Macro Mom » salads

Spring Challenge Day 15- NO MORE MISO

macromom — Thu, 16 May 2013 00:07:18 +0000

Are you sick of miso soup ? Do you want to take a day off? Why not, go ahead! Here are some other spring dishes that are lovely instead!

Kale and Tofu Salad (O.k I snuck in some miso)

1lb firm tofu, sliced into 8 rectangles

sesame oil

1 lg bunch lacinato kale

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

1/2 cup parsley , minced

1-2 green onions, minced

Miso dressing

In a cast iron frying pan , fry tofu till golden on both sides in 1 tbsp of sesame oil. Set aside and cool on a paper towel. Cut into cubes.

Wash kale and thinly slice the entire leaf, mix with ,sesame seeds, parsley, onions and miso dressing. Top with tofu and serve.

Ingrid’s Vegetable soup

1 Tbsp Sesame or Olive oil

1 onion, diced

1tsp ginger, minced

3 carrots, sliced into thin rounds

3 celery stalks, diced

1 cup diakon,sliced into thin half moons

2 bay leaves

1 tsp turmeric

2 cups broccoli, chopped

2 cups cauliflower, chopped

2 cups collard greens, shredded

11/2 tbsp Umeboshi vinegar

8 cups water

sea salt

Heat oil in a large pan and saute, onion, ginger,carrots and celery with a pinch of sea salt for about 4-5 minutes , add all the rest of the ingredients except Ume vinegar and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes . Add ume vinegar and cook for 2 more min and serve…

Coming Soon… 4th Annual Spring Challenge!

macromom — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:38:40 +0000

Please join me starting May 1st and enjoy a fresh new (or old favourite) recipe every day for a month.. Bring on the spring.

Spring Challenge Day 20- Mock Greek Salad

macromom — Sun, 20 May 2012 17:49:29 +0000

Mock Greek Salad

4 Ounces firm tofu

2 Tablespoons umeboshi vinegar

4 Cups (chopped into 1/2-1 inch pieces) Nappa cabbage

1/2 medium cucumber, sliced into 1/4 inch thick half moons

1/4 Red onion, sliced into thin half moons

8 Kalamata olives, sliced lengthwise into quarters

Crumble tofu and mix with 1 tablespoon of the vinegar. Set aside. Add the other tablespoon of ume vinegar to the nappa cabbage, cucumbers, and red onion in a large bowl or pickle press. Massage them all together with your hands until the vegetables begin to “sweat”. Press the mixture in a pickle press or create pressure by placing a plate on the vegetables and a heavy weight on the plate. Press for 20 minutes(or, for a lighter dish, don’t press at all). Pour off excess liquid (rince if too salty for your taste). Add olives and crumbled tofu. Serve.

- I’m a big fan of pressed salads! This one went over well. I blanched my tofu first though. I like the flavor better and it’s easier to digest.

All recipes are printed with permission from Jessica Porter

Spring Challenge Day 19- Teaser Caeser

macromom — Sat, 19 May 2012 11:37:08 +0000

Teaser Caeser

Croutons

3-4 Slices whole wheat sourdough bread, sliced into cubes(about 11/2 cups)

Olive oil

1/2 Teaspoon dried rosemary

1/2 Teaspoon dried marjoram

1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 Teaspoon sea salt

Preheat oven to 325′ F

Lightly coat bread slices with olive oil. In a small bowl, mix remaining crouton ingredients. Add bread;toss to coat. Spread in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake until croutons are dry and lightly toasted, 10-5 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Dressing

2 Tablespoons blanched or roasted almonds

3 Cloves garlic minced

3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes (optional)

2 Tablespoons shoyu

1 Tablespoon tahini

3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 Cup water

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 Large head romaine lettuce, torn into large pieces

Meanwhile, in food processor or blender, combine almonds, garlic, mustard, yeast flakes, shoyu, tahini, lemon juice, water and oil; process until smooth and well blended. To serve, toss together lettuce and croutons. Add dressing and toss to coat. Serve right away.

-This salad ROCKED! Although when I was making the dressing I managed to pour almost half a jar of mustard in by accident and had to fish it out.

All recipes posted with permission from Jessica Porter

Spring Challenge Day 6- Quinoa Salad

macromom — Sun, 06 May 2012 14:47:10 +0000

Quinoa Salad

1/2 Medium red onion, cut fine into half moons

4 radishes, cut fine into half moons

2 Tablespoons umeboshi vinegar

1 Tablespoon brown rice vinegar

11/2 Cups quinoa

3 Cups spring water

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2/3 Cups hazlenuts

1/4 Cup chopped parsley or chopped mint

1/2 Cup rasins, washed and drained

Mix the onion and radishes with both vinegars. Place a plate and weiht on top, and press for 1 hour to pickle. Wash quinoa thoroughly with water to remove bitter aponin on the outside of the grain. Roast in a dry heavy-bottom fry pan until dry, stirring contantly until grian begins to turn golden and puff up a little.

Bring water and salt to a boil in a saucepan, stir in quinoa, cover and bring back to a boil. Turn the flame down low and simmer until all the water is absorbed (about 20-25 minutes). Remove from heat, fluff with a fork and turn into a mixing bowl to cool .

Wash and roast hazelnuts at 350′F until nuts re golden and skins crack and loosen . Rub thr nuts in a fry dishcloth to remove any loose skins. Chop roughly. Mix in hazelnuts, quinoa, onions, radishes, herbs and raisins together, including pickling liquid. Serve.

-Ume pickled radishes have a bit of a funky smell (or as my kids say farty smell). This dish is great, it’s light and tasty and was perfect for lunch today.

All recipes printed with permission from Jessica Porter .

Spring challenge Day 4- Rice, Avocado, And Corn Salad

macromom — Fri, 04 May 2012 14:07:23 +0000

Rice, Avocado, And Corn Salad

Dressing

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon brown rice vinegar

1 Tablespoon shoyu

Salad

1/2 Cup almonds

Kernels from 2 ears of corn

2 Avocados

3 Cups cooked brown rice

2 Dill pickles,diced

1/2 Small red onion, finely chopped

To make the dressing, mix the lemon juice, olive oil,vinegar and shoyu in a bowl or dressing bottle and set aside.

To roast the almonds, you can either put them on a baking sheet for 8-12 minutes in a 350′F oven

or pan-roast them in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat for about the same amount of time. If you pan-roast, make sure to keep the almonds moving continually to avoid burning. They are ready when they’re easy to break open but are are still cream colored in the center. Don’t wait for the centers to get tan coloured-that’s a sign they’re a little burnt. After roasting, let almonds cool then chop roughly. P.S you can also buy almonds roasted (and unsalted) at the store.

Slice avocados in half, remove pits, spoon out flesh, and mash thoroughly into rice. Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the corn kernels for 1 minute. Remove with slotted spoon and let cool. Ad pickles, nuts, onion and corn to the rice mixture. Add dressing and mix well. Let sit for about 30 minutes to let the flavors blend.

-Very yummy salad. Pan took the leftovers for lunch. My kids had a hard time with the texture and probably would have liked it better if the avocado had been in chunks and not mashed. My oldest daughter ate it with corn chips

All recipes are posted with permission from Jessica Porter.

Spring Challenge 2012 Day 3- Mediterranean Barley Salad

macromom — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:35:29 +0000

Mediterranean Barley Salad

Dressing

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 Tablespoon dijon mustard

Pinch of sea salt

2 Tablespoons sherry vinegar or 1 tablespoon of apple-cider vinegar plus 1 tablespoon of umeboshi vinegar

1 Tablespoon minced shallot

1/4 Cup olive oil

Salad

5 Cups spring water

2 Cups pearl or hulled barley

1/2 Teaspoon sea salt

2 Bay leaves

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh oregano or 2 teaspoons dried and crumbled

1/3 Cup pitted and chopped kalamata olives 1/3 Cup drained capers

1/2 Cup toasted pine nuts

1/4 Cup finely chopped green onions

To make dressing, combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl or dressing bottle and set aside.

To prepare salad, bring water to a boil. Add barley with salt and bay leaves. Simmer for 1 hour or until all water is absorbed. Cool and add dressing and oregano. Chill about 2 hours or until ready to serve. Before serving, add olives, capers, pine nuts and green onions. Serve.

-Holy crap this dish was sooo good! We didn’t wait for this to cool down we ate it when it was still warm. My kids loved it and Pan said “I love it and I don’t even like barley”

All recipes are posted with the permission of Jessica Porter .

SPRING CHALLENGE 2012!

macromom — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:02:08 +0000

Tomorrow I will be starting the THIRD annual spring challenge. The last two years went great! I used Aveline Kushi’s book(The Complete Guide To macrobiotic Cooking), then Christina Cooks-Everything You Always Wanted to Know about WholeFoods but were afraid to ask. This year I have chosen The Hip Chick’s guide to Macrobiotics by Jessica Porter. She is a great chef with a kooky sense of humor and her book is full of fun recipes . Soon you will be having a great laugh and will feel wonderful eating her delicious recipes . Don’t worry if you don’t own this book. I will be posting the recipes everyday with photos. Or, pick your favorite cookbook or chef to follow. The point is adding new recipes to our daily repertoire.

Today is Day 1- Finding your cookbook and collecting your groceries.

This first week all recipes will be on Grains!

1- Perfect Brown Rice

2-Mediterranean Barley Salad

3- Rice, Avacado And Corn Salad

4-Good Morning Oat Porridge

5- Quinoa Salad

6-Millet Mashed “Potatoes” With Mushroom Gravy

7- Kasha And Cabbage

Please post comments and photo’s of what you are cooking!

All recipes are printed with permission from Jessica Porter.

Coming Soon…3rd Annual Spring Challenge!

macromom — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:03:38 +0000

Please join me starting May 1st and enjoy a fresh new (or old favourite) recipe every day for a month.. Bring on the spring.

Loving

macromom — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:31:00 +0000

I’m a little late posting this. We have been so busy lately. I’m so glad I was able to take the time to fit in this fun romantic meal.

This tray of strawberries from our lovely neighbor started off our Valentines day.

Carrot And Blood Orange Soup

1 Pound carrots

1 Medium onion

3 Cloves of garlic

1(2-inch) Piece fresh ginger. minced

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1-2 large blood oranges

5 Cups vegetable stock

1 bay leaf

Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Thinly slice the carrots. Finely chop the onion. Peel and chop the garlic cloves. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Meanwhile grate the orange to yield 2 teaspoon grated zest. Juice orange to yield 1/2 cup orange juice.

Add vegetable stock , zest, and bay leaf to cooking vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots are tender about 20 minutes.

Puree soup until smooth; return to saucepan. Stir in orange juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.

Orange And Fennel Salad

one half of a small red onion
2 lg blood oranges
2-3 sm fennel bulbs
3tbsp olive oil
11/2 tbsp lemon juice
3/4tsp sea salt
1 tsp mint
oil cured black olives
black pepper

-slice onion in thin half moons
cover with cold water and set aside for 15 min
-Slice the orange peel of wih a knife, from top to bottom
over a bowl to catch the juices
-slice fennel into quarters lenght wise
slice the quarters lengthwise as this as you can.
-wisk together olive oil,lemon juice and salt

- toss all ingredients together with several black olives and a sprinkle of black pepper

Onion Baklava

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

10 yellow onions — in half moon slices

2 tablespoons brown rice syrup

1 fresh ginger root — graded juice extracted

1 tablespoon kuzu — dissolved in 3 tablespoon of cold water

2 cups blanched almonds

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

15 sheets phyllo dough

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

To make the filling, heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté with a generous sprinkling of salt until limp about five minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook the onions covered for fifteen minutes stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Add the rice syrup and ginger juice and cook uncovered until the mixture thickens slightly about ten minutes. Stir in the dissolved kuzu and cook stirring until the mixture thickens and turns clear about three minutes more. Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil the bottom and sides of the thirteen by 9 inch baking dish. Place blanched almonds in a food processor and grind into a fine meal. Add cinnamon, and pulse just to combine.

Fold one sheet of the phyllo in half crosswise and fit into the prepared pan. Brush lightly with oil. Repeat folding and layering five more sheets of phyllo, creating a multiplayer base. Sprinkle evenly with 1/2 cup of the ground almonds. Spread half the onion filling over the almonds and sprinkle with another half cup of the ground almonds. Fold, layer, and oil five more of the sheets over filling sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the ground almonds and top with the remaining onion filling. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the almond mixture.

Fold, layer, and oil the remaining five sheets of phyllo over the second layer of filling, except this layer, sprinkle a little of the reserved almond mixture between each folded sheet. Brush the top lightly with oil. With a sharp knife, score the top sheets diamond shapes are most common for this dish to mark 24 servings. Bake in the center oven rack about fifteen minutes or until the phyllo is golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oven and cool the pan on a wire cooling rack. Cut into servings and serve warm.
This is a wonderful recipe by Christina Pirello! www.christinacooks.com

Mushroom And Onion Risotto With Steamed Greens And Grilled Radicchio

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Cups arborio rice

7 Cups vegetable stock

6 Cups mushrooms, sliced thin

1/2 Cup onion, diced

In a pot, bring stock to a boil. Reduce heat to low to hold warm In a large pot , heat olive oil and cook mushrooms and onion with a pinch of sea salt for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden,stir in rice cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Using ladle, add 1/2 cup hot stock; cook, stirring constantly, until liquid is absorbed. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, adding hot stock 1/2 cup at a time and waiting until liquid is absorbed before adding more stock, for 16 -20 minutes or until rice is tender with a firm center and dish is creamy overall. Adjust heat as necessary to maintain a slow boil. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.

Grilled Radicchio

3heads of Radicchio

2-tbsp of olive oil

sea salt

Slice radicchio into quarters, lightly brush with oil and sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over top. Place on a cookie sheet and place under broiler for 8 min Turning twice. The same goes for a grill.

Steamed Greens

1 Bunch dandelion greens

1 Bunch kale

In a large pot bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Add greens and steam for 2-5 minutes until bright green. Remove from pot and slice.

Hazelnut Chocolate Cake

3 Cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 Cup hazelnuts, toasted and finely ground

Pinch of sea salt

11/2 Tablespoons baking powder

1/2 Cup olive oil

1 Cup maple syrup

1 1/2 Cups plain rice milk

2 Tablespoons vanilla

Turn oven on to 350′

Mix the dry ingredients with a whisk. Add the wet ingredients and stir until smooth. Pour into cake pan (or like I did here into two bread pans) . Bake for 45 minutes. Cool before pouring over icing.

Chocolate Icing

1Pkg grain sweetened chocolate chips

Melt in a double boiler. Be sure to stir quite a bit so it doesn’t burn. Pour over cake hot. Sprinkle on chopped hazelnuts Let cool to harden.

Strawberry Coulis

4 Cups hulled strawberries

1/4 cup maple syrup

zest of 1 lemon

Puree ingredients until smooth