Gabagirl's recipe journal

[gabagirl]

There have been a few requests of my recipes and menus which I would be delighted to share with everyone. This will be a great way for me to keep track of winner recipes and how my husband (SactoBob) and I are progressing with McDougalling.

I'll start off with a number of successful meals that I fall back on that DH and I have enjoyed. When applicable I'll refer to Trader Joe's (TJs) or Whole Foods (WF) for specific items.

My first attempt at a vegan low fat dish was an incredible success and gave me encouragement that I would be able to pull this new eating/lifestyle off. The original recipe Easy Chili was from Dr. Esselstyn's book but having always been the "Queen of Cooking Shortcuts" I put my spin on it and thus named it:

THREE INGREDIENT CHILI

(approximate amounts)
4 cans of favorite beans drained and rinsed (Eden brand black beans and kidney beans mixed are our favorites)
1-2 containers of "fresh-style" salsa (often use TJ's 16oz Mild Salsa...loaded with tomatoes, onions and cilantro)
Frozen roasted corn (TJ's) I use about 1/2 of bag but go for more if you like.

Place beans in a large soup pot, then add the other 2 ingredients until you get the balance of flavors you like and heat. Soooo good. Matter of fact, we served this for a monthly get together of non-McDougallers and they lapped it up...no leftovers.

Go withs: Serve chili on brown rice with corn tortillas (TJs - made from ground corn) toasted in the oven till crisp, crumble for a topper. You can also add mixed chopped greens on top with a little balsamic vinegar. I like to have the chili taco style by heating the tortillas on a stove top grill pan. It toasts the tortilla but leaves it soft enough to fold over.

This chili freezes well, so make a lot of it. If I don't, it's gone in 2 days. I'll heat some up with brown rice in the morning to put in a thermos for DH's lunch.


More to come...I'm on a roll...I just had my soy latte

[auntemmy]

Yay! What a great idea! Sactobob is always bragging about your cooking! I can't wait to try out your stuff. My Hubby gives me a thumbs down about 50% of the time. I feel like I'm having to learn to cook all over again. Looking forward to your posts gabagirl..

[gabagirl]

Before I post another recipe I want to share some tools that have made my life easier in the kitchen. As I love to say, "I'm all tooled up".

My favorite regularly used small appliances:

Rice cookers...yes plural!
Zojirushi 5.5 cup Heat Induction Rice Cooker & Warmer
Sanyo 5 cup Pressure Rice Cooker and Steamer

The Zoji is used daily because of it's timer and the GABA setting. GABA stands for gamma-aminobutyric acid...you'll remember that, right? The GABA method increases the nutritional value of brown rice and improves the flavor and texture. In the morning I'll set 3-4 cups of rice to be ready at 5pm and forget about it. The Sanyo will be used when I'm steaming any veggies. Again it's easy and I don't have to think about it. It too has a timer for cooking rice but it does not have the GABA setting.

Slow Cooker, mine is huge, 7 quarts I think.

Pressure Cookers...again plural, 4 to be exact...don't ask! Don't worry, you don't need 4, one will do to start.

5 quart non-stick sautee pan with lid...another item used daily. I like this because I discovered that sauteing veggies without oil (I use wine now) in a small surface pan resulted in poorly cooked veggies. This is also the pan I normally make soups in.

I'm sure I'll think of other tools as this journal progresses...on to another recipe.

WOW PASTA SAUCE

1 cup red wine
2-3 large portobello mushrooms, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic
2 14oz canned chopped tomatoes with juices
2 cups TJs frozen green beans
2 cups arugula (can substitute with spinach or other preferred greens)
1 Tbs capers
cooked brown rice pasta

In a large high-sided sautee pan heat 1/2 c red wine
Add mushrooms and sautee until tender
Add bell pepper, onion and garlic - sautee until tender
Add tomatoes with juice and green beans - heat through
Add arugula, capers and remaining wine

Serve sauce over warm pasta.

During the sautee process you may need to add more wine if pan is drying out, but the mushroom usually provide a lot of moisture too. This is another one to make double of so you can freeze a portion for another day. It is also great to make the night before if you are having guests.

[gabagirl]

Yay! What a great idea! Sactobob is always bragging about your cooking! I can't wait to try out your stuff. My Hubby gives me a thumbs down about 50% of the time. I feel like I'm having to learn to cook all over again. Looking forward to your posts gabagirl..

Boy do I know what you mean. I thought in the beginning that I would never get out of the kitchen because cooking was just so different. But, after 3 months of experimenting (and believe me there have been meals that DH ate but were never made again!) I feel like I've turned the corner and now have a comfort level and confidence to make tasty meals.

[Callalilly]

YES!!!!! great thread

[gabagirl]

One more recipe for now then I need to go plan what I'm cooking for dinner tonight!

LENTILS AND WHAT I LIKE TO DO WITH THEM

I like to cook lentils on the stove most of the time which I will note how here, but last Sunday SactoBob, our son and I went kayaking for the day. In the morning knowing that I would be tired when we returned I did my usual timed GABA-setting of the rice cooker and into my slow cooker put 3 cups red lentils, 2 cubed baked potatoes and 8 cups of water. I set that for 3 hours of cooking on low then it automatically switches to warm when done. We were greeted with a yummy aroma on our return at 5pm. I sauteed tomatoes and a pile of mixed greens to layer on the rice and lentils. Because the lentils cooked for a long time it had a dal or creamy consistency.

So on-the-stove method using my favorite 5 quart sautee pan:
3 c rinsed red lentils
8 cups of water

Bring to a boil, cover loosely and simmer on low for 35- 45 minutes until done. The lentils will partially maintain their shape and should be tender.

As is, this is delicious on its own but a bit bland. It is a great base to work from and I use this for a curry.

To the above add
1 TBS ground cumin
1 TBS curry powder
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Simmer as above

Now you can add any of the following either sauteed first (in wine of course) or if frozen just toss in:

Cauliflower, peas, green beans, tomatoes, garbanzos, onion, garlic, broccoli, baked potatoes...okay, you get the idea.

Good all by itself but I believe in "gilding the lily" so serve it on brown rice, add chopped mixed greens and add a few golden raisins. It's even better the next day.

[veganruthie]

Wow... all of these sound so excellent! You've inspired me to pull out my crockpot for split pea dinner.

[DianeJ]

Sent message to you, but I will say it here, thank you!!!!!!!! This kind of help is invaluable, not just the recipes, of which there are some great ones on the recipe forum, but also the menu ideas, equipment suggestions, etc.

[TominTN]

Hi, Gabagirl.

Thank you for sharing your recipes. One of my frustrations is how difficult information can be to find on the board once it has aged a bit.

Would it be okay with you if I post your recipes on http://mcdougall-friendly-recipes.pbwiki.com/? That way, they'll be easy to find even after this thread has disappeared.

Thanks!

[auntemmy]

Maybe you could make a new Recipe Journal by month? April, May, etc?

[gabagirl]

I mentioned yesterday that not all of my recipes have been winners, particularly ones of my own invention. Most of my meals are fairly palatable but certainly not gourmet. Last night's meal was quite tasty but very simple.

Most of my dishes revolve around brown GABA rice. We find the rice so satisfying that we usually eat a serving or two, twice a day. So for dinner last night I just "sauteed" (all fresh) onion, broccoli, asparagus, tomatoes and mixed greens in red wine with about a tsp of dried basil and thyme. The aroma of those two herbs is quite intoxicating. Served up on the GABA was very satisfying but as I said simple. I've learned after 3 months of this that each meal does not have to be a masterpiece, just healthy, Mc-legal and of course tasty is nice too!

Tonights' dinner was a winner which we inhaled. SactoBob had two servings and I would have also but I was too stuffed from cleaning my plate on the first go round. What we had tonight:

I used up the left over red lentil-potato dal made on Sunday with some additions:

1/2 onion chopped
1/2 head of cauliflower chopped
1 orange bell pepper chopped
3 small fresh tomatoes chopped
4-5 cups of fresh mixed greens chopped
1/2 c red wine or more as needed
1 tsp curry
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp turmeric
1 TBS low sodium tamari
1 baked potato (if you've got one lying around)
balsamic vinegar to taste
cooked brown rice

Heat 1/2 c of red wine in large non-stick sautee pan
Sautee the first 4 ingredients, one at a time, adding as you go in the order above until cooked through
Add the curry, cumin and turmeric and mix thoroughly with veggies
If pan is getting too dry add more wine
Add the dal mixture (I had about 1 qt left over that I used)
Add chopped baked potato if you have one
Add tamari
Add a little water if too thick as I needed to
Mix thoroughly
Let it simmer lightly with lid ajar for about 10 minutes taking care not to let it stick to pan

Meanwhile wash and chop greens and toss in a bowl with balsamic to taste

Layer on individual plates rice, greens then dal

Sure hope there's some left over for a late snack.

*****************

Speaking of late night snacks, our favorite is having a potato of some kind around 8:30 - 9:00. I have a large toaster/convection oven that is perfect for this job. I'll put in 3 - 4 yams/russet potatoes to be done by 8:30ish. Yams we eat as is but the regular baked potatoes we will eat with salsa on top. Before we started McDougalling I did not like yams or sweet potatoes at all. Now I'm annoyed with myself if I run out. Anyway, the potatoes we don't eat I put in fridge for another time like above.

[gabagirl]

What I made for SactoBob's lunch to take to work:

For the hot thermos: Heated up last night's reinvented dal with brown rice.

In the "Mr. Bento Box" (I'll explain that one below) :
Non-Tahini Hummus
Carrots and bell pepper for dipping in hummus
Romaine and veggie salad with hummus based dressing
Fresh cut up fruit: strawberries, cantaloupe, grapes, pineapple and blackberries today.

Mr Bento is made by Zojirushi (like my beloved rice cooker). It is a large round thermos-like cannister with a canvas carrying bag. (Check it out on Amazon) Inside are 4 containers to put individual dishes/food in. They seem small but actually when you fill each one up, it's a fair amount of food. But that is why I also use a separate thermos for a hot dish even though you can put hot or cold in Mr. Bento.

Planning and making to-go lunches:
In the mornings I will make breakfast first which for now is always cooked oatmeal with berries on top and ground flax seed. Since I'm cutting up fruit for oatmeal I will cut up extra for using for lunches as well. So that takes care of dish one in Mr. Bento. The day before when I'm planning or making dinner I keep in mind to make something that will reheat and go well in the thermos. When I clean up from dinner I place a portion of the hot meal in a reheatable container that is the right amount to fill the thermos. The next day I just pop it in the microwave to get as hot as possible and then place it in the thermos which I have heated up with hot water...don't want to put a hot dish in a cool thermos! Next I'll make a salad from either greens, brown rice or both plus chopped fresh veggies, and add salad dressing - that's dish two in Mr. B. Finally, dish 3 is hummus and dish 4 assorted cut veggies to dip with. Done. Don't forget the eating utensils.

Hummus recipe is taken from Esselstyn's book "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease". This is worth repeating: This is a must have book for important health info and terrific recipes.

Simple No-Tahini Hummus (I have tripled the ingredients here)
3 15 oz cans of low sodium garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
6 cloves of garlic
Zest of 3 lemons
Juice of those 3 lemons
9 TBS of veg broth or water (I use water and I heat it first...it makes for a fluffly hummus texture we like)
1 tsp low-sodium tamari (optional) I prefer to use Tobasco Sauce for a nice kick

I process one ingredient at a time in a food processor in the order above adding the ingredients as I go.

Place in an airtight container and keep in refrigerator. This will keep for about 7 to 10 days. That is about how long it lasts here. Terrific with veggies and whole grain crackers.

Hummus Salad Dressing (also from Esselstyn)
2 heaping TBS of above hummus
2 TSB balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp of your favorite mustard
Blend in a jar and keep in refrigerator

I usually make double or triple the amount to have on hand.

[gabagirl]

Boy the last two days have been mighty busy...all kayak related which is a good thing. With the time we have spent away from home that meant I needed traveling food.

Last night we were at our "kayak club house" where there was a microwave oven. Therefore I could bring food to heat up and share with others. I made my 3 ingredient chili, GABA rice and a large container of fresh cut up fruit. When we got there I observed 3 large pizza boxes in the trash...ugh! Those same people who had just eaten the pizza before we arrived dove into the fresh fruit and pretty much cleaned the container out. The chili and rice went over well too for those who hadn't eaten that much pizza. It just shows that if healthy food is present it will be appreciated and eaten.

Planning ahead as a McDougaller is one of the keys to a successful transfer to a vegan lifestyle. I fretted the first month or two (and still do sometimes) but it's starting to fall into place for us and become a little more second nature to me. In another year I will have forgotten some of the frustrations of being in the kitchen so much.

Today's menu so far:
Breakfast: oatmeal and mixed fresh berries
Lunch: Baked yam, last night's chili served on brown rice with Trader Joe's Sorrento - mixed baby arugula, spinach and salad greens tossed with balsamic.

[gabagirl]

Tonight's dinner:
Sauteed in wine sliced onions, portobello mushrooms, asparagus tips, chopped tomatoes, greens and napa cabbage with a sprinkling of low-sodium tamari. Served on rice. After kayaking all day it tasted great and no leftovers.

[gabagirl]

Last night's Roasted Veggies

In a large bowl mix the following:

3 Portobello mushrooms
2 red onions
2 zucchini
1 yellow or orange bell pepper
3 tomatoes
All the above were chopped in large bite-sized pieces

3 cloves of minced garlic
1 TBS each of dried ground basil and thyme or a little more if desired
ground pepper to taste

Add about 1/2 c of red wine and toss
Place in a large roasting dish with sides
Roast in oven at 375 for 50 - 60 minutes
About half-way through roasting check to see if it's drying out...if so add more wine.

Serve on brown rice

This has been a winner with us and I'm planning on serving this to non-mcders. The aroma while cooking is mouth watering.