Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The Top Ten Reasons to Go Green (Vegetables, that is)

1. They are high in fiber and rich in minerals. 
2. They are a good source of calcium. 
3. They go great with any meal, breakfast, lunch and dinner. 
4. They can be sautéed, steamed or blanched. 
5. They can be cooked in grain and pasta dishes. 
6. Some of them can be cooked with their roots, very dynamic! 
7. They can be sautéed and added to beans dishes. 
8. You can roll them up and smoke them (don’t worry, just kidding!) 
9. They can be used in salads. 
10. They can be grown in a backyard garden or on your back porch. 

Here is a list of my favorite greens that also just happen to be the most beneficial for your health. 

Arugula
Baby bok choy
Belgian Endive
Bok choy
Broccoli Rabe
Collards
Carrot greens
Daikon radish greens
Dandelion greens
Escarole
Kale, such as Lacinto, Red Russian, Green Curly
Leeks
Lettuce greens, such as Iceberg, Romaine, Red Leaf, and Bibb
Mizuna (a kind of green that can often be found in an Asian market)
Mustard greens
Napa cabbage
Purslane
Red radish greens
Turnip greens
Wild Watercress

I wish you all good health and good luck! Also, érinn go brách!

Sweet Seduction

Entice your tastebuds (and your lover(s)...) with my Caramel Rice Pudding this Valentine’s Day. 

For an extra sensorial pleasure I use risotto rice for its creamy texture. My first preference is the Carnaroli variety because I find it to be lighter in consistency than other types of risotto rice. 

Grain-based sweeteners combined with a touch of maple syrup yield a rich caramel flavor, and high-quality olive oil creates a decadent, buttery richness. Garnish with your favorite fresh berries and a sprig of mint to enhance the refreshing quality and balance the sweetness. This dessert is both beautiful and delicious but will not give you a sugar headache-- definitely something to celebrate! I have served this dessert at dinner parties to my non-macro, non-vegan, sugar eating friends and it was even a hit with them. To me, this is the ultimate compliment.

Happy Valentine's Day, I love you all!

Mini desserts served at our New Years Party

Caramel Rice Pudding
This recipe is similar to traditional rice puddings which are usually made with milk or cream. By using the risotto rice I achieve a creamy texture without the use of any dairy or dairy-like substitutes.
Please note that the success of your pudding depends upon using quality ingredients and taking the time to cook the rice properly. If you have a special bottle of olive oil hiding in your pantry, break it out to use in this recipe. 

Ingredients:
1 cup organic carnaroli risotto rice
5 cups water
1 cup apple juice
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
¼ to ½ teaspoon organic olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons of fresh squeezed orange juice

Preparation:
Heat the apple juice and water together in a stainless steel stockpot (to cook the risotto).

Heat a little olive oil in a heavier style pot. Add the risotto rice and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
Ladle the warm liquid over the rice; add the sea salt and stir. Allow the liquid to begin to absorb into the rice almost completely before adding additional liquid.
Continue to ladle the liquid into the rice and stir after each ladle is added. You will be cooking the rice slowly over a low flame. When you reach the consistency and texture you desire turn off the flame and add the fresh orange juice. Gently fold to blend all the ingredients together.

Note: If you want a more creamy texture use the entire amount of liquid. If you like the rice to have more texture use a little less liquid.

Caramel topping :
½ cup brown rice syrup
½ cup barley malt
1 Tablespoon of water
2 -3 drops of Umeboshi vinegar
1 teaspoon of fresh squeezed orange juice

Preparation:
Put the water, rice syrup, and barley malt in a saucepan.
Add the umeboshi vinegar and mix well with a wooden spoon.
Gently heat the mixture until it begins to boil around the edges of the pan.
Turn the flame off. Add the fresh orange juice and mix well.

To serve:
Add a small amount of the "caramel sauce" into a serving dish.
Add the rice, then top off with a little more sauce.
Add some fresh berries and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

Happy New Year

Happy 2013! A new year always brings a sense of promise.We often make promises to ourselves

during this time by making resolutions for the upcoming year. I have learned that one of the best promises that you can make is to take better care of yourself. This can be through improved dietary practice, more exercise, or organizing certain aspects of your life, among many other possibilities.  

I am finding that it is vital to find time to do the things that you love in both your work and your play,

and to recognize when things get overwhelming and adjust accordingly.

The Mummers Parade, a unique Philadelphia tradition!

 Oftentimes it can be too easy to do nothing but work in anticipation of future successes. However, by not creating personal time for enjoying ourselves, we sometimes ignore the basic joys of life. When we take time to nurture ourselves, we actually become more productive in our work. 

For example, I love to cook and teach. However, when I do too much cooking or teaching, I sometimes start to ignore other parts of my life that are important to me (such as personal projects, having fun with my friends and family, or cultivating my hobbies). In the long run, not making time for personal enjoyment actually hinders my productivity and enjoyment in my work. Taking the time for some self-care, such as going to a yoga class, swapping massages with a friend, or giving myself a facial makes me a better chef and teacher. Making the time for small personal pleasures brings a sense of satisfaction and joy in my life, and ultimately  makes me more relaxed and productive in my work.


One of my favorite daily personal pleasures is the body rub. Doing the body rub each day is a great way to incorporate some self-care on a daily basis. It only takes about ten minutes of your time, and you always feel alert, refreshed, and relaxed afterwards. If you want to learn how to do a daily body rub, check out Denny Waxman’s book “The Great Life Diet,” which has detailed instructions, or order the DVD “The Art of Skin Rejuvenation.”


And, for the ultimate in self-care, come spend a week at the Strengthening Health Institute! Check our website for upcoming seminars and events.

Broad and Washington New Years Day, 2013
I hope this year brings many good things your way, 

Peace, Love and Joy

Just a quick note to wish all of you and your loved ones happy holidays!

 

As we reflect on the season may our hearts be filled with love and compassion. I will return after the New Year, with recipes in hand! 

I wish you all good health and happiness in 2013.

Love,

Susan

Love Park, Phildelphia, PA
Photo credit ronsaari.com

Thanksgiving Thanks!

What does the word “thanksgiving” really mean? Try reversing the order of the words to get “giving thanks,” which implies something that goes beyond just saying “thank you.” Giving thanks means demonstrating appreciation. While the words “thank you” are mannerly and polite, appreciation goes deeper than words as it implies action.

Some acts are small, and others are larger. Macrobiotic Philosophy teaches us that the small shows the large, or the part shows the whole. What can we do to demonstrate our appreciation?

Thanksgiving is also a time when families come together. Who is our family? In a sense, our family is larger than just our blood relatives and close friends. What about the food that we eat? The food that we eat creates the quality of our blood, establishing a connection between people who eat similar foods. Food also carries a vibrational quality, which means that food creates our spiritual quality and influences our dreams and goals.

What do I mean by all of this? Well, we are all in this world together. While we may have our separate differences we also share the commonality of the food that we eat. We need to unite and work together to make the world a better place. This is the only way to get what we want, a healthy society, good quality organic foods, and a healthy environment. Together we have a voice and a bright future.
And remember, everyone feels good when they are appreciated.

To show you my appreciation, here is a haiku that I wrote 20 years ago, when I first started practicing macrobiotics:

Brothers and Sisters
all from One Infinity
Love One another

I would also like to share a holiday recipe for Walnut Rice. This grain dish is so simple to make and loved by all. The combination of the walnuts together with the brown rice provide a rich, satisfying, and nourishing quality.

Please follow my recipe for cooking brown rice from my previous post.


Preparation:
Place 1 cup of walnuts in a bowl and rinse with filtered water.
To begin toasting, place the walnuts in a skillet.
Turn on the flame to a lower setting and begin toasting.

*Note: When toasting nuts or seeds it is helpful to be patient and take your time. 

Use a wooden spatula to move and turn the walnuts to prevent them from burning.
The walnuts are done when they are lightly toasted. Place the nuts in a bowl and allow them to cool. When the nuts are cool, they are ready to be chopped. My preference is to chop them by hand.
To serve, place a layer of rice in a bowl and a layer of  walnuts on top of the rice. Continue to layer, with the final layer being walnuts.

Trick or Treat?

It is that time of year when ghosts, ghouls and goblins rule; witches on broomsticks,
haunted houses and horror movies...While all of these things can be scary, they are only

make-believe. Now, let’s talk about things that are super scary and very real. The quality 

of our food is one of the most terrifying realities that we face today.

We are living in a time where our food supply is under siege from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and chemicals. Couple this with the deceptions in food advertising and labeling, and we have the makings of a national and potentially global disaster on our hands. Despite the intense focus on health and wellness in our culture, Americans are not getting any healthier. In fact, our national health is deteriorating. More and more people are developing diseases, food allergies, weight problems, and other ghastly health issues at younger and younger ages. It is not just the kind of food that we eat, but also the quality of our food that plays an enormous role in our overall ability to attain and maintain quality health. Unfortunately, this message is not always clear in government-sponsored health campaigns.

As a health educator and macrobiotic chef at The Strengthening Health Institute, I have been an advocate of organic, GMO-free foods for years. I have always read labels carefully, and have taught my students to do the same. However, food corporations are getting sneakier and hiding the the truth of the ingredients used in their products.

The solution appears to be plain and simple: labels should clearly state whether or not a food contains GMOs. As human beings we have the right to know what is in our food and what is in the packaging materials. Clear labeling allows us to make informed choices of what we want to buy, what foods we want to eat and what we want to feed our children. Yet the sad truth is that the state of California is engaged in a huge political fight about labeling GMOs in foods, and it is only just now that other states are beginning to address the issue of labeling GMOs.

Many countries around the world have passed laws to label GMOs. Many of these countries will not purchase GMO seeds. Isn’t it ironic that here in the United States of America, the land of the free, people have to fight for the right to know what is in their food? By clearly labeling GMO foods, we the people have the power to choose what kinds of foods we feed ourselves and our families. If America is truly the “home of the brave,” then we need to put a stop to the corporations and politicians who are trying to take away our freedom and poison our food. If you ask me, the struggle to know what is in our food is much more frightening than any ghost or ghoul on Halloween night. If you want to find out more about this subject, I highly recommend watching the film “Genetic Roulette” to learn more about GMO foods and their effects on our health and happiness.

BOO!

Tips for Menu Planning and Making Your Macro Life Work

Many people struggle with the challenge of “what to eat.” Most people who are interested in plant-based nutrition want to eat in a healthful way, but figuring out what to eat to create a balanced, satisfying meal can be stressful. Menu planning is especially tricky for people who are new to plant-based diets. Add in a full-time job, family, and our hectic daily schedules, and menu planning can start to seem impossible! This is why I have learned to plan ahead when I am cooking and to make a little extra so that I consistently have good food at home. This is the most practical and low-stress solution to the problem of “what should I eat?!” While fresh homemade food may be the most desirable, there will definitely always be a special place in my refrigerator for left-overs!

Here are my best tips for figuring out “what to eat” and planning ahead:

As someone who practices macrobiotics, there is an orderly progression to my meal planning. In fact my description of the macrobiotic way of eating is that “macrobiotics is the most well thought out plant based diet”. All of my meals are centered around grains and grain products. When trying to decide “what to eat,” I always decide on the grain dish first. I also always include one or two separate vegetable side dishes with every meal. After deciding on my grain dish, I decide which vegetable dish I would like to have with my meal. I also try to include a serving of vegetable soup once each day, and one or two bean dishes or bean product dishes (such as tofu or tempeh).

When I make a grain dish, I am sure to make enough for at least 2 days, possibly 3 days. Cooked whole grains and some cracked grains will hold good energetic value for up to three days at a time (meaning they will provide you with good energy). They can also be turned into other dishes; for example, leftover rice can easily be turned into fried rice, soft rice breakfast porridge or a rice pudding dessert.

When you cook beans, be sure to make enough for a few days. You’ll find that the flavor of your bean dishes actually improves the second time around!

When you make a vegetable soup, make enough for several servings and simply re-heat what you need without boiling.

Vegetable dishes can be slightly tricky. Vegetable dishes that take longer than 10 minutes to cook will usually keep for 2 to 3 days. Lightly-cooked vegetable dishes, such as blanched, steamed, or sautéed vegetables, only have a 24 hour window before their energetic value declines, so be sure to eat them before they lose their zip! Obviously, raw salad needs to be consumed before the wilt sets in. For the most optimum balance try to include a light vegetable dish with every meal. These light veggies provide
your body with a refreshing quality that will help to keep you more hydrated and make you to feel less pressured.

I hope that these guidelines for eating leftovers will help make your life easier.

And if you feel like you could use an extra helping hand, I regularly create custom menu plans for my clients. My menu plans are created especially for each of my clients, taking into consideration the client’s health, lifestyle, and daily schedule. Please contact me for more information if you are interested in discussing a menu plan!