Monday, November 28, 2005

Kevin -- stroganoff for you!

Seitan Stroganoff over Udon Noodles

1 c onions, cut into crescents
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
2 cups water or broth (from shiitake, kombu, or seitan cooking broth)
1 to 2 cups seitan, sliced
2 or 3 T nut butter (such as almond or tahini)
2 to 3 T kuzu or arrowroot diluted in cold water
Shoyu or sea salt to taste
2 tsp sesame oil for sautéing
1 to 1 ½ cups tofu sour cream (recipe follows)
Parsley, to garnish
1 package of udon noodles

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Sauté onions in a small amount of sesame oil until they are limp and smell sweet (approximately 5 to 8 minutes on medium low heat). Push the onion to the side and add mushrooms. Sauté until the juice comes out, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Place lid on the pan and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the onions and mushrooms are limp. Add seitan and broth or water and adjust the seasoning. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add nut butter and kuzu/arrowroot. Cook for 1 to 2 more minutes. Add 1 to 1 ½ cups tofu sour cream just before serving.

Tofu Sour Cream

1 block tofu
3 T lemon juice, umeboshi vinegar OR brown rice vinegar
1 to 2 T umeboshi paste
Minced chives or parsley, optional

Boil a pot of water. Take the tofu out of the package and blanch for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain well. Add the juice or vinegar, and the umeboshi paste. Blend well. Place tofu mixture into a bowl. Mince the chives or parsley and gently fold into the tofu mixture.

Saturday, November 26, 2005

Special Macrobiotic Event in Honolulu

RECOVERING YOUR NATURAL ABILITY AND ENHANCING HAWAIIAN CULTURE THROUGH MACROBIOTICS

FAMOUS JAPANESE HEALERS AND MACROBIOTIC TEACHERS COMING TO HAWAII: HIROYUKI AND MIE NAKA FROM MACROBI GARDEN IN OSAKA, JAPAN ARE MAKING A SPECIAL TRIP TO HONOLULU ONLY, JANUARY 5-7, TO TEACH MACROBIOTIC COOKING CLASSES AND SEMINARS, AND TO PROVIDE CONSULTATIONS. SPECIAL GOURMET DINNER SERVED ON SATURDAY NIGHT. HELD AT CHURCH OF THE CROSSROADS ON UNIVERSITY AVE.

Following a macrobiotic way of life brings us back into harmony with nature, with oneself, with other people on the islands, and helps restore the vitality and beauty of the culture. Eating foods grown for this climate achieves these goals.
Learn more about macrobiotic theory during lectures, taste Polynesian, Asian, and American-fusion recipes during cooking demonstrations, and receive private consultations specific to your own health goals.

WHO: HIROYUKI AND MIE NAKA, PREMIER MACROBIOTIC SENIOR INSTRUCTORS AND HEALERS FROM OSAKA, JAPAN DIRECTLY UNDERNEATH MICHIO KUSHI COMING ONLY TO HONOLULU FOR A SPECIAL SEMINAR.

WHAT: LECTURES, COOKING CLASSES, GOURMET DINNER

WHEN: JANUARY 5-7

THURSDAY LECTURE, 7 TO 9 PM, $20
FRIDAY COOKING CLASS, 6 TO 9 PM, $35
SATURDAY COOKING CLASS 9 AM TO 12 PM $35
SATURDAY LECTURE 1 TO 3 PM $20
SATURDAY CONSULTATIONS 3 TO 6 PM, $200/HR
SATURDAY GOURMET DINNER 6:30 TO ~ $35 ADULTS, $25 STUDENTS

OTHER DAYS OPEN FOR CLASSES OR CONSULTATIONS BY APPOINTMENT

Please call to register now.

Prices subject to change. Please check for most current information.

WHERE:
Church of the Crossroads
1212 University Avenue
Honolulu, Hawaii

URL: WWW.MACROBIOTICHAWAII.BRAVEHOST.COM

CONTACT: LESLIE ASHBURN
808-398-2695
MACROBIOTICHAWAII@HOTMAIL.COM

Friday, November 11, 2005

10 Steps to a Healthier Holiday

From the Natural Epicurean Website:

>> 10 TIPS FOR STAYING HEALTHY FOR THE HOLIDAYS <<
-------------------------------------------------------

1. Take a healthy and delicious dish to share with everyone at holiday
gatherings.

2. Stop eating when you are 80% full. There are always plenty of
leftovers during the holidays. You'll probably get a chance to taste it again.

3. Fill your plate with smaller portions of each dish. Overeating is one
of the culprits of holiday sluggishness and extra holiday pounds.

4. CHEW each bite 20-25 times or more (no matter what you eat). This can
keep you from overeating and give you more time to enjoy mealtimes
with friends and family. It also leaves you more satisfied with what you
eat.

5. Eat a healthy meal before going to holiday parties, and take a
healthy dessert with you. It makes all that decadent (and fattening) holiday
food easier to resist. (Have you seen that Casa now offers take-out
items?)

4. If you eat snacks at parties, SIT DOWN to eat your food. Our bodies process and digest food better when we are sitting down.

5. Use rice syrup, barley malt, maple syrup or agave nectar to replace
the sugar in your holiday desserts.

6. Set holiday GOALS for your health with a friend or family member. It
is always easier to resist temptations when you have a buddy and someone
to whom you can be accountable.

7. Take time to tell someone how much you appreciate them.

8. Holidays are usually busy and stressful. Treat yourself to a shiatsu or healing massage to help you relax.

9. Make a list of things for which you are thankful.

10. Take time to reflect on what is really important to you in your
life. (And make sure you are spending at least some time doing these
things)

Enjoy your holidays! And remember the rule:

If you eat something that you know is not the best for you....
SAVOR and ENJOY every bite, and leave the guilt out of it.

Yummy Yams

This is a recipe from The Natural Epicurean. I tried it the other night, and our knees got wobbly because it was so unbelievably delicious. I used the least amount of sweetener called for in the recipe, and it still was succulently sweet.

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE WITH MAPLE PECAN TOPPING
by Dawn Pallavi Serves: 8–10

When making my Thanksgiving menu, I can’t forget the Sweet Potato
Casserole. This traditional Thanksgiving dish is a favorite that you can
make more or less sweet depending on the amount of sweetener you use. I
find that for my taste, the casserole is sweet enough without the extra
barley malt. If you are cooking for family or friends who are used to a
lot of brown sugar, follow the recipe exactly, and you may even want to
double the pecans for the topping. This is a recipe that even my
meat-eating relatives ask me to bring for our annual family Thanksgiving
feast.

— Filling —
4 organic yams or sweet potatoes
1 cup spring or filtered water
1 pinch unrefined sea salt, SI brand recommended
3/4 cup organic barley malt or agave nectar
(optional for a sweeter casserole)
2 tablespoons organic kuzu, dissolved in the apple juice
3 tablespoons organic apple juice
zest of 1 organic orange or tangerine
1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
1 teaspoon organic cinnamon
.
— Topping —
1 cup whole organic pecans
1/4–1/2 cup organic maple syrup

Directions
Filling
Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut sweet potatoes into 1-inch squares. Bring to
a boil in spring water with sea salt, turn flame to medium low, and cook
until tender. Place cooked sweet potatoes in a blender or food
processor, or mash with a potato masher. Dissolve the kuzu in room
temperature apple juice. Add dissolved kuzu, barley malt (if desired),
and blend until smooth. Stir in orange zest, cinnamon and vanilla. Pour
mixture into casserole dish.

Topping
Prepare topping by mixing pecans and maple syrup together in a bowl.
Pour over casserole or arrange pecan halves on top of the casserole and
bake at 375° F for 1 hour.

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Current Goals

My current goals are to:

1) Get more sleep. I've set a goal to be in bed by 10:30 to 11:00 pm every night. I've been burning the candle at both ends and paying for it. It's amazing how much better I feel with 8 as opposed to 6 hours of sleep, and I don't feel as hungry all the time too.

2) Exercise more. I've been putting aside taking care of my own needs to meet the needs of others. I plan to recommit myself to my yoga practice (which has been going well) and to manage my time better so I can go for a walk, go to the gym and take a kick boxing class, or to spend time in my living room stretching to a yoga DVD.

3) Take what I have developed thus far with macrobiotic classes, and to improve upon it in whatever way possible. Now more people in Honolulu have learned about macrobiotics, and I'd love to bring more classes to them in better locations. I've been enjoying all the classes at both Kaiser Highschool and also at UH in particular for different reasons. The main thing I love is that the classes are affordable for adults in the community and for students at UH.

4) Learn more about macrobiotics. While in Japan, I had lots of time to study, but I have had less time to study here. I guess I'm learning other aspects of things surrounding macrobiotics, such as figuring food costs, interacting with organizations, brainstorming creative ways to bring more into the community, and in believing that anything is possible.

5) On a practical level, I'd love to get back to my body scrub. In Japan, I had a regular practice since the showers there are so high tech. I could dry off, and then reset the temperature for my water to a higher level, and in about 2 minutes, refill my bucket. Here, I have to get out of the shower, and boil water to get it hot enough. For some reason, I haven't felt totally comfortable working out a new system. It's a goal to recommit to that, since I feel so much better.

6) Eat less. I have such a powerful appetite! Geez!

This should be enough to keep my working for a while.