Weight Loss Program Recipes

Many of the recipes that we served during the Weight Loss Program appeared in previous newsletters and were such big hits that I wanted to list them again and encourage you to try them.  There were many people in the program that would have gladly had Shepherd's Vegetable Pie every evening for dinner!  You can find it in the April 2002 newsletter.  And on the final evening the Barbecued Bean Salad from September 2002 and the Baked Rice Pudding from February 2003 were the universal favorites.  Here are a few of the other favorites from previous McDougall books.

TOFU ISLAND DRESSING
Servings:  variable
Preparation Time:  5 minutes
Chilling Time:  2 hours

1  12.3 ounce package firm lite silken tofu
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1 tablespoon minced parsley
1 tablespoon minced red onion
1 teaspoon soy sauce
several twists fresh ground pepper

Place the tofu, water and lemon juice in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.  Place in a bowl and stir in remaining ingredients.  

HINT: This is a thicker salad dressing similar to Thousand Island dressing.  Serve on salads of your choice.

CREAMY CILANTRO GARLIC DRESSING
Servings:  makes 1 ½ cups
Preparation Time:  10 minutes
Chilling Time:  2 hours

2 cups cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1/2 cup water
1  12.3 ounce package firm lite silken tofu
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Place the cilantro, garlic and 1/8 cup of the water in a food processor.  Process until blended.  Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth.  

HINT:  Add more water if necessary to make this easy to pour over salads.  To make this less cilantro flavored, use half parsley and half cilantro. 

SOUTHWEST RED POTATOES

Servings:  4
Preparation Time:  10 minutes
Cooking Time:  15 minutes

2 pounds red potatoes, cut into chunks
¼ cup chopped green onions
¼ cup oil free salad dressing
¾ teaspoon chili powder
½ to ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
 
Boil potatoes in water to cover for about 20 minutes, or until just barely fork tender.  Drain.  Place remaining ingredients in a non-stick frying pan.  Add potatoes, cook until coated with spices, about 5 minutes.

HINT:  Adjust the seasonings slightly to suit your tastes.  For example, if you don't like spicy foods, eliminate the red pepper flakes.  If you are not fond of cumin, just leave it out.  Use different oil free dressings to change the flavor of these potatoes.

ITALIAN POTATO SALAD

Preparation Time:  20 minutes
Cooking Time:  5-7 minutes
Chilling Time:  1 hour
Servings:  4-6

5 large red potatoes, scrubbed and sliced ¼ inch thick
½ pound mushrooms, sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup chopped, roasted red pepper
¾ cup oil-free Italian dressing
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Drop the potatoes into boiling water and cook for 5-7 minutes.  Drain and set aside.  Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour over the potatoes and toss to mix.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

HINT:  This may also be made with chunked potatoes instead of sliced.  Cook the potatoes a bit longer (maybe 15-20 minutes) until they are just fork tender.

TOMATO VEGETABLE SALAD

Preparation Time:  30 minutes
Chilling Time:  1-2 hours
Servings:  6

6 tomatoes, chopped
2 cups corn kernels
2 zucchini, julienned
½ cucumber, finely chopped
½ cup water chestnuts, thinly sliced (optional)
4 shallots, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
½ teaspoon minced fresh oregano
½ cup oil-free dressing

Combine all the ingredients and toss well to mix.  Chill before serving.

HINTS:  Fresh or frozen (thawed) corn may be used in this recipe.  Green onions may be used in place of the shallots, if desired.  You will need about 6 of them.  To finely chop and mince fresh herbs, place them in a measuring cup and snip with a kitchen shears.

QUINOA GARDEN SALAD

Preparation Time:  15 minutes
Cooking Time:  15 minutes
Chilling Time:  2 hours
Servings:  6-8

2 cups water
1 cup quinoa, well rinsed
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
½ yellow bell pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch chopped green onions
1  14.5 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh mint
½ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
several dashes Tabasco sauce
several twists of freshly ground black pepper 

Place the water and quinoa in a saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 15 minutes, until water is absorbed.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, combine the vegetables, beans, parsley and mint.  Add the cooked quinoa and mix well.  Add the remaining ingredients and toss well to mix.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

BROCCOLI BISQUE

Preparation Time:  10 minutes
Cooking Time:  20 minutes
Servings:  6-8

4 cups broccoli florets
3 cups vegetable broth
2 cups frozen chopped hash brown potatoes
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
2 ½ cups soy or rice milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
dash white pepper

Place the broccoli, broth, potatoes, onion and dill weed in a medium pot.  Bring to a boil, cover and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes.  Process in batches in a blender.  Return to pot, add the non-dairy milk, the mustard and the white pepper.  Heat through and serve at once.

HINTS:  I make this in a stainless steel pot and process it with an immersion blender directly in the pot.  (An immersion blender is a small, hand-held appliance that will blend foods without removing them from the cooking pot or bowl.  Do not use an immersion blender in a non-stick pot.) If you buy the broccoli florets in bags it saves quite a bit of the preparation time.