killer onion soup

this soup is no joke.

i designed this recipe to use only ingredients you can find at your local grocery store, no funny business.
unless you happen to have a bottle of ume vinegar at home.
then a little funny business will be involved.

i'm sorry the picture isn't phenomenal.  it was late at night, and i was 97% starving and only 3% artistic, so this was the best i could muster.

killer onion soup

serves 3
easy to make

2 vidalia onions
3 cloves garlic
7-8 button mushrooms
toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp. natural sweetener (i got some local honey from the amish that i'm digging)
dried thyme
1 quart veggie stock (either homemade or organic store-bought.  be sure you read the label and make sure you know what you're getting.  if you see sugar or things you can't pronounce, cut and run.)

mince garlic.  removing the tough skin of the onion, cut off the cap and the root, and slice vertically (from pole to pole).  lie each onion half on the flat side, and make long, vertical slices from pole to pole (not side to side), so that you get long slivers of onion about the thickness of your pinky finger.  thinly slice mushrooms, about the thickness of a quarter.

saute your garlic in 2-3 tbsp. toasted sesame oil in a large, deep pot.  after ~30 seconds, add vidalia onion slices.  add a pinch of sea salt.  sauté for 20-30 minutes, until onions are translucent and soft.

pour in veggie stock and bring to a rolling boil.  once boiling, add another pinch of salt, a dash of soy sauce, and your sweetener.  if you have it, try adding a dash of umeboshi vinegar.  toss in your dried time.  once the flavors are right (and you may have to adjust a little to suit your taste), add the mushrooms.

cook for another 5 minutes and serve :)

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.

onigiri!

i love onigiri!

おにぎり好き！

onigiri : noun, japanese

(pronounced "oh-nee-gee-ree")

1.  delicious use of leftovers
2.  quick to-go lunch
3.  steamed rice balls filled with delicious goodies and covered in nori seaweed.

onigiri is the ULTIMATE to-go food in japan.  a lot of japanese people find it strange that westerners have never heard of onigiri, because it is the japanese equivalent of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  every child gets it in their lunch box (some of which are triangle-shaped to fit onigiri).

why is it so great?
for one thing, the salty goodies on the inside actually speed-ferment the rice so that you don't need to refrigerate it.  it stays fresh all day!
also, the nori seaweed "diaper" on the outside of the onigiri keeps the sticky grains of rice from getting stuck to your hands, making for a truly mess-free experience.

what can you put in it?
you can put anything in onigiri.  traditionally, umeboshi plums, pickled daikon (called takuwan), and salty fish are the most common fillings.  it's a great way to recycle fridge leftovers, like last night's salmon teriyaki.  you can see that i put a small dollop of each filling on top of the onigiri in the picture.  this is so that i can identify what's inside!

recipe please?
here we go.  the only thing i pre-made here was 2 cups of short grain brown rice.  friends, this is the time to use up your leftovers.  do not use any other kind of rice besides short-grain.  it won't hold together.

this looks wicked gross, but i swear it's not.  

it's a pickled umeboshi plum (available at whole foods), 

pit removed, cut into strips.

put about 1/3 cup cooked rice in your wet hands, shape into

a bird's nest, and put a small dollop of fillings in the center of

the nest.

shape into tiny triangles, placing a teeny piece of the topping

on top so that you know which flavor is which :)

line them up like a tiny, tiny army.

all the little soldiers in a row :)  so cute!!

cut 2"x6" strips of nori, and wrap the bottoms like a diaper.

onigiri is the cutest snack.

::ingredients::

2 cups cooked short-grain brown or white rice

pickled ume plums

natto version - 1/2 cup natto, 2 tbsp minced scallions, 1 tsp dijon mustard, splash tamari

fish version - 1/4 cup shredded bonito fish flakes (whole foods), 1 tsp. tamari, 2 tsp. water

daikon version - 1/3 cup pickled daikon radish, rinced and diced

some of the above combinations require a little mixing and adjusting to taste.  i had a little bowl of natto mixture, a bowl of fish flakes, etc.  and fyi, the fish version was the winner :)

the raving (encounters with a vegan cashew loaf)

once upon a midnight dreary, 

while i hungered weak and weary

over quaint and curious hipsters 

at the whole foods grocery store.

i was starving, nearly snapping, 

so opposed was i to snacking,
as of someone near attacking 
strangers at the grocery store.

`'tis a cashew loaf,' i muttered, 

`formed upon my cutting board-
only this, and nothing more.'

eagerly i set it baking; - 

lately i had started making
my roast to surcease my aching - 
hunger from the grocery store -
with some rare and costly cashews 
purchased in bulk at the store -
soaking, still for evermore.

 now my pants are never fitting, 

while i'm sitting, while i'm sitting
with quiv'ring seams about to bust 

and hit my ankles on the floor;

and the roast has all the seeming 

of a gravy that is gleaming,
gobs of oil casting sheen 

while cashew crumbs lie 'cross the floor;

and my butt from out that barstool 

that stands shaking on the floor
shall be lifted - nevermore.

vegan cashew loaf

modified from peta recipe

::roast::

1 cup olive oil

1 cup vegetable stock 

2 large onions, finely chopped 

3 cups raw cashews, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes

1 1/2 cups bread, cut into small cubes (i used food for life gluten-free brown rice bread)

3 large cloves of garlic 

salt

nutmeg 

2 tbsp lemon juice

::stuffing::

3 cups bread cubes 

1 cup olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1/2 tsp. each thyme and majoram 

3 tbsp. dried parsley

• Preheat oven to 400°F

Pre-chop all your ingredients.  This will save you a lot of time in the long run, trust me.  I also separate the onions/bread that's used in the roast from the onions/bread used in the stuffing.  Makes life easier once things get started.

• Heat oil in a deep pot, add the onion and sauté over low flame until translucent and soft. Remove from heat.

• Grind the cashews in a food processor with the bread and garlic and add to the onion, together with the stock, salt, nutmeg, and lemon juice, to taste.

Combine stuffing ingredients in a large bowl.

• Put half the cashew mixture into the prepared pan, top with the stuffing, then spoon the rest of the nut mixture on top.

• Stand the pan in another pan to catch drippings and bake for about 30 minutes or until firm and lightly browned (cover the roast with foil if it gets too brown before then).

• Cover in delicious almond-mushroom gravy.  Recipe for that one to follow.

pot-sticking to my story.

can gyoza be gluten-free and vegan?

with more rice flour disasters under my belt than i'd like to

freely admit, i was pretty sure these dumplings were going to

be a total hot mess.

they were hot.

they were not a mess.

i got my filling from yukiko's delicious recipe over on berkshire vegan.

it's shiitake mushrooms, napa cabbage, scallions, and garlic.

i have made these in the past with tofu and leeks on the inside, and

they were totally delicious, so i would recommend doing that too!

to stuff a dumpling, just make sure you have:

a sticky protein (i.e. tofu, crumbly tempeh, mushrooms)

something with some heat (garlic, sesame oil with chili)

something tangy (scallions, leeks, onions)

something green (cabbage, baby bok choi)

gyoza wrappers

white rice flour

arrowroot starch

water

salt

and sesame oil

again, hat-tip to berkshire vegan for an excellent set of instructions.

the gluten-free modification was pretty simple, just a straight flour-to

rice-flour substitution.  i DID have to add more water, though.

following yukiko's excellent instructions, i combined the dry

ingredients, added the sesame oil, and slowly added water,

kneading for approximately ten minutes.  i then pinched little

balls of dough slightly smaller than a ping pong ball, rolled

them in arrowroot, and pressed them flat.

dumplings are a communal activity.  you really need more than

one person, because the fragile dumpling wrappers begin to

crack and dry out quickly, so the faster you can stuff those

wrappers, the better.

place a SMALL amount of filling (no more than one teaspoon)

on a flat, circular wrapper, take a finger dipped in water and wet

a half-circle on the flat wrapper, press edges together, and smooth.

they should look like little crescents.

if your dumplings begin to crack... DO NOT PANIC.

just add a little water and gently smooth.

heat oil to pretty high temperature, and toss in your dumplings,

flipping gently as each side browns, about 2-3 minutes on each side.

i opened a window to avoid setting off the smoke alarms.  this

helped tremendously, as they get a little smoky.

gyoza sauce:

1/3 c. tamari

1 tbsp brown rice vinegar

1 pinch chili powder

diced scallions

1 tsp. grated ginger juice

on the side:

2 tbsp. grated raw fresh daikon

yum!!

carrot daikon drink!

since i didn't make this today, a photograph will be forthcoming.  in the mean time, this is a request for carrot daikon drink from a friend of mine.

carrot daikon drink is great for releasing old stores of stagnant oils and animal products.  it's particularly useful after a cleanse or fast to get that stuff up and out.

it's important when you do a regimen of carrot daikon drink to walk lots, drink lots of water, and chew your food well.  i believe intuitively that it works best that way.

also, don't do it before bed.  you'll be up peeing all night.  thank you daikon!

also also, do not eat for thirty minutes before or after carrot daikon drink unless instructed to do so by your macrobiotic counselor :)

carrot daikon drink
one serving

1 cup grated carrot (fine to semi-fine grating)
1 cup grated daikon (fine to semi-fine grating)
1 square inch nori seaweed
1/3 pickled umeboshi plum or 1/2 tsp umeboshi plum paste

bring 2 cups of water to a boil.  add carrot and daikon, return to boil, and simmer ten minutes.  add nori and ume plum.  let sit until it's cool enough to drink, and drink/eat 1 cup.  if you've got extras, i always like to share :)

user warning:  this stuff smells really, really bad.  prepare to clear out your house.  people will complain.

beautiful yudofu. beyudoful.

this is why i need you people to keep me in check.  i start punning.

yudofu

what is it?  a beautiful, light tofu dish that can be served warm or cold.

how long does it take?  this is the brilliant part.  about 15 minutes.

i love japanese cooking because with simple techniques and the same

few ingredients, you can make endless combinations of dishes.

what is bonito?

...what IS bonito?  bonito is a common japanese ingredient.  it's a predatory fish

native to asia that is dried, shaved, and used either as a garnish or a base in recipes

and sauces.  ghee is to indian food what bonito is to japanese food.

in the past, bonito came in big plastic bags, shredded like coconut flakes.

it's become a lot more processed in modern times, mostly for speed and ease

of use.

Eden brand bonito flakes, traditional style.  Between $6 and $8
at Whole Foods Market.

bonito pellets.  Usually between $2-$6 at Asian grocers.

the pellet brand and similar brands powder the bonito and combine it with kombu,

salt, sugar, MSG, and some processed compounds i can neither pronounce nor digest.

this is one of those cases where traditional food has become doctored and processed

in the name of "convenience."  it's so SO important to read ingredients.  i love eden brand

because i can trust that there's no funny business hidden in the label.  i used to cook with

the pellets, but it always left me feeling dehydrated and puffy.  on the contrary, after cooking

with the eden flakes, i felt light and wonderful.

real, whole foods are beautiful <3 p="">

making yudofu

ingredients

--tofu--

1 package silken tofu

--sauce--

4 tbsp shredded dried bonito flakes (eden is a great brand)

1 3 inch strip dried kombu

1/3 cup shoyu or 1/4 cup tamari

1 tbsp mirin

3 cups water

--garnish--

2 scallions

1 sheet roasted nori

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

rinse kombu in cold water.  place kombu in three cups cold water in a medium-sized

saucepan and bring to a boil.  once boiling, add bonito flakes, lower temperature,

and simmer for ten minutes.*

add mirin, tamari/shoyu, and bring back to a rolling boil.

cube silken tofu and GENTLY place it on a spoon with a strainer.  lower into

boiling sauce for 2-3 minutes.  gently lift and roll tofu cubes into a shallow bowl.

once all cubes are boiled, take sauce off the heat.  pour sauce over tofu using a strainer

to remove any stray tofu or bonito flakes that may be lurking around.

cover in grated fresh ginger, scallions, shredded nori, and enjoy!

*i save time here by stuffing the bonito in a tea or coffee filter and tie it off at the top.

this means i don't have to strain the sauce at the end.  it's just a convenience thing.

you certainly don't have to do it, but it IS easier.

bento ii :: sesame-fried mochi

after a couple weeks of lackluster meals, i feel like i'm finally starting to get

my macro chops back!

last night was bento ii :: advanced bento theory

i made savory fried mochi, nanban onions, miso condiment, and made a weak

attempt to cook fish before resigning and putting it back in the fridge.

i found this marvelous blog, Just Hungry, that features traditional japanese recipes.

many of them will be familiar to those of you who spent any time at the kushi

institute.  what i admire about this chef is the honest simplicity of her recipes.

she buys almost nothing pre-made.  if you're willing to do things the long way,

she has instructions from homemade pickled umeboshi to homemade mochi.

i adapted these recipes from justhungry to be macrobiotic, which was quite simple.

sesame fried mochi

slice 1 package mochi into small squares.

puff in oven at 400 degrees for approximately 10 minutes,

until mochi begins to pop and expand.

preheat cast-iron skillet over medium heat.

add 1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil with 1 tsp. tamari.

immediately add puffed mochi.  over the course of three

or so minutes, check the bottom of your mochi with a spatula.

it should be a beautiful golden-brown.

flip once.  toast another two-three minutes.

the afore-mentioned beautiful golden-brown.  yum.

cover in nori, toasted sesame seeds, green onions, spicy kimchi, whatever you choose!

i think even a natto-scallion paste would be nice!  my package of natto arrives next

week, so i'll try it and tell you!

quick sunflower salad

i was wondering where my suribachi went.  

as some of you know, a suribachi is a serrated bowl with a rough interior,

sort of like a mortar and pestle, but one that shaves the skin off your knuckles

if you aren't paying attention.  it's great for macrobiotic cooking, as you can make

gomashio, dressings, and pastes in a snap.

turns out my dad has been using mine as a cereal bowl.

i made this quick little salad (bottom left in the photo) to bring some

flavor to my greens, some metal energy to my dinner, and some fatty oils to the food.

the thing i love about this salad is that it only uses one dish.  you can grind

and build the entire thing in your suribachi, making for an easy clean-up.

1/2 cup raw hulled sunflower seeds

3 scallions

1 tsp umeboshi plum paste

water as needed

heat cast-iron skillet to medium-high heat.  add sunflower seeds, stirring constantly until they release some oil and start to pop.  remove as soon as they begin to brown, as they will continue to cook in the bowl.

mince scallions as finely as possible, including white tips.

pour roasted sunflower seeds into suribachi or coffee grinder.  crush in a continuous direction until a fluffy powder.  add scallions, ume paste, and enough water to ensure a smooth mix (i added about 1 tbsp).

serve with greens and enjoy!

Vegan GF Pumpkin Bread Pudding for Sara

it's true, i've neglected the blog.  i've been terribly delinquent.

since returning from california, i've enrolled back in school as a post-bac

student, and it has left very little room for macrobiotic experimentation.

BUT BUT BUT

fall is my absolute favorite season.  no season's ingredients inspire me

more than the raw materials of fall.  the gorgeous squashes, round veggies,

dark greens...  fall is the best season to be macro.

i had a hankering for pumpkin muffins, so i decided to make some homemade

applesauce.  the apple sauce was great.  i used it to sweeten the pumpkin bread.

i made the pumpkin bread using bob's red mill flour.  mistake.  it tasted like sawdust

with subtle notes of pumpkin.

what was i to do with a pan of chalky pumpkin muffins?  i knew there

was only one way to turn it around.

i made bread pudding.  and the results were shockingly delicious.

ingredients ::  5 cups cubed pumpkin bread or pumpkin muffins.  here is a recipe.

i didn't use this recipe, but since the one i used was such a hot mess, i didn't want

to share that one.  just sweeten it with brown rice syrup and some homemade

apple sauce instead of the xylitol that she recommends.

2 cups soy milk

1/4 cup brown rice syrup

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 tsp. vanilla

cinnamon

whisk liquids until dissolved.  soak your bread crumbs 10 minutes until soggy.

pour everything in a deep oiled pan, mixing well.  sprinkle extra walnuts on top.

cover with cinnamon.

bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

easy!  delicious!  no sugar!

Eating Los Angeles: evarestaurant

-- menu --

whipped tofu with nasturtium and root vegetables

chocolate

wild halibut, cabbage, lemon verbena, charred spring onion

Snackers, I'm writing you from the Avalon Hotel in Beverly

Hills!  Like most country bumpkins, I was really looking

forward to spotting a celebrity in their natural element here

in Los Angeles.

Disappointingly, I ran into one in Green Hills right  before 

I left Nashville.  I chalked it up as further  proof that Taylor 

Swift is on a private campaign to ruin my day. She always 

takes my parking spot.  You think I'm kidding, but it defies 

mathematical odds.  If I'm going head-to-head with another 

car at the Green Hills mall, there's a solid 50% chance that 

she's in the vehicle.

Anyways, the great thing about being vegan in Los Angeles is 

that every single restaurant accommodates.  I even found a place 

that had "oxygenated vegetables," though I have only a vague

guess as to what that means.  In my head, it's the exact opposite

of hydroponic.

My mom went to evarestaurant last night, and gave it a

glowing review.  She asked me to post pictures of her meal,

so here they are!  I couldn't find the details on the chocolate

dessert.

I went to M Cafe de Chaya, a macrobiotic restaurant in Beverly

Hills.  More on that tomorrow.

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.