once the seitan is ready, the rest of the work is in the sauce, which consists of onion, carrot, garlic, fire-roasted tomatoes, and three dried chilies (ancho and chipotle). I substituted 1 tablespoon of chipotle powder for the chile, since I didn’t have one on hand, with no problem. The sauce is simmered for nearly an hour to thicken it up, and then everything is blended smooth in a blender.

Slices of seitan are dipped in seasoned cornmeal and, according to the recipe, should be pan-fried in 2 tablespoons of oil. Your options for reducing or eliminating the oil include baking the seitan on a parchment paper lined pan in a moderate oven for 30-minutes, turning halfway through; or, using a very fine mist of spray oil in your skillet; or, using a very high quality nonstick skillet without any oil (this will tend to stick to any but the best of non-stick cookware). Whichever method you choose, you can get by with much less than 2 tablespoons of oil, if not eliminating it altogether.

The final step is topping the browned seitan with the warmed sauce. With the very first bite, I think you will agree, the flavors are indescribably satisfying and delicious!

Keeping it “McDougall Friendly” checklist:

• Omit the oil when sautéing the vegetables; used a nonstick skillet with a little water, sherry, or broth instead.
• Instead of pan-frying the seitan in 2-tablespoons of oil, you can bake it on a parchment paper lined pan in a moderate oven for 30-minutes, turning halfway through; or, use a very fine mist of spray oil in your skillet; or, use a very high quality nonstick skillet without any oil (seitan will tend to stick to any but the best of non-stick cookware).

Coconut-Peanut Chickpeas & Vegetables

“Coconut-Peanut Chickpeas & Vegetables” (page 259) has the combinations of ingredients and flavors I find immensely appealing. Chickpeas are one of my favorite legumes, and the blending of peanut butter, coconut milk, garlic and tomatoes (plus throw in a little heat – a lot, in my case) is just irresistible to my palate. This is a very quick and easy dish to put together, as long as you have cooked chickpeas on hand. Sautéed onion, bell pepper and garlic are combined with a touch of curry, and added to the chickpeas. Coconut milk and peanut butter provide a smooth richness, but as I always do, I substituted soymilk flavored with ½ teaspoon of coconut extract for the coconut milk to omit the highly saturated fat that comes with it. I have come to prefer this to coconut milk, which seems overly thick and rich to me anymore. You still get the wonderful flavor of coconut, and I never feel like anything is missing.

Fast facts

14 ounces of full fat canned coconut milk = 700 calories, 70 grams of fat (60 of those are saturated fat)

14 ounces of full fat soy milk = 141 calories, 8 grams of fat (1 gram of saturated fat)

At the very last minute, fresh baby spinach is added to the skillet and cooked just long enough to wilt. A lovely, colorful, and delicious addition, really making this a one pot meal if you so desire. I ended up serving it over rice for a heartier presentation, and to collect the delicious sauce. Crushed peanuts for the garnish are the crowning touch.

Keeping it “McDougall Friendly” checklist:

• Omit the oil when sautéing the vegetables; used a nonstick skillet with a little water, sherry, or broth instead.
• Substitute the coconut milk with 14 ounces of soymilk flavored with ½ teaspoon coconut extract.

Ginger-Peanut Tempeh

Browning tempeh oil-free can definitely be a challenge, and if you’re like me, you may have to decide you’re going to end up with something a little different from the original recipe intent. Such was the case with “Ginger-Peanut Tempeh”, (page 301), which called for browning previously steamed diced tempeh in a skillet using two tablespoons of oil. In all likelihood, this would have kept the tempeh cubes intact, as intended, but what I ended up with was more of a tempeh scramble, especially since the addition of each new ingredient required more tossing and stirring in the skillet. Not a bad thing, necessarily, at least I didn’t think so. This dish was quite flavorful with red bell pepper, garlic, green onions, fresh ginger, peanuts, and cilantro, all seasoned with a combination of soy sauce, sugar, and crushed red pepper. I ended up serving it over brown rice, and thought it would also have gone well with mashed potatoes, or grilled yams.  Bright steamed greens on the side made for a complete meal.

Keeping it “McDougall Friendly” checklist:

• Instead of frying the tempeh in oil, use a very good quality nonstick skillet and “dry-fry” it.
• Use the same nonstick skillet and a little broth, sherry, or water to sauté the veggies.

Sicilian-Style Tofu

When I read the ingredients for the “Sicilian-Style Tofu” (page 287), I knew I would like it, as I have a great fondness for kalamata olives and capers, and most anything that includes them. I wasn’t disappointed, and in fact, I liked it a lot more than I expected!

                               

The basis for the dish is pan-fried tofu. It can be a little tricky trying to get “crisply fried tofu” (as described in the recipe headnotes) without using oil, but once you realize alternate preparation methods also yield satisfying results, you won’t be disappointed. After pressing a 16-oz block of tofu to extract the excess water, I cut it into 9-10 slices, and “dry-fried” it in a non-stick skillet without using any oil at all. It didn’t get as crispy, or as brown, as frying it in oil would have, but to me, it was still completely acceptable, especially after being topped with the zesty and flavorful sauce. However, a very good quality non-stick skillet is ESSENTIAL for this to work!

Speaking of the sauce, this consisted of canned diced tomatoes, onion, garlic sherry, olives, capers, and red pepper flakes, simmered on the stove, then spooned over the prepared tofu, which can be served “as is”, or over pasta for a sort of cacciatore effect. The combination of flavors is supremely satisfying, and I admit to upping the red pepper flakes to give it a bit more bite. The sauce would be good on other foods as well, such as potatoes, pasta, scrambled tofu, or polenta. I see a lot of possibilities here!

Keeping it “McDougall Friendly” checklist:

• Instead of frying the tofu in oil, use a very good quality nonstick skillet and “dry-fry” it.
• Use the same nonstick skillet and a little broth, sherry, or water to sauté the veggies.

Cabbage Rolls Stuffed with Bulger & Chickpeas

“Cabbage Rolls Stuffed With Bulgur & Chickpeas” (page 337) is a perfect cold-weather dish, even though these are prepared in a skillet on the stove, not baked in the oven.  (There is something so satisfying about a long slow bake of anything in the oven on a cold winter's day!). Because I had a beautiful bunch of collard greens that begged to be rolled around something, I decided to use this instead of the cabbage, which you can plainly see in the picture. The slightly steamed leaves are stuffed with a delicious mixture of cooked bulgur and sautéed onion, cooked garbanzo beans, dillweed, salt and pepper. These tidy little bundles are arranged in a large skillet, covered with tomato juice, and simmered until the greens are cooked and everything is hot throughout. Hearty, satisfying, and wholesome, and made from ingredients you might already have hanging around the kitchen.

Keeping it “McDougall Friendly” checklist:

• Instead of sautéing the onion in oil, use a nonstick skillet and/or a little water, broth, or sherry. 

Millet-Stuffed Bell Peppers with Watercress & Orange

“Millet-Stuffed Bell Peppers with Watercress & Orange” (page 336) puts a novel and delicious spin on the traditional stuffed pepper. Millet isn’t a common grain for most of us living in this country, but the more ways I find to use it, the more I appreciate it. It is versatile, nutritious, and as a bit of a chameleon, can adapt itself to dishes ranging from sweet to savory. In this simple preparation, cooked millet is mixed with sautéed onions, watercress, chopped orange segments; mildly seasoned with pepper and coriander; then stuffed into bell pepper halves. These bake in orange juice until the peppers are tender, and the millet stuffing is heated through. Use any color of peppers that pleases you; I found red peppers on sale at the market the week I made these, so that is what I used. I made a couple of changes to the recipe to suit my own tastes. First, I didn’t pre-cook the pepper halves in boiling water before stuffing and baking them. I find this step softens the peppers more than I like, and the bake in the oven is enough for me. I also spooned the orange juice over the stuffed peppers, rather than pouring it into the bottom of the baking pan so the millet could soak up the delicious flavor. These keep well, so you won’t mind if you end up with leftovers – in fact, you’ll be glad of it!

  

Keeping it “McDougall Friendly” checklist: 

• Substitute the oil for sautéing the veggies with sherry (which added a nice flavor), or water, or soy sauce

Three Bean Cassoulet

With Autumn just around the corner, you might want to add the "Three-Bean Cassoulet" (page 257) to your upcoming menu. Cassoulet, which traditionally combines some sort of meat and white beans, is a classic stew from the south of France, but one that is baked in the oven, not on top of the stove. This recipe incorporates three separate varieties of white beans - Navy, Great Northern, and Cannellini - calling for a total of 4 ½ cups in all. Sautéed carrots, onions, and celery are mixed with the beans and tomatoes, and generously seasoned with parsley, savory, and thyme. Everything is transferred to a covered casserole dish and baked in the oven for about an hour. Autumn, to me, signals the beginning of heartier, warming meals such as this kind of stew.

I took a few liberties with this recipe. I only used one kind of bean, an heirloom variety called Orca, which I cooked from scratch, which didn't turn out to be the best choice, but I had them to use up, and so I did. I also used just three cups of the cooked beans, and threw in some white and blue potato chunks to make up the difference. Instead of using 1 cup of broth, I used ½ cup of red wine and ½ cup of broth for a richer flavor. I also opted not to top with the breadcrumbs called for towards the end of the baking time because the stew was so juicy (not a bad thing), it seemed to me the crumbs would have just dissolved into the broth instead of sitting atop the veggies.

In retrospect, and especially since I didn't use the breadcrumbs, I think this could just as easily have worked on the stove top in a big Dutch oven or stew pot. But however you make it, as written, or with your own substitutions and tweaks, you just can't go wrong with a pot or a pan of stewed beans and veggies floating in a flavorful broth.

Keeping it "McDougall Friendly" checklist:

• Do not use oil to sauté the veggies; instead, use a nonstick skillet and/or water, broth, or sherry for the cooking liquid.