Subsistence

You all!

I'm terribly sorry for being absent for so long. 

I had family in from out-of-town,

and then we had a big party to throw.

It was my in-laws 25th wedding anniversary,

my daughter's first birthday,

and my brother in-law's 13th birthday.

What a party! 

It's going to take me a while to recuperate from that one! 

The party started at 11a.m. and went till midnight.

Yup, a real Mexican Party.

Unfortunatley I'm not a real Mexican.

I fell asleep before 10!

Here is my incredibly cute one year old

just after she devoured the vegan chocolate cake I made.

She made sure she had every last crumb!

I made the Fat Pants Cake from the first Babycakes cookbook.

The frosting is so hard to make.

It came out...slushy...

but it was still super good.

It's supposed to be covered 

in chocolate chip cookie crumbs as well,

hence, the fat pants,

but that's enough sugar for me!

For my brother-in-law I made the cornbread from The Kind Diet.

Best cornbread recipe ever! Everyone who eats it falls madly in love.

And it has no sugar, which is a major plus. 

After spending the weekend prepping for the party,

partying, and recovering,

we haven't been taking the best care of ourselves.

All I wanted to do was go home and 

make a good macrobiotic meal to rejuvenate my body.

Now I know you all aren't looking at this picture and thinking,

"This is my dream meal! So glad she is sharing!"

One month ago it wouldn't have been mine.

But really, it was so soothing on my body.

Incredibly medicinal. 

The only thing that was missing were steamed greens,

but we are out, so we had to live without them.

Millet Patties - the first time I made these, I had to eat them with ketchup.

Today I just flat out enjoyed them.

That onion dish with black stuff is the Hijiki, 

adapted from The Hip Chick's Guide to Macrobiotics.

The first time I had hijiki, I could barely stomach it. 

This dish was actually totally delicious.

I went from detesting sea vegitables, to actually craving them.

What?

It's crazy what happens when your body takes over. 

I was out of mirin, so I doubled the shoyu.

Since I was really hungry, I cut the cooking time in half.

Never thought I'd see the day that I'd enjoy sea veggies. 

All Hail Hijiki

Hijiki is the alpha male of sea vegetables. Loaded with minerals, it packs a serious nutritional punch and is incredibly good for your hair, nails, skin and bones. In fact, after eating a serving of this dish, my skin feels softer immediately. Hijiki also has a fishy flavor, so it may take some getting used to. If this dish is too strong for you, substitute arame, which is a little milder in taste and intensity.

Medium handful dried hijiki, soaked in spring water for 30 minutes

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

1 onion, sliced in half moons

Pinch sea salt

Spring water

1 tablespoon shoyu

1 tablespoon mirin

1 medium carrot, sliced in matchsticks

While hijiki is soaking in spring water, chop the vegetables. When the hijiki is softened, discard the soaking water and, if the hijiki is in long strands, chop it into 1-inch pieces. Most companies, however, sell hijiki in little strands.

Heat the sesame oil over a medium flame in a heavy skillet that has a lid. Add the onions and sauté for a few minutes, adding a pinch of salt. Add the hijiki and sauté it with the onions, coating it lightly in oil. Add water to half way up the hijiki and onions. Bring to a boil and add the shoyu and mirin. Cover and let simmer 30 minutes. Add carrot matchsticks on top. Let simmer 10 more minutes. Garnish with scallions.

Makes 4 servings.

Variation

To do this recipe using arame instead of hijiki, simply rinse arame (no soaking required) and reduce cooking time by 10 minutes. Feel free to use light sesame or olive oil for seasonal variety. This recipe is delicious with fresh corn, snow peas, green beans, or any vegetable that rocks your boat.

This week I'm definitely sharing a miso soup recipe with you.

I keep having that "I'm about to get sick feeling"

and three times this week I've made that soup 

and it makes me feel better instantly.

How cool is that? 

I love you miso soup.