soup for good skin

recipe from Mayumi's kichen.
this hatomugi (sort of like barley, but not quiet) is supposed to be good for the skin, by dissolving excess fat.
nice, hearty, comforting soup

not-deepfried seitan cutlet

instead, i just baked!
great with miso-apple sauce, or just lemon juice : )

couscous cake

couscous cake!

something i learned at kushi institute.
easy to make, no baking involved : )

cook whole wheat couscous with apple juice, pinch of salt.
spread in a glass container or baking pan.
soak dried fruits such as apple, raisin, apricot, and slice them.
cook mixture of soaking liquid, apple juice and water with salt, cinnamon and vanila essense.
add diluted kuzu and cook until thicken
pour over couscous, let it cool
sprinkle toasted nuts and seed

love this gently sweet taste : )

Cooking with friends

weekend was another dinner with friends.
we cooked macrobiotic dishes together.
also new to them, but they seemed to enjoy it---or just being polite??
anyway, went so well with the biodynamic wine that they got for this occation : )

dinner

a friend came over, so i made some macrobiotic dishes that he was not very familiar with. (he is not vegetarian)
1 brown rice with almond
2 vegetable and barley miso soup
3 adzuki bean and kabocha squash
4 curried tempeh pate

hope he liked it...

Japanese turnips

or Hakurei.
i love the sweetness of the cute little veggies.
so i just steam and eat with seasalt and lemon juice.
so sweet!!

rice bowl and soup

i like this simple dish.
im eating much less tofu now, but when i cook, i usually marinate with a mixture of soy sauce, brown rice vinegar and water (maybe a bit of grated ginger).
and either pan fry or bake.
other veggies are steamed, add wakame seaweed and saurkraut.

Mochi waffle

wow! didnt know that it was so easy to make!
just cut mochi into small pieces and put them in waffle maker.
only thing is, what would go well with this?
so far, i tried apple butter, apple sauce, peanut butter sauce(brown rice syrup and soy sauce).
all good, but want to explore more.
any ideas?

yellow carpet

it was one of the best hiking trails that i hiked in the north east.
great that we didnt need to drive up there : )
and the little town near the station was nice to walk around, have a cup of tea, too.

small lake

descending was rather easy.
and there was this beautiful lake.

more view

colors were so beautiful...

hudson river

overlooking hudson river.
this goes down to where i live!

Buena Vista!

the view was really amazing!

Breakneck

there are several hiking trails, and we chose "Breakneck" mountain, which is supposed to be one of the most rugged trains in that area, but with one of the best vista.

just before the top, there it is.
"am i climbing this?"

Hiking in Cold Spring

went on hiking last sunday in cold spring, NY.
about 70min train ride from manhattan.

gorgeous day, and it was such as beautiful place!

saturday lunch after green market

weekly trip to union square farmar's market on saturday morning.
then simple lunch : )

since all the produce are so fresh, just simple dishes are very satisfactory.
like this steamed japanese turnips!
steam them, sprinkle sea salt and lemon juice.

just like in heaven...

even when it's burnt

forgot to use deflector!
i burnt the bottom of the brown rice in pressure cooker.
but not to waste : )
i made a simple risotto.
nutty flavor, sort of...

other than brown rice

trying to change my brown-rice-3times-a-day habit, this week i tried different types of grains.
this breakfast is all leftover.
millet and butter nut squash
barley soup with daikon, carrot, shitake and scallion
sauerkraut

very very satisfying!
hoping ill be less rigid and tight : )

kale pasta

i got some kale from the farm, and made s simple pasta dish : )

ume sho kuzu drink

next morning, i had a horrible diarrhea : (
it's been at least 8 years since last time i had beef.
my body probably cannot digest it anymore.

anyway, i just learned this home remedy at kushi institute, so i tried it.
the effect was immidiate!

recipe
dilute kuzu powder in water
simmer until thicken
add umeboshi plum and soy sauce
drink while hot

this drink is great for digestive problems, as well as colds, flu and overall weakness or low energy.

ok, no more beef.

then...

there was this booth where they were selling grass-fed, hormone free burger, right from the farm.
my friend got one. for his defence, he usually doesn't eat meat much either.
but hey, it's an experience. how often could you eat such fresh beef?

so he got one, then... i had a small bite!!!
of course, there was a consequence....

cows

grass fed cows.
this place also sells raw milk and freshly made cheese, as well as yogurt.
i tasted bits of cheese, and it was delicious!

horses

and i got to have a chance to brush these beatiful horses!
kids in the farm patiently and kindly tought me how to brush : )
the horses looked so happy, and very peaceful.
compared to the horses in central park.....

Hawthorne valley farm

then stopped by a biodynamic farm called Hawthorne valley farm.
there was this annual fall festival going on!
lots of families and kids, so nice.
you can taste lots of great food, and experience things.
here in the photo, kids were making apple cider.

one more view from the top

panoramic view!

almost like jogging, it took about 30 min to the top.
the view was spectacular!

Monument Mountain

on the way back from Kushi institute, we went for a hike in monument mountain.
such a beautiful day, and it was a great hike!

becket in MA

the last two days, the weather was fabulous.
at night, there were millions of stars, even milky way!

such a healing experence.

walking walking walking

the schedule at the institute was very tight.
other than cooking classes, we were bassically sitting all day.
so whenever i found time, i went out for a walk, even in the rain.

the air was so clean, and even "delicious".
living in the city, i never want to take deep breath, but here in becket, i tried to inhale air as much as i could!

home remedy class

there was a home remedy class, too.
we made daikon drink, umesho-kuzu, sweet vegetable drink, lotus root tea, shitake tea.
also did external remedy, like this one. ginger compress.
very good for circulation, strengthening kidneys/adrenal glands, chronic fatigue etc etc.

ohagi

this was a "energy snack" class.
we made this ohagi, sweet rice cake.
this particular recipe was invented by the teacher.
after cooked sweet brown rice and pounded it, added mixture of
1 grated carrot
2 raisin
3 roasted sesame and walnuts
and made this cake.

i really loved it and want to make it again : )
this is a great snack!

cooking class

this week, we had lots of cooking classes.
one of them was "macrobiotic dessert"
this couscous cake was fabulous!

party food

sometimes, the kitchen stuff makes a little fun, party food.
this day's lunch, we had a macro-pizza!

the "chees" was a cashew cream.
super delicous : )

Buffet style

all buffet style, and you can get as much as you like : )
there are two types, one is for "healing dishes", designed for people who have some illnesses, or restrictions on the diet. much less seasonings and almost no oil.
the other is more standard dishes. still light flavored, but i really enjoyed the gentle taste and the real taste of real food : )

Meal at Kushi

all three meals are prepared and served.
and of course, delicious and healthy macrobiotic dishes : )

typically, breakfast consisits of whole grains, steamed greans and miso soup.

Kushi Institute

went to Kushi Institute to take on going counselor course.
first 4 days were rainy and chilly, but still very beautiful and peaceful.
ive been so healed : )

Second attempt

last time i made whole wheat biscuit, it was too crumbly.
and this time, instead of using just whole wheat, i used whole wheat pastry flour, which i found at union square green market, organic and local : )

much better!!

but i just realized how much oil i have to use!
usually i like to eat biscuit with vegan butter and fruit spread, but it may be too fatty, so i tried with apple butter (also local, and made only from apple and cinnamon).
go perfet well together!

im still not a baker, but this one, i think i can do it again : )