And easy enough to prepare! Just follow the directions, and remember what I said about prepping your recipes as soon as you can! All my recipes are fully prepped for my Sunday Macrobiotic Cooking Class for Thanksgiving Day! I’ve even cut the baking paper for my stoneware loaf pan that will bake the pumpkin-nut bread for that class! And every dry ingredient is measured, ready to be used! What a time-saver, and those cannisters are all put back in the cabinets! Another advantage to this pumpkin bread recipe: if you want to make it in advance, you’ll just enhances that moist deliciousness! Mine is sitting within a cake platter, looking yummy!

We still have a few openings for this unique Macrobiotic Cooking Class featuring Thanksgiving Day recipes. Sunday afternoon, November 22, 1-4 pm. Just $45 per person. So if you have friends or family in Atlanta, please let them know to contact us! And you might just want to make the trip over too! If you’re out of town and wish copies of our recipes just send your $20 check, and we’ll mail or email them to you!

PUMPKIN-NUT BREAD

from Sweet and Natural, by Meredith McCarty

Baking time : 45 minutes, up to 1 3/4 hour, depending on your stove.

Dry ingredients:

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 cup unbleached white flour

2 1/4 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon}

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg    }     or       1  1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon cloves       }

Wet ingredients:

3/4 cups sweet kabocha squash puree or a 15-oz. can organic pumpkin

1/4 cup light walnut oil

1/2 cup maple syrup or 1/2 cup barley malt and 1/4 cup maple syrup

To fold in later:

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

1/4 cup raisins

2 Tablespoon golden raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree,, Line bottom of a standard 9x5x3 inch loaf pan with parchment & brush the sides with oil.
2. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients.
3. In a small bowl, whisk wet ingredients together.
4. Then stir into dry ingredients, until well moistened.
5. Fold in nuts and raisins.
6. Transfer this thick batter to pan and smooth surface.
7. Bake until bread tests done, is golden brown and pulls away from side of pan, about 45 minutes. My oven cooked this in 1 hour and 40 minutes. Please watch your oven carefully.
8. Set pan on rack to cool 10 minutes, then turn loaf out to cool completely. It becomes more moist as it cools! Enjoy!

• Prepare Squash: Peel skin, discard skin and seeds. bake  at 350 either whole or cut in half, cut side down on baking sheet. Or cut in smaller pieces, and place in casserole dish with small amount of water. This will soften in about 25 minutes and is ready to puree in a food processor,  perhaps adding tablespoon of water if dry. 1 pound squash yields less than one cup of puree.

Orange Glaze: optional – we thought the pumpkin bread really did not need this.

1/4 cup orange juice                                       1/4 cup maple syrup or brown rice syrup

Bring ingredients to boil in small saucepan, then turn heat to low & simmer til a light syrup forms, 5 – 8 minutes, whisk occasionally. Drizzle and enjoy!

Did you use to cook a Sweet Potato Pudding for Thanksgiving with 4 cups of brown sugar, Carnation condensed sweet milk, sweet potatoes – queen of the night shade vegetables, plus 3 cans of Dole crushed pineapples? Topped with melted brown marshmellows? Yep, that was my beloved family’s heritage recipe from all Thanksgivings past, and just about every other holiday as well.

Now enter a Macrobiotic Diet, 17 years of it to be exact, and we found the most delish substitute – cooked stove-top, delectably sweet, savory and healthy!

In my macrobiotic cooking classes I call it Easy Squash Pie, but our first Thanksgiving dinner with my son-in-law’s family when his dear Aunt Gail said, “This is the best Sweet Potato Pie I’ve ever had”, my daughter and I never said a word that it was made with Kabocha Squash! Kids of all ages enjoy this one! And a dessert really good for you, too! Didja know, squash is really good for our skin and especially our pancreas?

Here’s the recipe for you and your family to enjoy and savor!

Easy Squash Pie
1 Kabocha squash per 8 people, cut in inch large chunks
please use organic and do not peel, just cut away hard spots on
surface
potato masher
Steamer basket
Filtered or Spring water
Pinch Si Salt Sea Salt – teeny pinch enhance sweetness of squash
Optional: Suzanne’s Brown Rice Syrup if you wish a little sweeter

Directions:
1. Steam squash for about 20 minutes, until knife slides easily through chunks.
2. Mash squash, and place in pie pans, serve warm.
That’s it folks! Nature has sweetened this squash for you! Yummy it up!
Optional: set into pie crust if you like.
Sprinkle with toasted pecans.

Please join our Thanksgiving Cooking Class, Sunday November 22nd
Atlanta/Dunwoody, Georgia 1-4 pm for a complete Thanksgiving Dinner
Menu perfect for vegan, vegetarian and macrobiotic diets! $45 per person.
Can’t make that date? Private classes are available.
Check our website for menu: www.atlantamacrobiotics.com
RSVP: marsharueff@mac.com or call: 770 -396-9413
Not in Atlanta? Send your $20 check to Marsha Rueff, 1130 Trailridge Lane, Dunwoody, Georgia 30338 for perfectly wonderful and healthy Thanksgiving
recipes! Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving to you and your dear ones!

]]> http://atlantamacrobiotics.com/2011/01/everything-you-need-to-know-to-cook-macro-well-atlanta-cooking-class-january-29-2011/1322/feed/ 0 http://atlantamacrobiotics.com/2011/01/atlanta-macrobiotic-vegan-cooking-classes-january-11-15/1232/ http://atlantamacrobiotics.com/2011/01/atlanta-macrobiotic-vegan-cooking-classes-january-11-15/1232/#comments Wed, 05 Jan 2011 04:16:39 +0000 Marsha http://atlantamacrobiotics.com/?p=1232 Welcome to Macrobiotics — a Macro Cooking Class

Our beginner’s cooking class welcomes Newcomers to Macro
Covering delicious easy recipes, and important basic info!

You’ll learn what Macrobiotics is really all about,
So you can cook with success and reap many benefits – without a doubt!

We’re excited to offer our Tuesday series just for you
To spice up your health and well-being through Macro food!

New Date: Tuesday, January 18                  10 AM – 1 PM                  $45 per person

Menu

The MacDaddy Miso Soup
Pressure-Cooking Brown Rice Really Isn’t Scary!
Azuki Beans-Kombu-Squash, the Magic Potion of Macrobiotics
Qwik-Qwik Blanched Greens with Pumpkin Seed Dressing
Homemade Gomashio
Poached Apple Surprises
The Secret to Bancha Tea

plus handouts what to buy & where to order it!

****

Nabe, the Perfect Winter Dish, Macro-Fondu, Easy and Quick!

Nabe Cooking?? What could this be?
Just come to class — and then you will see!

Why in Macro-land this is the dish we all do,
And almost no clean-up, once you are through!

A one-dish meal: noodles, veg & protein all served in one bowl,
Cooked at the table, easy for two or a party, just so you know.

This might remind you of Swiss Fondu — no need to beware,
Minus cheese and heavy oil, we enjoy this meal without a waistline care!

Winter’s the reason Nabe is my first cooking class.
‘Tis Relax-our-Kidneys-season, and Warren asked me to teach every lad and lass!

This clay Nabe pot’s perfect for Winter, a great way to go
Guaranteed to turn you into a Nabe fan after Saturday’s Nabe Demo!

Saturday, January 18                     1 PM – 4 PM                           $45 per person

Hope to see you! Early registration is greatly appreciated.
RSVP: marsharueff@mac.com phone: 770.396.9413    cell:678.643.5662

With limited seating, your check reserves your space:
Please send to Marsha Rueff, 1130 Trailridge Lane, Dunwoody, GA 30338

Because we associate certain dishes with every holiday, I’ve been trying to replicate the family Green Bean Casserole. A favorite on our holiday table, set in that exquisite silver covered dish! Topped with crispy onion rings! You can taste it, right!! So how does this overcooked half-canned, half-frozen vegetable dish ever surface on a healthy Vegan Macrobiotic Thanksgiving Feast we love to share with family and friends today?? We just don’t buy canned water chestnuts and bamboo shoots anymore.

Dilemma: my daughters grew up on this dish, every special occasion! And a few years ago, our granddaughters tasted a not-so-healthy version, and of course loved it. Each Thanksgiving since, they’ve requested my old Green Bean Casserole. They may as well have asked for Green Eggs and Ham! It just wasn’t going to happen. Then, my daughter called, saying this last week Trader Joe’s featured a tasting station of  a healthier green bean casserole. At Whole Foods I spotted Lars Imported Crispy Onions, All Natural. Now I felt challenged to reinvent this casserole, and last night I added it to this website.

But sis, Betty who also cooks according to Macrobiotic principles and is joining us Thanksgiving from St. Louis, requested: what about just cooking string beans? So, this morning I figured how to cook this dish stove top! Now the green bean casserole look-alike would work for our Macrobiotic Thanksgiving table and maybe this recipe will be a guideline down your family’s Memory Lane of Favorite Holiday Cuisine.

Stir Fry Green Beans & Vegetables with a Kuzu Sauce

1 cup sliced organic mushrooms
2 cups fresh string beans, sliced thin, sauteed in olive oil
1/2 cup sliced lotus root (the crunch to replace water chestnuts, and very good for our lungs!)
1/4 cup sliced jerusalem artichokes (sliced thin, replaces the bamboo shoots, and very delicious)
1 -2 cups mung bean sprouts
1/2 cup organic almonds, toasted, and chopped
1/4 cup Lars crispy onions to mix within vegetables

3-4 Tablespoons kuzu, dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup Lars crispy onions topping casserole dish

In a wok, or large Le Creuset pot saute string beans in olive oil 3-4 minutes.
Stir in remaining vegetables, and cook 8-10 minutes, adding water as needed.
Add almonds, and  1/4 cup crispy onions for crunch.

Stir in diluted kuzu, and season with Johsen shoyu.
Top with 1/2 cup Lars crispy onions.

And when you serve this dish, I hope it ‘s a gentle reminder of the sweet times at your mother and grandmother’s tables this Thanksgiving, just like it is for me.

As you enjoy this gravy and compliments of your delighted guests, you may have just found your all-time new favorite gravy too! And your bonus: it’s easy to make!

This recipe provides a very generous amount, easily serving 18-20. If you have less guests, please adjust the quantity to 1/2 or 3/4 amount. Of course, left-over it’s delightful on whatever you might be serving the next day!

All ingredients are organic. But here’s the secret: the special quality and flavors of the Hiraide Sesame Oil and Johsen Shoyu enhance this dish – and other Macrobiotic recipes immensly. We hope you will experience these delightful flavors by ordering these products from Natural Import Company. Just touch their link in the shopping column on this website, on the right side of this page.

And now, we are happy to feature the very delicious Southern Pecan Mushroom Gravy, inspired by Harriet McNear, from Winter Park, Florida.

2 Tablespoons Hiraide Sesame Oil, Natural Import Company
1 large organic onion, small diced
2 cups organic mushrooms, thinly sliced
3/4 cup organic pecans, toasted and chopped
4-5 cups filtered water
3 Tablespoons Johsen Shoyu, Natural Import Company
5 Tablespoons Kuzu, Natural Import Company, dissolved in 3 teaspoons cold water
teeny minced organic parsley

Heat oil in large skillet and sauté onions until just starting to brown.
Add mushrooms and cook 2 minutes over medium low flame
Add pecans, water and soy sauce and bring to a boil.
Cook 15-20 minutes over low flame.
Adjust flavors. Stir in kuzu and cook until thick and clear.
Add parsley and put into gravy bowl to serve.

Since I served this dish to my children as they were growing up, our daughter has mentioned it to her daughters, who in fact tasted a not-so-healthy version, and of course loved the taste a year or two ago. Each Thanksgiving since, they’ve requested my old Green Bean Casserole. They may as well have asked for Green Eggs and Ham! It just wasn’t going to happen. Then, my daughter called, saying this last week Trader Joe’s featured a tasting station of  a healthier green bean casserole. And  at Whole Foods I spotted Lars Imported Crispy Onions, All Natural. Now I felt  challenged to reinvent this dish.

Just last week my Navy Bean soup surprised me and tasted just perfect for the base of this dish. Here’s what I did, and hope you get to enjoy also for the Thanksgiving Holidays. Maybe this recipe will guide your own adaptation down your family’s Memory Lane of Favorite Holiday Cuisine.

1 cup organic navy beans, rinsed & soaked over night in heavy Le Creuset pot       Recipe for about 4-5 persons
4-5 cups water
1 inch piece of kombu
Si Salt Sea Salt, from Kushi Institute Store
Shoyu, Sakurazawa from Natural Import Company or Kushi Institute Store

Discard soaking water, add kombu and add water to cover.
Bring to boil, skimming off foam, adding additional cold water to shock beans, and skim more foam,
for about 20 minutes. Cover beans and cook til soft.

1 cup sliced organic mushrooms
2 cups fresh string beans, sliced thin, sauteed in olive oil
1/2 cup sliced lotus root
1/4 cup sliced jerusalem artichokes
1/2 cup organic almonds, toasted, and chopped
1/4 cup Lars crispy onions to mix within vegetables
1/2 cup Lars crispy onions topping casserole dish

While beans cook, slice vegetables for casserole dish very finely.
Saute vetables in olive oil til soft.
Once bean dish is a soft creamy soup, add Si Salt Sea Salt, and Shoyu to your preferred taste.
Transfer to a casserole serving dish you can place in oven.
Stir in sauteed vegetables, almonds, and add 1/4 cup crispy onions for crunch.
Top with 1/2 cup Lars crispy onions, and bake just to meld flavors, about 20 minutes at 325 degrees.

And when you serve this dish, I hope you sit back & enjoy remembering the sweet times at your mother and grandmother’s tables this Thanksgiving, just like me.

Hurry to book your private consultation: 90 minutes for your first appointment, and 60 minutes for follow-up! And if you follow Alicia Silverstone’s website, The Kind Life, after reading her book, The Kind Diet, you’ll recognize Warren Kramer is her counselor!  Warren’s the one she recommends you to see if he’s coming to your city! We are sooooo lucky having this great counselor, Michio Kushi’s private assistant for about 12 years, travelin’ to Atlanta 4 times a year!

If you are newly practicing Macrobiotics, this is a wonderful place to start, like Julie Andrew sings, Let’s start from the very beginning! You will meet like-minded, lovely participants with wonderfully encouraging stories and helpful hints to share with you ~ and great confidence builders! As well as others pretty new to macro-land, and very willing to share the pointers that helped them start in the most recent months.

How Warren develops these amazing new topics just floors me. We are so much looking forward to Warren’s new topics. Check out the descriptions in the following brochure. Please just click on this link to visit the page with a link  to the PDF, named Warren Kramer November Web. Clicking on that text opens the flyer we’ve prepared for you with dates, prices, discounts & and location for the numerous events Warren will be presenting.

Have any questions? And to RSVP: please email marsharueff@mac.com or call Marsha Rueff at home: 770 . 396 . 9413 or cell: 678 . 643 . 5662. Your check reserves your appointment with Warren, and your place in the lecture and cooking classes. Events will be held in Dunwoody: 1130 Trailridge Lane, Dunwoody, Georgia 30338. Easy access to Georgia 400. Soon as you contact us, we’ll email you directions! Hope to see you soon!

And the October date allows you plenty of time to practice dishes at home, call or email any questions you may have, as well as shop for your ingredients well before November 25 rolls around! Start up singing Turkey in the Straw… cause you’ll be serving our Tofurrr-key instead, and let the turkeys enjoy their Hootchie Kootchie Dance!

And remember, these recipes are developed on guidelines for practicing a macrobiotic diet, so very healthy ingredients are used, and there’s no sign of poultry, eggs, sugar, meat, nightshade veggies anywhere near this Pilgrim’s Thankful Feast!

Menu

Tofurrr-key or Faux Turkey
Herbed Massasoit Stuffing
Southern Folk Pecan Mushroom Gravy
Easy Squash Pie with Toasted Pecans
Granny Chester’s Cranberry Sauce
Pocahantas Pumpkin Pie with It’s-Not- Creme
Oh my, do i see a Pumpkin Nut Bread, too?
Warm-panoag Apple Cider

RSVP: Marsha Rueff       marsharueff@mac.com       p: 770 . 396 . 9413     c: 678 . 643 . 5662
Your check holds your reservation. Please write and mail check to:
Marsha Rueff, 1130 Trailridge Lane, Dunwoody, Georgia 30338

and we’ll have you out the door in time for your Halloween Party!!!

singin’

Over the river and through the woods
To Grandfather’s house we go.
The horse knows the way
To carry the sleigh
Through white and drifted snow.

Over the river and through the woods
To have a first-rate play.
Hear the bells ring,
Ting-a-ling-ling!
Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!

Over the river and through the woods,
Trot fast, my dapple gray!
Spring over the ground
Like a hunting hound,
For this is Thanksgiving Day.

Over the river and through the woods –
Now Grandmother’s cap I spy!
Hurrah for fun!
Is the pudding done?
Hurray for the pumpkin pie!

]]> http://atlantamacrobiotics.com/2010/09/thanksgiving-macrobiotic-cooking-class-in-atlanta-vegan-too/1090/feed/ 0 http://atlantamacrobiotics.com/2010/08/sandwiches-wrap-it-up-macro-vegan-cooking-class/1022/ http://atlantamacrobiotics.com/2010/08/sandwiches-wrap-it-up-macro-vegan-cooking-class/1022/#comments Sat, 07 Aug 2010 14:43:14 +0000 Marsha http://atlantamacrobiotics.com/?p=1022 Hi Everyone!

Join our Group Macro Cooking Class: Sandwiches & Wrap-it-Ups!! A Hand’s-on Class!

Saturday, August 28            1-4 pm                           $45 per person

RSVP: marsharueff@mac.com Limited seating!

Please confirm by email, and mail your check to reserve your spot:

Marsha Rueff, 1130 Trailridge Lane, Dunwoody, Georgia 30338

Wrap Around the Clock today,

we’re goin’ to rap, rap rap, aroun’ the clock today!!

A fun twist in Macroland, make a sandwich, wrap it up!

Hungry? need a snack, a travel meal, school lunches for the kids and yourself,

hiking picnik, or just a night off from the kitchen? This class fits you perfectly!

And, just what our macro counselor, Warren Kramer, suggested to many clients.

A perfect class for macro newcomers & long-time cooking macro!

Easily adaptable for gluten-free concerns!

And share with your family and friends too! Fun, yummy & light!

Experience & make the type dishes you’ve read about in Alisha Silverstone’s, Kind Diet!

Be the chef! Experience making today’s menu 1st-hand! A Hand’s-0n class for YOU!

Menu

The Magic 7

Mochi • Tofu • Nori Wrap

Tofu Vegetable Wrap

Totally Awesome Veggie Burger

Aveline’s Famous Hummus, A Rapper’s Delight!

Tempting Tempeh Reuben Sandwich

Rice Balls

Nori Rolls

We will show you what to do, have the fixin’s, then it’s all in your hands!!

Recipes will include lots of ideas & variations for each item we make in class.

Wishing you a great August – keepin’ kool,

Marsha and Fred Rueff