McDougall Newsletter: November 2011

November 2011

Volume 10 Issue 11

Featured Recipes

White Bean and Kale Chili

We just returned from a visit to Portland, OR for a few speaking engagements, including talks to some of the students and faculty at OHSU and the organizers of the Diet & MS Study. Our son, Craig and his wife, Mika, often take us out to sample some of the variety of delicious vegan food each time we visit. This recipe is based on my version of a vegan white bean and kale chili that we had at Sasquatch Brewing Company.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Resting Time: 1 hour
Cooking Time: 3 hours
Servings: 8

2 cups great northern beans
12 cups water
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 Delicata squash, cut in half lengthwise, cleaned, and sliced (do not peel)
2 cups whole cherry tomatoes
1 bunch kale, coarsely chopped

Place the beans and water in a large pot. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, cover and let rest for one hour. Meanwhile, chop and assemble the vegetables.

Return the beans and water to a boil, add onions and garlic, reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours. Add seasonings and squash. Cook for an additional 30 minutes. Add tomatoes and kale and continue to cook for another 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Notes: While in Portland I also enjoyed a delicious vegan mushroom barley soup at the Lucky Labrador which I will be working on during the next month. (They also serve a great vegan cheese-less pizza there!) And of course we ate at Blossoming Lotus, where we enjoyed a wide variety of wonderful vegan choices; a few more of those will be up-coming as well.

Ramen Noodle Bowl

While we were in Portland we also ate at a Japanese restaurant called Wafu. They serve some fabulous vegan ramen noodle bowls. A small cup of hot sauce is offered alongside the noodle bowl so each diner can spice up the ramen just to their liking. I bought all the ingredients I would need after I returned home and assembled these bowls last night for dinner for our other son, Patrick and his wife, Irene. They loved them too!! Really easy, yet satisfying and delicious.

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

8 cups water
½ cup white miso
1/3 cup reserved tofu marinade (see recipe below)
1 bunch scallions, finely chopped
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (see hints below)
1 cup baked tofu slices (see recipe below)
Sriracha (or other hot sauce) served alongside
Ramen noodles (see hints below)

Place the water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Place the miso in a medium bowl and add about 1 to 1 ½ cups of the boiling water to the miso. Whisk well until completely smooth. Return to pan. Add the reserved marinade from the baked tofu recipe below. Keep broth warm but do not boil.

Meanwhile, prepare the scallions, mushrooms and tofu and set aside in separate bowls. Bring another large pot of water to a boil, drop in the ramen noodles and cook until just tender, about 3-5 minutes depending on the kind used. Drain off water. (See hints below.)
Place an equal amount of noodles in each of four large soup bowls. Ladle the miso broth over the noodles and top each bowl with equal amounts of the scallions, mushrooms and baked tofu. Serve with Sriracha or other hot sauce on the side for each person to add to their bowl as desired.

Hints: Use some exotic mushrooms in this recipe if you can find them in your market, such as oyster, chanterelles, enoki, etc; however, sliced white or cremini are also delicious. Make the baked tofu ahead of time and reserve the rest for snacking or another recipe. Save the extra marinade for use in this recipe. Ramen noodles are made from wheat flour, water and salt. Be sure to read ingredients carefully as some products do contain eggs. The widest variety of noodles will be found in large Asian Markets. Follow directions for cooking time on the package. Fresh noodles will take less time to cook than dried noodles. Annie Chun’s makes fresh packs of organic noodles that are available in many markets. They just need to be dropped into boiling water and they are softened and ready to use in recipes in 3 minutes. There are 2 packs of noodles in each package and each pack weighs 6 ounces, already cooked. I used 4 packs in the recipe above.

Baked Tofu

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Marinating Time: 10 minutes
Baking Time: 25-30 minutes

20 ounces extra firm tofu
¼ cup soy sauce
1/8 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon agave nectar
Dash sesame oil (optional)

Drain tofu and slice into ¼ inch thick pieces. Place in a large flat baking dish. Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over the tofu slices. Allow to marinate for at least 10 minutes and up to 1 hour. (Or place in the refrigerator and marinate overnight.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Remove from marinade and place on a non-stick baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes, turning once halfway through the baking time. It should be brown and crispy on the outside. Remove from oven and cool. Slice into strips or cubes for use in recipes calling for baked tofu.

Hints: This tastes much better (and is less expensive and healthier) than the baked tofu that is found in packages in many markets and natural food stores. Other seasonings may be added as desired, such as garlic, ginger, balsamic vinegar, or rosemary, to change the flavor of the tofu. It’s also delicious just marinated in plain soy sauce. The marinade may be saved in a covered jar in the refrigerator a couple of weeks for later use. The tofu may also be cubed before baking with slightly crispier results.

Aulani Lettuce Tofu Wraps

This past month, November, we took a trip to Hawaii with our two oldest grandsons, Jaysen and Ben. We stayed part of the time at the new Disney Aulani Resort, which is a wonderful place for young children. Imagine my surprise when I found a delicious tofu lettuce wrap on the poolside menu! We enjoyed these several times while staying at that resort. Here is my version of the wrap and dressing.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Servings: variable

You will need to prepare a recipe of Baked Tofu (recipe above) in advance before assembling this recipe.

Baked tofu strips
Large green lettuce leaves
Shredded carrots
Shredded green papaya (or use mung bean sprouts)
Red pepper strips
Cucumber strips

Place all ingredients for the wraps in separate bowls and set aside.

Dressing:
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon mirin
1 teaspoon soy sauce
¼ teaspoon grated fresh ginger
Dash sesame oil (optional)

Combine all the dressing ingredients in a small jar and shake to mix well.

Let each person assemble their own wrap as follows: Take a large lettuce leaf, put a few tofu strips down the center of the lettuce leaf, top with carrots, green papaya (or mung beans), red pepper and cucumber. Pour a small amount of the dressing over this mixture, roll up the lettuce leaf and eat with your fingers. It’s messy but fun and delicious!

Ola’s South West Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup
By Ola Ellman

Use either regular sweet potatoes or orange Garnet yams in this recipe.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4

1 onion, rough chopped
2 celery ribs plus the leaves, rough chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 dried Serrano pepper broken up or1 fresh jalapeno, minced
Cumin, sage, thyme, about ½ teaspoon each
Black pepper
1 to 2 cans black beans, slightly drained, or any left over beans that you have
Approximately ¼ cup instant mashed potatoes
Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
Baked tortilla strips

Sauté onion in just enough water to cover for a few minutes, or until soft. Add more water if needed. Add the celery and garlic and sauté until soft, adding just enough water to keep from sticking.

Add 4 cups of water, the sweet potatoes and chili pepper and bring to boil; then turn down heat so it simmers. Add herbs to taste, about ½ teaspoon each. Add black pepper to taste. Simmer until sweet potatoes are done, but still holding shape. Add black beans and simmer until well heated. Stir in enough instant mashed potatoes to just thicken the liquid slightly, if needed.

Taste and adjust seasoning and if necessary add a bit of soy sauce to taste.

Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and baked tortilla strips. Serve with Mary’s corn bread.

Chile’s Pumpkin Nog

Chile is a McDougall follower and a regular contributor on the McDougall discussion board. She posted this on the discussion board a month or so ago, and sent it to me to include with the recipes for your holiday celebrations!

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Chilling Time: at least 2 hours ahead
Servings: makes about 3 cups

1 cup pureed pumpkin, chilled (canned is fine, but not pumpkin pie mix)
2 cups non-dairy milk, chilled
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place all ingredients in blender and process until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve with a bit of grated fresh nutmeg on top for a special presentation.