Cookbooks, Cookbooks, and More Cookbooks

I had to buy another bookcase last week for my cookbook collection. I have been collecting cookbooks for the past thirty years, and I had run out of space for them. I was squirreling the books away in closets and boxes and was not able to read them. I just love to browse through my favorite cookbooks—I don’t necessarily make any of the recipes—but I read them as I would a novel. I love the unrealistic photographs of perfectly executed food. I enjoy reading how spices are combined to make the consummate Moroccan stew or how zucchini and eggplant match up together into a wonderful casserole. I find the whole experience meditative and relaxing.

I sometimes get stuck in a rut when I cook. I discover a combination of ingredients that I love and make it over and over. Now that I am spending more of my time cooking and I no longer buy prepared or processed foods, I have challenged myself to be innovative and it is my goal to develop a repertoire of delicious menus. I want to be a creative cook, and most importantly I want my food to be delicious, appealing, and tantalizing. I have found that cooking is so much more than following a recipe and adding specific ingredients to a pot. It nourishes me in so many ways. The act of cooking and eating is a way that I heal myself physically, mentally and spiritually.

I grew up in a traditional 1950’s family where my mother did most of the cooking. I don’t think she owned a cookbook but cooked by instinct and intuition. Once in a while I would spot my father at the stove cooking an Italian tomato sauce or a Chinese chop suey, which was very confusing since we were Jewish. But it taught me to look beyond my own heritage and traditions. We never ate in restaurants and I was in college when I had my first taste of pizza. Home cooking was always preferred and considered healthier. I loved my family’s cooking. I fondly remember my grandmother’s stuffed cabbage and her beet and cabbage borsht, recipes she learned as a young girl in Russia. I can still smell the aromas of her challah, apple cake or chocolate babka.

Not all of my cookbooks are vegan, vegetarian or macrobiotic, although I have lots of those. Even though I have over 200 cookbooks, the passion to continue searching and buying them persists. I especially love second-hand bookstores with the books stacked high and searching for a cookbook that might have been owned by a homemaker of the early 20th century. I wonder what her life was like, how different and difficult it might have been to prepare meals for her family.

The thrill of reading cookbooks for me revolves around taking a traditional recipe and playing with it until it becomes a healthy meal. Since I no longer eat meat and dairy, many of the recipes that I used to cook from are no longer suitable. It’s interesting to play with and transform a recipe depending on what foods are available seasonally. Many traditional cookbooks that do not have a vegan focus have lots of recipes that do not use dairy or meat. I have found that ethnic cookbooks are especially useful when looking for a non-meat dish. The vegetable cutlet recipe, found in many Jewish cookbooks, had been around long before the veggie burger was marketed by Boca Burger. Middle Eastern cookbooks have a plethora of bean, legume and rice recipes. Pasta and risotto are the bases of many Italian meals. Most cookbooks have vegetable dishes, and some of my favorite dishes emanate from collections from many different chefs and cooks. The braised lentils, carrots with lemon zest and thyme, and braised artichokes with lemon, fennel and olives are just a few of the dishes that I’ve recently enjoyed cooking and eating.

Even with all of the cookbooks that I have, I have recently ventured into the realm of cooking without recipes. I have acquired a lot of information and skills from just cooking. Not all of my meals turn out perfect. I have tossed away some that were just not edible. But, as I continue to cook and gain confidence in my skills and abilities as a cook, the food becomes tastier. I am learning that cooking food is much more than something I do three times a day.

Enter your kitchen with a sense of awe and curiosity. Be adventuresome and create a meal for the family that you love and cherish. Experience it as a gift rather than a chore. Your food tastes better when it is made with body, soul and love.

Polenta With Mushroom Ragout

Polenta, otherwise known as cornmeal or semolina is a great alternative to rice and potatoes.  I like it so much that I often eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It can be eaten as a savory or sweet dish.  Top it with maple syrup and toasted pecans or with a variety of vegetables, a tomato sauce or a mushroom ragout as I made today.  It can be eaten soft right out of the pot or refrigerated and then cut into rounds and baked or pan fried.  Polenta is an excellent source of iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and vitamin B6. To make polenta, simply follow the directions on the package. Today, I pan seared the polenta after it had been refrigerated overnight. The mushroom ragout is made with shitake mushrooms for an extra health benefit. I added some cherry tomatoes and sage. To complete the entree I served the dish on top of a bed of blanched kale.

The mushroom ragout is simmering on the stove.

Living In A World Of Carnivores

When I first started practicing a macrobiotic lifestyle, I was on my own. No one in my immediate circle of family and friends had ever heard of macrobiotics, let alone what it meant. And although everyone in my life supported what I was doing, especially because it was for health reasons, no one was ready to dive in and take the plunge with me. It took me some time to figure out the intricacies of this new diet and lifestyle, particularly the cooking side of things. It was, in the beginning, very challenging. Eating miso soup for breakfast, sea vegetables and tofu, not to mention all the grains, was new to me. And I had to figure out how to cook these new foods and make them a part of my life.

It can be challenging to follow a macrobiotic diet in our culture, considering food is such an integral part of our lives. We no longer just eat to stave off hunger and to survive. We eat and use food for many reasons. Eating is ritualistic, and it can give us a sense of belonging. We socialize at dinner with another couple, have Sunday brunch at a friend’s home, lunch with a colleague, and even sip a cappuccino after a workout at the gym. Food, and not necessarily good food, is everywhere. We get no relief from the constant hocking of food. I can’t watch the six o’clock news without being brainwashed about some new food item. The golden arches signal to me as I drive to the dry cleaners. An innocent shopping trip through the mall is interrupted by the offering of samples of teriyaki beef or the gooiest cinnamon buns. Even my weekly visit to the food market turns out to be a danger zone with trays of cheese and brownie samples beckoning. Is it always going to be a contest of willpower to avoid such temptations? Even my own kitchen is hazardous with yogurt, parmesan cheese, and meat in the refrigerator.

As adults we need to respect each other’s decisions about how and what we choose to eat. I have made a decision to eliminate animal protein from my diet and to add certain foods like sea vegetables, daikon, and lotus root, which are foreign to most Americans. I know that the way I eat is healthy and safe. I know that I have to eat this way for my health. Since I do not accept any criticism regarding my food choices, I also need to respect the food choices and decisions that people around me make. We all have personal preferences about food and it is difficult to give up foods that have been a part of one’s life since childhood.

Early on in my macrobiotic practice it became difficult for me to even touch beef or poultry, so I asked my husband to give macrobiotic food a try. He was very supportive and immediately said yes. I think that he hoped to lose some weight while eating this way. I was thrilled that he was going to be eating the same foods as I was. At some point over the course of a year, my husband decided that this wasn’t working for him. Perhaps it was the frustration of not losing weight or the difficulty of finding appropriate food choices away from home. So, what does it mean to live with someone who eats a diet different from yours? How do we continue to socialize with our friends without comprising our beliefs and needs?

First of all, I realize that it’s impossible to be perfect. I like to say that when I “fall off the wagon” that I need to get back on as soon as possible to the “straight and narrow.” There are, however, certain behaviors that I have developed that make it easier for me to resist “forbidden” foods. I have found that eating fresh, organic food that is seasonally available works well for me. Miso soup, vegetables and brown rice for breakfast often get me started in a balanced manner. Lunch can often be more forgiving. If I eat out at noon, then dinner is back on track with grains, lots of veggies, and beans. None of this food has to be boring. After all, variety is the spice of life. I often find myself commenting on how delicious macrobiotic food is when it is prepared in a loving and creative manner.

I know what my body needs so that it can work optimally for me. Why do I not listen 100% of the time? It is because I begin to listen to other people in my life. I attend a local cooking class where the instructor says that eating miso soup for breakfast is “old fashioned,” I see an herbalist who advocates for animal protein in my diet. I give in and then realize that it’s not good for me.

There is always something to learn about our mistakes. Falling away from my food plan starts small with the elimination of miso soup for breakfast. That creates an imbalance in me, which then produces cravings to which I then submit. I know what works for me and it feels great to succeed at something that makes my life so much better

Asian Noodle Broth

I've been experimenting with making noodle soup for days. I think that I've finally come up with a delicious recipe. First I made a Japanese dashi then I added vegetables. I found that I liked seasoning it with shoyu, mirin, and toasted sesame oil.

Shitake mushrooms have been used by Chinese medicine for over 6000 years. They are a good source of iron and help to protect us against cardiovascular diseases.
To clean any mushroom use a damp clean and brush off any dirt. They are very porous and can absorb too much water.
Kombu is a type of seaweed that is found in the Asian food aisle of Whole Foods. Kombu is high in protein, calcium, iodine, magnesium, iron and folate. I usually wipe the kombu with a damp cloth before using.
Recipe Ingredients

1 package udon noodles
2 small pieces of kombu
1/2 red onion, sliced in half moons
4 shitake mushrooms, sliced
4-6 sliced pea pods
4 cups water
3 TB shoyu or soy sauce
2 TB finely sliced green onions
1/4 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp of sesame oil
1 TBS mirin

Prepare the noodles according to the directions on the package. Drain when done and rinse with cold water.
To make the broth put the kombu into the water and let it soak for 10 minutes. Remove the kombu and bring the water to a boil. Add the sliced onions and mushrooms to the water. Cook for 10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for another 5 minutes.
Before serving add the noodles.

Happy, healthy eating!

Warming Stew

I'm back in the Northeast and I'm cold. So, I made a wild mushroom and barley stew for dinner. In addition to the barley I added wild and red rice, dried porcini mushrooms, carrots, onion and spices and a can of cannellini beans.

The cannellini beans are low fat and filled with fiber. They have twice as much iron as beef! Studies show that they can reduce cholesterol and provide a boost of energy. They are known as an Italian white bean and I often substitute cannellini beans for most white beans.