All About Macrobiotics

by Leslie Ashburn

Macrobiotics is a flexible and practical approach to living based on using the world’s healthiest foods and traditional lifestyle practices to achieve wholeness, balance, and harmony in all dimensions of our lives. Food is energy and helps us create and become who we are. Macrobiotics is not a set of rules. It’s about personal power and choices, recognizing that each individual has the ultimate ability to decide how to apply these dietary principles and becomes responsible for everything that is put into one’s mouth and body. Everyone is different and no one set of standards or rules will apply to an individual condition. It’s important to make connections between what we eat and how we feel. With reflection, we can begin to empower ourselves to live better and healthier lives.

Emphasis is placed on:

• eating a wide variety of foods grown locally, organically, and in season
• utilizing a wide variety of simple cooking techniques
• centering one’s diet on plant-based, unprocessed, unrefined foods
• avoiding chemicals, pesticides, and other non-traditional methods of preparation

There are many benefits to a whole foods diet.

We develop strong mental, physical, and emotional health.

• Studies show that a diet centered on plant-based foods improves blood sugar control, weight loss, and cardiovascular health, reduces cancer risk, and minimizes food addictions, to name just a few diet and lifestyle related items.
• Eating consciously is good for the environment, farmers, and local economy.
• Reducing intake of animal food reduces our carbon footprint.
• Eating locally is more sustainable; besides being fresher, it supports local farmers and the local economy.
• Eating organically is good for maintaining healthy ecosystems and protects the Earth, farmers, their children, and the local community from dangerous chemicals.
• Eating seasonally keeps us harmonized with nature like traditional societies have practiced for thousands of years.

We know ourselves better

• Practicing macrobiotics is not about following a rigid set of rules. It’s about making conscious connections between diet and lifestyle, and then how we feel as a result, and deciding what type of life we’d like to lead. It’s about flexibly adapting day to day to help us live our best possible life.

Basics for the kitchen

• A person enjoying macrobiotic principles fills his or her kitchen with a wide variety of whole grains, beans and bean products, land and sea vegetables, fresh fruit, nuts, seeds and natural condiments such as good quality oils, sea salt, shoyu, miso, brown rice vinegar, umeboshi vinegar, and natural sweeteners like brown rice syrup, amasake, and barley malt.
• Cooking utensils typically include a variety of items such as stainless steel and earthen ware pots, a grater, pressure cooker, knife, steamer basket, mesh strainer, and bamboo mats.
• Cooking techniques may include raw, steaming, blanching, boiling, sautéing, deep frying, pan frying, pressing, pickling, pressure cooking and baking

To learn hands-on techniques in preparing delicious macrobiotic foods, consider signing up for Chef Leslie's popular cooking series. Starts April 10th!

New Cooking Classes for the Whole Family!

Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Cooking: Autism and ADHD Diets Made Easy With Warrior Mama Katie Berry
March 10 at 10:00 a.m. and repeated on March 20th at 11:00 a.m.
Class Cost: $15 per person, or $12 pre-registration (3/10 class only)

This unique and first (but not last!) GFCF Cooking Class will inspire and guide parents onto the off-the-beaten path of cooking well and eating well. The class will cover:
What is GFCF?
What the benefits are?
How this ties into children with Autism and ADHD
Personal story (can share mine)
Showcase list of "no" foods and their alternative
Where can you buy GFCF products?
Personal recommendations of GFCF products
Showcase GFCF recipe and demonstrate how to make it (may bring two small things)

Super Toddler Foods: How to Turn Your Purees into Healthy Finger Foods
Taught by Ashley Lukens
Sunday March 27th at 11:00 a.m.
Class Cost: $10 per person

This follow-up to our ever popular Super Baby Foods Class will cover how to integrate fruits, veggies, and most especially leafy greens into your toddler's diet. We'll discuss ways to make simple changes to your meals and meal planning to make sure your child is getting 3 square healthy meals a day!

Kale Applesauce

The key to good applesauce, a wise auntie once told me, is lots of different apples. The key to a healthy diet, a wise macrobiotic chef told me, is variety variety variety. This yummy and easy to make kale applesauce does both.

7-10 Apples of all kinds. Buy organic. Its better for baby and the environment. If you're feelin' kind crazy - add a pear or two!

Peal ½ the apples and cube. Leave the skin on the rest for fiber’s-sake.

Cover apples with water. Boil in sauce pan until soft. As apples cook, you might need to add more water.

WHEN APPLES ARE SOFT, turn heat off and add 10 leaves of stemmed kale (to remove the stems, just rip leaves off).

Turn off Heat.

Mix in kale. Cover until wilted.

Put in blender and blend for 3 minutes.

 

Freeze in ice cube trays and add to all smoothies, yogurt, and oatmeal. Add water to make popsicles.

Our NEXT Super Baby Foods class is 2/13 @11am. Come learn how to make kale applesauce and more!

Frances Moore Lappe Coming to Honolulu!

A great opportunity to meet a revolutionary leader in the alternative food movement -- Frances Moore Lappe will be presenting a series of lectures at the University of Hawaii at Manoa on November 4th and 5th. Mark your calendar!

Diet for a Small Island Film Series

Come watch three inspiring films on food, agriculture, and democracy!

"Diet for a Small Island" Pre-lecture film series on food democracy
Monday nights at 7:00 PM at Church of the Crossroads, Weaver Hall

October 4 (Mon)  7pm
Ingredients: the local food movement in the US (73 min)
Discussion to follow with Robert Bates, documentary film maker.

October 11 (Mon) 7 pm
Power of Community: How Cuba survived peak oil (53 min)
Discussion to follow with Travis Idol, Associate Professor of Tropical
Forestry at UH.

October 25 (Mon) 7 pm
Malama Haloa: Protecting the taro (39 min)
Discussion to follow with Mark Stride, Hawaiian homestead farmer.
Film series will conclude with talks on November 5th and 6th featuring
Frances Moore Lappé, author of 18 books including Diet for a Small
Planet.

Films are free and open to public. Both talks are at Church of the
Crossroads, 1212 University Avenue, Honolulu. Tel: 808-949-2220.

For more information about the Watada Lectures Series, visit our blog

For the film series, please email Travis Idol at traviswidol@gmail.com.

Leafy Green Recipe #003

Spinach Ricotta Pancakes
by Ashley Lukens

I make a MEAN spinach/butternut squash lasagna (which I will share at a later date) but I always have leftover spinach/ricotta/herb filling. So today I developed a recipe for spinach ricotta pancakes. My daughter LOVES a nice bread-like snack. Hope you do, too!

Prep time – 15 mins (MAX)
Serves: 4 adults or 6 keiki

8 oz Ricotta
1 (9-oz) bag spinach
Palm-full of fresh herbs (thyme, oregano, basil)
Palm-full of parmesan cheese
Clove of garlic
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
3/4 cup milk
3 eggs, divided


Blend ricotta, spinach, herbs, parm and garlic in blender until smooth.

Mix ricotta filling with milk, egg yolks, in a bowl.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.

Beat the egg whites in an electric mixer until stiff. Add the dry ingredients to the ricotta and milk mixture, stirring gently until just combined. Whisk in a small amount of the egg whites to lighten the batter, then fold in the remaining whites.

Heat griddle to medium, spray with light oil, and voila! Delicious healthy pancakes the keiki will love.

Instead of maple syrup, try butter and honey.

For an adult-a-fied meal, mix with a white bean/fresh mozz salad.

Leafy Green Recipe #002

Savory Spinach Cheese Muffins
by Ashley Lukens

I've told you before why I love me some leafy greens.

Here is a recipe that is all sorts of delicious!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (a mixture of white, wheat, or soy flour
can be used instead)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg
1 cup whole milk (2% works fine)
1/2 - 1 cup fresh steamed chopped spinach - thawed, drained and squeezed dry
1 cup shredded Cheddar or Swiss cheese
4 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1 small onion, chopped finely

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 cup
muffin cups. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
together in a mixing bowl. Stir the melted butter, egg, milk, spinach,
and Cheddar cheese together in a large mixing bowl until evenly
blended. Slowly stir in the flour mixture to form a batter. Spoon
about 2 tablespoons into each muffin cup. Bake in preheated oven until
a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean,
about 35 minutes. Serve warm with a buttery spread. To store: place in
a freezer tight ziplock, defrost for 40-45 seconds, and serve with
butter.

Leafy Green Recipe #001

Kale and Ricotta Salata Bruschetta
by Ashley Lukens

Leafy Green vegetables like Kale, Swiss Chard, Mustard Greens, or Collards are a vital part of your family's diet.They are good sources of many vitamins and minerals your body needs to stay healthy, such as vitamins A, C, and K, folate, iron and calcium. They are also great sources of fiber. Research suggests that the nutrients found in dark green vegetables may prevent certain types of cancers and promote heart health. It is recommended that we eat 3 cups of dark green vegetables per week, or about ½ a cup every day.

Hawaii's climate is well suited for growing leafy greens year round, and buying these locally grown greens are better for the environment, great for Hawaii's local economy, and easy on your wallet. Ma'o Farms, for example, features serveral varieties at their KCC Farmers market stand:

• Mizuna and Mustard Greens
• Tat Soi and Pak Choy
• Collard Greens
• Kale - Red Russian, Lacinato (Toscano), Blue Curly
• Swiss Chard - Rainbow, Fordhook, Ruby

For such an important part of our diet, and such an integral part of Hawaii's local agriculture, leafy greens remain difficult to prepare, particularly in ways that are palatable to the whole family. This leafy green recipe series is an attempt to offer quick, easy and delicious ways to integrate leafy greens into your diet and your cooking repetoire. The specific recipe is inspired by Town Restaurant, that always has delicious locally grown food on their menu (including bruschetta) and a Wilted Greens Recipe I found on the Food Network website. I made it tonight and it was DELISH!

Ingredients

• 1 Olive baguette
• 1 large bunch Kale
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 ounces ricotta salata cheese

Directions
Slice Olive bread into this slices, drizzle with olive oil and broil until crisp. Set aside.
Wash the greens, but do not dry. Trim the large stems and coarsely chop. Set aside.
Warm 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat.
Add the onions and garlic and saute for 4 minutes.
Add the greens, vegetable broth, soy sauce, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the greens have wilted and become tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Transfer the cooked greens to a serving bowl and crumble the ricotta salata cheese over the top. Mix and pile atop toasted Olive Bread slices.