Cherry Clafoutis

Any recipe that is McDougall compliant as written is a bonus, but even more so in the dessert category. Desserts recipes are rarely oil-, egg-, and dairy-free. That's why I was so very happy when I read the recipe for "Cherry Clafoutis" (page 490) and found it didn't call for oil or margarine, and I could make the recipe without altering a thing! Not to mention it just plain sounded delicious. Per the recipe notes, Clafoutis is a French dessert of cherries baked into a pancakelike batter, and that seemed to be a fitting description. Basically you spread cherries (fresh or frozen - I used frozen with excellent results) in a pie plate, pour the batter over the top, and bake. Very easy. The batter consists of vegan yogurt, soymilk, vanilla, sweetener, flour, and baking powder. Just before serving, add a sprinkle of powdered sugar to each individual slice. This dessert was light, yet satisfying, and very elegant looking as well. I think it would be good with other soft fruit too, as the recipe suggests, such as strawberries or peaches, blueberries, or even plums. I could have used whole wheat pastry flour to up the nutritional value, and next time I make this, I might try that.

Pastitsio

The recipe for "Pastitsio" (page 226) is so-called because it is a pastiche of several ingredients combined into one final dish. Most of the recipes in this cookbook are reasonably quick and easy to put together, but if you are in a lazy mood and wish for a dish with more drawn out preparation, this one will be fun for you. It involves a food processor (chopping the garbanzo beans), precooking pasta, sautéing veggies, creating a white sauce, and layering the different components into a casserole dish, in the manner of lasagna. The recipe calls for frozen spinach, and that did save a little time, but I think I would have preferred using fresh for the superior flavor it imparts. The final layer is chopped pine nuts (I left them whole, they are already so tiny and soft I can never see the point in chopping them) before the casserole is baked in the oven. This will feed two people over several meals, or think about taking it to a potluck. Good hearty fare.

Ginger-Soy Dipping Sauce

I'm always happy when I come across a recipe that is McDougall friendly, with no alterations necessary. The "Ginger-Soy Dipping Sauce" (page 559) is one of those recipes. A very simple mixture of fresh ginger and green onion, soy sauce, vinegar, and orange juice, this sauce is bursting with flavor and is an absolute must with the Sesame Seitan & Spinach Spring Rolls. Any Asian food (tofu, rolls, dumplings) would be wonderful dipped into this teriyaki style sauce.

Sesame Seitan & Spinach Spring Rolls

"Sesame Seitan & Spinach Spring Rolls" (page 26) are in the appetizers chapter, but combined with Vegetable Fried Rice it become the centerpiece of an Asian inspired meal. Spring rolls have always been a little tricky for me, but even if they aren't wrapped as tightly as the ones I get in a restaurant, with a little patience they usually turn out tight enough, and these were perfectly delicious. The filling is a combination of marinated seitan rolled in sesame seeds, pan fried, then rolled up in rice paper wrappers along with shredded carrots and spinach. The marinade calls for a tablespoon of sesame oil, but I cut that back to ½ teaspoon, just enough to add flavor. I skipped the additional tablespoon of oil called for to sauté the seitan, using my non-stick skillet instead. The recipe suggests serving these with Ginger-Soy Dipping Sauce, which I did, a perfect complement that rounded the meal out nicely.

Vegetable Fried Rice

Fried rice does not have to consist of white rice and overcooked vegetables drenched in oil, as I found out when I tried the "Vegetable Fried Rice" (page 268). The trick here is to cook the rice ahead of time and chill it, so some planning ahead is necessary. But this is a necessary step so that the rice remains fluffy and separated when cooking with the vegetables. (I used long grain brown basmati rice.) The recipe calls for a total of 3 tablespoons of oil, 2 for sautéing the veggies (onion, carrot, zucchini), and an additional 1 tablespoon of sesame oil added at the end for flavor. I completely omitted the sautéing oil, as this isn't necessary in a good non-stick skillet, and used only ½ teaspoon of sesame oil for flavor, not too bad stretched over four servings. In addition to the sautéed veggies, green onion, ginger, and frozen green peas are incorporated into the mix, with soy sauce and dry white wine providing extra flavor as well. Turmeric is suggested as an optional ingredient if you want to color the dish yellow, but I opted to leave it out this time. This is a great dish that goes well alongside any Asian themed meals.

Tofu-Tahini Wraps

During the hot summer months I am always looking for quick meals that don't require a lot of cooking over a hot stove, or the use of an oven (which heats the place up). Sandwiches and wraps readily fit that criteria and the "Tofu-Tahini Veggie Wraps" hit the spot one recent hot summer night. The filling consists of tofu and tahini blended in a food processor along with green onions, celery, parsley, capers, and various seasonings, including a pinch of cayenne, adding a lovely glow to the mixture. I thought the filling was crying out for the addition of fresh minced garlic, so I threw a couple of cloves into the mix as well - good idea! J Once the filling is prepared, a small amount is spread onto a flour tortilla or lavash bread, topped with shredded carrot and lettuce, and rolled up to eat. Happily, there is no added oil in this recipe as written, so no changes were required to keep it oil free. If possible, try to use whole grain wraps. We had left over filling which we used on toasted bagels, as a substitute for mayonnaise on a sandwich, and a dip for pretzels.

Orange-Dressed Asparagus

The great thing about the  "Orange-Dressed Asparagus" (page 355) is that it can be prepared and served either immediately (hot), or later (chilled). I chose to serve it chilled since we were in the middle of a heat wave when I decided to make this dish, and all cold food sounded good. To serve it cold, once the asparagus has been steamed, cold water is run over it to stop the cooking process, and the spears are put into the refrigerator until ready to eat, at which time you add the dressing. The dressing is a blend of sautéed shallots, orange zest, fresh orange juice (it just so happens that one medium sized orange provides the correct amount of both zest and juice), fresh lemon juice, and sugar. The dressing also calls for olive oil, but I just left this out altogether and didn't miss a thing. I'm quite an asparagus aficionado, and this preparation was particularly pleasing.

Grilled Portobello Burgers

What would a chapter on burgers in a vegan cookbook be without a grilled portobello burger recipe? "Grilled Portobello Burgers" (page 118) offers a simple presentation that showcases the wonderful juiciness and chewiness of a grilled portobello served on a bun. Not only are the mushrooms grilled, so too are slices of red onion, and the buns, nice touches that create a total outdoorsy grilling experience. The mushrooms and onions are grilled first, and the marinade is brushed on afterwards. I substituted fresh lime juice for the olive oil in the marinade, but didn't change any of the other ingredients (balsamic vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper). A nice twist was the use of basil leaves instead of lettuce (or I suppose you could do both). Put everything on a kaiser roll, add a slice of tomato, drizzle on the rest of the marinade, and you've got yourself a perfectly easy and delicious summer meal in the making.

Vietnamese Po'Boys

"Vietnamese Po'Boys" (page 117) cleverly combines the idea of bahn mi, traditional Vietnamese sandwiches, with the Po'Boy sandwiches popular in the American South. "Soy Tan Dream Cutlets" (see review here) provide the "meat" for the sandwich, while the condiments (onion, carrot, cucumber, and cilantro) are borrowed from the Po'Boy concept. The dressing is vegan mayonnaise mixed with chili sauce and lime, adding wonderful warmth to each bite. If you like things even spicier, jalapeño slices are suggested as an optional addition to layer in. Baguette or sub rolls are the breads suggested, and I used sub rolls. I used a vegetable peeler to create long thin strips of carrot (which looks like cheese in the picture), much easier than shredding a carrot and less messy as well. To keep this McDougall friendly (oil free, and whole grain), do not use oil to brown the Cutlets, use oil-free vegan mayonnaise, and look for rolls made from whole grains. These sandwiches are hearty and delicious, and make a great summer meal, especially with "The Crunchy Sesame Slaw" (see review here) on the side.

Crunchy Sesame Slaw

I much prefer a creamy style slaw to the more vinegary variety, so "Crunchy Sesame Slaw" (page 74) was calling to me when I found myself looking for a side dish for Vietnamese Po'Boys (to be reviewed next). The vegetables in the salad portion include cabbage and carrot, same as you find in many slaw recipes, but an unexpected (and wonderful) addition is snow peas, cut into very thin matchsticks, with green onions rounding out the list of veggies. The dressing is a mixture of tahini, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and toasted sesame oil. My golden rule is to cook completely oil free, but I will make the occasional exception for sesame oil. What I've discovered, though, is it only takes the tiniest amount of this very flavorful oil to stand out in a dish. Here, the recipe called for one tablespoon, and I used just one teaspoon. It was enough for the unique flavor of sesame oil to shine through, especially since sesame seeds are also sprinkled on top of the salad after it is tossed with the dressing. It could be that different brands of tahini are thicker than others, but I found I had to add about ¼ cup of water to the dressing to make it pourable, because made as written, my dressing came out more as a spread. An additional optional topping of crispy chow mein noodles is offered up, but I passed since I'm pretty sure that "crispy" means "fried". With the sesame oil and seeds, rice vinegar, snow peas, and chow mein noodles (if used), this slaw has a definite Asian persuasion, and it made an excellent side for the Vietnamese Po'Boys.

Spicy Tomato & White Bean Soup

"Spicy White Bean and Tomato Soup" (page 173) is tomato soup for grown-ups. If, like me, you grew up loving the stuff that came in the red and white can, this soup will please you even more. What makes this soup rise above the mundane is subtle heat from diced green chiles, creaminess from white beans, and an unexpected ingredient, peanut butter, which adds a layer of complexity and richness. You might think this soup would call for fresh tomatoes, but instead, flavorful canned crushed tomatoes are used. Sautéed onion is puréed with the tomatoes, chiles, beans, peanut butter, and broth, and a splash of fresh lime juice finishes things off. Minced fresh parsley added to each serving adds a bit of color and texture contrast. This soup makes a great starter dish at dinner, and is perfect alongside a sandwich for lunch (especially a vegan grilled cheese sandwich!).

Golden Veggie Burger

Now on the 7th burger recipe in this book (out of 11), the "Golden Veggie Burgers" (page 121) follow a similar approach as the other 6 I've tried so far, that is, a mixture of different vegetables and/or beans, gluten flour, and spices. This particular mix combines yellow onion, yellow bell pepper, and garbanzo beans (providing another shade of "golden"). The ingredients are combined in a food processor, formed into patties, and fried in a skillet on the stove. Optionally, there are also instructions for baking them in the oven if you prefer. The burgers are served on buns with condiments of your choice, with the tempting suggestion to include a yellow tomato and mustard if you want to go for the monochrome look. These burgers are easy to assemble, and easy to make oil free. Simply omit the oil when sautéing the onion and bell pepper, and when frying them (use a nonstick skillet instead - or bake them!). One notable difference in these burgers that stood out from all the others I've made so far is the moisture content. These were quite moist, almost to the point of making it difficult to form the patties. All the other burger recipes I've tried so far were just the opposite, where I've had to add a little extra water or broth. But in the end, they were still delicious, and as usual, I got 6 burgers instead of 4, as I don't like my patties very thick.

Baked Jambalaya Casserole

There's nothing better on a cold evening than a dinner from the oven, and "Baked Jambalaya Casserole" (page 303) really hit the spot on one of those nights not too long ago. Start with skillet browned tempeh, add rice, onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomatoes, broth, and kidney beans, spike with Cajun style spices, pop into the oven, and what you end up with is a complete one-dish meal. I almost exclusively use brown rice when I cook, but the exception to this rule for me is a dish that calls for rice to be cooked as part of an oven dish with multiple ingredients. As many times as I've tried using brown rice under these circumstances, adjusting the amount of rice and/or liquid, the rice never seems to cook to completion. So, in this dish I gave myself permission to break my brown rice rule and used white instead. I suppose if you had cooked brown rice on hand, it would have worked to use that instead of uncooked white, and I might try that next time. I did omit the olive oil when browning the tempeh and veggies, so I was able to keep this dish oil free. This is a very satisfying dish, and don't forget to put the Tabasco on the table for extra heat when serving up!

Puttanesca Seitan & Spinach Salad

"Puttanesca Seitan & Spinach Salad" (page 82) is a hearty salad that can become the centerpiece of a meal, especially if you toss in some cooked pasta, an option suggested in the recipe. The salad consists of garlic sautéed seitan, mixed with kalamata and green olives, capers, spinach and tomatoes. The dressing is a balsamic-based vinaigrette which calls for three tablespoons of olive oil, too much to completely omit without using something in its place. I opted to replace the oil with water, which I mixed with the balsamic vinegar and other dressing ingredients, plus I used ¼ teaspoon of guar gum to thicken the dressing before pouring over the salad. Fresh basil and parsley are added as a finishing touch.  The flavors in this salad are fresh and intense, and although it makes four servings, my husband and I finished it off in one sitting. I was able to keep this dish completely oil free by using a non-stick skillet when sautéing the seitan and omitting the oil called for in this step as well.