Fresh & Easy Asian Pasta Salad + A Little Soul-Bearing

I'm a perfectionist.  There.  I said it.  That took me about 10 minutes to write because I had to make sure I said it perfectly...

Ahhhh...

Okay, now that that's off my chest, I wanted to let you know that I'm making changes.  That's right.  I'm no longer going to worry about writing the "perfect blog" or posting the "perfect recipe" or taking the "perfect picture".  Okay, maybe I will a little, but my goal is to just do something I enjoy and hope that you all like it.  Otherwise I'll be missing for weeks (Months?  Yes, months....) on end again, and that would be lame, right?

I was reading a book today about why people procrastinate, and it said something really interesting about Action and Motivation.  Which comes first?  "If you said motivation, you made an excellent , logical choice.  Unfortunately, you're wrong."  (Oops!)  "Motivation does not come first, action does!  If you wait until you're in the mood to do something, you may wait forever!"

Amen.  Hence, my absence as of late.

So, thanks for being patient.  I'm back to cooking, inventing and experimenting again, and it feels good.

And you thought you just came here to read a recipe for Asian Pasta Salad!  Ha!  Poor things.. Thanks for letting me spill my guts.  I feel better now :)

Fresh & Easy Asian Pasta Salad
Serves 6

1-16 oz. package brown rice noodles (penne or spiral)
1-15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained
1-15 oz. can kidney beans, drained
2 cucumbers, diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
3 green onions, both green and white part, sliced thinly
1/4 cup red onion, minced
5 green olives (preferably marinated in hot oil), minced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped

Cook pasta according to directions on package.  Rinse and set aside.  In a large bowl, combine both beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, both onions, olives and cilantro.  Add pasta and toss with dressing (recipe below).  Serve over lettuce for extra nutrition.

*Note:  Brown rice noodles, strangely enough, tend to turn al dente when refrigerated (I didn't mind it, it just surprised me), so you may want to either eat it all in one sitting or try a different type of noodle if you want to eat it as leftovers.  The flavors marinate well though, and everything keeps its crunch.

Asian Dressing
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbs dried basil
2 Tbs agave nectar
2 Tbs real maple syrup
2 Tbs soy sauce

Combine all ingredients and whisk until everything is incorporated and consistency thickens a bit.

This dressing is so mild, making it very versatile.  You can use it on plain lettuce salads, 3 bean salads, or even as a sauce over cooked veggies.  I almost always prefer to use fresh herbs when cooking, but in this case I usually have all these ingredients on hand so it makes for a very quick dinner.  Feel free to substitute if you'd like.

This salad is perfect for summertime.   Hope you like it!

Back to Macro and Feeling Good

I admit it.  I've been a bit off track with my eating lately.  Yes, there has been a lot of eating out...there have been some sweets...even...coffee (gasp).  I know, I know!  So for the last three days I've been focusing mostly on macro again, and it feels so good!  My cheeks are rosy, my energy is up, and I'm just feeling more balanced overall.  Here's a sample menu, to give you an idea of how I kept my meals mostly macro:

Monday:

• Breakfast - Oatmeal with a small teaspoon of maple syrup
• Lunch - half a sweet potato (I had a late breakfast that day...I made up for it with dinner though)
• Dinner - brown rice, arame with carrots & onions, sauteed shredded cabbage drizzled with flax seed oil, ume vinegar and gomashio, and seasoned mixed beets (recipe below)

Tuesday:

• Breakfast - brown rice with leftover the arame/carrot/onion thingy
• Lunch - polenta cake and half a sweet potato
• Snack - brown rice cake (the crispy kind) with peanut butter and brown rice syrup
• Dinner - rice pilaf with Caramelized Onions and adzuki beans with kabocha squash

Wednesday:

• Breakfast - miso soup with bok choy and dark greens, leftover rice pilaf (added some sauteed cabbage to freshen it up), natto and toasted nori
• Lunch - stir-fried soba noodles with veggies

• Dinner - I'm planning veggie soup with a side of whole grain bread

I was so tempted to make coffee this morning, but instead I brewed some kukicha tea and tried to forget about the taste of rich, creamy espresso...(single teardrop)...

After finishing dinner on Monday, The Boy told me he was so glad to have me as his wife because I cook healthy meals that he likes, and needs, to eat.  Awwwww :)

Seasoned Mixed Beets:

Serves 4 as a small side dish

12 small golden and chioggia beets, peeled and quartered

1 Tbs brown rice syrup

4 Tbs apple cider vinegar

In a large pot with a lid, steam beets in 1/2 cup of water until tender, about 20 minutes.  Strain and toss gently with brown rice syrup and vinegar.  Serve warm or chilled.

Epiphany: My Life-Changing Decision to Go Macro

I've been inspired.  By Alicia Silverston.  Wait!  Before you start quoting lines from Clueless, let me explain.

Learning of my quest to enter into a vegetarian lifestyle, a friend of mine lent me the book The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet, and that was it.  I am now a convert to the macrobiotic diet.  That's right, I've finally discovered what the theme of this blog should be!  After only 6 posts!  It's enlightening and liberating, to say the least.  I'm thrilled!

So why this book, you ask?

First of all, it made sense.  I actually get why some foods are bad for you and why.  All the other macro books out there were so hard to understand.  Then, once I felt like I was actually getting it, I would think, "Now what?  Tell me what I'm allowed to eat!  And make it sound delicious!"  Alicia did that for me.

Next, the recipes sounded doable, not to mention delicious!  In two days, I've already tried 2 recipes and loved them.  One was Alicia's Magical Healing Soup, and the other was:

Rice Waffle with Vegetable Melange

Quick and easy, these recipes both took about 30 minutes max to make.  Plus, they were both in the Superhero (macro) section of her cookbook.  Huh?  Superhero?  Yes, and that brings me to the next reason I love this book:

Based on your knowledge of the vegetarian, vegan and macrobiotic diet, you can decide where you want to start your journey to healthy eating, and then work your way up from there.  You can start out as a Flirt (low-pressure choice to give veganism a try and see where it takes you), a Vegan (no animal-based products at all), or a full-fledged Superhero (a macrobiotic superstar).  There are enough recipes in each category to keep you interested well beyond a few weeks.

If anyone else is interested, this is her website, and this is her book:
Click here to save a few bucks at amazon.com
I'm buying one for myself and my mother-in-law today.  So, from here on out you'll find recipes and lifestyle tips on this blog that can hopefully help you enjoy eating a plant-based, and maybe even a macrobiotic, diet.  Another interesting thing is that, since macrobiotics has its roots in Japanese cooking, you'll still get to see a lot of Asian-influenced food here!

On a sad note, today was my last cup of coffee...... *sniff*  RIP Espresso Machine.

My version of Fried Rice

I wanted to use up the contents of my fridge today...

...wait, I'll go back a little further. In August of this year, 2010, my mother-in-law was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Since then, my in-laws have started on the Macrobiotic diet. To show my support, I became a vegetarian. Now, I know this is still miles from the macrobiotic diet, but I figured it couldn't hurt to give it a shot, and then maybe work my way into macrobiotics later. Anyway, I've been a vegetarian for about 2 months now (nothing to write home about, I know) and, surprisingly, I love it! I've tried it in the past, but I always caved because I craved meat. This time, not only do I not crave it, I feel incredible! My mind is clear, I have way more energy (something I shouldn't even have a problem with at 31), and I just feel happier in general.

So back to the fridge contents. Since becoming vegetarian, it's been so much easier to cook dinner. I just stuff my fridge with veggies and my pantry with beans, tomatoes, etc. and throw things together as I go. I've made soups, stews, stir-fries, and sautes, and I've enjoyed all of it. I'm not into fake meat products so none of my recipes will include the stuff, but feel free to add it as you see fit. My philosophy is: I will eat it as it was made to be eaten. If it's milk from a cow, drink milk from a cow. If you can't or don't want to, don't drink milk. If it's soy beans, then eat soybeans. Don't drink soy beans. Anyway, that's just me. I hate fake milk, although I'm trying to get used to almond milk in an attempt to fully convert to macrobiotics in the future (blah, it's just wrong!).

So back to my fridge contents. I pulled out zucchini, chinese eggplant, green onions, carrots, potatoes and leftover brown rice (all organic). I decided to ditch the potatoes and make:

Non-Traditional Veggie Fried Rice

4 Tbs vegetable oil, divided

1 egg, beaten

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 garden carrots (or 2 to 3 regular sized), sliced diagonally into 1/4" thick strips

2 zucchini, diced

2 chinese eggplant, diced

4 to 5 Cups cooked, refrigerated brown rice

4 Tbs soy sauce, divided

2 green onions, sliced thinly

fresh ground pepper, to taste

In a large saute pan over medium heat, add 1 Tbs. vegetable oil. Cook egg in oil until scrambled. Transfer egg to a plate. Turn heat to medium-high and add 1 Tbs. vegetable oil to pan, then add garlic and carrots and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add zucchini and eggplant and continue to saute for another 6 to 8 minutes, or until eggplant seems tender and zucchini is al dente. Transfer veggies to plate. Add remaining 2 Tbs vegetable oil, then add rice. Saute for 5 minutes. Then add 2 Tbs soy sauce and continue to stir gently, so as not to make the rice mushy. Return veggies and scrambled egg to rice pan, and stir to combine. Add remaining soy sauce, green onions, and a generous amount of pepper, and stir gently. This is more of a chunky fried rice, but I like it that way. It makes a good main dish.

Makes 4 to 5 main dish servings.

P.S. My future recipe posts will be much shorter...I think.