Pasta Gratin With Provençal Vegetables

"Pasta Gratin with Provençal Vegetables" (page 226) is a pasta casserole, started on the stove top, and finished off in the oven. Cooked penne pasta is mixed with sautéed veggies (shallots, garlic, bell pepper, zucchini, artichoke hearts, and tomatoes), topped with breadcrumbs, and baked until hot and bubbly. Although lightly seasoned with salt, pepper, thyme, and parsley, I found I was looking for a little something extra, so I added a sprinkle of red pepper flakes to my servings at the table.  

 

"Keeping it McDougall Friendly" checklist:

ü     Omit the 2 tablespoons of oil when sautéing the veggies; use a nonstick skillet instead and/or a little water, sherry, or broth.

ü     Use whole grain penne pasta (or some other whole grain pasta if penne is hard to find).

ü     Use whole grain, oil-free breadcrumbs.

Avocado & Tempeh Bacon Wraps

The "Avocado & Tempeh Bacon Wraps" (page 113), make a great lunch, or even a quick dinner if you have the tempeh bacon on hand. I used Lightlife brand tempeh based "Fakin' Bacon", which consists of soybeans, brown rice, spices, and seasonings, and no oil. It makes a great stand-in anywhere bacon is desired. These delicious wraps consist of tortillas or flat bread spread with vegan mayonnaise, filled with sautéed tempeh, lettuce, avocado and tomato. Sort of like a BLT deluxe, in a wrap!

 

"Keeping it McDougall Friendly" checklist:

ü     Omit the 2 tablespoons of oil when browning the tempeh; use a nonstick skillet instead.

ü     Use fat-free mayonnaise, either store bought or homemade (Vegan Mayonnaise).

ü     Use whole grain, oil free wraps.

Rice & Pea Soup

"Rice and Pea Soup" (page 163), or risi e bisi, as they call it in Italy, is more like risotto than soup. And in fact the rice in this dish is Arborio rice, the variety used in risottos. With just a handful of ingredients (onion, garlic, rice, broth, peas, parsley), this soup is easy to prepare, and can be ready in about an hour. After a quick search online, I did discover a whole grain (brown) Arborio rice does exist, but it is not recommended for use in risotto-type dishes, which would include this soup. The white Arborio gives off more starch, which provides the satisfying creaminess of this dish. Lots of fresh ground black pepper added at the table is especially nice.

 

"Keeping it McDougall Friendly" checklist:

ü Omit the 2 tablespoons of oil when browning the onion and garlic; use a nonstick skillet, and/or a little water, sherry, or broth instead.

Seitan Tacos

These build-it-yourself "Seitan Tacos" (page 126) are sure to please, since each taco is individually custom made with just the ingredients you want. Cooked seitan is seasoned with chili powder, cumin, and garlic and is the "meat" of the filling. Optional toppings listed in the recipe are avocado, lettuce, and salsa, but you could also include sliced olives, shredded vegan cheese, vegan sour cream, and diced tomato. That's the fun of a taco bar! Soft corn tortillas are used here, a healthy choice to wrap around these delicious taco fillings.

 

"Keeping it McDougall Friendly" checklist:

ü     Omit the 2 tablespoons of oil when browning the seitan; use a nonstick skillet, and/or a little water or broth instead.

ü     Make your own seitan (Basic Simmered Seitan), or make sure you purchase an oil free variety.

ü     Use fresh (soft) corn tortillas which are oil free, as opposed to the hard shell varieties, which are fried.

Orange & Maple-Baked Acorn Squash

The "Orange-and-Maple-Baked Acorn Squash" (page 383) is not only delicious, it is also very pretty to look at. The distinct ribs, or ridges, that run the length of the outer skin transform the sliced rings into adorable "flowers". It is a little tricky trying to slice an acorn squash into these rings - you need to keep the squash very steady, and use a very sharp knife. The flower rings are moistened with fresh orange juice and pure maple syrup, sprinkled with cinnamon, and baked in the oven. A delightful treat that requires no changes to keep it McDougall friendly!

Hash Brown Potatoes

Duplicating crispy "Hash Brown Potatoes" (page 525) without using oil is tricky to say the least. After years of experimenting with different methods, from non-stick pans, to using a few drops of water, to keeping it totally dry, lid off the skillet, lid on, starting with raw potatoes, or using frozen, pre boiled or pre baked potatoes, and even "cheating" and using a spritz of spray can oil, I have concluded that nothing will exactly replicate the light and crispy qualities of a true oil-fried hash brown potato. Since I've accepted that fact, and have let go of that expectation, I now enjoy the healthier version for what it is. In all my experimentations I've found that using pre-cooked works best, but according to the recipe notes, that makes them "home fries" as opposed to hash browns, which evidently always start with raw shredded potatoes. This recipe calls for shredded raw potatoes and onions to be fried in oil, and seasoned with salt and pepper. I decided to try this in my non-stick skillet, minus the oil. While they did brown up nice, and they did cook all the way through, they were most definitely more like a soft potato "cake" rather than crispy fried potatoes. Still very enjoyable, and totally guilt free. Top with ketchup, Tabasco, or BBQ sauce for extra flavor at the table.

Spice Island Tofu

"Spice Island Tofu" (page 290) reminds me of a sweet and sour chicken dish I used to make in my pre-vegan life. I am thrilled to finally have a dish that brings back the old familiar flavors in a much healthier and kinder presentation. Slices of tofu are dredged in a flavorful blend of cornstarch and spices (thyme, marjoram, cayenne, paprika, and allspice) and browned in skillet. Bell pepper, green onions, and jalapeño are sautéed until tender, then simmered with tomatoes, pineapple chunks and lime juice. This luscious vegetable mixture is then spooned over the prepared tofu and garnished with fresh parsley. I served ours over a bed of brown rice.

 

"Keeping it McDougall Friendly" Checklist:

ü     Omit the oil when browning the tofu and sautéing the veggies (3 tablespoons total); use a nonstick skillet, and/or a little water or broth instead.

Sesame Spinach Noodle Pie

Flavor alert: If you aren't a fan of tahini, you probably won't like the "Sesame Spinach Noodle Pie" (page 322). But if are a fan, you will immediately fall in love with it! The recipe notes call this an "Asian version of mac and cheese", which describes this to a tee. Cooked linguine is bathed in a rich sauce made of tahini (a lot of tahini!), garlic (a lot of garlic!), miso paste, fresh lemon juice, and cayenne. Cooked spinach is mixed into the noodles and sauce, then everything is transferred to a baking dish, sprinkled with sesame seeds, and baked in the oven. I've noticed many recipes in this book have a "theme of three", using a main ingredient in three different forms. In this recipe it is sesame that is utilized in three of its incarnations: Sesame paste (tahini), sesame seeds, and sesame oil, if you so choose to incorporate the oil into the sauce. Although I will sometimes use a few drops of sesame oil in a dish for that unique flavor boost, in this case I left it out altogether. I felt the tahini was already providing enough sesame oil flavor, so there was no point in gilding the lily, and adding unnecessary fat grams. Use whole grain fettuccini, and omit the oil to keep this McDougall friendly, although it still remains a rich and high fat dish due to the amount of tahini used. Save this for special occasions!

Ranchero Sauce

"Ranchero Sauce" (page 550) is a cooked salsa, or a chunky tomato sauce, meant to be served warm. Canned crushed tomatoes are jazzed up with sautéed onion, garlic, and jalapeño (skip the oil, use just a little bit of water instead to soften), seasoned with cumin and chili powder and diced green chilies (the mild canned variety), and cooked stovetop for several minutes. Lastly, fresh cilantro is stirred in. This sauce is especially good over creamy polenta, or as a dip for oven baked corn tortilla chips.

Green Bean Casserole Redux

For some people, green bean casserole is a big part of holiday meals, especially Thanksgiving. This year I decided to try the "Green Bean Casserole Redux" (page 370) as a part of our vegan Thanksgiving meal. The improvements in this modern makeover of an old classic include using fresh green beans instead of canned, and fresh cream of mushroom sauce instead of canned soup. Typically this casserole is also topped with canned French fried onion rings, and this recipe still offers this up as an option (one last holdout), but also includes an alternate suggestion of using slivered almonds instead. I opted to go with the healthier almond topping, and found a package of peppery seasoned sliced almonds that were perfect here. Leave out the oil when sautéing the onion, and opt for the slivered almonds, and this once nutritionally lacking favorite is transformed into something delicious and healthy.

Pumpkin Pie with a Hint of Rum



Vegan pumpkin pie recipes are very easy to come by in today's world, especially with the internet at your fingertips. I remember my happiness at finding one vegan pumpkin pie recipe in a magazine about 20 years ago, and I still use that recipe to this day, it's fool proof, delicious, and still my favorite. But in the interest of being fair and working my way through all 1000 recipes, I relented this past Thanksgiving and made the "Pumpkin Pie With a Hint of Rum" (page 460) from this book. This recipe is actually quite similar to the one I normally make, minus the rum, so I wasn't disappointed at all. The rum really is just a hint - only one tablespoon, and as the recipe notes say, you can even leave that out if you wish. In addition to the pumpkin, the filling consists of silken tofu, sugar, egg replacer, pure maple syrup, and the normal pumpkin pie spices (cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and nutmeg). The most challenging part of this recipe to keep healthy is of course, the crust. Pie crust is extremely hard to duplicate using healthy ingredients. First of all, it's the fat, usually shortening or margarine that gives crust its characteristic tenderness. And whole wheat flour, even whole wheat pastry flour, isn't the greatest for a tender and delicate crust. My solution? I don't eat the crust anymore. I purchased a pre-made crust to bake the filling in, and to serve at Thanksgiving for those who wanted it, but I just ate the filling like it was pudding. And the good news is, the filling ingredients didn't require any modification at all!

Triple Cranberry Relish

I automatically liked the recipe for "Triple Cranberry Relish" (page 571) because no changes were necessary to meet McDougall guidelines. As the name suggests, three forms of cranberry go into this dish: Fresh, dried, and cranberry juice. The only other ingredients are sugar and lemon zest, all of which are cooked on the stove until thick and bubbly. This sauce can be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled. I found I didn't have to cook it for the full 25 minutes, it started thickening up much sooner, and it continues to thicken as it cools, so something to watch. We had this with our Thanksgiving dinner, a much better presentation and taste than anything that comes out of a can.

Vegan Whipped Cream

Finding a suitable substitute for dairy whipped cream has proved to be quite difficult, especially if you are after the fluff and airiness of those concoctions that come in a spray can or those blue and white tubs in the frozen section. In recent years natural foods stores have started carrying  spray can vegan alternatives, both soy and rice based. These are no doubt highly processed, just like their dairy alternatives, but might be okay for a once a year indulgence on pumpkin pie, for instance. I have also tried a handful of homemade vegan whipped creams, such as the "Vegan Whipped Cream" (page 501) in this book. All I can say about these alternatives, including this one, is that they are really more like a sauce than a whip. That's okay in its own right, but don't expect something stiff or fluffy from this recipe, rather enjoy it as a sweet vanilla flavored sauce to spoon over the dessert of your choice. The recipe is made from silken tofu, pure maple syrup, vanilla extract, and canola oil, processed in a blender until smooth and creamy. I left the oil out and thickened it up a bit with 1/2 teaspoon guar gum.

Black Bean & Corn Soup

"Black Bean & Corn Soup" (page 160) is a very satisfying, delicious, and healthy soup. Full of whole foods such as beans, onions, bell pepper, carrot, tomatoes, and corn, seasoned perfectly, and partially puréed to add a creamy thickness, there isn't much more you can ask from a soup. This recipe is a snap to make McDougall friendly, simply omit the oil when sautéing the veggies. Nice dish on a cool autumn day.