We have been “away” (as we Islanders say) for 9 years, minus the summers. Last week I drove a 20 foot U-Haul truck from Connecticut to beautiful Prince Edward Island . We are so happy to be home! Forgive me for the delay in posts as I am still surrounded by boxes and just today found the computer and plugged myself into the very slow Dial-up connection:)

Please enjoy this short interview with Lucy while we unpack and get settled:)

Thirty days hath September,

April, June, and November;

All the rest have thirty-one,

Save February, with twenty-eight days clear,

And twenty-nine each leap year.

It’s been 30 days. Thank you Aveline Kushi for helping to feed my family and teaching me the art of healthy macrobiotic cooking. I hope that everyone’s recipe repertoire has increased and you have enjoyed the challenge of cooking new and interesting ,(and yes,sometimes hard to find )foods with me.

I am going to end the challenge with one of Aveline’s Special menus. Feel free to make your favorite dishes tonight or start on a new journey with a new cookbook. Thank you for joining me and congratulations on becoming a better cook.

-Pressure-Cooked Brown Rice

-Tamari Broth

-Tofu with Arame

-Boiled Carrots and Onions

-Steamed Kale

-Quick Lemon-Miso Pickles

-Oatmeal Cookies

-Bancha Tea

Bancha Tea-by Aveline kushi

Place 11/2-2 tablespoons of roasted twigs in 11/2 quarts of spring water and bring to a boil. Keep unused twigs in an airtight jar until needed. When the water boils, reduce heat to low and simmer for several minutes. For a light tea, simmer 2-3 minutes. For a darker, stronger tea, simmer 10-15 minutes. To serve, place a small bamboo or metal tea strainer  in each cup and pour out tea. Twigs in the strainer may be returned to the teapot and reused several times. Bancha tea may be served hot year-round as well as cool in the summer. It is usually drunk plain, though for medicinal purposes a drop of tamari soy sauce, kuzu, or other ingredients may be mixed in.

-When it is hot outside I like to serve cold bancha with lemon or mis it with some apple juice.

-For more on tea go here .

Kombu chips-by Aveline Kushi

4-5 medium sized kombu strips

Light sesame oil

If very salty dust off the kombu with a wet sponge. Break the kombu into 1 inch pieces. Heat at least 1 inch of oil to 375 degrees in a pot. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add several of the kombu pieces to the hot oil. Deep-fry for 1-2 minutes or until crispy. Remove, and drain the seaweed of excess oil on a paper towel. Serve in a basket or bowl lined with a napkin to absorb oil.

Variations: Other vegetables can be deep fried this way. Carrots make especially good chips.

-Goes great with a beer!

-A little too salty and strong for kids, give sparingly .

Kanten- by Aveline Kushi

2 Cups spring or filtered water

2 Cups apple juice

Pinch of sea salt

1 Bar or 6 tbsp agar-agar (follow package instructions)

3 Medium-sized apples, sliced and cored

In a pot bring liquids to a boil, gradually stirring in the agar-agar until it dissolves. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add apple slices the last 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour mixture into a large dish or into several small molds; refrigerate until jelled. Kanten is usually ready to serve in 45-60 minutes.

Variation: Instead of apple juice, water may be used with about 1/2 cup raisins added to the apples for sweetness. do not cook melons; just let the hot liquid cook and cool about halfway, then pour over the melon pieces and refrigerate. When using azuki beans and raisins, cook them together about 11/2 hours before adding to other ingredients.

Baked Trout- by Aveline Kushi

(We were so into the fish I forgot to take a picture when it was beautiful)

3 Tbsp barley miso or white miso

2 Tbsp mirin

3 Tbsp kombu stock or spring water

1 Medium-sized trout, about 10 oz

Grated daikon

Mix the miso, mirin, and kombu stock or spring water together in a suribachi. Put the trout, either whole or cut in half, in a baking dish and make shallow diagonal slices along the top like this://///. Bake in a preheated 475-degree oven for 7-10 minutes. When the fish is 70 percent done, open oven and spread miso sauce on top of the fish between the head and tail. Bake for another 5 minutes. Serve with grated daikon.

-I used brown rice miso and it was lovely

This is for my brother who really really loves Gomashio!

Gomashio-by Aveline kushi

Adult Gomashio

1 Cup sesame seeds

11/2 -3 Tbsp sea salt

Very Active Adult Gomashio

1 Cup sesame seeds

31/2-4 Tbsap sea salt

Children’s Gomashio

1 Cup sesame seeds

11/2-2 Tbsp sea salt

Wash seeds in a very fine mesh strainer as in preparing rice and let them drain. Any seeds that float to the top while they are being washed should be discarded. Dry-roast the sea salt in a frying pan for a short time. For both sea salt and sesame seeds, stainless steel is lighter, easier to handle, and heats up and cools off more quickly than cast-iron. However, cast-iron cooks more evenly and may be used instead, if desired. Roasting the sea salt releases moisture in the salt and helps to make fluffy gomashio. Roasting also releases a strong chlorine from the salt. The salt is roasted when it becomes shiny.

Roast the sesame seeds after the salt has been roasted, ground, and set aside. Always roast the sesame seeds when they are wet. They will cook more evenly. Dry seeds will burn easily. Use medium heat to roast the seeds. Do not roast too many seeds at once or some will burn, while others will not be roasted enough. Add only enough seeds to cover the bottom of the frying pan. While roasting, push the seeds back and forth in the pan with a rice paddle or wooden spoon. Shaking the pan occasionally will also help to roast seeds evenly and avoid burning. The seeds are done when they crush easily  between the thumb and index finger, about 5-10 minutes. Do not over roast the seeds as they tend to become a little darker from their internal heat after they have been removed from the frying pan. The seeds will also begin to pop and give off a nutty fragrance when done.

Place  the roasted sea salt in a suribachi and grind until it becomes a fine powder and all small lumps are dissolved. Add the hot roasted sesame seeds to the roasted, ground sea salt.  Hot seeds grind more easily and should always be added after the salt has been ground. If seeds are ground firs, they will turn darker when the salt is added. Slowly grind the seeds in an even circular motion with a wooden pestle, making sure to use the grooved sides of the suribachi to grind against instead of the bottom of the bowl. Grind until each seed is half-crushed and thoroughly coated with salt. Do not grind into a powder. If you grind gently, the gomashio will taste sweeter. More powerful or quicker grinding crushes the seeds and makes them saltier to the taste. Allow the gomashio to cool when you have finished grinding and transfer it to an airtight glass or ceramic container to store. If you put warm gomashio into a container, moisture will collect on the top and sides of the jar causing it to spoil quickly. Gomashio will keep fresh for several weeks and may be roasted again if it begins to dry out. I avoid making too much at a time and so prepare it fresh at least once a week.

Variation: For variety, sesame seeds may be prepared with miso, tamari soy sauce, roasted umeboshi plums, roasted powdered kombu or wakame, or shiso leaves. Roasted sesame seeds may also be used a condiment or garnish without salt or other seasoning.

Happy Birthday Ingrid! She is 9 today and loves dulse!!

Dulse, Carrots and Celery-by Aveline Kushi

Spring or filtered water

2 Cups carrots halved and sliced on a diagonal

1 Cup celery sliced on a diagonal

1/2 Ounce dried dulse

Pour a little water into a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the carrots and cook until soft. Remove, and put carrots in a bowl. Add the celery to the boiling water and simmer until done. Wash the dulse and soak it for 2-3 minutes. remove and cut into small pieces. remove the celery from the heat and drain it. Add the celery and the dulse to the carrots. Mix and serve.

Arame with Sweet Corn-by Aveline Kushi

1 Ounce dried arame

1 Tbsp dark sesame oil

1 Cup onions, sliced into half moons

Spring or filtered water

2-3 Tbsp tamari soy sauce

2 Cups fresh sweet corn kernels

Clean the arame and put it in a strainer to drain. Oil a frying pan and heat it. Saute the onions for 1-2 minutes, stirring to ensure even cooking. Add the arame on top and enough water to just cover the onions. Add a little tamari soy sauce. Cover and bring to a boil, then turn flame to medium-low, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the corn and a little more tamari soy sauce to taste. Simmer for 10-15 minutes and then mix until the liquid has evaporated.

-Because it is still a little early for fresh corn, I used Organic frozen corn.

Yahoo! How do you feel now? Feel like you can cook anything? Week 4 Well done!

Tempeh Shish Kebab-by Aveline Kushi

This is a favorite for parties or summer barbecues. Quantity of ingredients will vary with number of people served and how items are arranged on skewers.

Carrots

Burdock

Red radishes

Umeboshi plums

Broccoli flowerets

Cauliflower flowerets

Tempeh

Tamari soy sauce

Cut the carrots and burdock into chunks and lightly boil until soft but not falling apart. Boil the small red radishes with 1-2 umeboshi plums for 15 minutes, or until water has boiled away. Boil the broccoli so that it is still bright green and crunchy. Boil the cauliflower similarly.

Pan-fry or boil tempeh with a little tamari soy sauce until soft but still crispy. Arrange the ingredients attractively on skewers and serve hot

-I added tofu and onions and celery too and served the skewers with watercress/green bean /corn fried rice.