‘According to research we have been using herbs in medicine and to improve the flavor of the foods for thousands of years. Scientists are now discovering that the early doctors and herbalists knew a lot more than they were given credit for. Many historians believe that herbs were used for medicine and healing because they either resembled a part of the body or from simple observation that the person improved after taking the herb.
Today herbs are often only used as garnishes to add a colorful aspect to our meals. However, they do so much more than make a plate or soup look pretty. Herbs are packed with nutrition and by enjoying them on a daily basis, provide that extra burst of energy to keep us feeling and looking great.’
Pickles, pickles… what would we do without them? Over the last few years studying with macrobiotic cooks and reading Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz, I have realised how fermented food has been for a long time an essential element in all traditional diets and how we can include it today. I am fascinated by the processes devised over the life time of humanity to transform food, whether it is grain, fruits, pulses, vegetables, milk, fish… into bread, wine, cheese, pickled vegetables, miso, soya sauce, tempeh, etc.
So I look out for pickles but there are very few unpasteurised pickles around, some unpasteurised misos are available in some wholefood shops. There are some pasteurised gherkins and sauerkraut made with sea salt and no sugar etc also in some wholefood shops. Fermentation is how our ancestors preserved food but what is amazing is that fermentation also makes the food more nutritious and helps with digesting and balancing other food (eg. oily fish, meat, grain etc). Our ancestors found these properties much before we could come up with the scientific evidence.
I sometimes make very simple fermented vegetables (grated carrots and ginger for example work very well – recipe in the Nourishing Traditions Cookbook), yoghurt is very simple to make and I keep my sourdough starter which seems so full of life!
When I go to France, I love going to the ‘BioCoop’ which sells organic unpasteurised sauerkraut from Alsace… here is a picture, a 1kg pot is about Euro 2.60… amazing. I am planning to go in March and if you would like some, let me know. It keeps several weeks in the fridge.
There is an interesting note on the side of the pot which suggest eating the sauerkraut (choucroute) as it rather than cooking it. It specifies that it is forbidden to cook it in a microwave oven . The taste will vary from pot to pot, some are really gentle, some slightly stronger but still very delicate. It is good to eat as it so as not to destroy the enzymes I guess. I use it mixed with cooked greens or mixed with salad leaves etc. it adds crunchiness and a little sourness. There are traditional recipes using cooked sauerkraut to eat with meat (pork in particular) and it is really good cooked in a tempeh stew or with fish… I will have to make another post with a recipe….
A picture of the delicately shredded white cabbage fermented in sea salt only, the other ingredients? Time and pressure.
Jean Torné interviewed by Naomi Ricketts
Concord newsletter, Issue 18, Summer 2010 (pdf)
Can you tell me a little of your history and how you found your entry into the macrobiotic way of cooking? There is an old Berber song which says:
“What brought you here?
The sand? The wind…?
What brought me here?
The waves pushed me onto this shore…”
It was quite a long time ago. Were you to look at pictures of me at that time you would be surprised; I looked older than today, with more wrinkles, swollen lips, long disorderly hair… That person had been travelling south, in all sorts of uncanny circumstances, and had caught some tropical bug, which meant I was not able to eat any foods, or keep them down – I was constantly ill.
I was in the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London, ill and half dead, when a friend of my first wife came and said “Why don’t you try that?” ‘That’ was macrobiotics.
This guy who introduced me to macrobiotics was called Andy Whitaker, and it was he who introduced me to Bill Tara. Taking on macrobiotics made me feel even worse for weeks. I was more ill than before. However, I stuck to the dietary recommendations given to me, because I had previously attended an ‘Introduction to Macrobiotics’ lecture by Michio Kushi who truly inspired me. So my early commitment was based on blind trust.
How strictly do you yourself adhere to this way of eating?
I do not adhere to anything nor do I stick to anything. But I know that I am (in terms of food and eating) consistent to what I say and teach.
How did you becomeinvolved with Concord?
I became involved via a link, or an ‘invitation’, to obey the tradition of this work. Although I had met Greg Johnson before, I came in first to take on teaching cooking for the first JumpStart programme via shiatsu teacher Andy Jukes. That was a long time ago. Prior to this, I had been invited to take part as a participant in Being-in-Action, which I had resisted for quite some time!
How do you see your work complements the otherprogrammes available at Concord? I would not use the word ‘complements’ or even say ‘my work’, but state that the space I hold – nutrition and whole food cooking – is integral to the work we do as an educational centre. We cannot say that the parts – bodywork, dialogue, cooking, Tensegrity – complement each other. They are intrinsically One. If you ignore anyone of them you do not get the full Taste.
Can anyone, regardless of experience, learn wholefood cooking and, if so, what demands does the wide range of students’ experience in your classes bring to you as a teacher? Anyone, indeed, can learn. Just practice. Study and practice. I have to constantly stalk myself, revise my teaching, bring something fresh and everyday I continue to learn, to study, to research.
How do you feel your work makes a difference topeople’s lives? I can see that my work makes a difference, especially when I teach cooking outside the context of Concord’s body of work. Elsewhere, I may inspire people and suggest to them to change their cooking habits, but that stops there. Within Concord’s context, more takes place – a lot more. So, I feel good – very good. But I feel also that it is a huge responsibility. My wife may now and then suggest ‘Why don’t you retire?’ (she means ‘give up’). This is tempting. But a voice calls upon me. Can I ignore it?
Have you found your classes have evolved since taking on your role at Concord, and has this taken your own cooking to a new level as an individual? Yes, absolutely! Not only have the classes evolved, but also my views on cooking and my cooking. In this regard, I am indebted to having had the privilege to work alongside with remarkable teachers like Mutsuko Johnson and Michael Rossoff – from both I have learned a great deal in the area of nutrition – as well as to have had the coaching, the support and the constant questioning of Greg Johnson, who was pivotal in creating our approach to macrobiotic nutrition at Concord, and to be around Sheila Parmar who knows a great deal about ‘real’ food.
I understand you have several children. Can you tell me a little about how your lifestyle has helped and challenged you in this area of your life? Also how do you see the importance of healthy living in the development of children? I have five children. I will set aside the expression ‘Healthy Living’ as it seems to refer to some ideal or Utopia and, besides, my lifestyle has been, and still is, challenging mostly for my family. However, those five children had the following benefits:
– dedicated and loving mothers who took care of them right from the first days of their pregnancy.
– they were all breastfed past 10 months old.
– they were exposed for at least the first 12 years of their life to a wide variety of organically grown whole foods, in large part whole grains and vegetables with some animal foods as an addition.
– they were never given sugar or Coca-cola.
– they grew up in communities. (Macrobiotic communities)
– they were educated in multi-ethnic schools.
– they grew up close to nature and animals.
All these important points are a function of being macrobiotic, surely. On the other side of this idyllic picture I managed to remain Human. This implies that I messed up in many ways, left the kids behind many times, got them in my own drama, which is by all means un-healthy. And of course life went wrong. Good.
It can often seem that both looking after yourself and living a busy life just isn’t possible. What would be your top pointers for people that live active lives and still want to nourish themselves through Macrobiotics? I am not buying that! This is a recurrent concern for many people. However the solution is deadly simple. This is a question of priority, or commitment. So what is this magical solution and how does one commit fully? The approach needs to be very methodical:
1. Do The Foundation Course. If you have already done it and you are not there yet, redo it. The Foundation Course will open and fertilise the soil on which everything else will grow.
2. Study Basic Alchemy with Michael Rossoff. This is pure Science (of the Heart). Basic Alchemy will provide you with an in-depth knowledge of your body and of nutrition.
3. Take on at least three Cooking Intensives with three different teachers. This will expose you to an extraordinary array of recipes and cooking techniques.
From there you can go back ‘to the market place’ in other words the kitchen, the ‘Athanor’. You will have grounded your commitment in such way that you won’t be able to turn back.
(Editor’s note: in alchemy, an athanor is a self-feeding furnace used to provide heat for alchemical processes.)
Remember: in the kitchen, you do not cook – you transform and create; you create life, your life and the life of those you love. There is a secret though: KEEP IT SIMPLE and follow these few instructions.
– Take a stand: no cheap takeaways, processed foods, MacDonalds, frozen pizza leave these for teenagers – but use high quality foods. Alive foods. Always.
– Keep basic ingredients on your shelves like: 2 Oils, 2 Vinegars, Soya sauce, Kombu, Wakame, Toasted Sesame Seeds, Nori, whole grains and fast cooking grains, pickles, noodles, Mochi, onions, garlic, things like that.
– Buy fresh foods as you need them, mainly organic, foods easy to prepare but whole.
– Invest in high quality cookware to gain in efficiency and improve quality. A good pot can contain your life.
– Never spend more than one hour in the kitchen.
– Develop a spirit of gratitude.
– Cook!
Consider the time one may spend during the course of a day complaining, gossiping, grooming, procrastinating, speaking rubbish, reading the Sun or the Daily Mirror… what is one hour of cooking then? Just a moment. And that moment is your life in the making.
As a top chef in your field, I’m sure you’ve been asked many times if you’ve written any recipe books? What are your views on such books & do you think you ever will write one? I own lots of cookbooks. I do not buy so many now. I think that recipe books are things of the past. Most cookbooks today are constructed around the personality of the author or based on sensory judgement. They are sold for their design or the pictures. Very few have to do with education or practicality.
In 2010 we have access to remarkable cooking eBooks, excellent applications for smart phones, lots of YouTube cooking series. Type ‘carrots’ into your Mac or PC, click – up pops on your screen dozens of recipes in praise of the carrot. Most of them are useless but one can source some extraordinary materials this way and create your own recipes file. You can then shop directly for your ingredients from the internet and get them delivered to your door, if you want. Great! You do not need a greasy book anymore, full of sauce standing between the flour and some cabbages!
Where do you find inspiration in your life outside of your work? I do not separate my life from my work, as some of you may have noticed!
One of the principles of Macrobiotics is that ‘Everything Changes.’ Change is a major source of inspiration for me. Back in the sixties (the decade of a major leap in consciousness for humanity) there was in France a beautiful love song on almost everyone’s lips.
A lifetime comes and goes
And as my friend the rose
said only yesterday
“The good lord smiled on me,
so why then should it be
I feel I’m falling now,
oh yes, I’m falling now.
My heart no-one can save,
My head begins to bow,
my feet are in the grave.
The rose God smiled on me.
Tomorrow will be gone,
forever gone away.”
That’s about impermanence. DEATH – and Beauty. Nothing lasts.
There is another expression of change, which fascinates and inspires me: this is the transformation of people taking on Concord programmes. That’s about creating LIFE.
Death, Life and Love are the three fountains of my inspiration.
Jean Torné
Article Links
To learn more about Michio Kushi & Bill Tara and their relationship with Macrobiotics and The Community Health Foundation visit the Concord website.
Jean Torne
Chef Jean Torné specialises in both classical French and international wholefood cuisine, and since 1997 has served as principal cooking teacher at Concord Institute for Integral Studies, and Director of Catering for all Concord’s major events. Prior to this, Jean was Head Chef at Kientalerhoff (the international holistic health teaching centre in Switzerland) for ten years, during which time he co-founded and ran the Kientalerhoff Catering Training School, training students from all over Europe.
Bill Tara
Bill Tara is an active advocate for natural health care. He has been a health counsellor, teacher, author, entrepreneur and creator of health education centres in Europe and North America. In 1975 he founded the Community Health Foundation in London, England, a Charitable Trust that was the largest natural health education center in the world. He is co-founder of the Kushi Institute and served as Director of the Institute’s programmes in London, England and Boston, USA)
Tensegrity
Tensegrity is the modernized version of some movements called magical passes developed by Indian shamans who lived in Mexico in Times prior to the Spanish Conquest. A Mexican Indian shaman Don Juan Matus introduced Carlos Castaneda, Carol Tiggs, Florinda Donner-Grau and Taisha Abelar to the cognitive world of shamans who lived in Mexico in ancient times. Don Juan explained to his students that those shamans discovered through practices that he could not fathom, that it is possible for human beings to perceive energy directly as it flows in the universe. For more information, visit the cleargreen website.
Concord Institute
The Concord Institute is dedicated to developing and promoting an integral model for health that takes into account nutrition, bodywork practices, communication and self-expression. By emphasizing a body-mind approach to living the institute aims to empower people to move beyond personal limitations in terms of health and vitality, creativity and joy in living.
Basic Alchemy
Basic Alchemy is a programme led by Macrobiotic Teacher, Counsellor and Healer Michael Rossoff. It provides a gateway for personal change through an understanding of the essentials of Oriental medicine and macrobiotic principles.
Foundation Course
The Foundation Course is an integral part of the educational curriculum offered by the Concord Institute. It is by far the most comprehensive programme that the Institute offers in terms of variety and depth of training. The aim of The Foundation Course is to secure the breakthrough achieved in i Evolve by establishing an integrated body-mind foundation. Such a foundation enables participants to better manage their health and well-being, and continue to explore the endless possibilities that life or evolution has to offer.
I spent three delicious weeks in Japan this August. Three meals in particular remain with me which I’ll try to conjure up for you:
First Bite
We had spent the morning weeding and strimming at a family holiday house on Akagi Mountain, in Gunma Prefecture. It was 3.30pm by the time we finally made it back to town and we were hungry. Lunch was in a tiny, family-run restaurant in the town of Maebashi. When I say tiny, I mean a handful of tightly-packed wooden tables, each of which could seat four people comfortably, six at a push. And I gather it is a push, every day, at noon, when office-workers stream out of neighbouring work-places and into ‘Rai Rai Ken’ (‘Come! Come! Shop’). The walls proudly bear photos of the current owner’s ancestors making noodles, alongside certificates that I presumed to be prizes or accreditations or some such recognition of noodle-making excellence. For they were exquisite, those noodles. I went for the plainest option: soba noodles in a cold broth (dashi), with a few simple condiments on top. The dashi summoned up timeless memories of sea (from the kombu seaweed) and earth (from the shiitake mushrooms). The noodles were the crowning glory of contemporary man – succulent, velveteen and yet (how is it possible?) almost crunchy! The modest sprinkle of nori and grated daikon radish somehow wedded soba and dashi, man and nature, present and past. I was worried I might never dare to eat soba again.
Second Bite
In a suburb to the west of Tokyo I was treated to a medley of dishes, each distinctly different, but united by a shared origin. It was a ‘tofuryouri’, a restaurant celebrating the humble bean at the heart of Japanese cuisine. (Think tofu, shoyu, tamari, yuba, natto, miso, kinako; flavours so distinct, but each a unique expression of one and the same bean). What first comes to mind from that night was the yuba. I had only ever eaten freeze-dried rehydrogenated yuba. But the yuba at ‘Ume no Hana’ (‘Plum Flower) Restaurant was home-made by boiling tonyu (soya milk) until the yuba appears on the surface: a thick silky layer of pure protein. It was served in fat ribbons floating in a creamy soup, presumably a spiced-up variant of the milk from which it came. Then there were the deep fried, golden chunks of Koyadohu, crispy and sweet, messengers of the sun in which they were dried on the sacred slopes of Mount Koya. And how about the fragrantly-flavoured black and white cubes of gomadohu: sesame-coated, for a bit of bite; inside, slippery smooth, barely there, gone before it even reached the back of the throat. And of course, the mother dish, that without which none of the rest would be possible: a platter of triumphant edamame beans: boiled, salted, eaten.
Third Bite
Saibashi is a restaurant in Takasaki City, whose every ingredient is organically grown within the Gunma region. The meat comes from Akagi Mountain, the vegetables from Mount Haruna, the cereals and grains from Myougi Mountain. The chef, I was tickled to hear, describes himself as a ‘vegetable sommelier.’ I had a delicious rice dish served in a donburi (rice bowl) containing no less than 25 different vegetables, topped with prawns and scallops. This came with miso soup, – perfectly traditional – and also with something rather surprising: a basket of utterly raw, elaborately chiselled vegetables such as shards of pumpkin and corn on the cob dissected into dainty rings. The basket was floating in ice water, and accompanied by two feistily-flavoured dips – one miso the other cheese. Dessert was ice-cream made from a shocking collaboration of banana, miso and pumpkin (yum!) and three cubes of gomadohu (sesame tofu).
The technique of growing rice was introduced from China to Japan about 2,400 to 2,500 years ago. Over 2000 year old prehistoric sites of rice fields have been discovered in several different locations in Japan. When ancient people began to grow the rice, the population grew dramatically and villages began to occur, the leader evolved, all the villages together created the foundation for the country of Japan.Growing rice required great teamwork, which developed cultural events such as celebrating harvest, protecting rice fields, dancing for the rain if there were droughts etc. The country of Japan evolved around rice farming. Japanese culture has also been created around rice farming. Therefore, Rice is part of the foundation of Japan and Japanese culture. By the seventh century it was firmly established as the staple food and has remained so until today.
Japanese cooking has developed around rice as the main food. Japanese people have developed a deep appreciation of the importance of rice and love of its delicate textures and flavours. There are several different kind of rice and a number of types of products such as Sake, Mirin, Vinegar and Miso have been created. Mainly Japanese people eat short grain rice. People began to eat white rice during the shogun period, the same time that Sushi was created as a way of preserving rice. Japanese ancestor’s rice is the wholegrain Brown rice.
It is fascinating to see how the country evolved around the food of rice. Therefore Japanese people have full respect of rice as a main food. Niiname-Sai, there is special ceremony demonstrated on behalf of Emperor to present fresh harvested brown rice to the Grand Shrine of Ise on November 23rd, This day became Thanksgiving day in Japan. The Emperor also enjoyed fresh harvested brown rice. Rice is deeply appreciated and respected as foundation of our life in Japan.
Its incredible how much the development of human cultures is linked with food. Farming is the most important way to get food in the ancient history and created farming culture in Japan. As an island country, a rich variety of seafood is available throughout the year. Meat was forbidden food according to Buddhism and Shintoism until the end of the Shogun period in the mid nineteenth century. Today meat has become popular and at the same time people are beginning to be concerned with consciousness of wellness, therefore many people are beginning to cut down their meat intake, as they are in the US.
During the World War II, My father was sent to China, and the hard battlefields of war and came home safe, I have no idea how he survived. It was a miracle. During the war my mother told me there was nothing to eat. My grandfather worked in a government office. She was a young woman, she would pack up her kimono and take an over-crowded train to visit farmer for exchange of the brown rice and sweet potato.
My father told me over and over again, don’t worry War will never happened again. He kept a water bottle, perhaps saved his life during the war, to remember the battle of the war. I was a little girl, and didn’t understand why such an old thing was so important to him.
After the war, Japan began to grow the rice again and developed special kind of rice to grow Northern Hokkaido Island to Southern Okinawa island to mountains, Rice can grow anywhere in Japan. That is how much the country of Japan respected Rice. As rice started to grow again, Japanese people were being nourished, and worked very hard to re-establish the entire nation. The Rest is history. Not only that but also Japan declare the Permanent Peace after the Atomic Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Rice (Grain) symbolises the Peace in Japan and perhaps everywhere in the world. I am grateful that we have a variety of foods to enjoy cooking each and everyday. Cooking creates life. Foods nourish our body. What a great energy is in the grain of rice.
Farmers worked very hard to take good care of the rice from early spring to harvest of fall. The Sun energy, the Earth energy, the Water energy is condensed into the grain (as it is for vegetables and fruits) After the harvest, Rice is stored in a warehouse, packed, carried by the boat, train and truck to the store. It passes through so many people’s hands. All that energy is also condensed into the rice and foods we eat.
Then the final touch is in the cooking!
Put all your love energy into cooking. How fascinating it is! Cooking connects us with Nature. Wholegrain Rice creates Love and Peace.
Genmai (Brown rice)
Rice is the main staple of Japan and people are beginning to eat more Wholegrain Brown Rice. Short grain rice is mainly eaten in Japan. Genmai (Brown rice) retains bran and germ and only the husk is removed. It is the most nutritious rice and high in fibre, and very easy to cook with a pressure cooker. Brown rice has a nutty sweet flavour.
Cooking: Boil, pressure cooked, soup, sauté, salad, bake, deep-fried. As the staple food of Japan, rice is served in a different way for every meal. Rice is used as the main food with soup and other foods as side dishes.
Medicinal use: energy source.
Spiritually: to ground us.
A strong energy food.
Mochigome (Sweet Brown rice)
The short, opaque grain and glutinous rice is very sticky and sweet after it has cooked. It has a high sugar content. Cooked sweet brown rice can be pounded to make Mochi (rice cakes) and Senben (rice crackers). Sweet brown rice is the main ingredient to make Mirin and Amazake.
Children are very active and are growing every day.
It is important to watch the level of salt you give.
And it is important to give them a variety of foods.
Wholegrain cereals are very important to eat every day.
I recommend cook from the grain, not processed or boxed cereal as much as possible.
Please watch out with fast food and junk foods, which creates too many problems.
Also be careful with food additives and white sugar.
And watch out how much snack food they eat.
If they eat too many snack foods they don’t eat main meal.
Be sure to have enough liquid such as spring water, fruit tea, fruit or vegetable juice.
When they eat healthy, they are well nourished, well grounded and well behaved.
They will play well with friends and study when they get older.
When children are well, parents are happy. It creates a win/win situation.
Simple home cooking maintains our wellbeing.
Home cooking creates our life.
When you cook for the family, you use less salt. Put some food aside for children before adding any salt.
Cut carrots in the shape of a flower and it creates a joyful dish.
Be aware of the coordination of color of vegetables, it is always balanced.
It is not necessary to use too many spices. It will affect the liver.
It is good to learn the sweetness of vegetables and cooked grains.
For grain add extra water to cook softer, it is easier for children to chew.
I recommend soaking the grains. It is much easier to cook and digest.
For vegetables cut into smaller bite size. It is easier to eat.
For noodle or pasta for small children cut in half. Easier to eat.
It is good to have condiments, nuts, dried fruits on the table.
Use natural sweet for cooking such as brown rice malt, barley malt and maple syrup.
Soy sauce – diluted with water half/half.
Bancha tea – diluted with hot water half/half. You can mix with apple juice half/half.
Barley tea – make a pot and give cool through the summer.
If your child is advised in a certain way of eating by a specialist, please follow their advice. Such as egg, yoghurt and goats milk etc.
General Information
Children are growing very fast and need to eat much wider than adults.
Foods to avoid (as much as possible)
White Sugar, Junk foods, Fast foods, Soda, Red meat, Chicken and Pork, Daily foods etc. White sugar creates all kind of problem to our body. White sugar weakens our teeth and bones. Also it could be the cause of obesity.
Junk foods, Fast foods: Just fills the stomach. In the long run it will create all kind of problems beginning with obesity. Too much salt, too many additives, low quality oil etc.
Soda: Too acidic and full of sugar. (One school teacher put baby tooth in the cola and it melted completely in a few months) It is very scary.
Red Meat: From a Macrobiotic point of view, it is too Yang. Children become wild. Look at the animal kingdom: Meat eating animals are wild. When people eat red meat, it creates an extreme inbalance and urge to drink soda and eat lots of white sugar, sweets, even alcohol. One day they reach for drugs. It all makes for extreme inbalance inside our body. No inner peace. Researchers say it takes four days to digest red meat. It blocks the flow of energy.
Chicken and Pork: Watch hormones they feed. Kids hormones became very active. Maybe there is a relationship with teenage pregnancy with the amount of chicken children eat.
Dairy foods: Milk is for baby cows.
Cheese: hard to discharge especially around lower body. You can tell people who love cheese have often got heavier lower bodies. It is very hard to discharge. It blocks the flow of the energy. We don’t want children to look heavy. We want to children to have a balanced body.
Ice cream: Become too sentimental. We don’t want crying children.
It may be very hard not to eat any of the foods above. But it is important to learn where to draw the line. They can eat with a wide variety. They love to eat junk foods with friends. Occasionally it’s OK too have fun. But watch out, and do not give them too much. If children want to eat chicken, be sure to get organic or free range. If they want to eat beef, It’s ok too for special occasion. But please do not give everyday. And keep an eye on quality. Always remember flexibility is name of the game. At the same time you need to watch what they eat. Otherwise stuff builds up in their body.
Recommended foods
Grains
Brown rice
Brown rice with aduki bean
Onigiri (rice ball)
Sushiroll, Hand roll sushi
Five taste rice
Fried rice
Ohagi
Risotto, Spanish rice
Other Grains
Oatmeal
Grits
Millet cake
Barley soup
Barley risotto
Green Vegetables Broccoli, Cauliflower, Celery, Kale, Turnip green, Bok choy, Watercress, other leafy greens, Zucchini, Lettuce, Cucumber, Green Pepper, Onion etc
Sea Vegetables
Nori, Wakame, Hijiki, Arame, Dulse, Green Nori flakes,
Mushrooms
Round Vegetables
Onion, Squash, Pumpkin, Cabbage
Nightshade vegetables
Occasionally, not too much.
Potatoes, Tomatoes, but not Eggplant/Aubergine
Tofu, Tempeh and Seitan
Children love tofu anyway I cook it.
When you cook Seitan, be sure its not too salty.
Grilled tofu
Tofu burger
Agedashi Tofu
Stir fried tofu with vegetables
Tofu scrambled
Tofu soup
Marinated Tempeh
Deep fried Tempeh
Sweet and sour Tempeh
Seitan sukiyaki
Seitan fried
Marinated seitan
Seafood
Be sure to choose wild caught.
Noodles and Pasta
Children love noodles and pasta dishes. Udon noodle and Soba noodle has salt in it. If you make noodle soup be careful not to use too much soy sauce.
Pasta with red and white sauce
Pasta with vegetable sauce
Pasta with sea food
Pasta salad
Tofu lasagne
Tofu quiche
Condiments Furikake condiments with very little sea salt
Toasted Sesame Seeds (no salt)
Toasted Pumpkin Seeds and Sunflower Seeds
Light meals, Sandwich and Snacks
Pancake (Blueberry pancake, Buckwheat pancake etc)
Waffle (Pecan waffle, Walnut waffle)
Mochi waffle
Okonomiyaki – Japanese pancake with vegetables
Fish sandwich
Seitan sandwich
Tempeh sandwich
Tofu sandwich
Hummus sandwich
Corn bread
Muffins
Oatmeal cookies
Dried nuts (no salt)
Dried fruits
Fresh Seasonal Fruits
Organic apples can be eaten with skin.
If it is not organic, please peel the skin.
Dessert
Homemade dessert made healthy.
No white sugar
No dairy products
No egg
Carrot cake
Banana bread
Strawberry shortcake
Blueberry shortcake
Apple pie
Pumpkin pie
Fruits Kanten
Tea and other drinks
You don’t have to use all of them, but it is good to have a variety.
Spring water
Bancha tea – if it is younger child, dirtied with hot water half/half.
Bancha tea and apple juice – mix bancha tea and apple juice half/half.
Barley tea – Make pot and serve in cool through the summer.
Fruit tea – non caffeine tea is good to serve cool in the summer.
Apple juice and Pear juice
Ameyu – 1tsp of brown rice malt mixed with cup of hot water.
Amazake
Fresh carrot juice
Rice milk
Soy milk
Oat milk
Almond milk
. The taste will vary from pot to pot, some are really gentle, some slightly stronger but still very delicate. It is good to eat as it so as not to destroy the enzymes I guess. I use it mixed with cooked greens or mixed with salad leaves etc. it adds crunchiness and a little sourness. There are traditional recipes using cooked sauerkraut to eat with meat (pork in particular) and it is really good cooked in a tempeh stew or with fish… I will have to make another post with a recipe….
