Featured Recipes

Coconut Thai Rice 

This is a delicious variation on the Thai Green Curry Rice from last month’s newsletter.

Print out the recipe from last month and make these substitutions.

In place of the ½ cup soy sauce, use only 1 tablespoon.  Mix 1 ½ teaspoons of coconut extract into 1 ½ cups rice or almond milk, and stir this into the vegetable mixture.  Use cooked Thai purple rice in place of the cooked brown rice.  All other ingredients remain the same. 

Coconut extract in rice or almond milk makes a wonderful substitution for coconut milk in recipes.

Vegetable Orzo
Contributed by Mika Thieme, Dublin, OH

Mika is the girlfriend of our youngest son, Craig.  They spent the holiday season with us in Santa Rosa and they prepared this delicious, slightly curried, dish for us one evening.  We loved it and are sure you will too. 

Preparation Time:  15 minutes
Cooking Time:  15 minutes
Servings:  2-4

¼ cup water
1-2 zucchini, diced
1 carrot, grated
2 shallots, diced
3 cups vegetable broth
1 cup orzo
pinch of curry powder
pinch of salt
several twists of freshly ground pepper
¼ cup soy parmesan cheese

Place the water in a large non-stick frying pan.  Add the zucchini, carrot and shallots.  Cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 4-5 minutes.  Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil.  Stir in the orzo and curry powder.  Cook until orzo is tender, about 5-6 minutes.  Stir in the salt, pepper and soy parmesan.  Cook for another minute and serve hot.

Hint:  One of the best tasting soy parmesan cheese substitutes on the market is made by The Vegetarian Express.  It is called Parma Zaan Sprinkles.   Go to thevegetarianexpress.com or call 734-355-3593 for more information.

Barbecue Bean Sloppy Joes

I got this recipe from my sister, Carol Van Elderen, who lives in Michigan.  She found it on a supermarket card and modified it slightly.  Maybe this is a sign that people are changing the kinds of foods that they eat.  This is great on a bun with all the usual trimmings, or try it ladled over the bun and eat it with a fork.

Preparation Time:  10 minutes (need cooked rice)
Cooking time:  15 minutes
Servings:  6-8

1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
¼ cup vegetable broth
3 cups cooked brown rice
2  15 ounce cans pinto beans, undrained
¾ cup fat-free barbecue sauce
1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
whole wheat buns 

Place the onion and bell pepper in a non-stick pan with the vegetable broth.  Cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables soften slightly, about 3 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients (except the buns) and cook for about 12 minutes, until well heated.

Hints:  There are many delicious barbecue sauces on the market shelves these days.  Choose one without oil and preferably without high fructose corn syrup.  Use another kind of bean to vary the recipe, or maybe one can each of pinto and black or white.  There are several manufacturers that make frozen cooked whole grain brown rice that reheats in the microwave in 3 minutes.  Trader Joe’s stocks one brand and Whole Foods also carries another brand.  Look for these items in the frozen food department.

Crockpot Pizza Potatoes
Contributed by Sandie, Salt Lake City, UT

I saw this recipe on our bulletin board a couple of months ago and it sounded so interesting that I had to try it.  We have made it several times in the past few months and enjoyed it very much.  It is very easy to make and it cooks in the crockpot so it is easy to cook too!

Preparation Time:  20 minutes
Cooking Time:  6-8 hours on LOW
Servings:  6-8

4 cups thinly sliced potatoes (use a Mandolin for best results)
2-3 cups of pizza toppings
     sliced onion
     sliced mushrooms
     sliced bell peppers
     sliced tomatoes
     sliced water-packed artichoke hearts
     sliced black olives
     fresh spinach
2 15 ounce cans fat-free pizza sauce or Marinara sauce
¼ cup water 

Mix the water into the sauce and set aside.

Place 2 cups of the potatoes in the bottom of the crockpot.  Layer all of the toppings that you choose to include over the potatoes.  Cover with half of the sauce.  Layer on the remaining 2 cups of potatoes and finish with the sauce.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Greta’s Gingersnaps with a Twist
Contributed by Greta Weingast, Silverdale, WA

In a medium bowl sift:
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon ginger (ground)
1 teaspoon cloves (ground)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (ground)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda

In a large bowl mix:
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Wonderslim Fat & Egg Substitute
1  cup Sucanat
1 ½ tablespoons water 
1/4 cup molasses ( Grandma’s is my favorite!)

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix thoroughly.  Chill the dough before handling further.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheet with parchment paper or use a non stick pan. 

Roll dough into small (1") balls (a melon baller works good!)

Sprinkle some sugar or Sucanat on a plate and roll the balls in it.  Place 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes (cookies will puff and then collapse). Let rest for a minute or 2 and remove to a cooling rack.

Makes about 3 doz. 

Note from Greta:  This recipe originally came from Marge Solomon via Marshall Soltz and I have modified it to be McDougall.