August 2012
Volume 11 Issue 8

August 2012 Recipes


Bread Machine Recipes

When I was visiting my sister, Carol, in Michigan last month we made bread almost every day in her bread machine.  It was so easy—much easier than the old bread machine that I have had for years (and hardly ever used)--because it has a yeast dispenser on the top of the machine that adds the yeast at the proper time so you never have to worry about having the water at the correct temperature for the yeast to develop properly.  For me, that was a real plus. So when I returned home, I ordered one of these machines on Amazon, and I have been making bread at least 2 or 3 times a week since I returned home.  It is a Panasonic SD-YD250 Bread Bakery and I love it.  Of course, it comes with a set of recipes that use ingredients that I would never use in my bread, so I have invented my own set of recipes for use in this machine. These recipes were developed for use in a machine that has a yeast dispenser on the top that automatically adds the yeast at the proper temperature and does not have to be added to the other ingredients.  If you have a machine that needs the yeast added with the other ingredients, you will have to adjust the water temperature according to your machine instructions in order to get a perfect loaf.  Weight measurements are more accurate than the amount measurements in ().  I find that the machine that I have is very forgiving and I can add herbs for seasoning, or a few seeds for flavor and not have to make any other adjustments.  All of my loaves have turned out great, and the house really smells wonderful with fresh bread cooking.  The recipes given here make1 large loaf of bread.

 

Basic Bread

18 ¼ ounces bread flour (3 11/16 cups)
2 teaspoons salt
1 ¾ tablespoons sugar
12 ¼ ounces water (1 ½ cups)
1 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast

Place all ingredients except the yeast into the machine.  Place yeast in the yeast dispenser on top of the machine. Turn on and bake until done.

Hints:  Use this basic recipe to experiment with different flours, such as white whole wheat, or half whole wheat and half unbleached white.  This recipe works well with half white whole wheat flour and half unbleached white flour.

 

Seven Grain Bread

This is one of our favorites that I make over and over again.  It is so delicious warm and fresh out of the machine.

18 2/3 ounces whole wheat flour (3 ¾ cups)
2 teaspoons salt
3/8 cup 5 or 7 grain cereal mix (Bob’s Red Mill)
2 tablespoons molasses
13 ½ ounces water
1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast.

Place all ingredients except the yeast into the machine.  Place the yeast into the yeast dispenser. Turn on and bake until done.

Variation:  Use 10 2/3 ounces of whole wheat flour and 8 ounces of unbleached white flour for a less dense loaf. Or use white whole wheat flour instead of the whole wheat flour.

Add 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds, and ½ tablespoon poppy seeds to the ingredients without changing any of the other ingredients.
The salt in this recipe is entirely optional.  I have made the bread without adding any salt at all and the loaf turned out fine.

Hints:  I have found that it is very easy to vary the ingredients used in the bread without affecting the quality of the loaf. I do measure the flour by weight and also the water by weight, but I find that even if I am off by a little bit it doesn’t seem to matter.  The machine is very forgiving.  Almost all of the recipes provided with the machine call for dry milk and butter.  I just leave them out and make no other adjustments in the volume of flour or water used and the bread turns out great!! So don’t hesitate to experiment when trying out some new ingredients.  I like to add a variety of dried herbs to the mixture before turning the machine on to give the bread additional flavor.

 

Easy Homemade Pizza Dough
By Heather McDougall

Heather is my daughter and she makes the pizza dough for most of our family gatherings, it has become so popular with everyone in the family.  We try different toppings all of the time, but the crust is always the same.  Heather rolls it out very thinly with a rolling pin, but you could also stretch it out with your fingertips if you prefer. We top the pizza with various assortments of toppings and just place the crust (including the parchment paper) on a heated pizza stone on our outdoor gas grill that has been preheated to the highest temperature, close the cover and it’s ready in about 8 minutes.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Length of Rise: 18-24 hours
Rolling time: 30 minutes

7 ½ cups all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 – 4 teaspoons salt (use more for saltier tasting crust)
3 cups water, plus more if dough is too dry

In a stand mixer with dough hook, add flour, yeast and salt and mix on low speed until combined. Slowly add water until combined, then knead with dough hook for 2 more minutes, or until dough starts to pull away from bowl and form a big ball on hook. If the mixture seems too dry, add a bit more water. Sometimes I need to do this, other times I do not. Not sure why.

Put this mixture in a large clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap or silicone cover, (I cover it with a towel too, not sure if that makes any difference, but it makes me feel better) and place in a draft free area for 18-24 hours.

The next day, turn mixture out onto a floured work surface. Shape into a long oval shape and cut into 6 even sections, or 3 if you like your pizza thicker. Next, take each section and fold the ends towards the middle, flip over, shape into a ball and place on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Do this with all pieces. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and a towel and let sit for one hour.

(If you don’t want to use the dough right away, simply place in ziplock bags and place in the freezer. May be kept frozen for up to 6 months. To thaw, remove from freezer and let rest on counter until thawed, about 2 hours.)

After one hour, take each ball and roll out on a floured surface until it is the thickness you like your pizza. I like to use a large wooden pizza spatula with parchment paper on it, then a sprinkling of cornmeal, then crust. Next, I put all of the toppings on and bake on a preheated pizza stone in my BBQ as high as it will go, for about 8 minutes.

Some of our favorite pizzas:

Mexican: “refried” beans, black olives, onions; topped with lettuce, tomatoes and salsa after cooking
Thai: peanut sauce, red peppers, baked tofu, onions; topped with cilantro and/or greens after cooking
Veggie: tomato sauce, red peppers, mushrooms, black and green olives, onions, pepperoncinis.

 

Gluten-Free Version
Makes 3 medium pizzas (you can easily double the recipe)

I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Bread Mix. If you do this, you can omit the salt and use the yeast that they provide.

3 cups gluten-free flour (Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Bread Mix)
1-2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon yeast
1 Tablespoon Egg Replacer mixed with 2 Tablespoons warm water
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 ½ cup water

Mix dry ingredients with a stand mixer. Slowly add water, egg replacer mixture and vinegar. Knead with hook for 3 minutes. Follow the regular dough instructions above.

 

Dave’s Greens

Dave DeGraaf lives next door to my sister, Carol, in Michigan and has a HUGE garden in the back of his home.  He supplies the whole neighborhood with food, and still has plenty left over.  He also brings over McDougall-style recipes for us to try (when I am visiting, and also when I am not there) and this year was no exception.  Our favorite this year was his recipe for Swiss chard.  We ate it warm, cold, and even spread on pizza crusts (see hints below).  This recipe can easily be modified according to the greens you have available, we were there during the Swiss chard harvest, and boy was it delicious!! Dave picks his chard by the bushel, so I have adapted this to the usual amounts of chard that you’ll be able to find in your local market.  This recipe may easily be doubled, or tripled, and it will keep for several days in the refrigerator after it is cooked.

Preparation Time:  10 minutes
Cooking Time:  3-5 minutes
Servings:  makes about 6 cups steamed chard

3 bunches Swiss chard (about 2 pounds)
1/8 to ¼ cup almond meal
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
dash sea salt
several twists freshly ground pepper

Clean the chard, remove stems, and coarsely chop.

Place in a steamer basket over boiling water and steam for about 3 minutes. (If you decide to use the stems as well, place the chopped stems in the steamer basket first and steam for 2 minutes before adding the chard leaves.) Remove from steamer and drain well.  Place in a large bowl.  Add 1/8 cup almond meal and the remaining seasonings and toss well to mix. Taste and add a bit more almond meal if you’d like a richer flavor.

Hints:  This is delicious warm, or at room temperature.  We even ate it cold for breakfast the next day!  We also used it as a topping for a pizza crust by spreading the seasoned greens over the uncooked pizza crust in a thin layer, adding some sliced mushrooms, sliced onions, and sliced red peppers and grilling for about 10 minutes on the gas grill outside.  We all agreed it was surprisingly wonderful. (See recipe for pizza crust above.)

 

Mexican Rice
By Mika McDougall

Mika is my daughter-in-law. She lives in Portland, OR, with our son, Craig, and our newest granddaughter, Chloe. They were just with us for a visit so Craig could work with John during the August 10 Day McDougall Program, and we could spend some time getting to know Chloe, who is now 8 weeks old.  We had our usual bean burrito meal while they were here, but this time Mika made a Mexican Rice dish to be served over the mashed beans that are a tradition in our family. They make this every time they have a bean burrito meal at home, and I think this might become a new favorite at our home too. Try this on top of the beans, add some chopped lettuce, sprinkle with salsa and then roll up in a tortilla.
 
Preparation Time:  10 minutes
Cooking Time:  45 minutes
Servings:  Makes about 3 cups

1 cup long grain brown rice, toasted
3 cups liquid (water or vegetable broth)
1  8 ounce can tomato sauce
½ onion, diced
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
dash salt
several twists freshly ground pepper

Place the uncooked rice in a large non-stick sauté pan.  Cook and stir until it smells toasty, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook until liquid is absorbed, stirring only very occasionally.  Remove from heat, fluff with fork and let rest a few minutes before serving.

 

Potato Tacos
By Irene Tsatsos McDougall

Irene is my daughter-in-law and lives about 1 hour south of us with our son, Patrick, and our youngest grandson, Sam. She is the Social Media Manager for Dr. McDougall’s Health & Medical Center.  I just asked her for a quick recipe to share with everyone and she sent me this simple and delicious use for potatoes for a fast and easy meal.  John and I will be having this very soon.  Great idea!!

Preparation Time:  10 minutes
Cooking Time:  20 minutes
Servings:  4-6

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
1-2 teaspoons taco seasoning mix
4-6 tortillas
fresh salsa
chopped cilantro
sliced avocado

Boil or microwave the potatoes with the skins on.  Cool and cube.  Place dry into a non-stick sauté pan and cook until nicely browned on all sides.  Add some taco seasoning to taste (see hints below), toss well and add a few drops of water to moisten seasoning if needed.  Cover and cook for another minute.

Serve on a warmed tortilla, with fresh salsa, chopped cilantro and a few slices if fresh avocado, if desired.  Roll up and eat.

Hints:  Bearitos makes a taco seasoning mix in a package and you can also find taco seasoning mixtures at Penzeys Spices.  Serve with fresh corn on the cob, sprinkled with lime juice and a few dashes of cayenne pepper.

 

Oat Bars

These oat bars are great for kid’s lunches. They can be made into a lower fat version by replacing the nut butter with egg replacer (see directions below).

Preparation Time:  20 minutes
Cooking Time:  20 minutes
Servings:  makes 10 bars

2/3 cup chopped, pitted dates
½ cup water
2 tablespoons nut butter
1 ¼ cup quick oats
½ cup white whole wheat flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place 1/3 cup of the dates and all of the water into a blender jar.  Process until smooth.  Add the nut butter and process again.  Set aside.  Combine the remaining ingredients, except for the reserved dates, in a medium bowl.  Add the mixture from the blender jar and the remaining dates and mix until just moistened.  Spread into a silicone 8 x 8 inch baking pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake until firm and lightly brown around the edges, 18-20 minutes.  Cool in the pan, then loosen edges and invert entire pan over a flat platter.  Cut into about 10 bars.  Place in a ziplock bag and store until ready to eat. 

Hints:  Use egg replacer in place of the nut butter for a lower fat bar; you will need about 2 tablespoons liquid egg replacer.  Applesauce also works well, but I’ve found that peanut butter is a favorite with children.  These may be individually frozen for use in school lunch boxes; they take about 2 hours to thaw.

 

Linda’s Greens
By Linda Vallin

Linda has been trying new recipes and sending me the best ones for years, so when I saw this one I had to try it.  I love kale, especially Lacinato kale, and I have a garden full of it, so this seemed perfect to me.

Preparation Time:  15 minutes
Cooking Time:  7-8 minutes
Servings:  2-3

1 bunch Lacinato kale
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
sea salt (optional)

Wash the kale and tear into bite-sized pieces.  Place a large non-stick sauté pan on the stove and fill it with just enough water to cover the bottom.  Stir in the maple syrup.  Heat over medium-high heat until liquid bubbles.  Add the kale and stir to coat with the liquid.  Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Remove cover and continue to cook until the remainder of the liquid evaporates.  Serve at once, letting each person add salt to taste at the table, if necessary.

Hints:  Try this with other greens, such as collards or Swiss chard.  Add some shredded carrots to the greens as they are cooking for color and taste.

 

By Tiffany Hobson

Mary called me and asked if I had any quick and easy recipes to contribute to this month’s newsletter.  The following recipes are things I make when I do not have time to cook.

 

Heirloom Tomatoes

Preparation Time:  7 minutes
Cooking Time:  None
Servings:  4

3 Heirloom tomatoes, washed and sliced
1-3 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
1 bunch of fresh basil leaves, rinsed and left whole
Pinch of sea salt
A few twists of ground black pepper, optional

Place 6-9 slices of Heirloom tomatoes on a plate.  Add 3-6 fresh basil leaves on top of the tomatoes.  Drizzle 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar over the tomatoes and basil.  Depending on how many tomatoes you use, you may need a bit more balsamic vinegar.  The tomatoes should not be drenched with balsamic vinegar, only a light coat is needed to enhance the flavor.  Add a pinch of sea salt over the tomatoes.  A few twists of ground black pepper may be added to this dish, but is not needed. 

Note:  This is also nice to place on top of some greens and enjoy as an easy salad.  Sometimes I do this and place it in a wrap when I need a quick lunch on the go.  You may opt to omit the basil if you do this. 

 

Easy Mexican Pasta

This is a variation of Mary’s Mexican Pasta dish from her Quick and Easy Cookbook. 

Preparation Time:  10 minutes
Cooking Time:  10 minutes
Servings:  6

1 12-ounce bag of penne pasta
1 ½ cups frozen corn kernels
1 15 ounce can black or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 box of Pomi chopped tomatoes
1 or 2  4-ounce cans diced green chiles
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon ancho-pasilla chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
 
Cook the penne according to the package directions.  Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.  In a non-stick pan over medium heat, add the corn kernels.  Allow them to cook, undisturbed, for 4 minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients; mix well, and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.  Add the cooked penne and mix well.  Allow to cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.  Serve immediately. 

Note:  You could vary this dish by sautéing garlic and onion in water for 5 minutes before adding the frozen corn kernels.  Adding fresh cilantro before serving is a nice addition to this meal. 

 

Roasted Vegetables and Pasta

This light pasta dish needs no sauce.  The flavors of the roasted vegetables are the main attraction to this meal.

Preparation Time:  20 minutes
Cooking Time:  30 minutes
Servings:  6

1 12-ounce package of linguini or fettuccini
3 ears of corn
2 zucchinis
1 red bell pepper
2 cloves of garlic, minced
¼ cup water
1 box of Pomi chopped tomatoes
2-3 tablespoons bouquet garni
Ground black pepper and sea salt to taste, if desired

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place the corn, with husks still intact, zucchinis and red bell pepper directly on the baking rack.  You will need to turn the vegetables a few times as they cook in the oven for 25 minutes.

Cook the linguini or fettuccini according to package directions.  Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside. 

In a non-stick pan, add the water and garlic and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes.  Add the Pomi tomatoes and mix well.  Reduce to low heat.

Once the vegetables are finished roasting, peel the husks off the corn and cut the corn off the cob.  Cut the zucchinis length-wise and chop.  Cut the red bell pepper into strips and cut in half.  Add the vegetables to the garlic and tomatoes, along with the bouquet garni.  Mix well.  Add the pasta and mix well.  Serve with ground black pepper and sea salt to taste, if desired.

Mary’s Variation: Roast the vegetables as directed and make the sauce, but instead of serving with cooked pasta, serve over freshly made polenta, or baked polenta rounds (from a cooked polenta package), over brown rice or other whole grains or even over baked potatoes.  The vegetables may also be varied to take advantage of what is in season when you are preparing this dish.

 

TofuXpress

TofuXpress is not a recipe, but a product that you may find helpful in your kitchen if you are unable to find extra firm tofu in markets where you live. Many of my recipes in this newsletter and my books call for extra firm tofu so the pieces hold their shape while baking or sautéing. This works with fresh packed tofu (not silken) that you would like to use in recipes with a firmer consistency. For years I pressed water out of my tofu by using two baking dishes that fit inside of one another.  I would put the tofu into the bottom dish, cover it with the second dish, and then load the top dish with the heaviest items I could find (books, canned products, etc.) to press the excess water out of the tofu.  Now I just have to put the tofu into the TofuXpress, put the lid on, tighten the screw to fit the lid in place, and the water is pressed out easily. This also works on frozen (thawed) tofu and presses a great deal of water out of the previously frozen tofu. This product may be purchased through www.TofuXpress.com.

 

 

2012 John McDougall All Rights Reserved
Dr. McDougall's Health and Medical Center
P.O. Box 14039, Santa Rosa, CA 95402

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