Grains
Simple Risotto and Variations
This recipe for simple risotto is the baseline recipe from which all risotto springs. Risotto makes a wonderful starter or light main dish and is really easy to make once you understand the basic concept.
Wild Mushroom and Saffron Risotto with Variations
Scented with saffron and rich with the flavors of wild mushrooms, this recipe for wild mushroom risotto makes a wonderful starter or light main dish.
Quinoa and Roasted Corn Pilaf
It is worth the extra time to prepare this savory, aromatic recipe for quinoa and roasted corn pilaf. Quinoa, roasted red onion and corn combine with herbs and olives for a high-protein, delicious side dish.
Quinoa Salad with Water Chestnuts, Olives, and Herbs
This easy whole foods recipe for quinoa salad with water chestnuts, olives, and herbs is a great way to use up leftover grains and herbs. A light, lemony vinaigrette adds zesty flavor to this excellent snack or side dish. The salad makes a fantastic light lunch or supper dish.
Brown Rice and Vegetable Salad
This cool, tangy, brown rice and vegetable salad with miso dressing is a pleasure to eat on a hot day. Crunchy carrots and celery, parsley and other sweet herbs all combine to make a delicious side dish.
Japanese Style Brown Rice and Vegetable Salad
This easy whole foods/macrobiotic crossover recipe for Japanese style brown rice salad is quite flexible; feel free to add any raw veggies that appeal to you, and either cut them in matchsticks or chop them fine. A light sesame vinaigrette is tossed with the rice and vegetables; the finished salad is lovely atop a bed of mesclun or other baby lettuces.
Moros y Cristianos- Moors and Christians-Black Beans and Rice
This recipe for Moros y Cristianos might be better called Moros y Indios (Moors and Indians,) since it uses brown rice instead of white. The finished product is a nutritious, easy to make and delicious spin on a Medieval Spanish dish invented when the Christians and Moors were at war with one another. We often have this dish as a light supper with a big salad.
Soba Noodles with Maitake Mushrooms
This whole foods recipe for soba noodles with maitake mushrooms is a meeting of great taste with great medicine. Maitake mushrooms are amongst the most popular culinary mushrooms in Japanese cooking, and have a rich, earthy, almost meaty flavor. They also happen to be very powerful medicinal mushrooms, and are used in oriental medicine as mineral rich immune enhancers and cancer fighters. If you cannot source maitakes, use shiitake mushrooms instead
Brown Rice Salad with Walnuts and Currants
This quick and easy recipe for brown rice salad with walnuts and currants is a great way to use leftover cooked rice. Wild, black, wehani, Bhutanese, basmati, and regular brown rices are all well suited to this recipe, which can be made in about 5 minutes once the rice is cooked.
Basic Bulgur and Vegetable Pilaf
This easy recipe for basic bulgur and vegetable pilaf is excellent with stews, baked veggies and fish, or even as a savory breafast dish. Bulgur (or bulghur) is crushed wheat that has been parboiled, and dried. Bulgur is NOT cracked wheat, although many people confuse the two. It is rich in fiber, potassium, and vitamins, and is an excellent grain for anyone who tolerates wheat well. Bulgur pilafs are very common in Armenia, Turkey, and the Middle East, and are very easy to make.
Quinoa Salad With Toasted Walnuts, Mustard Seed and Tarragon
Use either red or white quinoa in this recipe for an assertive salad with mustard seeds, toasted walnuts and tarragon. This dish is equally good warm, room temperature or even chilled, but I like it best the day it’s made, when the nuts are still crisp.
Brown Rice and Vegetable Salad with Miso Dressing
This cool, tangy, brown rice and vegetable salad with miso dressing is a pleasure to eat on a hot day. Crunchy carrots and celery, parsley and other sweet herbs all combine to make a delicious side dish.
Soba Noodles and Vegetables
This simple soba noodle and vegetable recipe is nourishing for the kidneys and relaxing for the liver and gallbladder. It’s a great picnic dish, as it holds very well and is equally good whether hot, cold, or room temperature.
Macrobiotic Udon Noodle and Vegetable Salad
This cold noodle recipe combines udon noodles with carrots, cabbage, baked tofu, scallions and cilantro. It’s a great make-ahead dish for picnics and entertaining, and doesn’t need much more than a salad to become a full meal.
Macrobiotic Bulgur Salad Recipe
A variation on traditional tabbouleh, this macrobiotic bulgur salad recipe includes chickpeas, Kirby cucumbers and basil leaves, which add protein, flavor and a bit of crunch to the salad.
Couscous with Vegetables
Couscous is semolina wheat, and can be found in both white and whole wheat. This recipe calls for whole wheat couscous, and is made with the quick-cooking variety Quick couscous has been steamed and then dried, so the cooking time is only five minutes. This vegetarian and vegan couscous dish involves some prep work but is delicious and is a great way to eat a variety of vegetables.
Pasta with Lentils, Spinach and Roasted Tomatoes (Pasta con le Lenticchie)
Pasta with lentils is a country Italian dish that varies from one kitchen to the next. This version combines lentils with rich roasted tomatoes, garlic and lightly sautéed spinach; all tossed with spaghetti, but feel free to try variations, as you are inspired.
Middle Eastern Rice with Lentils: Mujadarra
This macrobiotic version of mujadarra is adapted from Saad Fayed's traditional recipe. Long grain, fragrant brown basmati rice is cooked with caramelized onions and lentils to create a warming and delicious side dish. Add winter squash and greens and you've got a complete meal.
Boiled Brown Rice
Boiled brown rice is a bit less tricky than pressure cooking if you are a novice in the kitchen. Soaking the rice for an hour or two before cooking softens the kernels, but is not essential.
Pressure Cooked Brown Rice
Pressure cooked brown rice is a staple of the traditional macrobiotic diet. The theory is that pressure cooking intensifies flavor and preserves nutrients.
Kasha Varnishkas
This vegan, gluten-free version of Kasha Varnishkas is a departure from the butter-and-egg eastern European recipe, and may be a new taste experience for many of you. Try adding sautéed mushrooms, carrots, squash, or parsnips to the base recipe for a different flavor profile. A bit of freshly ground pink peppercorns adds a nice finishing touch to this dish
Amaranth Scallion Pancakes
These tasty, savory pancakes are a great side dish or snack. As a variation, try substituting grated zucchini or sweet potato for the carrots.
Basic Millet Pilaf
Lightly toasting the millet gives a nutty flavor to this simple macrobiotic pilaf. Try cooking with a few pods of cardamom and garnishing with toasted pine nuts for a north African style pulao.
Quinoa with Mushrooms and Ginger
This quinoa pilaf is one of my very favorite side dishes. Quinoa is very high in protein and calcium, with a strong amino acid profile. This dish has an additional benefit: mushrooms bolster immunity, cleanse the blood, and remove toxins from the body.
Brown Basmati and Wild Rice Pilaf
Wild rice gives this side dish a pleasantly nutty flavor, while the vegetables add sweetness. This rice pilaf is a great accompaniment for vegetarian and seafood entrees.
Grain and Pasta Salads
Grain and pasta salads are an easy, delicious, and stress-free way to get your grains without too much cooking. When you are cooking grains, make extra, and use the leftovers in a salad. Likewise, extra pasta or soba noodles make a wonderful salad, with the added plus that it's a terrific lunch to take to work or school.
Pasta with Arugula, Garlic and Olive Oil
Italians have a wonderful understanding of the value of simplicity, and this recipe for pasta with arugula, garlic, and olive oil is a perfect example of that philosophy. Take good pasta, good olive oil, fresh greens and a little garlic, and you’ve got a stunningly simple and delicious pasta course
Pasta with Cauliflower, Arugula, Garlic and Olive Oil
This simple whole foods recipe for pasta with cauliflower, arugula, garlic and olive oil is an easy supper dish; just make a salad and you’re good...
Gluten Free Millet Tabbouleh
This easy gluten free recipe for millet tabbouleh can also be made with quinoa. It’s a great make-ahead dish for summer entertaining and is super rich in phytonutrients and antioxidants.
Kitchari Recipe: Ayurvedic Mung Bean or Lentil and Rice Stew
This recipe for kitchari is a soupy Ayurvedic mung bean and rice stew. Kitchari (“mish-mash” in Hindi) is traditionally used as a restorative food after illness or childbirth, but also as part of the Ayurvedic cleansing protocol called Panchakarma. This simple dish is composed of rice and mung or lentil dal cooked with spices. It is great to...
Arborio Rice and Risotto
When I lived in Italy I spent 4 years in the northeastern Veneto region. I learned to cook risotto there. And risotto's success depends in great part on the rice.Arborio –or risotto rice- is a short grain round rice with a very high starch content and an internal “deformity” that makes the core of the rice remain firm when cooked. No other rice...