This may also be made in a slow cooker overnight. Combine all of the ingredients and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

(This is one of my favorites. It’s a recipe I adapted from one of the many cookbooks I own.)

This is so easy and very delicious. It firms up enough to unmold. This is always a hit at parties and potlucks. (You can easily double the recipe.)

*If you’d like to make your own limas for this recipe from dried beans, you’ll need about 1 slightly generous cup dried limas. I don’t know how this recipe works with frozen limas (I haven’t tried that, and the book doesn’t mention it.)

Hints: For a spicy dip, use Taco Seasoning Mix made by Bearitos or Hain. For a delicious French Onion Dip, use the one made by Simply Organic. Simply Organic makes a delicious Dill Dip also, as well as several others, including a Southwest Taco. Other packaged mixes may be available in your local natural food stores. Read the labels carefully for healthy ingredients with no added oils or animal products.

In a medium-sized non-reactive saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, chili powder, savory, cumin, salt, black pepper, cayenne and white pepper. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the black beans mixture, bring to a boil, stirring frequently, and simmer for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.

Recipe By :John McDougall, MD and Mary McDougall
Submitted by: Sue in NJ

Delicious and hearty! Serve with biscuits and green salad. Great as leftovers and freezes well.

We have been enjoying rice pudding in assorted variations for many years. We made this one a few nights ago and really enjoyed it. Check out the “hints” for different serving ideas. We would consider this a healthy dessert, the less sugar used, the healthier it is.

Be sure to use sweet, ripe, seasonal fruit in this recipe. Peaches and nectarines are delicious. For a fresh strawberry pie, see hint below.

This recipe was created by one of our cooking instructors at the McDougall Program, Alex Bury. I demonstrated this recipe during the VegSource conference during October 2005 and received so many requests for the recipe that I am including it in this month’s newsletter.

African Peanut Soup 1 garlic clove 1/3 c. tomato paste 2/3 c. “Wonder Butter” (lowfat peanut butter) or regular p.b. 1/8+ tsp cayenne 4 c. veggie broth 1 sweet potato, diced 1 onion, diced 1 green pepper, diced 1 yellow squash, diced 1 can garbanzos (optional – I add because I like it to be […]

This would be very attractive served in a small baked pumpkin. Cut top off of a pumpkin. Clean out seeds and strings (just like Halloween). Replace top. Place pumpkin in a pan with ½ inch of water. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve the cooked soup in the baked pumpkin.

Go ahead and use frozen spinach–it works very well here (just remember to defrost it ahead of time). Step 1 can be done up to several days ahead. Don’t substitute dried herbs for the fresh. It just won’t be the same. This soup freezes well, if stored in an airtight container.

By Alex Bury, McDougall Program cooking instructor