Would you like more dynamics, movement and energy?

With the following tips you can get busy and give you your meal just some extras.

As a macrobiotic cook, I work with my knowledge of the effect of what nutrition does to you. This I apply when I prepared delicious and balanced meals for yoga groups in Zeeland for Fit Body & Mind.

How? Variation is the key. So what I can give to you to watch out for while cooking: the more variety the more satisfying and healthier.

Colorful

Green, yellow, white, purple, orange vegetables, black seaweed, experiment with it.

Cooking styles from yin…:

o raw salads;

o blanched vegetable;

o pickled vegetables (sauerkraut, pickles, broccoli, carrot etc.);

o fried is delicious once a week;

o baking;

o grilling;

o steaming;

o wokking in a thin sheet steel wok (that’s really energetic!).

To yang:

o long stewing;

o in the pressure cooker;

o something in the oven.

Textures

Creamy, crunchy, firm, tough, chewing on a corn cob, tender as it can be …

Nutrients

Whole grains, vegetable proteins, root vegetable (grounding effect) round vegetable (relaxing and strengthening), fiber rich green vegetable (intestines stimulation and rich in easily digestible calcium), pickles, seaweed, nuts/seeds, European fruits, fermented foods like tempeh, miso, natto, sauerkraut…

Flavors

Sweet, (fruit, dried fruit, sweet vegetable, rice malt syrup) salt, (sea salt, seaweed, miso, shoyu, umesu, gomasio) acid, (sauerkraut, lemon, umeboshi, fresh fruit), bitter (chicory, tahini, olive), sharp/spicy (ginger, pepper, radish) and umami (savory taste of kombu seaweed, miso)

Form

Round, strips (julienne) cubes, rings, crescent shapes, discs, diagonals, long, thin, strips, very (all carrot/beet/onion) grated …

What a wealth!

Enjoy!

With this link you’ll find a poster, where more detailed information is given about for example which vegetables are round, which are rich of fiber etc.

On 29 October we organize a cooking class in De Pijp of Amsterdam. You can learn more about all I wrote in this blog. Soon also workshops in Rotterdam!

Click here for more information:

Source: Kushi Institute Amsterdam.