japanese turnip potage soup, hot, warm or cold : )

another easy to make and digest summer soup.
good hot, warm or cold.

boil water with kombu or wakame
add cut turnips until very soft
add white miso
puree until creamy, and add sea salt and soy sauce to taste
sprinkle nori if you like

Summer Soba Salad : )

so hot and humid that you don't have much appetite?
perfect macrobiotic meal for you!
soba (whole grain high in protein),veggies, sea weed all in one bowl.
easy to digest and refreshing!

cook soba as instructed
blanch greens(kale, collard etc)
press other veggies(carrot, cabbage, radish, etc)
soak dried cut seaweed (wakame, or mix)

for soup dressing
1/2 cup dashi or water
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs mirin
1/2 tbs brown rice vinegar
simmer for a few minutes
add grated ginger or ginger juice, lemon juice
add a few drops of sesame oil if you like.
arrange all in a bowl, pour the dressing, sprinkle toasted sesame.
bon apetite!

Fruit Kanten Jello

using local and fresh fruits in season, make a summer dessert!

apple juice
kanten flake
* 1 cup liquid : 1tbs kanten flake
seasonal fruits such as berries, cherry, water melon etc

heat up apple juice, add kanten and simmer until dissolve
place fruits in a container, and pour the juice
let it cool, then put in the fridge

if you are not a big fan of the taste of seaweeds while you know their health benefits, this is the one : )
perfect summer dessert!

Root veggies in Summer : )

when the weather is so hot, we tend to eat greens, especially raw salad, exclusively.
but that makes us a bit too yin!
yet, stewed root veggies may be too heavy...
well, here is the answer : )

quick root veggies pickle!

gobo (cut thin diagnally)
daikon (matchstick)
carrot (match stick)
lotus root (slice thin)

heat a pan, spread a few drops of sesame oil
add a mixture of 1 tbs each of soy sauce and ume vinrgar.
quickly saute all the veggies to marinate (10 to 15 seconds)
put them in a bowl and press until cools down
add lemon zest, mix, and press in the fridge for 3 hours to 1 day.

refreshing, yet yangizing (strengthen blood and digestion) summer dish : )

Strong Yin

from macrobiotic point of view, tomatoes are considered "strong yin" or "too yin".
aside from the fact that they contain alkaloid, which could cause inflammation, these vegetables are not recommended for "everyday food".

ok, but why "strong, or extreme yin"?
originated in tropical climates. hmmmm...

but now, i understand, watching how they grow in my room.
my tomato plant has been growning like crazy!!
since i bought it, now it's more than double in size, in just a few weeks.

i can see what this extreme expanding energy would do to me if i eat them too much.

but, of course, can't wait to taste it : )

Hale, Macrobiotic Restaurant in Honolulu

and of course, you can have standard macrobiotic dishes, too.
brown rice, miso soup, hijiki, kimpira, etc etc.
macrobiotic or not, satisfaction guaranteed!
and Yuka-san, the chef, is so charming and nice : )
i dined there 3 times, lunch and dinner, while i was in honolulu this time.

Hale
1427 Makaloa street, honolulu
808-944-1555
www.halemacro.com

Avocado and seaweed salad

yes, it's Hawaii.
avocado is local, too : )
ogo, hawaiian seaweed, adds a little macrobiotic touch, as well as the ponzu dressing.
refreshing and perfect under the intense tropical sun : )

Fish Burger : )

another dish you must try, unless you are vegan.
island fish burger is so fresh, and the vegan pesto sauce goes so well with the fish!
and of course, whole wheat bun, comes with grilled veggies and home made pickle.

Macrobiotic Restaurant in Honolulu

Hale is the only macrobiotic restraurant in hawaii.
Using local and organic ingredients, Yuka-san, the chef, creates beautiful,healthy and delicious dishes that can satisfy anybody : )

Look at this dish!
you may not consider papaya macrobiotic when living in new york city, but in hawaii, this is macrobiotic!
baked with vegetables, and tofu creamy sauce.
cannot tell how delicious it is until you actually taste it!

this is yin time (from evening till before the sunrise), and they are closed (yang).

speaking of yin and yang...

hibiscus, you can see them everywhere in hawaii.
but when you take a closer look, you will notice they open (yin force, expanding) only in the day (yang time), and in yin time, they close (yang, contracting force).
interesting, right?

strong yin foods

since i had been in Hawaii for more than one week by then, my body naturally craved strong yin food, under the intense sun!

coconuts, pinnapples,mangoes, papayas, ginger, sweet purple potatoes, even cocoa!!
all local and organic.
felt like i was in paradise : )

gardenias

smelled intoxicating....
and they are HUGE, compared to the ones we see here.
another example of strong yin (earth's) energy.

Hawaiian Ginger!

another farmer's market!

no matter where i go, i am happy as long as i can visit farmer's market : )
here on the north shore on Kauai, i came across another market.
since we stayed at a place with kitchen, i could enjoy lost of local, fresh, and ORGANIC produce : )

Taro field

Hawaiian staple, taro!,
huge leaves, you can tell strong yin (earth's) energy going upward here, closer to Equator.
i guess i already uploaded this pic before....

A cardinal joined us : )

they were everywhere in Kauai.

More from Kauai...

more about Kauai.
we spent some days on the north shore of Kauai, too.
First 5 days were on the east side.

and look at this beautiful beach!!
i mean, everywhere you go, it's just like this.
i think this is Anini beach, near Hanalei.
just gorgeous....