One of the best things in life is meeting new people and experiencing new things. Last Saturday was one of the most fun and memorable. My friend Gregg, who has been supplying me the wines for the Wine Down Wednesday posts, and his wife Kerry (I hope that is the correct spelling!) had us over for dinner.
A dinner party turned Karaoke night around the piano.
Think Elton John. Rocket Man.
We wined and dined and had an amazing time. He showed us around his vintage home in Riverside – complete with wine memorabilia from Bono no less!
Also in attendance were my friends Alyson and her husband Chip, who brought a meteorite from their back yard as a dinner conversation piece, and Mark and Sheri – we all do yoga together so it was great to meet up off the mat. I can’t wait for us all to meet again.
To detox after a night of wine I got it into my head that I wanted to make a macro (macrobiotic) bowl with grains and veggies but when I looked at my acorn squash I just couldn’t remove the skin – it was too pretty – so I thought, why not turn the squash into thebowl?
Secondly, I’m always looking for new ways to eat my Mila. Because I write about Mila a lot, I created this little info blurb. That way any frequent visitors that already know the benefits can skip over that and head right to the recipe.
I got this unique acorn squash from Vivian at KYV Farm (CSA SIGNUPS ARE GOING ON NOW) I’ve never seen such a thing in the grocery store. I usually see the typical green acorn squash that has a tinge of orange but this one is the beauty queen of squashes.
<><>
<><>
Stuffed Acorn Squash
<><>
Stuffing them with onions and garlic during cooking imparts a LOT of flavor. This technique is perfect at Thanksgiving. While everyone is stuffing their bird you can stuff your squash.
<><>
<><>
Macro Acorn Squash Bowl with Mila, Massaged Kale and Tahini Sauce
<><>
Macro Acorn Squash Bowl with Mila, Massaged Kale and Tahini Sauce
Squash 2 acorn squash, cut in half and seeds removed 1 onion, quartered 4 cloves garlic, crushed Olive oil spray Sea salt 1 cup cooked brown rice 1 cup cooked black beans 4 Tbsp Mila (optional) Salt and pepper, to taste.
Massaged Kale 1 bunch kale, stems removed and chopped 2 Tbsp ume plum vinegar (or sub any vinegar you like) 2 tsp olive oil Sea Salt
1. Preheat oven to 375. Arrange squash, cut side up on baking dish, stuff with 1/4 onion and 1 clove garlic; spray with cooking spray, sprinkle with sea salt; bake 1 hour.
2. Mix kale ingredients together in medium bowl, massage kale until wilted, about a minute.
4. Mix tahini sauce in a small bowl.
3. Remove squash from oven. Remove onions and garlic; chopp and mix with rice, season to taste. Mix Mila with black beans if using. Stuff 1/4 cup black beans and 1/4 cup rice into each squash. Serve each half squash with 1/4 kale and 1/4 tahini sauce.
(**Rosted potatos on the side optional – roast along with squash)
Nutrition Facts (includes Mila) 4 Servings Amount Per Serving
Calories 392.8 Total Fat 11.9 g Saturated Fat 1.3 g Polyunsaturated Fat 5.7 g Monounsaturated Fat 3.4 g Cholesterol 0.0 mg Sodium 67.0 mg Potassium 1,423.2 mg Total Carbohydrate 63.5 g Dietary Fiber 16.8 g Sugars 3.3 g Protein 14.0 g
For example. I bought Band-Aids with Tinkerbell on them. Every morning my daughter asks me if she can have a Band-Aid.
“Where is the booboo?” She inspects her hands, brow wrinkling in thought. “Right here.” Pointing to her fingertip. I lean down, “that is the red marker you drew all over my recipe with.” “You aren’t bleeding and we don’t need to waste a Band-Aid.” “What’s waste?” She asks. “Waste is when you don’t use something and just throw it away.” “So it goes to the trash mountain? That is full of diapers?” she asks. “Yes, that is correct.” Again the brow wrinkling and contemplation.
She looks up. “Can I have a Band-Aid?” she asks.
Sigh. She’s three, so I’ll cut her some slack.
The next day she wanted some pineapple. She ate the entire can and I stared at the juice, contemplating what to do with it. Hmmmm, I thought, hmmmm. This would make a great marinade when paired with soy sauce or miso. I don’t use enough miso so I went with that.
So, in the continuation of my War on Waste, this recipe was born.
A little salty from the miso, a little sweet/tart from the pineapple and nice spice from the curry. This went perfectly with my stir fried rice and cabbage to create a sort of Asian-Indian fusion.
Baked Pineapple Curry Tofu with Fried Basmati Rice and Veggies
Rice recipe inspired by Eating Well Serves about 4-6
1 block firm organic tofu 1 cup pineapple juice 2 Tbsp curry powder 2 heaping Tbsp white miso 2 tsp dark sesame oil
Rice Ingredients 2 cups cooked basmati rice
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 onion, diced
2 carrots cut into matchsticks 4 cups cabbage, shredded 1 cup sliced green onion 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 to 1 tsp dried ginger 1 1/2 Tbsp Bragg Liquid Aminos 2 Tbsp rice vinegar 1 tsp toasted sesame oil Hot red pepper sauce, to taste
Directions
1. Press tofu 1 hour to overnight to remove water. Cut into 1 inch cubes. Whisk marinade in a small bowl and pour over tofu. Marinate overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 375. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray; add tofu and bake 30 to 40 minutes or until golden.
3. Heat canola oil in a wok or straight sided skillet over medium-high heat; add onion and carrot and cook about 5 minutes. Add cabbage, green onion, garlic and ginger; cook an additional two minutes or until veggies are softened.
4. Add the cooked rice, soy sauce and vinegar to the pan; cook until the liquid is absorbed, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from the heat; stir in sesame oil and hot sauce.
Tofu Nutrition Facts
<><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><>
4 Servings
<><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><><>
Amount Per Serving
Calories
122.1
Total Fat
8.8 g
Saturated Fat
1.4 g
Polyunsaturated Fat
4.8 g
Monounsaturated Fat
2.3 g
Cholesterol
0.0 mg
Sodium
33.3 mg
Potassium
324.3 mg
Total Carbohydrate
14.3 g
Dietary Fiber
3.1 g
Sugars
8.7 g
Protein
13.5 g
Vitamin A
3.50%
Vitamin B-12
0.10%
Vitamin B-6
9.40%
Vitamin C
12.00%
Vitamin D
0.00%
Vitamin E
0.30%
Calcium
58.40%
Copper
21.20%
Folate
11.10%
Iron
19.20%
Magnesium
16.80%
Manganese
89.20%
Niacin
3.30%
Pantothenic Acid
2.00%
Phosphorus
18.30%
Riboflavin
7.40%
Selenium
21.80%
Thiamin
11.90%
Zinc
11.30%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Rice Nutrition Facts
4 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories
161.6
Total Fat
3.5 g
Saturated Fat
0.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat
1.2 g
Monounsaturated Fat
1.8 g
Cholesterol
0.0 mg
Sodium
440.8 mg
Potassium
122.5 mg
Total Carbohydrate
31.0 g
Dietary Fiber
1.1 g
Sugars
3.7 g
Protein
800.1 g
Vitamin A
60.20%
Vitamin B-12
0.00%
Vitamin B-6
4.30%
Vitamin C
5.50%
Vitamin D
0.00%
Vitamin E
3.30%
Calcium
1.60%
Copper
1.50%
Folate
2.10%
Iron
5.10%
Magnesium
1.50%
Manganese
10.80%
Niacin
6.90%
Pantothenic Acid
1.00%
Phosphorus
1.90%
Riboflavin
1.30%
Selenium
0.90%
Thiamin
10.60%
Zinc
0.90%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
I’m still working on cutting back after my recent trip to San Francisco and wine country. With the weather getting a bit cooler I thought a nice warm but light soup would be nice.
I simply sauteed onions and garlic, added in shitakes and edamame. The flavor balance of almost sweet Chinese five spice powder is really nice with the salty miso.
This brothy little number fit the bill perfectly and I plan on having a cup with my lunches this week.
Chinese Five Spice Miso Soup with Shitakes and Edamame
1 tsp olive oil 3/4 cup, 5 oz (142g) shitake mushrooms (I used frozen organic) 1 onion, peeled and chopped 3 cloves garlic, pressed 1 tsp Chinese five spice powder 1/2 cup shelled edamame (I also used frozen here too) 5 cups water 4 Tbsp light miso paste
Directions
1. Heat olive oil over medium high heat, cook onion until translucent, about 5 minutes; add Chinese five spice, mushrooms, edamame and garlic and cook an additional 5.
2. Pour water into pot; bring to a boil; remove from heat and stir in miso paste.
Nutrition Facts 5 1-cup Servings Amount Per Serving
Calories 49.5 Total Fat 1.7 g Saturated Fat 0.3 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.6 g Monounsaturated Fat 0.8 g Cholesterol 0.0 mg Sodium 52.4 mg Potassium 130.9 mg Total Carbohydrate 5.8 g Dietary Fiber 1.0 g Sugars 1.1 g Protein 3.4 g
I have such a wonderful recipe for you; but first, Eat. Live.Be.
Today’s Eat. Live. Be. topic is “Straight from the experts”.
I like the website RealAge which bases its information on a Scientific Advisory Board including the co-creators of the site; Michael F. Roizen, MD and Mehmet C. Oz, MD.
There was an article today about the 11 foods for faster easier weight loss and I really liked the list they had; Yogurt (I will add: especially Greek yogurt for the amount of Calcium and protein) Whole eggs, to keep you fuller, longer Pistachios with their unsaturated fat, fiber and protein Grapefruit, studies show that this fruit really boosts weight loss Avocados for their Leptin content that will reduce your hunger Mushrooms (I like this one…never would have thought of it!). Sub mushrooms for meat and save huge amounts of calories and fat. Olive oil for the monounsaturated fats to help tell your brain when you are full Whole grains over refined grains (this is one we all know). Helps keep you fuller, longer with the natural fiber. Hot red peppers, such as cayenne. They contain capsaisin which reduces appetite and therefore food intake. (I need to try more of this!) Fava beans (huh?) they have lots of lean protein and are high in antioxidants. Rice with veggies. If you have them for lunch they will last you a long time, making you fuller, longer.
This past Saturday at Native Sun I picked up some of their Stir No-Fry. It is a mix of raw veggies; broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, kale, carrot, nappa cabbage, peppers and mushrooms, with a dressing of miso, garlic, ginger, sesame, soy sauce, lemon, cider vinegar, oil and agave.
It is SO good; salty and sweet, that I decided to create a similar broccoli salad of my own but add a bit of kick to it with some sriracha. It turned out just as well! We served it on the side of a mixed seafood platter; sesame-wasabi seared tuna, grilled shrimp and flounder.
Spicy-Sweet Miso Marinated Broccoli Salad
6 Servings (Avg will be 1 1/2 cup) **2 WW Pts Plus
2. Place the salad veggies in a large bowl and pour the dressing over; stir well to coat.
***Tasty when enjoyed right away but the longer this sits the better it will be.
Nutrition Facts 6 Servings (Serving size will vary with size of vegetables. Average will be 1 1/2 cups) ***2 WW Pts Plus Amount Per Serving
Calories 67.2 Total Fat 1.9 g Saturated Fat 0.3 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.8 g Monounsaturated Fat 0.6 g Cholesterol 0.0 mg Sodium 236.5 mg Potassium 364.3 mg Total Carbohydrate 11.5 g Dietary Fiber 3.3 g Sugars 3.4 g Protein 2.7 g
