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.

a burrito story

hello burrito!

once upon a time, i only had ten minutes.

i took a brown rice tortilla (food for life is the greatest)

leftover quinoa

cubed tofu

carrots

kale

and

c

o

r

n

threw them in a pot of boiling water one by one

stacked them, and drizzled them in dressing.

then i wrapped it, sat down on my couch,

and watched the bachelor.

sometimes being macrobiotic is really, really fun.

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!

--------

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!

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.

Open-Face Salmon Sandwiches

I have been an abysmally bad blogger lately, apologies.

I just moved, and it's been a real struggle adjusting.

I don't know a lot of people here, and between beginning

a new job and getting things settled, it's been hard to find 

the energy to write.  Cooking takes emotional legwork!

I am working on scaling back my energy bubble and trying

to center.  My mood is so dependent on the moods of other

people that being in a new setting is totally wearing me out.

I'm moving again in July to my own house for a little

while, and I'm really excited for the time to center and

focus on my macrobiotic practice.  Also, a few people

from Boston are hopefully coming to visit, which would

be enormously awesome.

+  +  +

Now, on to the sandwich.

This is a Martha Stewart recipe that fits in PERFECTLY

to the macrobiotic diet.  Just steam some greens, and you've

got dinner in fifteen minutes!  The other thing I love is that

there's practically zero prep.  Who doesn't love that?

Juice 1/4 cup plus 1 tsp. lemon juice.

Set aside 1 whole celery stalk (no cutting necessary)

Set aside 2 springs fresh flat parsley.

I used 1 lb. wild Alaskan Salmon.

Fill a large pot with 2 inches of cold water.  Add

1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 tsp. salt, celery, and parsley.

Bring to a boil.

In the mean time, peel and remove pit from 1 avocado.

Combine 1 tbsp. wasabi powder with 1 tbsp. lukewarm water.

Add remaining tsp. lemon juice, avocado, and wasabi paste

to your handy Vitamix blender or food processor.  Run

until it looks like this bad boy:

Cover in saran wrap that touches the surface so no air

is allowed in.  This keeps the paste from turning brown.

Toast 4 slices whole grain rye bread or your trusty

frozen gluten-free bread.  My kingdom for delicious GF

bread that doesn't come in a plastic bag.

Add your salmon to the boiling water and poach for

10-12 minutes, until cooked through.

Assemble your sandwich and enjoy!