mellow mushrooms

this week, i had to go on a macrobiotic fast to take care of the side effects of the

antibiotics i took.  they were gnarly.

the only thing that got me through it was 'the best of jefferson airplane' and my

subscription to martha stewart weddings.  there were a lot of late nights listening

to "white rabbit" examining floral centerpieces.

i went to the grocery store and picked up some exquisite shrooms.

this is a shiitake mushroom.  to pick a good shiitake, it's crucial

that the mushroom hasn't flared yet.  the edges of the  mushroom

should be curled under, like a teacup flipped upside down.

don't cook with the stems of mushrooms.  they're tough and the

sense i get is that they're very constricting and yang.  they're much

tastier when slow-boiled as an ingredient in soup stock.  i have a

giant stack of frozen shiitake stems in my fridge at home.

mushrooms really do make you mellow.  slivered shiitake

mushrooms finely, boil for fifteen minutes and add a pinch

of sea salt to relieve tension and calm a frayed disposition.

this is a portobello mushroom cap.  i usually don't cook with them

because i think they're too flaky and messy, but it added a nice

chewiness to my spaghetti.

those of you with dishes that predate 1980 must have at least one

iconic, all-american chicken bowl.  i've seen these in almost every

apartment i've been in that wasn't an ikea show model.

there's literally an entire subsection on ebay devoted to them.

i thought that using this bowl would inject my food with that

peaceful, easy feelin'.

ok, so it occurs to me that this picture looks like primordial

mitochondria, so i apologize for how unappetizing it is.

psychedelic psquash pspaghetti

with

mellow mushroom sauce

::ingredients::

two spaghetti squashes

5 cloves garlic

2 shallots

2 tbsp olive oil

sea salt

1 large yellow onion, diced

3 cups diced assorted mushrooms

1/2 cup almond slivers

toasted sesame oil

3 tbsp kuzu dissolved in 5 tsbp cold water

tamari to taste

::squash noodles::

preheat oven to 375.  slice squashes in half, and gut seeds and sprouts with a spoon,

leaving about 1/2 to 1 inch fruit on every side, depending on the initial size of your

squash (see above photograph).  mince garlic and shallots, and fill inside cavity of

each squash half.  pour 1/2 tbsp olive oil, and coat squash and fillings thoroughly.

bake at 375 approximately 1 hour.

::sauce::

stir-fry onion in toasted sesame oil over medium heat until translucent, about 3-5

minutes.  add mushrooms, stir-fry an additional 3-5 minutes until soft, then add

3-4 cups water, almond slivers, bring to a boil, and simmer for 15 minutes.

add tamari and stir.  take your dissolved kuzu mix and SLOWLY fold into

the pot, mixing quickly.  if you pour it all in at once, you'll end up with a

solidified block of creamy jello that tastes like nothing.  it's gross.  make sure

your kuzu is fully incorporated.

once your spaghetti squash is out of the oven, allow it to cool until it's safe to

touch.  grasping the squash, rake the tines of your fork down the sides, peeling

the "noodles" from the squash, and deposit them into a large bowl.  if the squash

is cool, this is really fun.  if the squash is still hot, like mine was last night because

i'm a glutton who might as well just eat out of a trough, it's incredibly painful.

let that be a lesson to wait for it to cool.

spoon a large dollop of your mushroom sauce over your garlicky "noodles,"

pour yourself a big bowl of greens (i used dark kale, below), and enjoy!

mmmm.  groovy.

golden sunrise dressing

golden sunrise dressing

to my everlasting embarrassment, i haven't posted in a solid month.

i've been doing 90% more shopping and 90% less cooking, which

is probably why my fridge has melting mushrooms and i've dropped

a dress size.

i'm so sorry i've been such a negligent blogger!  i tend to post when

i cook, and since the holidays have been so busy at work, i haven't

been doing too much cooking.

that being said, i wanted to share with you guys a beautiful dressing

i make every morning.  nutritional yeast is my little indulgence.

--------

blanche assorted veggies.  i like napa cabbage, onion, carrot, and turnip.

:: combine ::

1 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 tsp bragg's liquid aminos

1 tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice

heaping tbsp nutritional yeast

mix, slather, and enjoy!

--------

Take it One Meal at a Time

A lot of my clients who are new to a healing diet ask me what they

should make if they only have the time or energy to make

I want you to know that's normal.  When you read about a healing diet

online, it's a lot of bizarre sauces and obscure cooking techniques you've

never heard of.  A lot of folks are just starting out.  They don't own a suribachi, 

and  they have never seen an umeboshi plum in their life.  In fact, the closest 

they've come to Asia is seeing Memoirs of a Geisha.

That's okay.  Most people who are starting this diet are in the same place.

They're worried about the health of their children, they're experiencing a

major health crisis, it "just makes sense..." whatever your reason, it can be

really intimidating to get started.

I'm telling you that you can.  If you look at the picture above, it should

pretty much all look familiar to you.  Those are all the ingredients you need

to make your first healthy meal.  Here's the scoop:

We'll be cooking:

Nutty Summer Rice

Steamed Green Salad with Sunflower Seed Dressing

Poached or Baked Salmon (your choice of 2 recipes)

Fresh Watermelon Slices

+ ingredients +

-long grain brown rice

-raw almonds or pecans

-olive oil

-sea salt

-raw sunflower seeds (hulled)

-vinegar.  i prefer umeboshi vinegar for its sweet, mild flavor and digestive healing properties.

-scallions

-kale

-salmon

-2 lemons

-1 stalk celery (optional)

-fresh parsley

-brown rice cereal or bread crumbs (optional for baking style)

-fresh watermelon

+ right off the bat +

- preheat oven to 400.

- decide if you want to bake or poach your salmon.  if you're poaching it, set a large pot of water to boil

- set a large, deep pot of water to boil.  the amount of water doesn't matter.  this will be for blanching your kale.

- take one cup brown rice and combine with 1 1/2 cups spring water.  bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until soft, about 20 minutes.

- finely mince scallions and fresh parsley, and store in separate bowls.

- strip kale leaves off the stem and rip into large pieces.  this can be messy.

+ get this party started +

nutty rice

- when your oven has reached 400, place your raw nuts on a baking sheet and roast until cooked, approx 5-10 minutes, tossing after five minutes.  if you're batty like me, set a timer.  i'm notorious for char-broiling nuts.

- toss rice, nuts, a few drops of umeboshi vinegar, and a splash of olive oil.  combine well.

boiled salad with sunflower dressing

- roast sunflower seeds in a small pan until they turn a light golden brown and begin to pop.

- crush sunflower seeds in food processor or chop with knife.

-combine with minced scallions, a splash of umeboshi vinegar, and enough water to turn it to a paste, approximately 2 tbsp.

- toss kale leaves in boiling water and submerge completely.  remove when kale leaves are bright green, slowly turning darker, approximately 3 minutes.

-combine kale and dressing and enjoy.

poached salmon

- set 2 inches of water to boil in a deep pot.  add 2 springs parsley, celery stalk, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and 2 tsp. salt (this is familiar to those of you who made the salmon sandwiches.  it's darn good poaching sauce.  why not?)

- submerge salmon, skin side down 12 minutes or until cooked through.

baked salmon

- crush brown rice cereal until the size of bread crumbs, or use bread crumbs.  combine with 2 tsp. fresh lemon zest, 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/4 cup olive oil.

-place salmon skin-side down in a shallow oven pan.  add 1/2-inch layer of bread crumbs, and bake for 12-15 minutes at 400 or until cooked through.

fresh watermelon

-slice.  safety first.

Ketchup Recipe and Pretty Red Things

I made homemade ketchup today.  We didn't have any, so I made it.

I still can't believe I'm the kind of person who makes their own ketchup.  I feel like Bear Grylls.  Or Rambo.  If there was a nuclear accident at the old Heinz place and all the ketchup in America was contaminated...  I could make some.

But seriously... how many people do YOU know who know how to make ketchup?  For most people, it's hard just to wiggle the butter knife around that skinny glass bottle to get the ketchup out.

Forget that.  I'm ten light-years ahead you.  I made ketchup.  Hell, while I'm at it, I could probably make the ketchup bottle too.

I need to stop.  I need to take a few steps back.  This is how hipsters in Brooklyn end up with their own old-fashioned letterpress factories run out of lofts.  If I don't stop now, I'll end up with my own small home pickling business.  Oh, wait.  Too late.  Did I mention I'll be selling homemade tofu cheese and amazake starting next week?

- 2 carrots

- 1 onion

- 2 to 3 tsp. ume plum vinegar

- 1 tbsp. maple syrup

Place two separate pots of water on the stove to boil.  While the water is heating, chop carrots and onions into fingernail-sized pieces.  They can be messy since they're headed for the blender.

Boil carrots and onions separately for 15-20 minutes, until onions are translucent and carrots are soft.  Save some of your boiling water, approximately 1/4 to 1/3 cup.

In a large bowl, add carrots, onion, 1/4 to 1/3 cup boiling water, ume vinegar, and maple syrup.  Blend well with either a hand-mixer or a food processor until smooth.  

If you're feeding this to kids, I'd add 1/2 a steamed beet for red color.  I love this ketchup because unlike conventional ketchup, it has no sugar, no artificial colors or flavors, and is a great way to sneak in veggies.

pretty things ::  essie nail color $8 //  brian atwood carla watersnake triangle clutch $1385  // 

//  kate spade twirl karolina shoes $350 //

Three Ways To Sneak Your Kids Vegetables

Two out of my three first swear-words were said about vegetables.

I remember them clearly because of the heavy silence that followed.  The space between crime and punishment.  Those seconds seem to last forever as your eyes dart between the horrified faces of your parents and grandparents.

The first one was used at the age of six to describe the unpleasant tactile experience of consuming a lima bean.  The second one was dropped about two years later.  I wanted to add emphasis to my unwillingness to consume a slice of meatloaf with bell peppers in it.  It worked.

Parents, hopefully your kids aren't as bad as I was.  I'd like to provide a list of kid-friendly veggie recipes in the hopes that it alleviate the tug-of-war that so often accompanies the phrase...

eat your vegetables or no dessert

hide them in the spaghetti
Tomatoes are nightshades, so in macrobiotics we try to limit our consumption because they're very acidic.  Some studies have even suggested that they increase arthritis-related pain.

That being said, most kids are used to their spaghetti with tomato sauce, and they won't eat it if the red stuff is missing.  Lucky for us, tomatoes have such a strong flavor, they cover up everything.  Water-saute carrots, onions, zucchini, and even turnips until very soft.  Run the veggies through the food processor and do fifty percent spaghetti sauce, fifty percent veggie mix.

tuck them in sushi
Sushi is everywhere these days.  Kids like it because the white rice is sweet, and sushi restaurants and grocery stores often load the vinegar the rice is soaked in with sugar.  If you can make your own sushi at home, it's quick, fun for the kids, and a great way to sneak in veggies.  Instead of seaweed, try wrapping your sushi with three steamed collard green leaves, overlapping.  I'll do a photo demonstration of this soon.  The sushi won't stick together quite as well as seaweed, but it's a delicious and sneaky way to get kids to eat steamed greens.

stick them in the dessert
Steam a butternut squash and puree with a few tablespoons of brown rice syrup, some cinnamon, nutmeg, and a little pinch of salt for a delicious pudding.  I also love this Avocado Chocolate Pudding/Ice Cream.

Condiments, Dips, and Pestos

It's summer time, and the snacking's easy.  Coming soon are the chic little garden parties, the cocktail fundraisers, and the horse races I wish I was invited to.

Whether you're sick of lifeless filets of fish or tired of bland bowls of rice, condiments can be a saving grace.  Here's a trinity of fun and easy dips for your snacking pleasure!

As a side note, I'm in Beacon Hill right now, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in America.  I'm down the street from a house that's retailing $32 million.  The healthiest food in the local grocery store is Doritos.  That's America for you.

condiment

nori condiment

----------------------------------------

5-6 sheets nori seaweed
1/4 to 1/2 c. water
dash tamari
optional minced scallions, minced garlic, dulse sprinkles
-----------------------------------------
Rip nori sheets to small pieces, and stir with water in a small saucepan.  Slowly bring to boil, stirring gently until sheets dissolve.  Add dash of tamari and/or optional ingredients, reduce to simmer, and simmer for 2-3 more minutes.

dip

natto-scallion spread

-----------------------------

1/2 cup natto, available where most macro food is sold
2 tbsp. minced scallions
1 tsp. dijon mustard
-----------------------------
Natto is pretty radical stuff.  This is a way to make this incredibly healing food more palatable.  I'm investing in a box next week and playing around with 3-4 different natto combinations, so stay tuned.  I'm thinking of doing a sweet/savory ginger and miso natto combo, but I don't want to post that here untried.  Natto with dijon mustard is one of the most bizarre combos I've ever tried, but it's freaking delicious.

pesto

cilantro-walnut pesto

-------------------------------------

2 c whole raw walnuts
1 bunch fresh cilantro
4 garlic cloves, rough-chopped
1/2 to 1 c. olive oil
1/2 fresh-squeezed lemon
sea salt to taste
--------------------------------------
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Roast your walnuts until golden brown and releasing oil, about 5-7 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.


Rough-chop cilantro and garlic into pieces your blender can manage.  Crush cool walnuts with your hands.  Add cilantro, garlic, and walnuts to blender in alternating layers, pulsing to combine as you go. The trick to this is liquid, liquid, liquid.  If your ingredients aren't mixing evenly, you need to add more oil and lemon juice.  Continue to add ingredients and pulse until it takes on that distinctive pesto-like texture.


Once your ingredients are added and it's been salted to your taste, the key is to add enough oil that the cilantro is never exposed to air.  Once it hits the air, the green starts to oxidize and turn a yucky-looking brown.  Nobody wants that.  Enjoy your pesto!


P.S.  That's my homemade pesto.  I just used an old salsa jar because we reduce, reuse and recycle 'round here.

Sugars, Syrups, and Sweeteners

I love syrup. I love smothering my pancakes, waffles, french toast, et. al, with syrup. As much as I wish I could make an excuse for using straight maple syrup, the fact is that sweeteners, even the "natural" ones, aren't all they're cracked up to be. If you have a condition that gets aggravated directly by sugar, having "evaporated cane juice" isn't going to save you. It's not even a better option. It's really just as bad.

Here are the ones that are sugar by any other name:

• CANE SUGAR
• EVAPORATED CANE JUICE
• UNREFINED CANE JUICE
• MINIMALLY PROCESSED CANE SUGAR
• NATURAL CANE SWEETENER
• BEET SUGAR
• EVAPORATED BEET JUICE

Here are some that are very yin and should be used with moderation:

• HONEY
• MAPLE SYRUP
• AGAVE NECTAR
• COCONUT SUGAR
• PALM SUGAR

Less yin, more natural and balanced, but still in moderation:

• FRUIT JUICE
• COOKED FRUIT
• RAW FRUIT
• BROWN RICE SYRUP
• BARLEY MALT
• AMAZAKE

This last category is the least "traditionally sweet" of all the sweeteners. To people who aren't macro, these sweeteners have little to no taste. Our taste buds are blazed on modern sweeteners, and we often can't taste how extremely sweet something like brown rice syrup really is. After a month of balanced eating, these sweeteners will taste as sweet as any "modern" sweetener.

So how to make pancakes without slathering them with maple syrup?

CINNAMON-MAPLE BROWN RICE SYRUP

1 1/2 c. brown rice syrup (I love Suzanne's brand)

1-2 tsp. organic maple syrup (beware big grocery brands. I've heard there's rarely any real maple in them)

1/4 c. water

1 stick organic cinnamon

1 pinch sea salt

Mix syrups and water in a small saucepan, stirring continuously until dissolved, about five minutes. Heat mixture until just below boiling, over medium-high heat. Add sea salt and cinnamon, and stir over low heat for ten minutes. If clumps develop, skim and remove.

Slather and enjoy! I have been keeping my leftovers covered and in the fridge, and I'm thinking about making a tossed apple salad with it next week.

Christmas Sushi!

Christmas Sushi!

Roll 1: Sauerkraut, Avocado, Brown Rice, Garbanzo Beans, Flat-Leaf Parsley

Roll 2: Teriyaki Shiitake Mushrooms (see below for sauce), Brown Rice, Green Onions, Black Sesame Seeds

Sushi Tips from The Land of the Rising Sun and Hello Kitty:

--If your nori is dry, hold it 6-8 inches above a burner on low heat until the edges begin to wilt. It rolls much easier!

--To get that real "Japanese Restaurant" flavor, AND to get those irritating grains of rice off your hands, use brown rice vinegar on your hands!

--A sushi mat is crucial. It's really tough to make the rolls without them.

Macrobiotic Teriyaki Sauce

3 tbsp. gluten-free Tamari

3 tbsp. brown rice syrup

1 tsp. kuzu dissolved in cold water

4-5 tbsp. mirin

Whisk your ingredients, and pour the combined mixture over whatever you're teriyaki-ing. It's pretty essential to fry whatever you're teriyaki-ing in toasted sesame oil, not just sesame oil (and definitely not olive oil).

Happy Sushi-ing!

Pumpkin Seed Dressing!

I'm mighty chuffed to present the following recipe to you guys. It's a family favorite, and I recently made it for May, who declared it to be her Favorite Macrobiotic Dish, Ever. There are some great pictures of us eating it that'll be added to this post soon.

This week, I've been on the continued recovery track, but things have been pretty good and I'm blessed with strong health. Last week my recurrent skin problem came back, and the last two times that happened, I had to get surgery and go on antibiotics costing a thousand dollars that I definitely don't have.

This time around, I treated it macrobiotically, and experienced healing in about four days. This is really huge, because the last two times this infection came up, I had to have it surgically removed, and I went from healthy to needing surgery in about four days. It happens really fast.

Here's what I did:

-Burdock Root Tea, Nightly for three nights.

-1/2" Green Clay Compress, applied for 12 hours at a time, three days in a row

-Cut dairy, sugar, and reduced soy and "snackro" foods for a week in favor of the real whole foods I probably should be eating all the time. I'm a big fan of eating gluten-free "fake" foods, like gluten-free pizza with soy cheese, but I know it's just a short-cut, and that these can be damaging to your health as well.

To celebrate at the end of all this, I cooked a huge macro meal with mixed rices, fresh garden greens, pickled bean sprouts, and PUMPKIN SEED DRESSING!!! Here it is!

Pumpkin Seed Dressing and Greens

Watercress and a bitter green (Dandelion greens, collard greens, kale, swiss chard, etc.) steamed

1 1/2 c raw pumpkin seeds, roasted by you at 375 for 10 minutes or so. Keep an eye on these because they burn quickly!

2-3 tsp. ume plum paste

3-4 minced scallions

Water as needed to achieve desired consistency

Pour your roasted pumpkin seeds in a coffee grinder. As these grind, add them to a large bowl and combine plum paste, scallions, and water to bring to a hummus-like consistency. Eat with green veggies or as hummus type dip.

Cool Down with Cool Soy Yogurt Sauce

I swear I have a picture of this sauce somewhere, but with the limited space available on my cell phone camera, I think it may have been replaced with this picture of my dog:


So this is not a post on how to cook Homer. We keep it vegan around here.

I don't love using "fake" vegan products made with soy or corn, because I believe that too much of anything is no good for you, even if it's for the noble purpose of avoiding animal products. When you start doing "soy" this or "soy" that, it slowly creeps into taking a major place in your diet, and with all the Monsanto soy shadiness going around, I don't like to use any soy products that aren't guaranteed non-GMO.

That being said, this sauce is freaking delicious. I'm putting it on here to be used with fritters, fish fingers, or any other fried goodness that needs a cooling sauce. It also makes a great "ranch" substitute if you're looking for a party dip for carrots and celery stalks.

COOL SUMMER HERB SAUCE

1/2 c. Soy Yogurt
1/2 c. Soy Sour Cream
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp. lemon juice
3 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chopped parsley
2 c. cilantro chopped OR 1 1/2 c. garlic scapes, which might be the most delicious herb never mentioned.

Run all ingredients through the food processor until it looks green and dippable. Raise thy stalk on high and dip thee low unto the sauce, and chew it mightily, for it is good.