Featured Recipes

Fat Replacers

Now that Wonderslim Fat & Egg Replacer is no longer being manufactured, I have received many questions about what to use instead of that product in baked goods.

There is still one product available that is quite similar, Sunsweet Lighter Bake.  If you can’t find this in your local markets, it may be purchased online at www.sunsweet.com.

(Click on Store, then go to Gourmet Pantry, then to Baking Mixes where you will see Lighter Bake.)

Baby food prunes also make a good substitute.  Or you can make your own Prune Puree for use in baked goods.  Place a 12 ounce package of pitted prunes in a food processor and add about ¼ cup of water. Process and slowly add more water while processing to reach the desired consistency (between 1 and 1½ cups).  It should be about the consistency of soft applesauce.  This can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Other possible substitutes for oil in baking are applesauce, pureed tofu or ground flaxseeds (remember that tofu and flaxseeds do contain some fat, however). 

Vegetable Soup
By Heather McDougall

This is a soup that my daughter, Heather, makes often for her family.  Our grandsons, Jaysen and Ben, love it and will often eat several bowls of this for dinner.

Preparation Time:  15 minutes
Cooking Time:  60 minutes
Servings:  6

4 cups vegetable broth
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 yam, peeled and chunked
1 white potato, peeled and chunked
1  15 ounce can chopped tomatoes
1  15 ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon basil
1-2 cups chopped chard
½ cup uncooked pasta 

Place ¼ cup of the broth in a large soup pot.  Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften slightly, about 5 minutes.  Add the remaining broth, the water, yam, potato, tomatoes, beans, bay leaf and basil.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for about 45 minutes, until all vegetables are tender.  Stir in the chard and pasta.  Cook for about 10 minutes until pasta is tender.

Santa Fe Rice Salad

Preparation Time:  10 minutes (cooked rice needed)
Servings:  4-6

3 cups cooked brown rice
1  15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 tomato, chopped
4 green onions, chopped
1-2 tablespoons chopped green chilies
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
½ cup fresh salsa
¼ cup tofu mayonnaise

Combine the rice and vegetables in a bowl.  Mix the salsa with the tofu mayonnaise in a separate bowl.  Pour over the rice mixture and toss well to mix.  Serve at once or cover and refrigerate until serving time.

Hint:  To make tofu mayonnaise, place 1 package of silken tofu in a food processor and add 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon sugar, and ½ teaspoon salt.  Process until very smooth.

Spicy Garbanzo Spread

This makes a delicious sandwich spread or wrap filling, a dip for raw vegetables or a stuffing for pita bread.

Preparation Time:  10 minutes
Chilling Time:  1 hour
Servings:  makes  1 ½ cups

1  15 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 green onions, chopped
1 ½ tablespoons grated ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
½ teaspoon minced fresh garlic
½ teaspoon agave nectar
Dash Sriracha hot sauce, if desired 

Place all ingredients (except hot sauce) in a food processor and process until smooth.  Taste and add hot sauce as desired.  Refrigerate at least 1 hour to allow flavors to blend.

Lemon Scented Spinach Spread
By Jill Nussinow, The Veggie Queen

Jill made this delicious spread during the McDougall 5-day Program in November, 2008.  We all agreed it was one of the best dips we’ve ever tasted!  Try it for your next gathering of friends and/or family.

Makes 1 ½ cups 

This is a tasty way to get people to eat more vegetables. It is far healthier than the spinach dip that many have gotten used to. You can use this to make wrap sandwiches as well as putting it in a traditional “bread bowl.”

1 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry
½ cup chopped green onions
½ package Mori Nu silken tofu
¼ cup fresh lemon juice, to taste
1 teaspoon lemon zest (be sure to zest before juicing)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1-2 teaspoons Sucanat or sugar, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Lemon zest and lemon slices for garnish

Combine the spinach and green onions in a food processor and pulse. Add the tofu, lemon juice and zest, and mustard. Process until smooth. Add salt, pepper, lemon juice and Sucanat, to taste. Serve immediately after making it or make a day ahead and serve chilled. If you make it ahead be sure to taste before serving as sometimes the flavors get muted. Garnish with twisted lemon slices and lemon zest strips.

Poultry-type Gravy
By Miyoko Schinner

Miyoko made this poultry-type flavored gravy during the McDougall 5-day Program in November, 2008.  You will want to add this to the list of recipes that you prepare often.  This is especially good with mashed potatoes and stuffing.  The recipe calls for a mixture of Light Yeast Flavoring Powder that you combine ahead of time and store in a covered container in a cool place (recipe included here).  The flavoring powder may be used to make a delicious “chicken-like” broth.

1 cup water
2 tablespoons light miso
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon celery seeds
2-3 tablespoons light yeast flavoring powder
Freshly ground pepper to taste
3 tablespoons sweet rice flour

Combine all ingredients except the rice flour in a saucepan and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes.  Sprinkle in the rice flour and whisk until thickened.

Light Yeast Flavoring Powder
By Miyoko Schinner

1 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons celery seed
2 teaspoons dried sage
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon powdered ginger
½ teaspoon turmeric

Pulverize all ingredients in a blender until powdered.  Store in a covered jar in a cool place.

Roasted Mushroom and Chard Stuffing
By Miyoko Schinner

This tastes fantastic next to mashed potatoes and covered with the Poultry-type Gravy.

1 pound mushrooms cut into bite-sized pieces
1 bunch Swiss chard, roughly chopped
2 onions, diced
3 stalks celery, sliced
1 pound ciabatta bread, cubed
2 teaspoons sage
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon celery seed
3 cups broth (made from 3 cups water and ½ cup light yeast flavoring)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spread the vegetables and bread on baking sheets, sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper, if desired, and roast in a 400 degree oven until vegetables are crisp-tender and bread is lightly toasted, about 10-15 minutes.  Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees.  Place vegetables and bread in a large bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and toss well to mix.  Place in a covered casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry Sauce
By Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Colleen prepared this wonderful dessert during the McDougall 5-day Program in November, 2008.  Many of the participants are planning on making this for their holiday celebrations this year.  This is a rich dessert treat so keep this for special occasions!

Serves 6

You won’t miss the dairy in this rich and creamy mousse that is also perfect as a pie filling. The raspberry sauce is just lovely and complements many other desserts.

1 cup semi-sweet or other non-dairy chocolate chips
½ cup non-dairy milk
1 package Mori-Nu brand silken tofu (firm or extra firm)
1/3 cup dry sweetener of your choice (white sugar, Sucanat)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Add the chips to a microwave-safe bowl or double boiler (see hint below) and melt, using gentle heat and stirring often. Remove from heat.

Open the box of tofu and pour it into a blender or food processor. Add the melted chocolate and non-dairy milk, sweetener, and vanilla. Process until completely smooth, pausing the blender or food processor to scrape down the sides and under the blade, if necessary.

Chill the mixture in serving bowls – or, if desired, in a low-fat graham cracker or cookie crust – for at least 1 hour before serving.  Drizzle with raspberry sauce before serving.

*A word about tofu: There are many different types of tofu available, ranging from silken and soft to firm and extra firm, but there are also differences within those variations depending on the brand you buy or the way it’s packaged. The perfect textured tofu for this dish is one that is very firm. I recommend a silken tofu for this recipe. Though there are some silken tofu brands in the refrigerated section, it’s just as easy to seek out the silken tofu that is sold in aseptic boxes (which means it doesn’t have to be refrigerated until it is opened), so you can keep it in your cupboard until you’re ready to use it. You might find it in the Asian section. Don’t be confused if the box of “silken” tofu says “firm” or “extra firm.” There is a small difference between “silken firm” and “silken extra firm,” so either one will do.

Hint:  To create your own “double boiler”: Place the chips in a small saucepan. Set this pan inside a larger pot that is filled with ¼-½ cup water. Heat the pots over a medium flame on the stove and stir the chips in the small pot until they are melted. This prevents the chips from burning.

Raspberry Sauce

2 cups fresh or 10 ounces frozen raspberries, thawed
¼ cup dry sweetener (Sucanat or white sugar)

In a blender, combine the raspberries and Sucanat.  Then blend to a smooth sauce. It will store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Hint:  What is Sucanat? Sucanat, made from evaporated sugar cane juice, has a mild but distinct flavor, with a hint of molasses. It can be found in health food stores or in the bulk section of any large natural foods supermarket.

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