Featured Recipes
By Heather McDougall

I love to cook, but don't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen with work and three boys to take care of, so my go-to meals during the week are usually very simple. My more elaborate meals are saved for the weekends. So this month, I thought I would share a few of my 5-main-ingredient recipes. Onion, garlic, salt, pepper and spices don't count because they are so quick and easy to add to a dish. I hope you enjoy.

Also, a part of this month's newsletter recipes is a recipe by Emma Roche, who submitted her Herbed Avocado Toasties, which are amazing. This is just a taste of what she has to offer. Emma, her recipes and her photos will be featured in an upcoming newsletter.

Kale & White Bean Stew

Serves: 4 to 6
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes

1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups vegetable stock
3 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups chopped kale
salt and pepper to taste
squeeze of lemon

Saute onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon stock for 5 minutes, add remaining stock and cannellini beans and simmer for 30 minutes. Add kale during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze lemon over the top just before serving.

Cabbage & Cannellini Bean Soup
This recipe is similar to the one above, but with the addition of fire roasted tomatoes, pasta and cabbage, it has a very different flavor.

Serves: 4 to 6
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes

1 small onion, chopped
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups vegetable stock
3 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 16-ounce can Fire Roasted Tomatoes
4 cups chopped cabbage
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
salt and pepper to taste
squeeze of lemon

Saute onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon stock for 5 minutes, add remaining stock and cannellini beans, fire roasted tomatoes and cabbage and simmer for 30 minutes. Add pasta and cook for 10 minutes more. Salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze lemon over the top just before serving.

French Toast
This is a recipe that makes my mornings so easy. I can whip this up in 10 minutes and have it on the table in about 20.  Serve with fresh berries or bananas and a touch of syrup or agave nectar.

Serves: 4 to 6
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

1 cup non-dairy milk
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
6-8 slices of bread of your choice, ½-inch thick is best

Mix all ingredients together with a whisk. Preheat a non-stick skillet to medium-high. Quickly dip bread into mixture and place on skillet for about 3 minutes each side. Repeat with remaining bread until mixture runs out. If you do not use all of the mixture, you can easily refrigerate and use another day. It will keep for about 5 days in the fridge.

Herbed Avocado Toasties
by Emma Roche ~ www.plantplate.com
Serves: 4
Preparation Time:  10 Minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

This simple spread of avocado with fresh herbs and lemon makes a delicious a filling for sandwiches. You can also use it as a dip for raw vegetables.

If you are avoiding all fats for dietary purposes, you can substitute chickpeas or pureed yams in place of the avocado.

Ingredients:

For the Herbed Avocado Spread:
1 large ripe avocado
1 tbsp. lemon or lime juice
1 tbsp. chopped fresh coriander
1 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1 tbsp. sliced scallions
2 tsp. hot sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed

To Serve:
8 slices whole wheat bread
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
100g (about 3 ½  oz.) arugula or baby spinach leaves

Halve the avocado and scoop out the flesh. Place in a bowl and mash with a fork until only small lumps remain. Add all remaining "spread" ingredients and stir through to combine.

To serve, toast the bread slices. Layer one slice with 1/4 of the avocado spread, sliced tomatoes and greens. Top with another slice, then warm through in a pan or toaster oven. Serve immediately.

RECIPE FAVORITES FROM MARY MCDOUGALL

Mary McDougall has been receiving many requests lately for some older favorite recipes that some readers that are new to this website may have missed.  We will be including a few of these each month for the next few months.  Hopefully this will get some of you inspired to start cooking something different and delicious!

This is one of the favorite recipes during the McDougall 10 day Live-in Program.  It is easy to prepare and keeps well in the refrigerator for any leftovers.

Layered Tex-Mex Lasagna
Preparation Time:  40 minutes
Cooking Time:  45 minutes
Servings: 6-8

Sauce: 
2   8 ounce cans tomato sauce
3  cups water
4 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons chili powder
½  teaspoon onion powder
¼  teaspoon garlic powder

Place all ingredients for the sauce in a saucepan.   Mix well with a whisk until well combined.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened, about 5 minutes.  Taste and add more chili powder if desired.  Set aside.

10-12 corn tortillas

4 cups mashed pinto beans
1 cup chopped green onions
1 ½  cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
1  2.25 ounce can sliced ripe olives, drained
1-2 tablespoons chopped green chilies (optional)

To assemble casserole:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the beans in a large bowl.  Add the onions, corn, olives and green chilies (if you wish).  Mix gently until well combined.

Place 1½ cups of the sauce in the bottom of a non-stick oblong baking dish. Place 3-4 corn tortillas over the bottom of the baking dish.  Spread half of the bean mixture over the tortillas.  Place another 3-4 tortillas over the bean mixture and then spread the remaining bean mixture on top of those tortillas.  Cover with 3-4 more tortillas and then pour the remaining sauce over the tortillas.  Cover with parchment paper, then cover with aluminum foil, crimping the edges over the baking dish.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Remove from oven and let rest for about 15 minutes before cutting.  Serve with salsa and tofu sour cream, if desired.

Hints:  The amount of corn tortillas that you need will depend on the size of your baking dish.  Just cover the bottom as well as you can with the tortillas (on top of the first amount of enchilada sauce) and then use that same amount for the 2nd and 3rd layer.

Farmhouse Bread Stew
The addition of bread to the stew during the last 5 minutes of cooking really makes this dish a special treat.  This is a very hearty stew, best served in a wide, deep bowl.

Preparation Time:  15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Servings:  4

6 cups vegetable broth
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1  15 ounce can chopped tomatoes
2  15 ounce cans red beans, drained and rinsed
¼ cup pearled barley
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon oregano leaves
freshly ground pepper to taste
3 cups fresh chopped spinach
2 cups chopped hearty bread

Place a small amount of the broth in a large soup pot.  Add the onion, garlic, celery and carrot.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until vegetable soften slightly.  Add the remaining broth, canned tomatoes, beans, barley, bay leaf, oregano and ground pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for about 55 minutes.  Add the spinach, cook for an additional 5 minutes, then add the bread and cook for about 5 minutes longer.  Serve at once.

Hints:  If you prepare this stew ahead of time, do not add the bread until just before serving.  A hearty Artisan type bread that is about 2 days old works very well in this recipe.  Softer breads do not hold their shape well in this stew.  I used small red beans in this recipe, but this could also be made with other kinds of beans, such as white or black.

Hearty Garbanzo Soup
I always seem to focus on soups during fall and winter and this year is no exception.  They are easy to prepare and serve and very satisfying to eat.  Clean up is also easy!

Preparation Time:  20 minutes
Cooking Time:  60 minutes
Servings:  4-6

1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
4 cups vegetable broth
1 pound sliced mushrooms
1 ½ cups shredded green cabbage
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
2  15 ounce cans garbanzo beans (see directions)
2 tablespoons tahini
1 large roasted red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1-2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup chopped fresh dill
¼ cup chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Dash sea salt

Place the onion and garlic in a large soup pot with about 1 tablespoon of the vegetable broth.  Cook, stirring frequently, until onion softens and turns translucent.  Add the remaining vegetable broth and bring to a boil.  Add the mushrooms, cabbage, cumin and coriander.  Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour 1 can of the garbanzos with its juice into a blender jar.  Add the tahini and process until smooth.  Drain and rinse the other can of garbanzo beans.  Add the processed beans and the whole beans to the soup pot, as well as the roasted red pepper and the chili-garlic sauce.  Slowly bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.  Add the fresh herbs and lemon juice and simmer for an additional 15 minutes.  Season with a bit of sea salt before serving, if desired.