Teriyaki Tofu Wraps

"Teriyaki Tofu Wraps" (page 115) make a wonderfully quick and tasty treat. Tofu strips are marinated in a teriyaki sauce, browned with red bell pepper, and rolled into a flat bread of your choice (I used flour tortillas). The recipe as written calls for a total of 4 tablespoons of oil, but I was able to reduce this to ½ teaspoon. Normally I would leave all oil out, but the marinade calls for sesame oil, which provides a distinct flavor. But instead of adding 2 tablespoons, I cut it down to ½ teaspoon, enough to capture the flavor, and used water to make up the difference. The next 2 tablespoons of oil are used to sauté the tofu and bell peppers, but with my nonstick skillet, no oil at all was required in this step. These wraps were so good, and so easy to make, I see them becoming a regular addition to my diet.

Chocolate-Banana Pudding

"Chocolate-Banana Pudding" (page 474) is pure chocolate decadence. Made with melted semisweet chocolate chips, the end result is not quite as soft as a traditional pudding (the final mixture firms up quite a bit); to me this had an almost fudge-like quality. The ingredients list is simple. Melted chocolate chips blended into puréed banana, maple syrup, and vanilla extract, and topped off with roasted chopped peanuts. The recipe serves six, and even though that might seem like small servings when you are dividing it up, this dessert is so rich the six servings recommendation makes perfect sense. Be sure to use vegan chocolate chips to keep this McDougall friendly. Not a lowfat dessert whatsoever, but occasionally I find comparable recipes in the McDougall books and newsletters. Definitely to be reserved for very special occasions!

Tempeh-Walnut "Chicken" Salad Wraps

I never get tired of sandwiches, and find myself enjoying them for lunch, dinner, and sometimes even breakfast. The recipe for "Tempeh-Walnut 'Chicken' Salad Wraps" (page 113) suggests using sliced bread or bagels as an option instead of a flatbread (wrap), and I chose to put this sumptuous filling on slices of sourdough bread. This almost reminded me of a Waldorf salad, with the inclusion of walnuts and celery, along with green onions, red bell pepper, and parsley, tossed together with steamed tempeh. The dressing was a blend of seasoned mayonnaise and Dijon mustard. Curly leaf lettuce adds a bit of green, and finishes the sandwich off quite nicely. Be sure to use an oil free vegan mayonnaise to keep this as healthy (and McDougall friendly) as possible.

Mushroom Goulash

The hearty "Mushroom Goulash" (page 326) is so delicious and the flavors are so addictive, I could probably eat this every day. A savory vegetable medley of onion, garlic, portobello mushrooms, and potato (surprised me too, but it worked!) are simmered in wine, broth, and tomato paste. Caraway seed provides the traditional seasoning you are looking for in a goulash, and instead of cabbage, this recipe calls for sauerkraut, a wonderful replacement as far as I'm concerned. Vegan sour cream is mixed into the cooked veggies, and the finished product is served over wide noodles. To keep this oil free, sauté the veggies in a non-stick skillet, and make or purchase an oil-free sour cream. With all the varieties of pastas on the market, it is getting easier and easier to find your favorite variety in a whole grain.

Quick Apple Crisp

My husband's favorite desserts are fruit based, and his favorite fruit in a dessert is apple. So, when I asked him what dessert he would like me to make for his birthday, he requested "Quick Apple Crisp" (page 472). The recipe consists of sliced apples sweetened with maple syrup, topped with a crumbly mixture of flour, oats, walnuts, brown sugar, and margarine, then baked in the oven until the apples are done and the topping is crisp. The biggest challenge was how to omit the ½ cup of margarine. In my experience, if you want that "crisp" in a dessert, it requires a fat of some kind. However, I was willing to sacrifice the crisp in order to keep the dish lower in fat, so I used a concoction of 2 tablespoons cashew butter mixed with ¼ cup applesauce to replace the margarine. This mixture provided the necessary moisture to the topping, as well as flavor, and reduced the fat from 70 grams from the margarine to just 16 from the cashew butter. My husband loved his birthday dessert!

Tempeh with Maple, Mustard, & Balsamic Glaze

In every cookbook there seems to be a handful of recipes that make me say "this recipe alone is worth the price of the book!", and the "Tempeh with Maple, Mustard, and Balsamic Glaze" (page 299) definitely falls into this category. I don't eat a lot of tempeh, and I'm sort of picky on how it's prepared, but this is hands-down the best preparation I've ever had. The tempeh is first cooked in a simmering water bath for 30 minutes, then browned in a skillet (where the recipe calls for oil, but wasn't necessary in my non-stick skillet), cooked further in a broth, then coated with the glaze. The flavors are bold and the texture is perfect. I served this alongside mashed potatoes and sautéed greens for a complete and wonderful meal.

Rosemary-Scented Mashed Potatoes with Limas

Really, is there any vegetable that doesn't taste good stirred into mashed potatoes? The "Rosemary-Scented Mashed Potatoes with Limas" (page 374) is an excellent example of how mashed potatoes are the perfect launching point for almost any vegetable or bean you can think of. A very simple list of ingredients - Lima beans, Yukon gold potatoes, fresh rosemary, and salt and pepper. Technically, the recipe also calls for margarine, but I stopped using margarine on potatoes (and everything else for that matter) many years ago. Instead, I use veggie broth, soymilk, or potato cooking water to moisten and mash the spuds, and sometimes throw in a little nutritional yeast for a richer flavor. (This time I just used veggie broth.) These delicious potatoes would make a great accompaniment to any meal!

Curried Chickpea Patties

Veggie burgers of all kinds rank high on my list of favorite foods. This book has 11 burger recipes, and the "Curried Chickpea Patties" is the 6th one I've tried so far. Who knew that eating burgers could be so fun and healthy, and with seemingly endless varieties? These burgers are a blend of sautéed onion, chickpeas, bread crumbs, vital wheat gluten (giving it both chewiness and acting as a binder), and spices. The curry is incorporated into the patties, and also into vegan mayonnaise that is spread on the buns. The amount of curry isn't overwhelming, and even my husband who isn't overly fond of curry found the amount to his liking. To keep these oil free, simply omit the oil when sautéing the onions, and use a non-stick skillet to brown the patties (again, omitting the oil called for in this step). Find (or make) an oil-free mayonnaise, use whole grain burger buns, and you will not find a healthier burger meal anywhere! (Note: I had to add a little veggie broth when combining the burger ingredients in the food processor as the mixture was a tad dry. Also, I got six burgers from this instead of four, but this is probably personal preference - I prefer a thinner burger.)

Asian Slaw

One of nine slaw recipes in this book, the "Asian Slaw" (page 74) incorporates daikon radish, green onions, parsley, and fresh ginger into the standard mix of shredded cabbage and carrots. The dressing calls for a small amount of sesame oil to further enhance the Asian flavors of this salad, in addition to 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil, along with rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and mustard. I will normally omit all oil in recipes, and look for tasty substitutions to replace it with. In this case I did omit the grapeseed oil, but for the unique flavor provided by sesame oil, I used ½ teaspoon - it is so flavorful, a little really does go a long way! I added a splash of sherry for extra moisture and flavor. The recipe lists chopped peanuts as an optional topping (which I decided to skip this time). This is a very tasty salad that would make a great accompaniment to any Asian-themed meal.

Spiced Oven-Roasted Potato Sticks

"Spiced Oven-Roasted Potato Sticks" (page 375) is a simple combination of sliced russet potatoes and sweet potatoes, seasoned to taste, and baked up into a delicious and healthy side dish of oven baked fries. These are easy to make without oil by lining the baking sheet with parchment paper, a natural non-stick alternative. Old Bay seasoning is the suggested flavoring in the recipe, giving the fries a spicy finish. You can season these any way you want, or even stop with just a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Since I omitted the oil, I found that rinsing the potatoes just before slicing them left them just moist enough to allow the seasoning to stick. These make a great side for veggie burgers!

Penne with White Beans, Red Chard, & Grape Tomatoes

Although the "Penne with White Beans, Red Chard, and Grape Tomatoes" (page 212) is written to be served as a warm main dish meal, I found I liked it better chilled, and served as a pasta salad. Sautéed garlic and chard, mixed with the beans and tomatoes are tossed with penne pasta and fresh basil. Since I omitted the two tablespoons of oil called for, I added a squeeze of fresh lemon for added moisture (and flavor). I had a small amount of penne and a small amount of corkscrew pasta left over in my pantry, so I used a combination of the two, for a total of about 7 ounces dry (as opposed to the 1 pound called for in the recipe). This amount of pasta was more than sufficient in this recipe - any more would have been too much pasta, not enough veggies, for my taste.

Soy Sausage Scramble

If you are a vegan, and have been missing the more traditional "sausage and eggs" type breakfast, you might find the "Soy Sausage Scramble" (page 507) to your liking. A simple dish to prepare, consisting of lightly seasoned tofu scrambled with any variety of soy sausage (or seitan) that appeals to you, along with a sautéed onion. I omitted the oil when sautéing the onion, and used an oil free sausage, so this was relatively low in fat. If you like a softer scrambled tofu, the silken variety works well, and is lower in fat then the firmer varieties. Serve this dish with toast or tortillas, and your favorite condiments (ketchup, salsa, BBQ sauce) on the side

Apple & Pear Cobbler

Because most of the desserts in this book contain generous amounts of oil, usually in the form of margarine, I have found this section quite challenging. So, when I read the recipe for "Apple and Pear Cobbler" (page 471) and saw it only called for 2 tablespoons of oil, I was relieved - it's easy to omit or replace this small amount of oil. (It's not easy to replace ¼ cup margarine and get the intended results.) For this recipe, I replaced the oil with a scant ¼ cup applesauce, a nice complement to the fresh apples and pears baked into the cobbler. The dish is a mixture of Granny Smith apples and ripe pears mixed with sugar, cinnamon, and allspice, topped with a cake-like batter, and baked in the oven. Delicious!!

Lentil Salad With Chiles

"Lentil Salad with Chiles" (page 78) is a combination of cooked brown lentils, tomatoes, celery, green onions, hot or mild chiles (depending on personal preference), mixed with a sherry or balsamic vinegar based dressing (I opted for balsamic). When reviewing the dressing ingredients, I was initially stumped on what to use in place of the ¼ cup olive oil, a significant quantity, and too much "ingredient" to just totally leave out. What I decided on was a combination of 2 TBL veggie broth, 1 TBL light miso paste, and 1 TBL of sherry - perfection! Complex flavor, necessary amount of moistness, and no fat! This salad is delicious and the leftovers improve after a day in the refrigerator.