Holiday Auspicious Cleaning for New Year!

Looking back reflecting 2013...
It was a good challenging work year for us and our restaurant Seed Kitchen.

When we work so much we tend not to have time to sort out our stuff (OMG, life is all about stuff!) so Eric and I made commitment to clear some of the stuff during this holiday season.

One of our book shelf was broken so after three years later Eric finally fixed it. Here are the some photos I had worked on the bookshelves with books, magazine and more paper stuff with dogs.
I also found the photos of my childhood and my mom's...so nice to see these photos. I could feel how much my mom loved me.

I feel so good to do this holiday auspicious cleaning!

A Happy Holiday and New Year of 2014!


Eric fixed the broken book shelf after three years.


Our dog, Happy is guarding the stuff with her ball. 


Memory photos of my mom and me.


It was getting late and all the dogs are getting tired of cleaning stuff. 


Many pamphlets and maps from my traveling to Europe, Southeast Asia, Canada, Caribbean, Tahiti, Fiji, Japan and the U.S. Including Hawaii. Alaska)

Rose Hips Jelly as Year-end gift-giving tradition-Oseibo/Christmas gift!

I grown up as a Buddhist, but love Christmas gift-giving because it almost like Year-end gift-giving tradition in Japan to send seasonal gifts called Oseibo at the end of the year.
( also Ochugen in summer)
It's a gift for someone who has done something for you, like a teacher or a boss and other people to show appreciation, but I like Christmas gift-giving because I have a chance to give gifts to family and friends and anybody.

I have started make some gifts myself last five years.
Thinking about what I make every year is fun.
This year I decided to make wild Rose Hips jelly.
Since Eric and I have been harvesting wild rose hips in North Fork, California every Thanksgiving season. 


Eric is harvesting wild rose hips


It is a big bush of rose

I have been making Rose hip tea to enjoying it and offer at Seed Kitchen to purchase it.


Wild rose hips tea


One day I heard about rose hip jelly and jam so I got so curious and was wanting to make them last few years, but it take more rose hip to harvest to make it and challenging was takes time to make it.
Finally,  I was able to make time to make it successfully since we were able to harvest about 10 lbs wild rose hips.

10 lbs wild rose hips

Of course it had to be vegan macrobiotic rose hips jelly for me so I have created a recipes and came out very delicious. 
I love the taste of this jelly...mild sweetness and sourness make you feel so pleasantly balance  and when I taste it I sure feel the nature's kindness. 

I am very happy to be able to give this special seasonal gift as a Christmas gift this year to some of my friends.
I thank you so much for many people who are supporting me and what Eric and I do for Seed Kitchen. This is a token of appreciation!
People who are not able to taste my wild rose hips jelly I want to send you this recipes (the last part of this page) and photos to you to enjoy it and try it out for you to make it. Make sure let me know how it come out when you make it.


1. Wash wild rose hips


2. Cut all the steams


3. Start cook with water


4. Bring to boil


5. Cover and simmer for 1 ~ 3 hour


6. Mash them with a potato masher till puree


7. Strain them with fine mesh strainer

 
8. Put the all the liquid from strainer back into a pot



9. Add agar

 
10. Add  kuzu and



11. Add brown rice syrup


12. Put into a canning jar


13. Made sticker for special friends who will enjoy this special jelly


Pan fried Mochi


Pan fried Mochi and Wild Rose Hips Jelly



By the way, I spent so much time to making this wild rose hips jelly and I did not have much time to pick a gift for Eric this year and I think Eric was working so much time and he did not have much time to pick a gift for me either so... we did not know, but we gave each other the exact the same gift which was a massage gift certificate to each other LOL...we laugh so much!!!


Massage certificates as a Christmas gift for each other!

Rosehip Jelly Recipe for you

Ingredients

• 1 quarts rose hips (4 cups)
• 1 1/2 quarts water (5 cups)
• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tea spoon agar
• 1 TBS kuzu
• 2 TBS brown rice syrup

about 3 cups liquid at the end.

• 6 8-ounce sterilized canning jars and fresh lids

Happy year end of 2013, have a good one everyone!

Love, Eric Revised Desserts Cookbook

 

Love, Eric Delicious Vegan Macrobiotic Dessert Cookbook was originally published in 2005.
Author Eric Lechasseur is not a pastry chef, but then why desserts cookbook?
To make a long story a short....
well his fist cooking was with his grandmother making cookies when he was six years old and of course he loves sweets all his life. Then he met me who was a sugar junky and loved too much sugary desserts and soda anything sugary stuff in 1991.

I was diagnosed an ovarian cancer in 1993 so he started to make desserts without dairy, eggs and refined sugar which was delicious and satisfied for me to not have to eat sugary stuff any more.
After I recovered from the cancer in 1995 Eric continued to make delicious healthy vegan macrobiotic desserts and one day he came home and told me that he wants to make delicious healthy desserts and pastry cookbook.
He also got a job at M cafe as a pastry chef and he created all the original M cafe's desserts and pastry desserts recipes which are very popular even after Eric left M cafe.

Eric and I wanted to make a very special cookbook with beautiful photographs so people can also enjoy this recipes with their eyes.
We believed that sharing what he contribute himself from these recipes to help me over come sugar junky addiction will also help so many people so we title it "Love, Eric"
We picked the size of the book and paper and title they were all so personal matter so we choose to self published this special cookbook.
We have made 5000 copies to sell and they were all sold out by 2009.
We could not believe there was a time some people were selling used Love, Eric cookbook for $200 per a copy.   We are very happy that there was such a demand on this cookbook.
It took a while, but we are proud to be re-published once again Love, Eric as revised with eight more gluten-free recipe.

Madonna's Panna Cotta new recipe from Love, Eric Revised
 
Last Sat. we had a cozy gathering for Love, Eric Revised book signing at Seed Kithchen. We had great time and enjoyed so much.
We are definitely growing globally and shipping our cookbook to all over the world now so we just sent it to Spain, UK, and Holland and of ourse many different states of America.


Pistachio Nougatine Brittle new recipe from Love, Eric Revised for tasting


If you are interested to purchase Love, Eric Revised

Amazon.com
Square Market
 

Or just email us to seedkitchen@gmail.com 

For those of you who are in the US, $29.95 + $10.00 *Shipping & Handling* = $39.95

Simply email us and let us know that you are sending your check and mail your check to the Mugen LLC address below and include the name you'd like if you want to have autographed on the book.

Mugen LLC

2610A 23rd St.

Santa Monica, CA 90405

 

For those of you located outside of the United States, or wishing to pay with credit card/Paypal, you can purchase a copy of the book by sending email to us to seedkithchen@gmail.com 

Let us know your post mail address so we know how much to charge the shipping.

Usually outside the United State is $29.95 + $20.00 *Shipping & Handling* = $49.95

 *if you want autograph copy, please be sure to include a note to request autograph when purchasing , so we make sure to autograph your book*

Baked donuts new recipe from Love, Eric Revised

 

 

 

 

 

Macrobiotic Medicinal Remedy Drink Class for Thyroid Problems

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Hi everyone, 

My name is Sanae Suzuki. 

I am a whole health macrobiotic nutrition counselor for people and pets.

I have been teaching macrobiotics cooking and lifestyle for almost 20 years after I healed myself from ovarian cancer by practicing and live macrobiotics. You can see all the classes info. and what I offered 193 classes/events last 5 years at Meetup  I am so thankful to my health, my macrobiotics practice and all of you!

At Macrobiotic Healing for Women's class

It was one of my dreams to teach for healing class for women for a long time and this year I was able to start it at Seed Kitchen this year almost every month. 

It has been a really great opportunity to practice and teaching this class. 

The last month I was planing to teach class for Thyroid problems and many people who could not come to the class have requested me to post this on my blog so here is one for everyone. I hope this help many people and I hope to practice and teach my macrobiotics many more years.

These are the things I shared in the class:

When I read an article that it's estimated that as many as 59 million Americans have a thyroid problem. I questioned myself “Do most of us know about it?”. I had time to time people who have had a thyroid cancer and a problem came for macrobiotic counseling to me. The macrobiotic approach of diet and life style definitely helped and healed them when they followed directions. I, myself had to followed the direction to help heal my two dogs who had thyroid problems. 

Some of you might wonder that a dog and a human have the same problems and results? Yes, I have seen so many symptoms with human also over dogs. I have researched more when I needed to help my two dogs from their thyroid problems and applied to them and sure worked so much and they are both doing good. They are not taking any western meditation anymore. You can also get benefit from macrobiotic approach for thyroid problems.

The first, you need to know your thyroid grand. It is an important organ just like heart and stomach and others, but the majority of us don't know it yet. It is a butterfly-shaped gland in your neck a small gland found at the base of your neck just above your collarbone, just below your Adam's apple. I think it should move like butterfly and be flexible so the thyroid hormones control your body activities and metablism like your body temperature and how fast you burn calories and how fast your heart beats.

1. The example signs of Thyroid problems

Since undiagnosed thyroid problems can dramatically increase your risk of obesity, heart disease, depression, anxiety, hair loss, sexual dysfunction, infertility and a host of other symptoms and health problems, it's important that you don't go undiagnosed.

You don't need to have all of these symptoms in order to have a thyroid problem, but here are some of the most common signs that you may have a thyroid condition: 

1) Fatigue.

2) Weight Changes.

3) Depression and Anxiety.

4) Cholesterol Issues

5) Bowel Problems.

6) Menstrual Irregularities and Fertility Problems.

7) Hair/Skin Changes.

8) Neck Discomfort/Enlargement.

9) Muscle and Joint Pains, Carpal Tunnel/Tendonitis Problems

3. Two major problems of Thyroid:

Hyperthyroidism

Hypothyroidism

4 Macrobiotic Medicinal Remedy Drink for Thyroid:

The modern diet of meat and other processed foods can cause the thyroid to malfunction.

Modern diets low in iodine and other trace of minerals found in whole grains, vegetables from land and sea, and other fresh foods are primary cause. Doctors can give a western medication but it doesn’t address the source of the problem.

This drink is can help to detox your body’s condition and support for hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism both.

1/4 cup each vegetables of carrot, burdock, daikon, lotus root

1 cup daikon greens or other hard leafy greens

1/4 cup komubu, soaked chopped small

4 cups water

1. Finely chop all the vegetables and soaked kombu.

2. Put all the ingredients and add water to bring a boil in a covered pot.

3. Lower the flame, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Add a pinch of sea salt or 3~4 drops of tamari or ¼ umeboshi plum at the end of cooking.

5. Drink and eat 1 cup while it is warm/hot.

6. You can drink and eat everyday, 1 cup, for 10~14 days. Then every other day for an equal period.

If you have concern it is important to have a macrobiotic counseling for more advise. 

Ingredients of vegetables before prepping the medicinal remedy drink for thyroid

All the ingredients ready to make the medicinal remedy drink for thyroid

Simmering the medicinal remedy drink for thyroid

The medicinal remedy drink for thyroid

5. Macrobiotic food and life style recommendations for Thyroid problems

1) Example of what to eat more 

·  Vitamin A rich foods (carrot. butternut squash, dark leafy greens, sweet potato, dried apricots etc.)   

·  Omega-3 Fats (sea vegetables, fax Seeds, chia Seeds, hemp seeds, mung beans, winter squash, leafy greens, berries, etc.)

·  Miso/ Miso soup *

·  Soy sauce/ Natto fermented soy beans products *

·  Umeboshi plums *

·  Sea vegetables/Iodine* (including kombu, kelp, dulse, nori, wakame, arame etc.)

The best to getting from the sea vegetables directly, but if you are not used them you can take

       sea vegetables/seaweed tablet as a supplement till you get used to eat them.

       *too much iodine can actually trigger thyroid problems and worsen symptoms, so it’s   

        important to have a healthy balance.

·  Saltwater fish (2~4 oz 1~3 weeks only with grated daikon and lemon juice if you want to eat fish)

*** To find good recipes for Miso, Natto fermented soy beans and umeboshi plums you can check vegan macrobiotic healing cookbook "Love, Sanae"

 

2) Example of what to avoid:

·  Any meat and dairy food.

·  Refined processed food. 

·  Cauliflower (Any vegetable that falls into the broccoli family is a goitrogen and shouldn’t be eaten more than twice a week if you have hypothyroidism and raw if you have hyperthyroid.)

·  Millet   

·  Pine nuts/Peanuts

·  Unfermented soy

·  Canola oil      
·  Iodized salt  (iodized salt is heavily processed so recommend avoiding)  



With all the participants

3) Example of Life style:

1)     Make your medicinal drink yourself and cook your healing food at home.

2)     Go to bed early and rise early.

3)     Be active mentally and physically.

4)     Everyday do light exercise or take a walk outside for a half hour.

5)     Massage yourself thyroid ground area to stimulate for 5 minutes every day and also receive Shiatsu massage.

6)     Until the condition improve, you may take a small amount of food 4~5 times a day instead of 2~3 times a day, but have it at regular times.

7)     Avoid artificial environments, including exposure to high-voltage lines, excess air- conditioning, stagnate sir, dampness or high humidity and chemicals (including cosmetics and other body products). No fluoresces light. No X-ray (including at the airport also)

8)     Keep your living area clean and in good order.

9)     Avoid stressful human relations.

10)   Try to keep in touch with nature and live simply.

11)   Use organic cotton for underwear. Bed sheets, pillowcases, and comforter cover.

12)   Try to avoid using TV, computers, microwaves, fluorescent lamps, and other devise and equipment that emit strong electromagnetic filed.

13)   Tell yourself you are better and no more thyroid problem and sign happy song everyday.

Be healthy and be happy!

Love, Sanae

❤ Next Macrobiotic Healing for Women class is Dec. 15. Sat. at 10am. If you want to register, please click Meetup.