It has begun. Again.

I have so many things on my mind right now that I'm trying to make sense of.  But right now I only want to talk about something that always makes sense to me - FOOD.  The other stuff, I'm sure, will trickle out in weeks to come.

I feel like I have so many thoughts and ideas about food to share, though, that I don't even know where to begin.  Seriously.  I started making a list.  Some of you have been asking specifically for recipes.  To you I say:  I'm back and ready to start posting some vegan/macro goodness!  I've had a few months to read up more on eating a macro and vegan diet (the reason I'm mentioning both is because I'm doing kind of an 80%-20% thing right now...I'll explain in following posts), and I've been experimenting with recipes as well.  So they're coming, I promise.  And they are gooood.

Some of you have been asking how to use certain ingredients, for instance, the sea vegetables.  And some of you are just wanting to know what a day's menu would be like on the macro diet.  My plan (which may include mini detours along the way...) is to take one ingredient per post, explain it's benefits, and then share a recipe using that ingredient.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know that I'm back and that good things are coming!  For waiting so patiently...here's a recipe for some vegan Thumbprint Cookies I made recently.  I like that they're not sweetened with sugar, and yet are very delicious, and super cute!

P.S. For iPhone users, my new favorite App: Whole Foods Market Recipes or you can check their website.  That's where I found this recipe...


Thumbprint Cookies

Makes about 30 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup almonds or pecans 
1 cup rolled oats 
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour 
1/2 cup safflower or canola oil 
1/2 cup maple syrup or brown rice syrup 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
Fruit juice sweetened jam (St. Dalfour has a good one)

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F. Put almonds and oats into a food processor and pulse until coarsley ground. Transfer to a large bowl and add flour, oil, syrup and salt. Stir to combine well. Roll walnut-sized balls of the dough in the palm of your hand to form each cookie, then arrange on 2 large baking sheets, spacing cookies 2 inches apart. Press your thumb gently down into the center of each cookie to make an indentation. Spoon a scant teaspoon of jam into each indentation. 

Bake cookies until golden brown and just firm around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to let cool completely, then serve immediately or store between layers of waxed paper in an airtight container.

Nutrition

Per serving (2 cookies/46g-wt.): 210 calories (110 from fat), 13g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 40mg sodium, 21g total carbohydrate (3g dietary fiber, 9g sugar), 4g protein

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.

Introduction to a Half Breed

Which template to use...? Aw, forget it. Write now, design later!

So what am I writing about? To be honest, I have no idea....YET. But there are so many things I love (cooking, EATING, photography, my kitties, traveling), and there are so many things I'm working at (currently: home roasting coffee)

'Green beans'

'Roasted beans'

so I hope to use this blog as a sounding board - both to help me share what I love with you, and to get your feedback and hear your advice.

I grew up in a Japanese(mom)/American(dad) household, and I'm trying to learn Chinese, so this blog will most definitely include fun asian things like recipes, language blunders, cultural surprises, and links to where to buy asian goodies, locally and online. I'll try not to be too all-over-the-place, but I make no promises. That's how the mind of a half-breed works!

So. Let's begin!

p.s. Nice to meet you.