Featured Recipes
Oriental Pasta Salad
This salad is a favorite
with my grandsons, Jaysen and Ben.
Preparation Time: 20
minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Chilling Time: 2 hours
Servings: 4
½ pound buckwheat soba
noodles
½ cup water
¼ cup soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 cups broccoli florets
2 carrots, sliced
½ pound mushrooms, sliced
1 bunch green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed in 2 tablespoons cold
water
Prepare the soba noodles
according to package directions. Drain. Toss with 2
tablespoons of the soy sauce and set aside.
Meanwhile, place the
water, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, garlic, ginger and
red pepper flakes in a wok or large sauté pan. Bring to
a boil, add the broccoli and carrots, and cook stirring
frequently for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and green
onions and continue to cook, stirring frequently for
about 7 minutes, until broccoli is tender. Stir in the
cornstarch mixture and cook and stir until thickened.
Pour over the soba noodles and toss to mix well.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours for best flavor. Serve
cold.
Baked Eggplant Casserole
Preparation Time: 30
minutes
Cooking Time: 60 minutes
Servings: 8
3 round eggplants
½ cup cornmeal
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 large onion, sliced into rings and separated
1 large bell pepper, sliced into rings
1 4 ounce jar chopped pimiento
6 cups tomato sauce
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1/8 cup ParmaZaan Sprinkles
Preheat oven to 400
degrees.
Slice eggplant into ½ inch
thick slices. Mix cornmeal and garlic powder and place
in a shallow dish. Dip eggplant slices into the
cornmeal mixture until both sides are well coated.
Place on a non-stick baking sheet. Bake for 10
minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Reduce heat
to 350 degrees.
Meanwhile combine the
tomato sauce with the basil and oregano and set aside.
Pour about 1 cup of the
sauce into the bottom of a 9x12 inch baking dish.
Arrange the baked eggplant slices over the sauce,
overlapping slices as necessary. Lay onion and pepper
rings over the eggplant and scatter the pimiento over
all of this. Pour the remaining sauce over the
vegetables and sprinkle the ParmaZaan over the top.
Cover and bake for 60 minutes.
Hints: ParmaZaan
Sprinkles are made by the Vegetarian Express. You can
find information on this product online at
www.thevegetarianexpress.com. They also make some
delicious seasoning mixtures for the Roasted Potatoes in
this newsletter.
Roasted Potatoes
I have so many potatoes
from our garden this year that these simple roasted
potato chunks have been a staple on our dinner table
many nights of the week.
Preparation Time: 5
minutes
Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes
Servings: variable
Waxy red or yellow
potatoes of your choice
Seasonings of your choice
Preheat oven to 375
degrees.
Scrub the potatoes and cut
them into wedges or chunks, depending on their size.
Toss with seasonings of your choice (I like various
no-salt seasoning mixtures) and place in a single layer
on a non-stick baking sheet (or one lined with parchment
paper or a silicone baking liner). Bake for 30-40
minutes until potatoes are tender.
Hints: Try these with
nutritional yeast or ParmaZaan Sprinkles (see recipe
hints under Baked Eggplant Casserole).
Curried Cauliflower Soup
This is one of my favorite
creamy fall soups.
Preparation Time: 15
minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6
4 ¼ cups water
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon curry powder
Dash cayenne pepper
2 cups chopped cauliflower
1 cup silken tofu
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro
Place ¼ cup of the water
in a large soup pot. Add the onion and garlic and cook,
stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Stir in the soy
sauce, cumin, coriander, curry powder and cayenne. Add
the remaining water, the cauliflower and the tofu.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 10
minutes until cauliflower is tender. Puree in batches
in a blender and return to a pan. Add lemon juice and
cilantro. Heat through and serve.
Szechwan Eggplant
My garden is also
overflowing with eggplant this year and although
eggplant is not one of John’s favorite foods, I did find
a few simple ways to prepare it that he would eat. This
is one of the best.
Preparation Time: 10
minutes
Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes
Servings: 6
2 medium eggplants
1 ¾ cups water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 green onions, chopped
¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Preheat oven to 400
degrees.
Slice eggplant into ½ inch
slices. Place on a non-stick baking sheet and bake for
10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Reduce
oven heat to 350 degrees.
Meanwhile, combine the
remaining ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil,
stirring constantly until mixture thickens and clears.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Place the eggplant in a
9x12 inch baking dish, overlapping slices as necessary.
Pour the sauce over the eggplant and bake for 20-30
minutes until eggplant is very tender.
Fat-Free Creamy Balsamic
Vinaigrette
By Diane Barnett
Many of you have talked to
me about how salad dressings are one of those things you
just can’t seem to get right; you can’t find a healthy
one that you like, they take to much time to make, they
don’t taste good, etc. You know what I mean. Well,
give this dressing a try and you may just find a new
favorite! Diane shared this recipe with me during our
summer 2008 trip to Costa Rica. This is a delicious
dressing that really sticks to the lettuce leaves. This
keeps in the refrigerator for several weeks, if it lasts
that long.
Preparation Time: 10
minutes
Chilling Time: 2 hours
Servings: makes 2 ½ cups
1 cup water
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
3-4 gloves garlic
¼ cup low-sugar organic ketchup
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1-2 tablespoons Agave nectar
½ teaspoon Xanthan Gum
Place all ingredients in a
blender jar and process until very smooth and
emulsified. Taste for sweetness and add more Agave to
taste if necessary. Chill in refrigerator for at least
2 hours. Dressing will thicken as it chills.
Hints: Use the best quality vinegars you can find for
the best flavored dressing. Xanthan gum is an excellent
thickener for oil-free salad dressings because it
thickens without heat as the dressing chills in the
refrigerator.
<<< Return to Newsletter Home Page
2008 John McDougall All Rights Reserved
|