Wish you all a happy, healthy New Year : )

Wish you all the wonderful things in 2010.
peace and health on all, and the planet.

Jin

Kuzu, my winter partner

It's been so cold!!
I have to wear layers of layers when i go out.

in order to keep you warm from inside, i use this very useful, helpful food called KUZU : )

it's starch made of the root of kuzu plant.
in japan, its been used as midicine for colds/flu, as well as for any digestive problems.---trust me, it really works!

compared to corn starch or potato starch, which is more yin, or "cooling", this kuzu starch has more "warming (yang)" effect on your body, and makes a perfect gravy sauce or soup ,and even dessert!

this time of the season, especially when it's so cold, kuzu is something i frequently use for my everyday cooking : )

you can find kuzu at health food stores like whole foods.
if catching a cold, make kuzu drink with umeboshi plum.

The Slower, the more....

in our society, "being fast" seems overvalued.
going from point A to point B, or getting things done, processing information,"as fast as possible".
and to make that happen, more and more things are invented each day.
we hear "the faster, the better" all the time....

but is that really true?

suppose you are going to a certain place.
if you walk, you will notice so many things, such as flowers on the street, birds on the trees,or a new coffee shop opened around the corner, or even run into a neighbor and catch up with him/her whats going on,...., while if you go by car, you will miss all those information!

somtimes, id like to go slow and appreciate how beautiful a red cardinal is against the snow covered lake in central park....

Yin becomes Yang

this is a good example of "yin becomes yang"!
with extreme cold environment(yin), water(fluid, yin) turns into ice (solid, yang).

things are constantly changing....

Year End Cleaning

in my country, Japan, this is the season for a big cleaning.

we do it, despite the fact everything is crazily busy, so that we can make a fresh start for the new year.

i don't know how it started, but to me it all makes sense.
in Asia, "cleaning" is not just a physical thing.
we believe cleaning has a tremendous positive impact even on emotional and spiritual level.

as feng shui tells, cluttered or dusty space makes the energy flow stagnant.
if you hang onto things from the past, you will be stuck in the past and cannot move on.
and the less stuff you have in your home, the more luck will come into your life!

even though it's the busiest time of the year, people in japan take some time to do this "year end cleaning" and welcome a fresh new year : )

The New Moon

today, 12/16, is the new moon.
the energy of elimination is strongest when the moon is the other side of the earth.

may feel more grounded, compared to when the moon is full.
and physically, things tend to "come out" more easily from the body.

they say that it's a good time for diet, or detox.

personally, i have noticed that i tend to have less hangover during the new moon, while i have it more easily when the moon is above our head up in the sky.
mor efrequent urination, and yes, better bowel movement : )

feeling somewhat purified, time to contemplate, and start new things....
* the next full moon is new year's eve!

Wine and Yin & Yang

speaking of balancing yin and yang, it may be better to have some yang food with wine--strong yin-- for a good balance.

meat, for example, is extreme yang.
so it sounds reasonable to have meat and red wine together.

for vegetarians like me?
cheese is also strong yang.
fish is, compared to vegetables, yang, too.

of course, they are extreme yin and yang, so i would not recommend that you "balance out" this way all the time.
it's like a roller coaster!

another thing is, if you are completely vegetarian but love to drink, that could be a little too yin, which may weaken your health.
for the same reason, "vegetarian and have sweet tooth" could make you very weak overtime.

then again, meat and cheese have other health issues to be considered(high saturated fat, for instance), so even though it looks "more balanced (in an extreme way)", that does not mean it's healthy.

balance and moderation is the key : )

Umeboshi

in terms of yin and yang, wine is very yin.
yin energy is "loose", "cooling", and "expanding".
alcohol is yin and the fruit(sugar)is yin, so it's a "double yin".
so excessive drinking could cause headache (everybody knows!), digestive problems(loose stool), fatigue, and even weaken blood and therefore, immune function.

but when you are in Napa, "what can i do?" , right?
my solution is to balance out by taking in "yang" energy.
that is, Umeboshi!

Umeboshi is a plum (apricot, to be exact),pickled with sea salt and shiso leaves and aged for years.
it cleanses and strengthens your blood with this high yang quality (salt).
good for headache, digestive problems(anticeptic), fatigue, and function of organs such as heart.

so every night and morning while in napa, i ate one umeboshi so i could enjoy wine : )
yes, balance is always important!

another organic winery

Frog's Leap.
even the building was LEED certified.
and in the garden, they are growing lots of organic veggies and fruits.
loved the tasting on the terrace. looking at the garden : )
and yes, the wines were pretty good!!

scenic view

another place we did hiking.
from the top of the hill, the view was spectacular!!

walk in the nature

between wine tasting, we tried to find places to walk and be in the nature.
drinking and eating all day would be too much, and also, a bit of exercise would help us appreciate more food and wine : )

we were lucky enough to find some good place for hiking.
and encountered some birds, including a HUGE wood pecker!--no pic, unfortunately...
and beautiful stream and woods.

being in harmony with the natural order

it was after the harvest, so most of the grapes were already harvested.
but i learned that depends on the weather, the harvesting could be as early as late august and late as november.
this year, for example, there was a huge storm in summer.
but since Robert Sinskey follows the luna calender--an important part of biodynamic farming--, they predicted the storm, so they could harvest before the storm.

a great example of "being in harmony with the order of nature" !!

beauty

they are all from the garden.
aren't they just pretty?

fresh from the oven!

look at this pizza!
using biodynamically grown veggies, simple but super tasty pizza, right from the oven!
yum yum yum : )

Winery in Napa

i made a quick trip to Napa, CA.
yes, wine country : )
since i visited there last year,i have been a huge fan of Robert Sisnkey Wine.
they practice biodynamic farming, and operates the whole business as sustainable as possible, such as growing their own vegetables in the garden and using solar power, etc etc.
and most importantly, their wines are sooooo good!

this time, thanks to Mrs Maria Sinskey, we had a culnary tour there, where we had a fabulous food and wine paring.

Coconut Kabocha Soup

while i was in seattle last month, i had a wonderful culnary--and wine--experience.
one of them was at Wild Ginger, where we had a fabulous coconut pumpkin soup.
wanted to try again but don't know anywhere else that makes this soup.
well then, why don't i make it myself?

so i bought orgainc coconut milk, and kabocha(from farmer's market).
using dashi soup stock (dried shitake mushroom and dried kombu seaweed), ginger, and miso, i made my own soup : )
and surprisingly delicious!!

Hiking in Bear Mountain

from the mountain, you can see manhattan!
great hike, tired but felt soooooo good after that : )
glad we had a big--and healthy-- sunday brunch before this hiking.

Hiking in Bear Mountain

it was a real hike, steep and took about 1 and half hour each .
but worth the effort.
amazing how just about 1 hour drive from manhattan can take us to this beautiful nature : )

Fall Color

might have been a bit too late, but we went out for forage.
on the way to bear mountain, this was a breathtaking view.

loved the color!
and the view of manhattan skyscraper beyond hudson river.

Central Park

we are so fortunate that we can be in touch with nature,wild lives, even in the middle of manhattan : )

Preparing for winter

also this tims of the season, lots of birds are in sight.
seems like they are trying to store enough fat for winter.
they all look chubbier than usual...
berrries are everywhere, and sometimes, hundreds of birds can be seen, singing, churping, like it's their holiday season : )

i justify my tremendous appetite these days, "yes, im in harmony with nature. i need to "store fat!"

one of my favorite, beautiful cardinal was so close to me this morning.

Autumn in New York

i had never paid attention, but since i started to walk in central park every morning, i realized that how fast color changes this time of the season.
literally in a few days, leaves can turn from green to beautiful yang color.

another detox meal

well, actually this is a kind of meal that i eat almost everyday at home.
healthy, balanced, pretty, and yes, yummy!

burdock root and carrot(kimpira style)
black soy bean and onion
steamed broccoli
sauteed seitan, chestnuts(from Joel's backyard), leeks and cabbage
miso soup
brown rice with soba(buckwheat)

now, im ready for the weekend indulgence : ) right?

more detox meal

next night,
chick pea with onion and carrot
apple(again, from the organic farm, japanese sweet potato and chestnuts(from Joel's backyard)
stewed butter nut squash and daikon
branched greens
miso soup
brown rice and sweet brown rice

detox week : )

after lots of great washington wine and delicious but rich garmet foods, my body needed a week of detox.

this is my monday macrobiotic dinner.
azuki bean and kabocha(yes, from the organic farm in Skagit!)
nishime(stewed) daikon radish
branched kale and japanese turnips
sauted arame seaweed, onion and carrot
miso soup
brown rice, sweet brown rice and hatomugi(pearl barley)

colorful and delicious!

bonfire, yin and yang

it was a cold evening (yin).
Joel, the host, made sure the bonfire was kept on.
naturally, people gathered around the fire (yang)
and it made us peaceful....

it was as if i was experiencing the most basic, fundamental human nature set deep within our DNA.
human beings became human beings by using fire (hence, cooking).

felt like, looking at the flame brought me back to the core.

i think we need this kind of experience from time to time.
we seem so divorced from the nature, and forget some important things in our lives.

nothing else is needed.
just good food(and wine), good company, and being in nature.

where there is a good food,

people gather...
and they are happy : )
simple as that.

hospitality

the owner of the house, Joel and Denice, were such a wonderful host.
made everybody feel at home.
it was a bit chilly evening, but the BBQ was set, and fabulous paella and salmon was served.
my friend, the birthday boy, is vegetarian, so there were two kinds of paella, including vegetarian version(w/finger potatoes,beet, maybe onions?), soooooooo goooood!
thank you, Denise, Amy and Vince!

chest nuts!!

my friend's party was held at his friend's house.
while waiting for food to be ready, we picked up chestnuts.
yes, there was a big chest nut tree in the backyard!
i don't remember when was the last time i picked up chestnut like this myself.
so much fun!!
i cooked them with rice when i came back home.
very "autumn dish" in japan : )

felt like....

this horse was talking to me.
"hey, you! just relax and enjoy your life!"

sunset, view from the garden

living in this kind of beautiful environment, i guess people would grow into completely different character.
more calm, humble and peaceful, instead of aggressive, arrogant and angry (oops, that's me living in new york city!!)

and sun set

Skagit County

about 1 and a half hour drive from seattle, Skagit county is where my friend's party was held.

i immidiately fell in love with this beautiful place.
vast fields, mountains--even snow capped ones!--in the distance.
the the air was so clean and clear, and i could not help but breathe deeeeep so my lungs were cleansed : )
i have to say, the air was delicious!

Azuki Kabocha

after i came back to new york, i made this healing macrobiotic dish, azuki kabocha, using the pumpkin from Mother Flight Farm.
the kabocha is so sweet,dense,rich and beautiful yellow/orange color.

recipe
cook azuki bean---soak over night, and cook with a pinch of sea salt, small piece of dried kombu seaweed, about 45min with pressure cooker or 1hour with a pot.
cook kabocha with water and sea salt, in a different pot till soft.
mix, add a bit of soy sauce and simmer for a fewminutes.
if no time for cooking azuki bean, use Eden's canned organic azuki bean.

Don't be fooled by fake food!

kabocha!

then there they were, my favorite japanese pumpkin, kabochas!!
she told us that the farm used to ship the kabocha to japan!
afraid that my bag would be heavy thouth, i still could not resist to buy this beautiful organic kabocha, along with some apples, asian pears and homemade strawberry jam : )

Hazel nuts trees

and in the backyard, there were a few hazel nut trees along with apple trees!
to be honest, ive never seen a real hazel nut tree before.
Jude show us how to crack the nuts, and let us taste the freshest nut : )
yum!

freshly milled whole wheat!

Jude was just milling fresh wheat with this tiny mill when we stepped inside the little barn.
i have never seen it before!
by the way, a few weeks before, i just had a chance to see a rice mill at kushi institute.
naturally again, i bought this fresh stone ground whole wheat : )

Organic Farm

the purpose of thisshort trip was to visit my friend, Mark, for his 50th birthday.
we drove from seattle to north, enjoying beautiful scenery.
we were so lucky since the weather was just gorgeous for the whole weekends!
i mean, i was in washington state!!

then i saw a sign,"organic farm and food stand".
naturally, we stopped this cute farm called Mother Flight Farm, received a warm welcome by this beautiful lady, Jude : )

Green Starbucks!?

i'm not a coffee drinker, so i was not so big about visiting the first, original starbucks in pike place market.(opened in 1971, the logo is slightly different)--i went there anyway,tho, and kind of enjoyed it : )

but what really caught my attention was this green starbucks near by.
certified LEED, using recycled stuff for the building materials and interior.
liked the atmospher : )

Seattle!!

My first trip to Seattle!
such a beautiful city : )
and lots of coffee shops!
shame that it was only for a weekend....
but had a great time there!
the pic is a view from a ferry.

saturday lunch after green market

and i made a nice lunch when i got back from the market, using all the fresh autumn produce : )

pumpkins!!!

any season is fun to go to green market, but in fall, begining of yin season, full of yang color! yellow, orange, my favorites : )
look at these beautiful pumpkins!
they are from an organic farm, Norwick Meadow Farm.
i bought some kabocha today : )

another macrobiotic meal

i just love cooking and eating now.
more than ever : )

last night's menu was
tofu steak.
blanced green
stewed hijiki, carrot and dried tofu
and my favorite of the night, stewed lentils!
* w/ brown rice and miso soup

Walking before Breakfast

one of the things that i loved doing when in becket, and decided to continue when i come back to the city, is WALKING.

ive always looked forward to getting up to breakfast, but now, even more so.
i get up a little earlier than before, and after a cup of hot kukicha tea, i walk to central park.

sometimes i stop, and do some gentle streches and breathing exercise, and continue to walk.
and often times, i'm greeted by variety of birds : )

walking stimulates meridians running through on the foot.
so by the time i get back home, im soooooo hungry!

also i found out, this gives me so much energy throughout the day.
blood, lymph, and qi, i can feel all circulating in my body!

Macrobiotic meal, my style

using produce fresh from the market, i made
1 daikon and square nishime
2 black soy bean and onion
3 blanched kale and scallion
4 pressed cabbage, basil and parsley
and brown rice w/ check pea and arame seaweed.
didn't forget miso soup with cauliflower.
heavenly delicious : )

Market in Fall

2 weeks of absense, i immidiately went to union square green market.
wow, already fall produce!!
another favorite season : )
what will i cook?

In Becket, MA

2 weeks at kushi institute in Becket, MA.
such a healing experience.
between classes, or meal, i just walked in the woods.
sometimes to the lake.
eating only macrobiotic meal, nothing else.
my body and soul are totally purified : )

Please tell me you are kidding when you say....

"i'm eating lots of ice cream"
Mr. Steven P. Jobs, Apple's chief exec, after he received a liver transplant, because of a complication caused by pancreatic cancer.
"to gain weight"

the biggest culprit for pancreatic disorder is SUGAR!!
and dairy, eggs as well as sugar---3 main ingredients of ice cream-- are extremely hard on liver, since those foods overburden the organ when it tries to digest and detoxify the acids from those foods(fat, foreign protein).
so ice cream is the last thing you should eat!!

when you have a pancreatic problem, it is hard to gain weight since your body cannot properly absorb nutrients.
also, because of the insulin problem, you tend to crave "sweetness".

what you need to do is,
1 eat foods easy to digest (whole grains, vegetables)
2 chew well (50 to 100 times each mouth full),
3 also to strengthen pancreas and to satisfy the sweet tooth, drink "sweet vegetable soup.

hope Mr. Jobs read this, and contact any macrobiotic counselor!!

Spider Veins?

according to today's times, astonishing 70% of population will be affected by spider veins, or telangiectasia.

and seems that the main stream treatment for that is called scerotherapy, a kind of injection to "irritate the vein's lining and cause its wall to collapse".
sounds very aggressive and invasive!!
also costs up to $500!
some people use cream for the condition.

but from Macrobiotic point of view, the undelying cause is.....
overconsumption of liquid, fruits, juice, or oil., which expand the capillary.
and this is not just about "apperance", but could be a sign of trouble with heart,circulatory,digestive, excretion system, liver, spleen/pancreas.
also, people with spider veins tend to have migrain, or menstrual problems.

so, instead of spending lots of money on surgery or cream, i suggest that they go to the root cause.
cut down on liquid, juice, fruits for a while.

Macrobiotic Bento Box : )

This is a sample meny that i make for "Macrobiotic Bento Box" (pick up/delivery).
not as cute as the ones introduced in today's new york times, though.
but as it is mentioned, i care about presentation, too.
a part of japanese culture : )

"Still Walking" and Fried Corn Cake

i saw a beautiful japanese movie, called "still walking", the other day.
no big drama, kind of reminds me of old Ozu movies, subtle but real, and nothing special happens throughout the movie, even at the end.

some people may not appreciate this kind.
nothing like hollywood movies.---don't get me wrong.i, too, sometime enjoy hollywood movies! : )
but i just loved it!

then i thought about food.
the difference between modern diet and macrobiotics or traditional japanese food.

our modern food culture is like a hollywood movie, while macrobiotic is like this kind of japanese movie.

we tend to like food that gives us instant satisfaction, something that you can taste strong flavor with the first bite, mainly intensified with seasonings such as salt, sugar,herb or spice.
tangible and easy to understand,does not require chewing or any other effort from or side.
we will have instant "wow!", but does not last long, and sometimes it gets boring.

macrobiotic, or traditional japanese food, on the other hand, the taste is subtle and gentle, not very strongly flavored or seasoned.
instead, each ingredient has its own place, and you will appreciate gradually and slowly, as you chew and chew and chew.....

after a hollywood movie, we would have "wow" instantly, and can say "i loved it" or "not".
while this time, after "still walking", my friend and i didn't have any quick comment, not very sure if we liked it or not, but gradually, kind of sunk in, and over dinner, finally we started to talk about it.
and we decided that we loved the movie!

and i liked this slow process.

by the way, there are some cooking scene in the movie, and one dish made me drool.
that is deep fried corn cake.

so i made it---though i didnt know the recipe.
taste sooooooo sweet and delicious! (kind of instant, but lasts long, too : )

recipe (Jin's version)

1 kernel of corn (i used organic corn from norwick medow farm. thank you!!)
1/2 cup of corn meal
1/4 cup of whole wheat flour
1 to 1 tbs of grated mountain potato
pinch of salt

mix and deep fry
enjoy!

Morning After Mini Fasting....

Over the weekend, i was eating a bit too much, so my body said to me, " take a break, please".
so yesterday, no snack, simple meal during the day, and skip dinner, went to sleep earlier than usual.

this morning, i woke up one hour earlier w/o alarm clock, refreshed and recharged, and went for a walk to central park.
a perfect beautiful sunny day.

then i came accross black-crowned night-heron!
looks like an early bird catches a bird : )

skipping meal(evening) from time to time is a good way to rest (and strengthen) hard-working digestive sysytem,(spleen,pancreas,liver, kidneys) , and detox.
most effective on the new moon or full moon.

also an unexpected can happen, too : )
** 4th, full moon. 18th, new moon this month.

Swine Flu

Bioligically, flu virus is not a living thing.
it's a pure protein.
so instead of "kill" them, we can "break down" the virus as we do other food.
traditionally around the world, we have eaten certain foods/spice/herb to break down animal protein. such as garlic, ginger, daikon, lemon, wasabi, umeboshi plum etc etc.

Tamiflu is also made of a chinese spice, too.

most importantly, we can build a strong, healthy body(blood) to avoid falling sick by eating right diet in the first place.

washing hands, wearing mask, or avoiding crownds might be important.
but sometime it's inevitable to expose the viruses.
so why don't we eat right to protect ourselves?

here is more about this http://www.wholelifewithjin.com/swineflu.html

Brown Rice and Cancer ----new study

traditionally in japan, people have been eating brown rice porridge to cure serious diseases.
roast brown rice and simmer for hours, and eat only this dish for a while, many people are said to have recovered from illnesses.

recently, a group of doctors and scientists in japan published a new study on brown rice and cancer
according to this 30-year-study,a certain substance in brown rice can attack cancer cells.
i translated the digest of the study into english here(below).

http://wholelifewithjin.com/brownriceandcancer.html

Tofu Mayo Salad

summer, full of fresh produce, just makes me want to cook and cook and cook : )
with cabbage, red cabbage and corn i bought at the union square market, i created another macrobiotic recipe!

cut thin cabbage, sprinkle sea salt and knead(press)
boild corn and add.
tofu mayo :
tofu (wrap in a cloth and dry)
1tbs of miso
1tbs of ume vinegar, and brown rice vinegar
1ts of sea salt
1/2 ts of lemon juice
1/4 cup of soy milk(unsweetned, organic)
all in food processor until smooth.
mix everything and serve cold or room temp : )

Tomatoes --- night shade, too yin

Macrobiotically, tomatoes, along with potatoes, egg plants and peppers, are considered too yin.
so they are not recommended to eat too much, or if you are out of balance, feeling not well, it's better to avoid.

but they are in season now!
so here is one of the suggestions to balance out the energy.
by adding "yang" energy to it.

sprinkle a bit of sea salt(yang) on tomatoes.
this enhances the flavor and sweetness of the vegetable, as well as balancing the energy.
also mix with other yang food, such as wakame sea weed(also yang)

recipe
cut cube organic heirloom tomato(any tomato is good)
sprinlke sea salt.
add wakame seaweed and black sesame.
add ts of umeboshi vinegar or brown rice vinegar (or both) and mix.
serve room temperture.

The New Moon today

Time to contemplate, eat less, and pray....

Tea Cha Tea

tea, tea, tea,...
so many choices.
they say green tea is full of antioxdant, so good as a substitute of coffee.
in fact, it's said that one of the secrets of japanese people's healthy longevity could be this beautiful aromatic drink.
i, myself, drink organic green tea that my mom sent me from japan almost every afternoon. my hometown is well known for green tea!

---by the way, i do not understand why here in this country they add other flavor to green tea? like "mint green tea" or "lemon green tea", and even add some sugar!!
green tea--loose tea, not tea bag--has such a wonderful flavor so please do not kill it!!---

anyway, macrobiotically, though, green tea is a bit too "yin", cools you down, and a bit hard on your kidneys.
in fact, after i drink green tea, i have to go to bathroom every hour or even more.
---maybe im a bit too sensitive or my constitution is yin.

so what tea is more "neutral"?
kuki cha tea, bancha tea, or barley tea are suggested by macrobiotics.
then again, i reccomend not tea bag but loose tea (pic here is a tea bag , though)
you can find them at health food store.
they are milder, more minerals, less caffein.
real good alternative to coffee and green/black tea : )
have them with each meal or snack!

the bent spoon

it's a ice cream place in prinston.

and they use local and organic ingredient!


i LOVE the concept : )

i tried shiso flavor--can you believe??--- this time.

and yes, tasted sooooooooo good!!



they had heirloom tomato, and NJ corn flavor, too.

i must try them next time : )