Refreshing Cold Noodle Salad with Hideki Kawai

I caught up with Natural Healing & Healthy Living Chef, Consultant and Educator, Hideki Kawai in Los Angeles, California recently and he gave me this easy and delicious recipe for Refreshing Cold Noodle Salad- perfect for the hot summer weather! I wanted to share it with you, since his cooking inspires me to try new and different things. Hideki uses many cool cooking tricks that give his cooking an extra punch and added interest. The picture above is from when I tried out the recipe- it was awesome!

Also, if you are looking for excellent macrobiotic cooking services, health advice, or a little extra inspiration in the kitchen, then contact Hideki. He has 23 years of experiences and training from some of the foremost macrobiotic pioneers in the United States. He has cooked and taught all over the world, including Japan, Portugal and throughout the United States. He served as a Head Chef and Menu Planner at Kushi Institute in Becket, Massachusetts for 22 years and has worked in six macrobiotic or Japanese restaurants.

 To learn more about what Hideki does or to set up a cooking class, contact him at hijikihawaii@yahoo.com or call #310-692-5144. 

Cold Noodle Salad:
6 Medium sized red radish, sliced in wedges
1 Ear of fresh corn, taken off the cob OR 1/4 bag of organic frozen corn
1 Package of seitan (store bought), sliced in 1/2 inch pieces
1 Cup sauerkraut
1 Cup apple juice
2 Teaspoons of brown rice miso
1/2 Package organic angel hair pasta (whole wheat or artichoke)
2 Leaves of romaine lettuce, sliced in 1/2 inch strips
1/2 Cucumber, sliced in rounds
2 Teaspoon umeboshi vinegar
2 Teaspoons olive oil
2 Teaspoon soy sauce
Sea Salt

Noodles:

1. Boil 6 cups of water in a pot with 2 teaspoons of sea salt.
2. Put pasta into boiling water and let it boil until cooked, approximately 8-10 minutes.
3. Drain pasta in a strainer and put noodles in a bowl with cold water. Drain noodles and place in refrigerator.

Vegetables and Seitan:

1. Saute radish slices in a small fry pan on medium to medium low heat with 2 teaspoon umeboshi vinegar until the liquid has evaporated. Set aside in a bowl.
2. Saute corn- first heat the pan on medium heat, add the corn, add 2 teaspoon of water and put the lid on. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and cook for 1 additional minute with the lid. Set aside in a bowl in the refrigerator.
3. Saute seitan in 1 teaspoon in olive oil for 1 minute on a medium high flame, then add 2 teaspoon of soy sauce and saute for 30 seconds. 

Sauce:

1. To make the sauce: put the sauerkraut, apple juice, miso and 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Assemble:

1. Put noodles on a plate or in a bowl.
2. Drizzle the sauce onto the noodles.
3. Place the lettuce, cucumbers, radish, corn and seitan in sections on top of the noodles. Drizzle again with sauce.
4. Optional: Garnish with sliced fresh basil, scallions, parsley or chives.

Serves 3-4 people
Enjoy!

Mmmmmm cafe

Feeling hungry in LA? Then drop by M Cafe. This place is fun, fresh and a nice place to grab a delicious and healthy bite to eat. This place is actually a macrobiotic cafe and is always busy with people who love to eat good and healthy food.

My favorite things here are the The M Chopped, hearts of romaine & mixed greens, avocado, cucumber, chickpeas, herb-baked tofu, scallions, umeboshi pickled radishes, carrots, beets, tamari-roasted almonds, crumbled tempeh“bacon” & tofu-peppercorn ranch dressing. I also loved the Ginger Snap Cookie, which was a soft and chewy, and perfectly sweet and gingery.

I also enjoyed the Strawberry Kanten, which was a mild and light dessert that was creamy, sweet and left me feeling satisfied but not heavy.  

Check their website for more locations, hours and menus.

 M Cafe de Chaya

What is Sustainability?

Georgia Malki, CEO and President of Seven Star Events, the nations premier green events expert, speaks about what sustainability REALLY is and how your actions relate to your community in this short video clip.

I had the honor of working with Georgia in 2007 for greening a natural health conference, to move the natural health community towards not only taking care of their health, but also taking care of the health of our planet. She inspired me through her giving and generous nature, and her passion for sustainability and social responsibility, to continue to make conscious choices about how I live my life and how I can share the information I have learned with others, to contribute to a cleaner greener home for everyone.

Watch this short clip of Georgia Malki:
What is Sustainability? Interview with Georgia Malki

For more information on green event planning and to learn more about Seven Star Events, check out their website: http://sevenstarevents.com/

Sweet Treats at Babycakes

Babycakes is an all-natural and organic vegan kosher bakery with kitch appeal and delectable adorable baked goods. That's a mouthful- and so are their creamy frosted cupcakes... A friend of mine turned me on to this place when I lived in New York 2 years ago. They now have a location in Los Angeles- so you can get Babycakes on either coast!

They make sinful (but not too sinful, because they are naturally sweetened) sweet bread loaves, cookies and cookie sandwiches, brownies, buns and pies, many of which contained unrefined sugar, and are gluten and soy-free. They use mostly agave syrup for sweetener, which is a healthier alternative to refined white sugar.

So, next time you are craving homemade goodies and want to go healthier, check them out! They also have a great cookbook for sale so you can make your own Babycakes at home.

Babycakes website

Fresh Food at Fresh Mint

I met up with a couple of friends a few weeks ago as I was leaving Arizona, for dinner and some nice conversation. They recommended Fresh Mint, a vegetarian Hawaiian/Asian-influenced restaurant in Scottsdale. This restaurant had lots of interesting and flavorful dishes full of fresh, brightly colored vegetables and fake meat/soy protien. Each dish we ordered was exciting and delicious, how fun!

 

 

The first thing we shared was spring rolls (pictured above). Next we had a vegetable, tofu and noodle stir fry, a tofu curry and a soy chicken dish. We tried 2 desserts- pudding and banana spring rolls. Everything was delicious! the great thing about this restaurant was the vegetarian menu and the abundance of fresh vegetables. Make note: if you are eating simply and want to avoid sugar and spices I would avoid the sauces that come on most dishes and of course, avoid dessert.

 

Fresh Mint

13802 N. Scottsdale Rd.

Scottsdale, AZ 85254

(480) 443-2556

Real Food? Daily!

I just got back from my first visit to LA's famed vegan organic restaurant, Real Food Daily. My friend and I went to grab a bite to eat and possibly sight some celebrities- Ellen DeGeneres mentioned she likes to eat there a lot. (I love Ellen!) The hype and celebrity status of this place did not disappoint- we had a great time eating delicious Mexican food and dessert, talking to the friendly wait staff and people watching the interesting variety of clientele. This place also happens to be kosher, which makes it convenient for all types of people to eat healthier.

I ordered the Supreme Burrito, which was a huge burrito filled with Spanish rice, black beans, tempeh bacon, cashew cheese, vegetables, avocado, tofu sour cream and ranchero sauce and served with salad. I could only eat half of it- it was so filling! I also ordered the Dream Chocolate Pudding, a thick, rich, creamy and smooth cold pudding that was heavenly.

My friend ordered the El Bandito Rojo, which was pretty much like vegan enchiladas full of richness and flavor, without the cheesy, over-oily heaviness of real enchiladas. It was delicious!

 

I definitely recommend this place if you are looking for fun and delicious healthy food and desserts. They also have a nice cookbook.

Real Food Daily website

Great Eats: Vegan Glory

Hungry for some super-fun delicious vegan food that feels like a party in your mouth? Vegan Glory gives you just that. Located in Los Angeles, California, Vegan Glory is a great casual place to go get a meal. They have a huge menu and lots of variety, so you can get Japanese, Mexican, Thai, OR Chinese food- all from the same restaurant! I went with some friends recently and we all ordered different things to share. Everything we ordered was awesome. I definitely recommend this place!

Vegan Glory's website