The Veggie Gal

This is a great recipe from Dr. McDougall’s book, The McDougall Program-12 days to dynamic health.    I throw these together for a super quick lunch or dinner when I am just too tired to think or cook.  The bonus, no guilt meal, I can have 2 if I really want to!

I will post the recipe exactly as it is in his book but I usually just use what ever salad stuff I have in the house to throw these together.  I also like to top them with either a sprinkle of sesame seeds  or thinly sliced almonds for added calcium and protein.  I always try and have some sort of sprout on my salad since they are such nutritional powerhouses especially broccoli sprouts.

Also I usually use Yukon Gold and Red potatoes for mine since they are better for you and are so creamy.  Sometimes I event throw on some chickpeas or other bean if I am super hungry.  For the little kids I have to reduce the vegetables considerably and then chop them super small and mix it in with the potato so they will eat it but as long as I put the fat free Italian dressing over the top they usually eat it.

Did You Know!?

• A medium Potato has 45% of your daily requirements for Vitamin C.
• Carrots are an excellent source of antioxidant compounds, and the richest vegetable source of the pro-vitamin A carotenes.
• Almonds are higher in calcium than any other nut containing 66 mg in 1 ounce.
• Click here to read more food facts

Baked Potato Salad

serves: 2

2white baking potatoes, scrubbed
2 cups coarsely shredded lettuce
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced celery
1/4 cup thinly sliced radishes
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1/4-1/3 cup low-sodium, oi-free Italian, French or Russian salad dressing

Scrub the potatoes, prick with a fork, and microwave on high for about 10 minutes, until tender.  (If you don’t have a microwave, bake at 400° for 50 to 60 minutes.)

Combine the lettuce, tomato, celery, radishes and scallions.  To serve, slice the baked potatoes in half lengthwise, then cover each half with some salad mixture.  Top all of this with your choice of dressing.  ENJOY!

Back to Top

Tags: anti-cancer food, Dinner, Dr. McDougall, Easy Vegan, Gluten Free, Healthy Meal, Lunch, Potatoes, Quick vegan, Vegan, vegan recipe, Vegetarian

These are a mixture of veggie burgers and black bean burgers.  I like to sneak veggies in everywhere I can  and with kids you need to try extra hard to be sneaky.  I just love these and they taste better than any store bought burger you can buy.  Plus my whole  family really likes the flavor and having the whole family like something is a great thing.  The great thing about making your own burger is you can make a baseline mixture then as you  pull out a handful to roll a burger you can add more spice where desired.

Did You Know!?

• Black beans have as much flavonoids as red grapes or red wine without the hangover!
• Broccoli sprouts are even better for you than broccoli containing up to 20 times more disease fighting compounds and have been show to either kill cancer or prevent it from further growth so eat up!
• A Tomato contain approximately 40% of your daily value of vitamin C.
• Click here to read more food facts

These burgers are very hearty and filling and could be enjoyed with some Fat Free and Fabulous French Fries.  They are gluten and sou free without the bun.

Black Bean Veggie Burgers
serves 6

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 carrot, shredded
1/2 green pepper, chopped finely
1 stalk of celery, chopped finely
1/2 teaspoon cumin (more if desired-I like more but the kids don’t)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
a couple of sprinkles of Cayenne pepper (this is the kid friendly amount add more if you want)
1/4-1/2 cup of chopped whole oats (as a binder-plus adds even more good fiber)

Cook your vegetables in a little water until softened.

Mash beans and add the cooked vegetables, spices and chopped oats.  Add the least amount of oats and work your way up until you have a burger that holds together.  Too much will make them crumbly and dry so be careful.

Roll into 6 even balls (adding more spices to each one if desired), spray a large skillet with non fat spray.  Flatten balls in your hand until they are a little less than a 1/2 inch thick  and cook on medium heat.  When you flip the burger to the second side press down slightly with your spatula to ensure even cooking.

Put on a bun with your desired condiments and topping and ENJOY!

Back to Top

Tags: anti-cancer food, Black Bean Burger, Burgers, Easy Vegan, Gluten Free, Healthy Meal, Quick vegan, Vegan, vegan recipe, Vegetarian

Nature is wonderfully intelligent!  It made fruits and vegetables striking to the human eye so that we could not resist biting into any one of the beautifully rainbow colored foods.  I made a trip this weekend to Whole Foods Market to buy some things I can’t get any where else and was taken by all the beautiful produce.  We all know that eating more colors is better for our health and that each fruit and vegetable has a different beneficial chemical make up.  We all know that eating more fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of most cancers and the high antioxidants they contain help to prevent most disease but do you ever just look at their beauty?  I wanted to share these with you.

I then could not resist getting lunch while I was at Whole Foods.  I am always so excited that I have many choices and can actually go the sandwich bar and get wonderful bread with good sauces like the one on the sandwich I ordered.  I was able to get a vegan pesto sauce and vegenaise on my sandwich (I can’t get that at Subway!).  I also was able to get a vegan pizza which was super good too.  I did not take a picture of the sushi we got too but my daughter and I split that along with the pizza and the sandwich.  YUM!

Back to Top

Tags: anti-cancer food, Beauty, Easy Vegan, Fruit, Health, Vegan, Vegan sandwich, Vegetables, Whole Foods

Here is another way to get those healthy cruciferous vegetables into your diet.  They taste really great and even the kids like them.  My 18 month old shoveled them into his mouth faster than he could chew.  With chipmunk cheeks he reached for the rest of mine.  It was too cute to refuse so he ate two servings of his vegetables for the day.  I only got to eat a couple of bites but that is ok, moms always sacrifice for their young right!  Next time I will make double.

Roasted Broccoli
serves 4-6

2 large heads of broccoli
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1-2 cloves of minced garlic
1/4-1/2 teaspoon sea salt (to taste)

Preheat the oven to 425 and chop the broccoli into bite size pieces.  Pour oil, garlic and salt into a bowl and throw the broccoli on top.  Place the baking pan on top of the bowl and shake to evenly coat with the oil, garlic and salt.  Bake at 425 for 20 minutes then turn the oven to broil.  Move the rack up to the top and broil for approximately 5 minutes making sure to turn so it does not burn.  Another quicker option is to steam the broccoli in a pan with a small amount of water for 5-10 minutes.  Drain the water off then toss with the oil, garlic and salt and broil for 5 minutes.  Serve hot.  ENJOY!

Back to Top

Tags: anti-cancer food, Easy Vegan, Gluten Free, Healthy Meal, Side dish, Vegan

I think these are very tasty morsels as a side dish and the benefits of cruciferous vegetables are vast.  They are high in soluble fiber so they will keep you full and clean you out.  They are high in vitamin C and contain many nutrients with anti-cancer abilities.  They are are also thought to help prevent age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.  So eat up!

Roasted Cauliflower
Serves 4-6

2 heads of cauliflower, chopped into bite size pieces
1-2 teaspoons Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder (not salt)
1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder (not salt)
1/4-1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt (and desired amount for sprinkling on after cooked if desired)
Pepper

Preheat oven to 375˚F. After washing the cauliflower cut the bottom stems off and slice in half for ease of cutting.  Then chop into bite size pieces.

Put the measured olive oil and spices into the bottom of a large bowl then drop the cauliflower in the bowl.  Put the large cooking sheet you will cook them with on top of the bowl and shake it up for even disbursement of the oil and spices.  If you think it needs more oil you can pour the oil along the side of the bowl so it does not stick into one or two pieces and re-shake.  Take the pan off from the bowl and spray it with a small amount of non fat cooking spray.  Spread the cauliflower out on the pan in a single layer.  Place tin foil over the pan and bake for 15 minutes or until desired tenderness.  Raise the rack in the oven and turn the oven to broil and broil until golden brown.  Make sure to turn them often or they will burn.  If they start to dry out from not using a lot of oil spray a little with the non fat spray to moisten.

Remove from the oven, sprinkle with additional salt and some pepper if desired and serve hot.  ENJOY!

Back to Top

Tags: anti-cancer food, Easy Vegan, Gluten Free, Quick and easy, Side dish, step by step, Vegan