sweet
miso soup

Soup for breakfast! It sounds crazy, but once you try it, I think you will be hooked. Warm and nourishing, it gives you a better jump-start than any cup of Java, without the caffeine. Eat it with a toasted English muffin or sourdough bread with Spectrum Naturals^® Canola Spread. 

ingredients

8 cups water 1 6-inch strip wakame 1 small buttercup squash 1 medium onion, cut into    thin, 1/2 moons

1 small daikon radish, cut    into thin, 1/2 moons 6 TBS. barley miso, or to    taste 1 scallion, thinly sliced, to    garnish, optional

directions

1. Bring water to a boil in a large stock pot.
2. Cover wakame with water and let soak for about 5 minutes.
    Then, cut it into 1/2-inch squares. Set aside. 
3. Meanwhile, remove blemished areas from the squash skin. Leave
    remaining skin intact. Cut in half lengthwise, from top to bottom.
    Scoop out seeds. Trim away stem and blossom ends. Cut into
    1/2-inch cubes. Set aside.
4. Add onion and wakame to the pot. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes.
5. Add daikon. Simmer uncovered until fork-tender, about 5 minutes.
6. Add squash. Simmer uncovered until fork-tender, 5-8 minutes.
7. Reduce heat so that soup is no longer boiling.
8. In a small bowl, purée miso in a little hot broth with a spoon or
   whisk. Return purée to the pot. Serve garnished with scallion.

variations

Substitute carrots, rutabaga, parsnips, cabbage or butternut squash for buttercup squash.
Add 1/2 cup-1 cup diced daikon greens or other greens to step #6.
Add 2 slices of fresh ginger to step #7.

cook's tips

To make a one-pot breakfast meal, add leftover cooked rice, millet or noodles to the soup.
Use an 8-inch chef's knife to cut through the dense skin of buttercup squash. Hold the squash securely on a cutting board,
    stem side up. Place the tip of the knife into the top of the squash
    and cut with a rocking downward motion. Repeat on other side.
To preserve the friendly bacteria and enzymes in miso soup, do   not boil it when reheating. For the same reason, so not freeze it.
    It will keep refrigerated for one week.

tabouli

This classic Mideastern salad, based on Meredith McCarty's recipe in Fresh From a Vegetarian Kitchen, is made with very little oil and no tomatoes. It is exceptionally high in iron and pairs up nicely with Hummus in-a-Hurry, below. 

ingredients

salad 3 cups water 1 tsp. unrefined sea salt 2 cups coarse bulgur 2 cups cucumber,    seeded and cut into   1/4-inch pieces 4 cups fresh parsley, minced 1 cup scallions, thinly sliced

dressing 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 large garlic cloves, minced 1 TBS. shoyu, or more to taste 3 TBS. fresh mint, minced,    optional

directions

1. Bring water to a boil in a 4-quart pot. Add salt and bulgur.
    Simmer covered 15 minutes.
2. Transfer to a large bowl. Fluff with a fork and allow to cool.
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients. 
4. Add remaining salad ingredients and dressing to bulgur. Mix
    gently.
5. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
6. Keeps refrigerated 3 days at most.

variations

Substitute 1 teaspoon dried mint for fresh.
Add 1/4 cup blanched and toasted, slivered almonds to step #4.

cook's tips

It is healthier to use organic cucumbers. If only waxed cucumbers are available, peel off the skin to avoid ingesting the
    wax, which can coat the intestines and impair absorption of food.
To remove cucumber seeds, cut cucumber in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scrape out seeds. This step is not imperative,
    but seeds make the dish watery and give it a seedy texture, so
    you decide! 

hummus
in-a-hurry

Looking for a party-pleaser or a quick meal? This high-calcium, easy-to-make spread can be served as a dip with rolled romaine lettuce leaves, pita bread or lavosh. For an instant lunch or dinner, stuff it into whole wheat pita bread with shredded lettuce. 

ingredients

2 large garlic cloves 2 stalks celery, coarsely   chopped 1/2 cup lemon juice 1 15-ounce can organic   chickpeas

1/4 cup tahini 2 tsp. shoyu 4 pepperocini, to garnish,   optional

directions

1. In a blender or food processor, purée the garlic, celery and lemon
    juice.
2. Add the rinsed beans, tahini, shoyu and cayenne.
3. Process until smooth and creamy.
4. Serve garnished with pepperocini.

variation

Garnish with a sprinkle of extra-virgin olive oil and paprika.

cook's tip

A food processor is the best choice for puréeing hummus. A blender will do, but may require additional liquid, causing the
    spread to have a thinner consistency. 

If you are not a morning person, you can still enjoy a wholesome breakfast at home, work or while traveling. Overnight Oatmeal, made in a thermos, requires less than fifteen minutes to prepare the night before.

ingredients

directions

1. Dry-roast oats in a hot skillet on medium heat until golden brown.
    Stir often to prevent burning. This adds a toasty flavor.
2. Pour hot tap water into a wide-mouth, 3-cup thermos to preheat.
   Cover and let stand 5 minutes.
3. Pour the water from the thermos. Add oats, salt and 3 cups of
   fresh boiling water. Replace stopper and lid. Wrap in a towel to
   keep warm. Oatmeal will cook overnight.
4. Serve sprinkled with Gomashio or diced dried dulse for a salty
   taste.

variation

To sweeten, add raisins to step #3.

cook's tips

As a short cut, prepare rolled oats ahead of time by dry-roasting them in large quantity. Allow to cool. Store in glass jars in the
     refrigerator or freezer.
Prepackage individual portions of dry-roasted rolled oats and salt in sandwich-sized Ziploc^® bags.
When you stay at a motel or hotel, you can easily request hot water at a nearby coffee shop.

Gary's Review of Lenore's Natural Cuisine Cookbook

I have personally tried a few of the recipes in Lenore's book and have to say that I have been very impressed with it. Ever since I have been macrobiotic, I have tried untold carrot and beet sauce recipes to recreate the taste of tomato sauce, and in all honesty, none of them came close by a long shot in tasting like the real thing. I have to say that the combination of Lenore's Un-Tomato Sauce which I used in her Chili Recipe, actually fooled my taste buds into thinking that I was eating the real thing.

You really have to try her spaghetti with gingered broccoli. It seems that whenever I have gone to a macrobiotic or natural foods restaurant, like the legendary Five Season's Restaurant which used to be located in Massachusetts, and ordered fried noodles, I have always immensely enjoyed this dish. Whenever I have tired to reproduce this at home, I was never successful. I was overjoyed when Lenore's recipe yielded fried noodles that to me were just as good as what I had out.

Finally, Lenore's Tahini-Poppyseed Sauce was fantastic. This has to be the best dressing that I ever made from any cookbook. This really makes boiled vegetables shine!

To me, anyone would get value out of this cookbook just for these few recipes I cited above, but there are so many more unique ones contained in this book that I want to try.

Reviewed 07-10-01