Over the past “Lenten” season I decided to give up meat, and cheese completely for forty days.  I remember heading into the market one day and seeing a delicious vat of pesto sauce at the deli counter.  I asked the girl if there was cheese in pesto.  She said no, but to my dismay there was!  Had I tried this recipe THEN my craving for Pesto would have been subsided in ample time.

I decided this evening to whip up a quick “dairy-free” pesto pasta dish. It literally takes less than 15 minutes to make!

What you need:

3 garlic cloves, chopped coarsely

1 cup of Fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup of Roasted Pine Nuts(pignoli)

1/2 cup of chopped parsley

1/4-1/3 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tablespoons of White Miso

*optional ingredients-

Trader Joe’s Chicken-Less Strips

Pasta of your choice.

What to do:

Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until a smooth paste is formed.  Store in an air-tight container

Cook your pasta until tender. drain.

Sautee the chicken-less strips over a bit of oil.  Put pasta, and chicken in a mixing bowl.  Add Pesto to your desired taste.

It’s fast, easy, delicious and completely Dairy Free!

As always, If you have tried this recipe we would LOVE to hear your feedback.

Happy Eating!

Tags: air tight container, ample time, basil, blender, chopped parsley, dismay, extra virgin olive oil, food processor, forty days, garlic cloves, lenten season, meat and cheese, miso, optional ingredients, pasta dish, pesto pasta, pine nuts, smooth paste, trader joe, virgin olive oil

By Sarah B

I apologize off the bat for the trite sentiment, but I recently felt sorry for an old recipe I haven’t made in years.

And, well, maybe I just wanted cookies.

Anyway, “mocha crinkles” used to be one of my go-to recipes. They’re relatively easy, pretty, and yummy. They’re crowd pleasers. I used to make them for most special occasions. But somewhere along the line, I lost track of them; like they fell out of my own personal fashion. I moved onto other cookies, and branched out into breads and cakes. But lately, I’ve been fondly remembering the joy that they brought me… and lamenting my abandonment of them. I hope they don’t mind. Anyway, they’ve managed to taste just as fabulous as I remember, because I made them on Sunday. And, to make it up to them, I’m sharing them with all of you.

Mocha Crinkles, baked by me 5.31.09

Mocha Crinkles

(from “America’s Favorite Brand Name Light Cooking” published by Publications International, 1998)

What You’ll Need:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons instant espresso or coffee granules
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/3 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup powdered sugar

What To Do:

1. Mix flour, cocoa, espresso, baking soda, salt and pepper in medium bowl; set aside.
2. Beat brown sugar and oil in another medium bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until well blended. Beat in sour cream, egg and vanilla.
3. Beat in flour mixture until soft dough forms. Form dough into disc; cover. Refrigerate dough until firm, 3 to 4 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place powdered sugar in shallow bowl. Cut dough into 1-inch pieces; roll into balls. Coat with powdered sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheets.
5. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until tops of cookies are firm to the touch. Do not over-bake. Cool cookies completely on wire racks.
Makes 6 dozen cookies
Nutritional information per serving (1 cookie): 44 calories, 1 gram of fat, 3 mg cholesterol; 28 mg sodium

After you ajve tried this recipe come back and let me know what you think!

Tags: baking, bread, cake, eggs, feelings, flour, mixture, recipe, Recipes, teaspoon

When lightly cooked, watercress, a normally spicy green, takes on a buttery, almost nutty flavor. It is full of nutrients and a delicious part of this super-easy macrobiotic dish. Carrots add sweetness, and the umeboshi-sesame dressing adds a hint of saltiness and tartness to balance everything out. Delicious.

Quickly Boiled Watercress and Carrots

What you need:

1 carrot, thinly sliced on a diagonal

2 bunches of watercress

water

What you need to do:

Place 1 inch of water in a pot and bring to a boil.

Cook carrots for 50-60 seconds.

Use a slotted spoon to remove carrots, leaving the water in the pot.

Drain Carrots in a colander.

Simmer watercress for 50 seconds, stirring or mixing quickly to cook evenly.

Remove watercress, drain, and place on cutting board.

Slice into 2-inch pieces.

Mix carrots and watercress in a serving bowl.

Serve with Umeboshi-Sesame Dressing.

Umeboshi-Sesame Dressing

1/2 cup roasted sesame seeds

1/4 cup umeboshi vinegar

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup chopped scallions

What you need to do:

Place roasted sesame seeds in suribachi (you can also use a bowl and spoon or even better a coffee grinder – but use for just a moment, you don’t want to turn the seeds to powder!) and grind until half crushed.

Add vinegar, water, and scallions.  Grind for 1-2 minutes.

Adapted from The Macrobiotic Way by Michio Kushi, Avery Publishing Group.

Try this recipe and then come back and let us know what you think!

Tags: boil, bunches, carrot, coffee grinder, colander, cook carrots, cup water, cutting board, inch pieces, Macrobiotic, mix carrots, pot, sesame seeds, spoon, suribachi, vinegar water, watercress

Day two of our week of Macrobiotic recipes.  One of the joys of Macro cooking is the deceptive simplicity – it is about rediscovering the wonders of flavor hidden in the foods we too often smother with salts and sugary condiments and sauces.  Today we will explore Kuzu – a starch derived from the root of a plant that, when dissolved in a bit of water, has the consistency of corn starch – excellent for soups and sauces, and what’s more it strengthens the intestines and protects the digestive tract.  It is virtually flavorless unto itself but works wonderfully in creating fascinating concoctions like today’s Macrobiotic recipe:

Boiled Red Radishes with Umeboshi-Kuzu Sauce

What you need:

2 Cups of Water

4 Shiso Leaves

1 Umeboshi Plum

2 Cups of Red Radishes, trimmed

3 Tablespoons of Kuzu

1 Tablespoon of sliced Scallions or Parsley

What you need to do:

– Place water, shiso leaves, umeboshi plum, and radishes in a pot and bring water to a boil.

– Cover, reduce flame to medium-low, and simmer until radishes are tender.

– Remove and drain radishes and shisho leaves, reserving cooking water.

– Set umeboshi plum aside.

– Place radishes in a shallow serving bowl.

– Chop shiso leaves and set aside.

– Dilute kuzu in a few tablespoons of water and pour into cooking water.  (the water SHOULD be light red)

– Stir instantly to avoid lumping.

– When sauce becomes thick and creamy, remove from flame and pour over radishes.

– Place chopped shiso leaves in the center of the radishes.

– Sprinkle scallions or parsley on top for garnish and serve!

Sure a lot of people dislike radishes because of their spicy taste, but boiling them down a little diminishes that siginifcantly as it does with watercress.  Also the kuzu tempers the flavor, and the umeboshi adds the taste of salt.

If you try this recipe, come back and let us know what you think!

Tags: boil, consistency, corn, diet, digestibility, digestion, flavors, food, garnish, healthy food, kuzu, Macrobiotic, Macrobiotics, radishes, recipe, Recipes, starch, tablespoon

Taste Odyssey announced it was going to post a week of Macrobiotic dishes.  I thought I would add to the recipe box, a delicious dish that is quite, understated and simple to prepare. The outcome will be mouth watering, and the health benefits, out of this world!

This recipe uses kombu a kelp usually purchased in dried form that can be used to flavor soups like a bay leaf in addition to being eaten in regular dishes. It is popular in many macrobiotic preparations.

This recipe is from the book, “The Macrobiotic Way” by Michio Kushi

So without further ado I bring you:

NISHIME VEGETABLES!

What you need:

1 kombu strip, 6 inches long, soaked and cut into 1-inch squares.

1 piece of daikon, 4-5 inches long, halved (lengthwise) and cut into half-moons 1 inch thick.

1 cup butternut or buttercup squash, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks

1 cup carrots, cut into chunks

A pinch if sea salt.

Water

Tamari

What to do:

– Place kombu in a pot. 
– Place daikon on top of kombu, set squash on top of daikon, and place carrots on top of squash. 
– Add a pinch of sea salt and about 1/2 inch of water.
– Cover pot and bring water to a boil.  Reduce flame to low, and simmer until vegetables are tender. 
– Add a small amount of Tamari and continue to simmer until vegetables are soft and all liquid has evaporated.
– Mix vegetables with kombu, remove, and place in serving bowl.

It is that easy!

(I personally love adding some toasted sesame seeds to almost everything macro for a little extra flavor kick, but that is strictly my preference try it and see if you like it too)

In just a few short steps with a small set of easily attainable ingredients you can be well on your way to a healthy Macro-life.

Good Luck! and enjoy!

Try this recipe? Let us know how your it worked out for you

Tags: diet, dishes, healthy cooking, Macrobiotic, macrobiotic diet, Macrobiotics, nishime vegetables, odyssey, recipe, Recipes