Quinoa Loaf with Mushrooms and Peas (Whole Foods Market)
This was a disappointment. It wasn't bad, just a little bland. My "loaf" also did not stick together at all, so we had to scoop into the pan and dig up the mixture. It wasn't the end of the world, but it was a little embarrassing!
I followed the recipe exactly, except sticking with the ETL guidelines, so I didn't use the olive oil to saute the mushrooms (I water-sauteed) and did not use salt. It tasted like a quinoa grain salad, and although it had plenty of "goodies" in it, I didn't seem to taste much of it. Some people tried it and told me they liked it, but I'm not sure they weren't just saying that to be polite! In the end, I was happy to have a main dish that I could eat without guilt, but I am not sure I would make this again.
Kale with Caramelized Onions and Walnuts (I made this one up)
2 large onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 small bunches of kale (about 2 lbs), de-stemmed and chopped roughly
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
In a large pan, water saute the sliced onions until soft (about 10 minutes). Continue to cook the onions on low heat, stirring every so often. Eventually the onions will caramelize - it took about 25 minutes for me.
In a large pot, steam the garlic for a few minutes in a little water. Add about 1/4-1/2 cup water and add the kale, gently steaming for about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Combine the steamed kale and caramelized onions, tossing to combine. Mix in 2 T apple cider vinegar and top with walnuts.
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 small bunches of kale (about 2 lbs), de-stemmed and chopped roughly
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
In a large pan, water saute the sliced onions until soft (about 10 minutes). Continue to cook the onions on low heat, stirring every so often. Eventually the onions will caramelize - it took about 25 minutes for me.
In a large pot, steam the garlic for a few minutes in a little water. Add about 1/4-1/2 cup water and add the kale, gently steaming for about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Combine the steamed kale and caramelized onions, tossing to combine. Mix in 2 T apple cider vinegar and top with walnuts.
This turned out surprisingly good and was easy to make. Even the non-vegetable eaters had some of this. Will make this one again.
Green Beans Almondine (Dr. Fuhrman)
The recipe can be found here (second one down).
This was a simple recipe green bean recipe that I felt much better making over the usual canned mushroom soup fried onion concoction (I have never made that recipe!). I thought it would taste a bit more "almond-y" but it didn't. I even invested in the $8+ almond oil (found it at Whole Foods) and it didn't taste like almonds. I love green beans so I enjoyed it and I think most people at the table found it acceptable.
Raw Apple Crumble (McDougall newsletter)
This one was getting praise on the forums at Dr. Fuhrman which convinced me to try it. I made it as specified, but doubled the recipe. It made a TON! I covered an entire 9x13" glass pan. I used organic Granny Smith apples and liked that because of their tartness and ablity to hold up. I made this recipe the day before, saving the topping in another container. It held up fine in the fridge.
I think most people were weirded out by the "raw" aspect of the dessert but tried a little. The sugar-holic BF told me it was "too tart" and went for the pumpkin pie. Another relative said it was good and was surprised to hear there was NO sugar in it. It is only sweetened with dates.
I thought it was good, and tasted close to a real apple crumble, but not exactly. :) Still tasted "healthy" to me. But I much rather preferred eating this to the other sweets on the table.
Overall, even though I spent a few hours making all these dishes and they weren't as good as I hoped, I was pleased to have plenty to eat among the deep fried turkey, ribs, potatoes, bread, pumpkin pie, and other traditional dishes that were offered.
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