Featured Recipes

Simple McDougall Recipes

Many people have written to us asking for very simple and easy to put together McDougall meals.  They sometimes don't like to cook, or have the time to put together one of the dishes that requires more effort, or they lack the kitchen space or feel this way of eating will be too costly because of "all the vegetables they need to buy".  So here are a few recipes that anyone can put together in a very short amount of time, for very little money, and best of all, they taste great!

QUICK OATMEAL FOR ONE

Preparation Time:  1 minute
Cooking Time:  1 minute
Servings:  1

1 cup water
½ cup quick oats

Place the water in a small saucepan and add the oats.  Bring to a boil and let cook for 1 minute.  Let it rest in the pan for another minute, then place in a bowl.  Top with some fresh or frozen blueberries, if desired (no need for any chopping) and enjoy a hearty breakfast.

BAKED POTATOES

Baked potatoes can be enjoyed as a whole meal or as a quick snack.  Bake in the oven or use the microwave if you choose.  I always bake my potatoes in the oven, and since I am heating the oven for a potato, I always make more than one, usually 5 or 6 at a time since they keep well in the refrigerator.

Preparation Time:  2 minutes
Baking Time:  1 hour (microwave about 10-12 minutes)
Servings:  variable

Russet potatoes (you choose how many)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Prick the potatoes all over with a fork and place directly on the oven rack.  Bake for about one hour, depending on their size. Check to see if they are done by pricking with a fork: when it slips in easily, they are ready.  Remove from oven, let cool slightly, and enjoy topped with salsa, barbecue sauce, or another fat free topping of your choice.

Refrigerate any extras for later use by placing uncovered in a flat container. Reheat in the oven or microwave until heated through, or slice lengthwise and heat on a non-stick skillet until slightly browned, flipping several times with a spatula.

SLOW COOKED BEANS

This is my favorite way to cook any type of dried beans, and there are so many to choose from, all with different flavors and textures.  This is one of the simple meals that John and I enjoy several times a week. I usually serve this over whole grain rice, but sometimes vary that with baked or sliced potatoes.

Preparation Time:  1 minute
Cooking time:  6-8 hours on high
Servings:  variable, makes about 10 cups of beans

2 cups dried beans
6 cups water

Place the dried beans and the water in a slow cooker (crock pot).  No need to soak the beans overnight first.  Turn on high and let cook for 6-8 hours until tender.  Season with any type of seasoning mixture that you like, such as a chili seasoning mix, Italian herbal mix, curry powder mixture, etc.  There are many healthy choices on all supermarket shelves.

Serve over baked potatoes or some instant brown rice (or thawed, frozen brown rice or other whole grains).  For some variety, add a few handfuls of fresh baby spinach to the pot of beans just before serving.  Stir in well and let cook for a couple of minutes before spooning over your potatoes or grains.  (Again, no chopping required for this meal.) The extra beans will last for several days in the refrigerator, or freeze in smaller containers for a quick meal at a later date.

QUICK VEGETABLE TOPPING

This simple topping for potatoes or grains can easily be varied depending on the type of tomatoes, beans and vegetables that you choose.  All this requires is the opening of a few cans and a stovetop to heat it on.  No chopping required or long cooking time either.

Preparation Time:  4 minutes
Cooking Time:  7 minutes
Servings:  variable, makes about 6 cups

2  14.5 ounce cans chopped stewed tomatoes (Italian, Mexican, etc.)
1  15 ounce can cooked beans (black, white, pinto, garbanzo, etc.)
1 10 ounce bag frozen corn kernels  (or green peas, green beans, etc)

Place all the ingredients in a medium saucepan (add a seasoning mixture of your choice if you choose) and cook over medium heat for about 7 minutes until heated through.  Stir occasionally. Serve plain or as a topping for baked potatoes or cooked whole grains. 

Any of these simple meals can be eaten on its own, or add some variety by steaming some fresh or frozen vegetables.  Serve with some hearty whole grain bread, and /or a simple green salad with a delicious oil-free dressing.

Watch for more of these simple meal ideas in upcoming newsletters.

Jill Nussinow, MS, RD has a new cookbook and has shared some recipes with us.

Nutrition CHAMPS is a paperback cookbook with 200 recipes, many of which are gluten-free, no oil, low or no sugar and salt. The recipes span 6 groups of food:

Cruciferous Vegetables

Herbs and Spices

Alliums

Mushrooms

Pulses (beans, peas and lentils)

Seeds and Nuts

Jill's recipes are augmented by those from some of your favorite cookbook authors, bloggers and writers including Dreena Burton, Chef AJ, Kathy Hester, Robin Robertson and too many more to list here. With a foreword by Dr. Mary (Clifton) Wendt of Get Waisted.

The breadth of recipes from breakfast to desserts cover all the CHAMPS foods, including raw, cooked and pressure cooked. You will learn more about the health benefits of each food category, with tempting recipes that you can eat daily.

FENNEL WITH BROCCOLI, ZUCCHINI AND PEPPERS

Many of you may be unfamiliar with using fennel, but this dish has so much flavor you will wonder why you have never tried this vegetable before. Most supermarkets carry fennel bulbs in the fresh produce section and many farmers' markets also have it.

Serves 4

2 cups sliced fresh fennel (see the Hints below)
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup sliced zucchini
1⁄2 cup coarsely chopped red bell pepper
2 cups vegetable broth
Freshly ground black pepper

Place the vegetables and 1 cup of the broth in a large non-stick sauté pan. Grind some fresh black pepper over the vegetables. Cover and steam for 5 minutes, then remove the cover and continue to cook, stirring frequently until most of the broth is absorbed and the vegetables are beginning to stick to the bottom of the pan.

Add another 1⁄2 cup of the broth and a few more twists of pepper. Continue to cook and stir, uncovered, until broth is again absorbed and vegetables begin to stick again.
Add the remaining broth and more black pepper. Continue to cook until broth is absorbed again. Taste and add more black pepper if desired before serving.

Hints:
Fresh fennel is sometimes sold under the name anise, with several inches of fine leafy fronds attached. Cut the fronds off at the top of the bulb, trim the root end, cut the entire bulb in half lengthwise and then slice thinly. Two medium-sized bulbs should yield about 2 cups sliced. If you have a bit more than 2 cups, just use the extra amount in this recipe.

Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise and then slice thinly. One zucchini should yield about 1 cup.

One half of a red bell pepper should yield about 1⁄2 cup of 1⁄2-inch size pieces.

CRUNCHY KOHLRABI QUINOA SALAD
This delicious salad is easy to put together and stays fresh tasting and crunchy while it is chilling in the refrigerator. It can easily be modified using whatever vegetables you have in your garden or have found at the farmers' market.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Chilling Time: 1–2 hours
Serves 6

1 cup uncooked quinoa, well rinsed
2 cups vegetable broth
3 2-inch strips of lemon zest
1 1⁄2 cups asparagus, sliced into 1⁄2-inch pieces
1 cup snow peas, cut in half
1⁄2 cup kohlrabi, peeled and sliced into thin strips
1/3 cup radishes, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
Freshly ground pepper

Dash sea salt

Place quinoa in a pot with the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, stir in the pieces of lemon zest, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, stir, remove pieces of lemon zest (discard) and let quinoa cool slightly.

Meanwhile, put a large pot of water on to boil, drop in asparagus and snow peas and cook for 2–3 minutes until crisp-tender. Remove from pot with tongs and drop into a bowl of ice water. Drain.

Combine quinoa, asparagus, snow peas, kohlrabi and radishes in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Season with freshly ground pepper and sea salt, if desired. Chill for 1–2 hours before serving to allow flavors to mingle.

Hints: Wash the lemon and then peel with a vegetable peeler, yielding very thin strips. Use the remaining lemon for the juice in this recipe. Kohlrabi may be unfamiliar to you, but I highly recommend it in this recipe. Look for it in farmers' markets or in large supermarkets or natural food stores. If you can't find it, you may just omit it, or use fresh zucchini or cucumber instead.