Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats

Rice Crispy Treats by Jessica Porter
Hip Chick's Guide to Macrobiotics

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:

• 4 cups crispy brown rice cereal
• 1 cup brown rice syrup
• 2/3 cup peanut butter (or try almond, cashew, even hazelnut)
• dash of umeboshi vinegar
• dash of vanilla
• optional: chocolate chips, cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins, roasted almonds, peanuts or cashews

Preparation:
1. Over medium flame, heat up brown rice syrup and peanut butter, vinegar and vanilla, stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth, thinned out and bubbling a little.
2. Pour onto crispy rice cereal in a large bowl and blend well with a wooden spoon.
3. Pour into a pyrex dish (or other pan) and flatten with a wet spatula.
4. Let cool. Slice and serve.

Serves 8

For more easy and awesome healthy recipes and a fun read check out "The Hip Chick's Guide to Macrobiotics" by Jessica Porter, which you can find on the sidebar of my blog under "Books I Love."

Healthy Food for Our Children

I just signed this petition to support healthy food choices in our schools. Check it out!

http://www.foodincmovie.com/sign-the-petition.php

Must-See Movie: Food, Inc.

This truly is an important movie. I saw this movie last night and was inspired. Go see this movie with friends and family and find out more about where your food comes from. Make a conscious decision about who and what you vote for everyday by eating foods that support your health, the environment and your values.

The movie website is awesome:
http://www.foodincmovie.com/

Also, check out what Monsanto has to say about the movie:
http://www.monsanto.com/foodinc/

Pasta With Savory Sesame Sauce

Pasta With Savory Sesame Sauce
by Sandy Coggins & Fumie Yoshikawa

• 4 Cups Crimini mushrooms - cleaned and cut into bulky slices
• 3 Cups sesame seeds - roasted and milled
• 2-3 Cloves garlic - chopped coarse
• 3 Leek leaves - cut into ¼" diagonal pieces
• 4 Carrots - ribbon cut
• 6 Cups spiral brown rice pasta
• 1 Bunch scallions - Marvin cut (thin diagonal slices)
• Ume vinegar
• Toasted sesame oil
• Basil - fresh, chopped fine

1. Cook rice pasta (al dente), rinse in cold water and set aside
2. Sauté garlic
3. Add Crimini mushrooms and sauté a few minutes
4. Add carrots and sauté a few minutes
5. Add leeks and sauté a few minutes (You want the veggies to still be crisp and colorful – a little al dente.)
6. Add milled sesame seeds
7. Add pasta and stir, and heat for 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated
8. Add ume vinegar to taste – you can add some soy sauce if you like
9. Add scallions and stir, and heat another few minutes
10. Add Fresh Basil
11. Remove from flame and place in serving dish
12. May need to add a little liquid – vegetable stock or dashi is good

Tempeh Vegetable Skewers With Ginger Sauce

Tempeh Vegetable Skewers With Ginger Sauce
by Sandy Coggins & Fumie Yoshikawa

Tempeh

1. Cut into large cubes for skewers
2. Deep fry in safflower oil
3. Set aside & drain
4. ***For better flavor, deep fry and marinate overnight in sauce. Then cooked an additional 15 to 20 minutes on stove top.

Ginger Marinade/Sauce

• 1 Grated ginger root
• 2 Fresh squeezed oranges or tangerine (reserve zest)
• 4 Cups apple juice
• Soy sauce to taste
• 1 Cup brown rice syrup (season to taste)
• ¼ to ½ Cup kuzu

1. Mix Marinade/Sauce ingredients together.
2. Heat a large skillet, add deep fried tempeh and pour marinade/sauce over the tempeh. Reserve at least 1 cup of the marinade to make the sauce for the skewers.
3. Simmer the tempeh in the sauce for approximately 20 minutes.
4. Remove the tempeh and set aside.
5. Add remaining sauce to a pan and bring to a high simmer.
6. Add a small amount of cold water to the kuzu and mix until it dissolves.
7. Add kuzu – (necessary amount) to sauce and cook until you get a saucy consistency you like.
8. Strain sauce to remove any lumps or tempeh residue.
9. Add orange/tangerine zest to taste.

Vegetables for Skewers:

• 3 Yams cut into large cubes - steamed until just tender - al dente
• 1 Bunch broccoli cut into large florets - quickly blanched - al dente
• 4 Summer squashes cut in thick ½ moons - quickly blanched - al dente

1. Pre heat oven to broil or grill outdoors
2. Prepare skewers by placing skewers in a restaurant pan and brushing lightly with toasted sesame oil.
3. Place in the oven and broil until seared or grill outdoors.
4. Remove from oven and place skewers onto serving tray
5. Lightly sauce the skewers and serve.