Mango & Snow Pea Salad

It's really the peanut dressing that makes the "Mango and Snow Pea Salad" (page 58) a standout creation. Definitely a bit on the high-fat side from the peanut butter, and the chopped peanut topping, but a little really does a long way so no need to over dress. The salad consists of romaine lettuce, snow peas, mangos, carrots, and cucumber, with each vegetable adding a range of texture, color, and flavor. This is a very flavorful salad that can also be transformed into a main dish meal with the addition of cooked noodles. The recipe was within McDougall guidelines as written, so no changes were necessary.

Orange & Fig Salad with Walnuts & Dried Cherries

The "Orange and Fig Salad with Walnuts and Dried Cherries" (page 98) is a great salad to make in the autumn or winter when you are most likely to find fresh or dried figs and seasonal oranges. The coconut and walnuts make this salad reminiscent of ambrosia, and turns an ordinary fruit salad into something very festive. The dressing is a simple splash of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkle of sugar. I found the fruit sweet enough that the sugar was unnecessary, so you might want to taste first before adding. No changes necessary to keep within McDougall guidelines. J

Chocolate-Almond Butter Truffles

If this book had a chapter for candy, then the "Chocolate-Almond Butter Truffles" (page 443) would surely belong there. This delightful dessert should be reserved for very special occasions, as rich as it is, but one truffle goes a long way to satisfy any sweet tooth craving. Not to mention a chocolate craving - there is a double dose here coming from melted vegan chocolate chips and cocoa powder, which is held together with creamy almond butter, and sweetened with confectioners sugar. The finished truffles are rolled in chopped toasted almonds, and refrigerated briefly to firm them up. Pure delicious decadence! The recipe uses a little soy milk in the mixture, and I found I needed to use a little more than called for to help hold the truffles together. It helps to moisten the formed truffles with a few drops of soymilk before rolling them in the almonds as well to allow the almonds to stick better.  And one last note, I almost ran out of almonds before I ran out of uncoated truffles, so you might want to add a couple of Tablespoons to the ½ cup called for.

Spinach Salad with Almonds, Fuji Apples, & Figs

What could be easier and more delicious than fresh salad of spinach, slivered roasted almonds, figs, and apples, topped with a light dressing? The "Spinach Salad with Almond, Fuji Apple, and Figs" is just that - easy and delicious. The dressing as written called for olive oil mixed with balsamic vinegar and sugar.  Instead of that, I used fig-infused balsamic vinegar, sprinkled on individual servings at the table.  Any good tasting mild balsamic vinegar would make a great stand-alone dressing on this fruity salad.

Curried Pumpkin Soup

In late Autumn, I baked a pumpkin and ended up with about 10 cups of pumpkin mash, which I froze in 2-cup containers. Since then I've had my eye out for pumpkin based recipes, and the "Curried Pumpkin Soup" (page 172) caught my attention. This soup is not overly curried, and you can use a hot or mild blend, depending on your preferences. Vegetable stock, pumpkin puree and coconut milk form the broth, along with minced onion, garlic, and ginger. Since I avoid coconut milk due to the high saturated fat content, I substituted 1.5 cups soymilk flavored with ½ teaspoon of coconut extract. This is a great replacement that still adds creaminess and flavor to the soup. Once ladled into bowls, the soup is topped with optional toppings of minced parsley, mango chutney, and roasted cashews.  I omitted the oil when sautéing the veggies, using a little broth instead.

Apricot-Walnut Balls

If you are looking for a dessert made from fruits and nuts, the "Apricot-Walnut Balls" (page 444) will fill the bill.  Just five ingredients (dried apricots, walnuts, sugar, vanilla extract, and shredded coconut) are rolled into sweet confections that resemble little snow balls. You can also vary this recipe by using any combination of dried fruits and nuts, so there are endless possibilities. No cooking required, and quick to assemble.  These are quite rich, but I found eating just one satisfied my craving for sweets.  No changes were necessary to keep this within the McDougall guidelines.

Mediterranean Artichoke Sauté

"Mediterranean Artichoke Sauté" (page 354) is a warm dish, bursting with a medley of flavors - artichokes, red bell pepper, shallots, capers, kalamata olives, tomatoes, basil. Does this look like the makings of a wonderful salad?  To me it did, and I actually found I enjoyed this dish better after chilling it overnight and serving it cold.  The sautéed vegetables are topped off with white wine, and is really the only dressing necessary to bring together all the flavors.  I omitted the oil, and just used the wine and water as the sautéing liquid.

Seitan Milanese with Panko & Lemon

"Seitan Milanese with Panko and Lemon" (page 308) is a quick and easy dish found in the Main Dishes section, but would also make a great appetizer or meal starter. The biggest challenge was figuring out how to prepare this without frying the seitan. Of course, anything can be baked instead of fried, but you won't end up with the same crispy golden crust obtained when you fry something.  In this recipe, chunks of seitan are breaded with seasoned panko crumbs, then pan fried (per the recipe), or, as I modified the recipe, baked (to omit the oil, yet retain the crumb topping). Instead of moistening the seitan chunks with water before breading, I used soymilk so they would brown a little better in the oven. Lemon wedges are served on the side to be used as desired once the seitan is cooked.  I also mixed up a cocktail style sauce, using ketchup and prepared horseradish, which made a wonderful dipping sauce. This is fun food!

Rotini Remoulade

As you may have noticed, I am not averse to substituting pasta varieties in recipes, based on what I have on hand, and personal preferences.  Such was the case with the "Rotini Remoulade" (page 93), where I used bow tie pasta instead of rotini. This is a simple salad that combines cooked pasta with small amounts of onion, celery, and bell pepper, then dresses it with remoulade, a mayo based sauce livened up with capers, relish, lemon juice, ketchup, mustard, and Tabasco sauce. Normally I find I need to cut back on the amount of pasta called for because I prefer a smaller ratio of pasta to sauce or dressing, but in this recipe 8-ounces (as written) worked perfectly. This is very easy to keep within McDougall guidelines if you choose an oil-free mayo. If you can stop yourself from eating all four servings in one sitting, the leftovers are delicious, too!

Rustic Cottage Pie

If you like shepherd's pie, you will adore the "Rustic Cottage Pie" (page 316), the vegan version of this fantastic comfort food.  Mixed vegetables (onion, carrot, celery, peas, and corn) and seitan are mixed with Mushroom Sauce (reviewed on this blog), spread into a casserole dish, topped with mashed potatoes, and baked in the oven. Not only is this a delicious and warming dinner, it is very healthy, chock full of colorful vegetables. It's easy to leave the oil out when sautéing the veggies, and instead of margarine, mash the potatoes with broth and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast.

Ribollita

This time of year there is nothing I enjoy more than a hot bowl of soup. "Ribollita" (page 153), which literally means "re-boiled", is a Tuscan soup very similar to minestrone.  Chock full of veggies - onion, carrot, cabbage, kale, and potato - simmered in a tomato based broth, made hearty by the addition of white beans, and finally, ladled over pieces of toasted Italian bread. For the sake of the photograph, and to appease my husband, I floated the pieces of bread on top of the soup, rather than covering them, as you can see in the picture. The recipe called for 3 tablespoons of oil, 2 for sautéing the veggies, and 1 to drizzle over the individual servings.  I omitted the oil in both instances, and still had fabulous results.

Drunken Spaghetti with Tofu

Usually my husband prepares any recipe that calls for a wok, as he is the stir-fry king in our house.  But since the "Drunken Spaghetti with Tofu" (page 240) could technically be prepared in a wok or a large skillet, I decided to try this dish myself - in the large skillet, of course! Sautéed onion, bell pepper, garlic, and snow peas are combined with previously cooked strips of tofu, then tossed together with the prepared noodles, spicy Asian sauce, and fresh basil. According to the recipe notes, these noodles are called "drunken" due to the spiciness of the dish, since hot chiles are said to be a hangover remedy. To keep this dish McDougall friendly, I omitted the oil when sautéing both the tofu and veggies, using my non-stick skillet with excellent results.

Butternut Soup with a Swirl of Cranberry

The abundance of butternut squash available this time of year makes the "Butternut Soup with a Swirl of Cranberry" (page 170) a healthy and delicious way to enjoy this vegetable powerhouse.  The soup is a blend of puréed squash, onion, potato, and carrot, in a broth seasoned with allspice and ginger. It's so easy to make, and the cranberry swirl (a mixture of cranberry sauce and orange juice) is an especially pretty touch, offering a bright spot of contrasting color and flavor.  This soup would make a wonderful first course at a holiday meal. The only change I made to was to omit the oil when sautéing the veggies, thus keeping the dish virtually fat-free.

Seitan & Potato Torta

"Seitan and Potato Torta" (page 315) is a layered casserole, and a perfect dish when warm-out-of-the-oven food is what you want.  Sautéed onion and spinach are mixed with sliced seitan and seasonings, then layered with sliced potatoes in either a deep or shallow casserole dish. The final layer is a sprinkle of vegan parmesan cheese, right before popping into the oven for around one hour.  This gives you plenty of time to prepare any other dish(es) you might be having with the torta, or to clean up from the preparation.  To keep this McDougall compliant, I omitted the oil both when sautéing the onion, and when called for to brush the layers of potatoes (here I used a little broth instead).  Leftovers where just as good the next day.