Many remarkable people, like Judy MacKenny, above, have reversed serious illness (go to youtube and check out "diet saves lives" for more inspiring recovery stories).
In macrobiotics, it is never too late to make dietary changes. But let's all make eating well a daily practice in order to maintain health, prevent serious illness,alleviate cruelty and help our ailing planet. Remember the old adage about starting to dig a well when you're already thirsty!
I often teach macrobiotic cooking to persons recovering from a serious illness. Here is a sample menu and recipes from such a session. The dishes I prepare here are very similar to the recipes I have been posting on my blog. The main difference is the use of oil, flour, sweeteners and spices.
MENU
Miso Soup
Pressure Cooked Brown Rice
Lentil, Squash, Kombu
Boiled Salad
Tofu Dressing
Arame, Onion and Corn
Carrot, Burdock, Cabbage Kinpira
Poached Pears
PRESSURE COOKED BROWN RICE
2 cups short grain brown rice
4 cups spring or filtered water
kombu, postage stamp size, rinsed
Place rice, water and kombu in the pressure cooker. Bring up to boil slowly. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Let the rice come down from pressure on its own. Remove the lid, slowly stir the rice and cover with a sushi mat to cool or until ready to eat.
4 cups water
1 inch piece of dried wakame, rinsed, soaked and chopped
2 dried shitake mushroom, rinsed, soaked and sliced
half an onion, thinly sliced
2 inch piece of daikon, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon barley miso
1 thinly sliced scallion for garnish (or minced parsley or chopped watercress)
Place chopped wakame, sliced shiitake and sliced onion in a pot with the water. Bring to a slow boil. Add the sliced daikon. Simmer for 5 minutes until the daikon is cooked. Dissolve the miso in half a cup of the broth and place back into the pot. Heat the miso on very low heat for 2 more minutes. Do not boil after adding the miso to the soup.
Garnish each bowl of soup with a sprinkling of the minced green onion.
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| Winter squash |
1 cup of lentils, soaked in water overnight 2 cups winter squash, cut in chunks
1 inch piece of kombu, rinsed, soaked and thinly sliced
pinch of sea salt
Place slice kombu on the bottom of a heavy pot. Add the chopped squash. Add the lentils and water. If necessary, add more water to cover. Bring to a slow boil and simmer until lentils are soft. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt. Cook a further 10 minutes.
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| Roast Sesame Seeds |
18 parts organic tan sesame seeds, washed and drained1 part sea salt (Si, amashio or bonin is best)
Place the sea salt in a hot cast iron skillet and dry roast several minutes over a medium flame until it becomes shiny. Remove and grind to a fine powder in a suribachi (japanese mortar). Next, place the damp sesame seeds in a heated skillet and dry roast over a medium-low flame, stirring constantly with a wooden rice paddle. Shake the skillet back and forth occasionally to evenly roast. When the sesame seeds give off a nutty fragrance and begin popping, take a few sesame seeds and crush them between your thumb and ring finger. If they crush easily, the sesame seeds are done. If not, roast them a little longer.
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Grind Sesame Seeds and Salt
in Suribachi |
When the sesame seeds are done, place them in the suribachi and slowly grind together with the sea salt. Continue grinding until the sesame seeds are about half crushed. Allow to cool and store in a tightly sealed glass container. Use moderately on grains, noodles or vegetable dishes. Black Sesame sesame seeds can be substituted for tan sesame seeds for variety.
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| Suribachi and Surikogi |
A suribachi (japanese mortar) and surikogi (pestle) can be purchased in Japanese, some Asian stores and sometimes in health food stores in the "macrobiotic" section where seaweed and japanese condiments are on display.
ARAME WITH ONION AND SWEET CORN
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| Arame |
½ cup dried arame
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 ears fresh corn
1 teaspoon of shoyu
juice of ½ lemon or 1 teaspoon ginger juice
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| Take corn off the cob |
Rinse arame and leave in the colander until ready to use. Take the corn off the cob. Saute the onion in a small amount of light sesame oil or water.
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Arame, onion and corn.
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Place the corn niblets and arame on top of the onion, add about one half cup of water, cover and simmer until the arame is soft.
Add the shoyu and simmer a few more minutes. Season with lemon or ginger juice before serving.
KINPIRA
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Matchstick carrots
and burdock root |
1/2 cup julienned carrots
1/2 cup julienned burdock root
sesame oil to brush cast iron pan
shoyu
Lightly brush skillet with sesame oil or water and heat. Place julienned burdock root into the skillet. vegetables into skillet and saute for a few minutes. Lay the julienned carrots on top and add water to cover the bottom of the skillet. Simmer for about 5 minutes and add a few drops of shoyu. Cook until the vegetables are done and the water has cooked down.
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| Carrot Burdock Kinpira |
At the end of cooking add a few drops of ginger juice.
Assortment of vegetables, finely sliced
Place an inch or two of water and a pinch of sea salt in a pot and bring to a boil. Drop in a small amount of vegetables at a time and boil for 1 minute or less. Remove the vegetables quickly and place them in a strainer to drain. Repeat with each vegetable. Transfer to a serving dish when done.
Boil each vegetable separately, one at a time, in the same boiling water. Cook the mildest tasting vegetables first so that each vegetable retains its distinctive flavour. Cook the stronger flavoured vegetables (daikon, turnips, celery, watercress) at the end.
Serve the vegetables with a drop or two or brown rice vinegar or umeboshi vinegar or dressing.
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| Tofu Dressing |
half teaspoon pureed umeboshi plumone quarter onion, finely minced or grated
8 ounces tofu, blanched
2 teaspoons spring water
chopped scallions or parsley
Puree umeboshi, onion and water in a suribachi. Add tofu and puree until creamy, adding water to increase creaminess if desired. Garnish with scallions or parsley. I used chives (from my garden) and parsley. Serve with the blanched salad.
SAUERKRAUT STUFFED COLLARD GREENS
Collard green leaves, destemmed
Sauerkraut, homemade or storebought organic, rinsed
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Rolling collard stems and rinsed
sauerkraut into blanched collard |
Finely chop the collard green stems. Blanch the leaves in boiling water until just wilted. Blanch the stems (quick in and out). Combine the blanched stems with the rinsed sauerkraut. Place one tablespoon of the mixture in the centre of a blanched collard leaf and fold, making a small package.
3 pears
apple cider or juice as needed
1Tablespoon kuzu
pinch of sea salt
lemon zest
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Poached pear in kuzu sauce with
roasted almonds |
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Peel pears if not organic. Core and cut in half. Place in one layer in a shallow pan with enough apple juice to half cover. Add small pinch of sea salt. Bring to a boil and simmer until pears are tender. Dissolve kuzu in a quarter cup of cold apple juice and add to the pears with a teaspoon of lemon zest. Simmer five more minutes until the liquid thickens and becomes translucent. |
Garnish with chopped, lightly roasted almonds.
1 sheet toasted nori
pinch of sea salt
dish of spring water
1 cup cooked brown rice
one half to a whole umeboshi plum
Tear the nori into 4 pieces. Add pinch of salt to bowl of water and wet your hands. Form a handful of rice into a solid ball. Press a hole in the center with your thumb and place a small piece of umeboshi inside. Cover the hole and compact the ball again until it is solid. Cover rice ball with nori one piece at a time, until it sticks. Wet your hands occasionally to prevent rice and nori from sticking to them, but try not to use too much water.
Makes a great snack!
NOTE: If you have a serious illness, see a doctor. If you have a serious illness and have seen a doctor and wish to change your diet please see a qualified macrobiotic counsellor and take cooking classes!
