Gustavo At the 3 Day Intensive

(Such a tiny serving!! I would starve if I ate that little! No wonder Dr. McD reports people at his programs lose 4+ pounds when they're there!)

According to the schedule, this was to be Dr. McDougall's talk for this first day:




Jeff Novick's talk, the Lighten Up lecture, is also available on DVD from a previous presentation at the McDougall Program.

The recipes from dinner:

Apple Vinaigrette Dressing from MWLP book. Sorry, I don't have it typed out yet nor can I find it on-line.


CREAMY CEASAR SALAD DRESSING
Preparation Time:  5 minutes
Servings:  makes 2 cups

1  12.5 ounce box Lite Silken tofu
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons soy parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
¼ cup water (approximately)
1 tablespoon drained capers (optional)

Place all ingredients, except the capers, in a food processor.
Process until very smooth.
Add additional water if you want a thinner salad dressing.
Add the capers and pulse briefly, until they are chopped but not pureed.
Hint:  This will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.
If you don’t have any capers, or don’t like them, they may easily be omitted.

FRENCH LENTIL SALAD
This is great to take on a picnic and every one loves it—even those people who are sure they don't like lentils.  It keeps well in a cooler or in the refrigerator.  Be sure to make it at least 3 hours before you plan to serve it to allow time for the flavors to blend.

Preparation time:  15 minutes
Cooking Time:  30 minutes
Chilling Time:  3 hours
Servings:  6

1 cup dry brown lentils
4 cups water
1 cup grated carrots
½ cup chopped sweet onion
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
½ teaspoon crushed fresh garlic
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon ground oregano
several twists freshly ground pepper

Place the lentils and water in a medium pot.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for about 30 minutes, until tender but still firm.   Meanwhile, prepare remaining vegetables.  Combine vinegar, water, soy sauce, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, oregano and pepper in a small container and mix well.  Set aside.

Drain lentils.  Place in a bowl.  Add carrot, onion, parsley and garlic.  Mix well.  Pour dressing over and mix again.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

SPINACH VEGETABLE SALAD 
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
6 cups loosely packed washed and dried fresh spinach leaves
½ pound mushrooms, sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
1 tomato, thinly sliced
1 cup alfalfa or clover sprouts
Oil-free dressing to taste 

Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Serve with your favorite oil-free dressing.

MINESTRONE SOUP
This makes a wonderful meal with a loaf of fresh bread. It also reheats well.
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 3 hours
Servings: 8

1¼ cup red kidney beans
8 cups water1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 stalk of celery, sliced
1 carrot sliced
6-8 fingerling potatoes, chunked
1½ cups fresh green beans, cut into 1½-inch pieces
1 cup tomato sauce
¼ cup parsley flakes
1½ teaspoon basil
1½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon marjoram
¼ teaspoon celery seed
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce can chopped tomatoes
1 zucchini, chopped
1 ½ cups shredded cabbage
½ cup uncooked whole wheat elbows

Place the kidney beans in a large pot with water to cover. Bring to a boil, cook for 2 minutes, turn off heat and let rest for 1 hour.
(To eliminate this step soak the beans overnight). Drain off water.
Add onion, garlic, and 8 cups of fresh water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 1 hour.
Add celery, carrot, potatoes, green beans, tomato sauce and all the seasonings.
Return to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 45 minutes.
Add the garbanzo beans, canned tomatoes and zucchini.
Cook for another 30 minutes.Then add the cabbage and pasta and cook for an additional 30 minutes.

HINTS:I have many varieties of minestrone that I make throughout the fall and winter months, but this one is our favorite.
You may use any type of uncooked pasta that you like, we also like spaghetti broken into 2 inch pieces in this soup.

CREAMY GOLDEN GRAVY

This gravy is made with brown rice flour instead of wheat flour.  The great thing about using rice flour instead of wheat flour for thickening is that it doesn’t form lumps like wheat flour often does. This does not have to be stirred constantly to prevent lumps.  I have walked away and forgotten to stir this gravy and it still comes out smooth and lump free because of the rice flour.

Preparation Time:  5 minutes
Cooking Time:  10 minutes
Servings:  makes 2 cups

2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons tahini
¼ cup brown rice flour
freshly ground black pepper

Place all the ingredients, except the pepper, in a small saucepan.  Stir well to mix.  Cook over medium–low heat, stirring occasionally until smooth and thick.  Season with freshly ground black pepper to taste.  Serve at once.

Hint: This may be made ahead and refrigerated.  It will thicken slightly more when refrigerated.  To reheat, place in a saucepan, add a small amount of water, whisk to combine and then heat slowly, stirring occasionally, until hot.

TOFU LOAF

This is an excellent, firm loaf to serve with mashed potatoes and gravy.  The leftovers also make a great sandwich filling.

Preparation Time:  15 minutes
Cooking Time:  45 to 60 minutes
Servings:  6-8

30 ounces water-packed firm tofu
1  2/3 cups quick oats
¾ cup whole wheat bread crumbs
½ cup ketchup or barbecue sauce
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drain the tofu well and mash finely, using a bean/potato masher and your fingers.  Place in a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients.  Mix well, again using your fingers.  Turn the mixture into either a square baking pan or a loaf pan.  (If you don’t have a non-stick pan you will need to lightly oil the pan first.) Bake the square pan for 45 minutes or the loaf pan for 60 minutes, until the top and edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes.  Loosen sides and invert over a platter to remove from baking pan.

Hints:  The quick cooking oats work best in this recipe.  To make bread crumbs, process 1 slice of bread in a food processor.  (Do this when you have extra older bread and store the crumbs in a sealed bag in the freezer.)  Serve with a sauce or gravy to pour over the loaf-or serve plain with a barbecue sauce on the side.  Vegetarian Worcestershire sauce is available in most natural food stores.  Low sodium soy sauce is also available in most supermarkets for those of you who are trying to reduce your salt intake.

MARSALA MUSHROOM SAUCE
Preparation Time:  15 minutes
Cooking Time:  15 minutes
Servings:  makes 3 ½ cups
2 leeks, sliced (white and light green part only)
¾ pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
3 ½ cups water
½ teaspoon leaf oregano
½ teaspoon leaf sage
¼ cup soy sauce
1/8 cup Marsala wine
3 ½ tablespoons cornstarch mixed in ¼ cup cold water 
Place leeks and mushrooms in a pot with ½ cup of the water.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.  Add the remaining  water, the oregano, sage, soy sauce and wine.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 8 minutes.  Add the cornstarch mixture and cook and stir until thickened.
Hint:  This delicious sauce may be used as a topping for grains, potatoes or vegetables. 


Chocolate Brownies

We serve these brownies topped with vanilla soy ice cream on the first night of every McDougall Program. They are a rich treat best reserved for special occasions. We especially like them cold from the fridge, so we sometimes make them ahead, cut and arrange them on a platter, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a day before serving them. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, but I doubt they’ll be around that long.

Prep: 15 minutes | Cook: 30 minutes
Makes 9

2 tablespoons Ener-G Egg Replacer
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2/3 cup Wonderslim Wondercocoa Fat-Free Cocoa Powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped cashews or walnuts (optional)
1 cup Sunsweet Lighter Bake
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350oF.

In a small bowl, whisk the Egg Replacer with 1/2 cup warm water until frothy. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the nuts, if using. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the Lighter Bake, sugar, and vanilla. Stir in the Egg Replacer. Stir this mixture into the flour mixture just until the ingredients are combined.
Spread the batter evenly into a nonstick or silicone 8” x 8” baking pan, smoothing the top. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Set the pan on a rack until cool, about 30 minutes. Cut the brownies into three equal strips in one direction, then three in the other, to make nine brownies. (If using a silicone pan, flex and invert the pan to release the brownies onto a platter before cutting them.)