Pearl left a comment on my kabocha explanation with a lovely recipe suggestion. I tried it last night and it didn’t disappoint. And hey, it’s even macrobiotic!
Kabocha & Garlic
Ingredients (serves 1)
- ~2 cups chopped kabocha
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 – 2/3 cup water
- dash of sea salt
- drizzle of brown rice syrup (or sprinkle of granulated sweetener)
Directions
- Heat the EVOO over medium heat in a cast iron skillet (okay, you can use whatever kind of skillet you want. But cast iron is a great way to add some iron into your diet. Just beware of Teflon pans – they can damage your liver and thyroid). Add the garlic and saute until it starts to brown, or until it starts smelling great.
- Add the kabocha and stir to coat with EVOO. Saute for a minute or so. Add 1/2 cup of water, and continue to cook the kabocha as it boils off. Once the water is almost gone, test the kabocha to see if it’s soft enough. If it still needs more time, add another splash of water, wait for it to boil off, and test it again. Repeat if needed.
- Serve topped with salt and brown rice syrup, to taste. (Pearl suggested a granulated sweetener – perhaps brown sugar – but I wanted to make this macrobiotic so I used brown rice syrup instead. Do what you like.)
I savored this slowly and it was delicious. I was reading about all the benefits of garlic in Jillian’s new book, Master Your Metabolism. She says that garlic (and other veggies in the allium family – leeks, onions, etc…) is a great detoxifier and helps to keep the liver healthy. It even lowers total cholesterol (but raises HDL, the good one). Jillian recommends crushing garlic before you eat it, or pairing it with olive oil which both increase the benefits.
Yesterday I made this nice little (macrobiotic) snack before I went out to tutor:
- 2 free-range egg whites, microwaved; drizzled with brown rice syrup
- fresh seaweed (rinsed of salt and soaked in water for 10 minutes)
- mushrooms and a tomato sauteed in 1-2 teaspoons EVOO
It was really yummy and perfect to tide me over until dinner. What’s your favorite snack?
My favourite snack lately is yogurt & berries!
Not to be repetitive, but I love a nice container of Fage, maybe with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Or a cup of miso soup (I keep those instant miso packets in my desk).
My favorite snack is something with pb, anything with pb really. The kabocha and garlic looks great!
What a great snack.
My favorite snack lately has been green smoothies! I’m drinking one right now 😉
Same as everyone 😀 Yogurt, PB or smoothie! For some reason, snacks always= sweet to me, i’m trying to retrain my brain though! V. interesting!
Oh that sounds easy enough! My favorite snack incorporates either PB or cheese – anything with those and I’m good to go!
yaaay i’m glad you like it! i think it’s the savory + sweet that hits the spot.
You’ve inspired me I’m going to try me some kabocho! Thanks for the suggestion…my favorite snack is fruit salad. You can eat a bunch and not feel bad about it and it’s deliciously sweet:)
Love the kabocha. I especially like that you can eat the skin. It’s so much easier.
I usually prefer some kind of sweet snack. Lately, I like a little dry cereal with chocolate chips. Yum.
this looks like a great recipe, thanks!
I like things that crunch for snacks: pea pods, carrots, nuts/seeds…rice cakes….you name it!
but, a little bit of oats with cocoa and something sweet is also nice.
Your snack plate looks delicious. I don’t think I’ve ever had seaweed outside of sushi, but I hear sea veggies are the macro’s “secret weapon” (hehe).
that sauteed kabocha looks yummy, I’ll try it out too! 🙂
And that macrobiotic snack looks more like a meal to me…. did u really have it as snack? I can’t imagine having a meal/like snack.
Favorite snack? I’d say my latest favorite is toasted English Muffin with homemade almond butter or LC.
love the look of your snack plate!! so cleansing and healthy. i love kabocha (kabocha tempura is SO yum!) but only ever eat it in japan. gosh you would love living in japan – for the food, at least! i’m so glad your plan to steer away from bingeing is working, i think you’ve got a great idea going.
I need to try kabocha! I’ve been looking for it since you first mentioned it on the blog. I have a question about the macrobiotic diet/lifestyle: do you know where I can find a list (online) of macro foods? Is it mostly food that will prevent bloating? (I ask because many veggies and grains make me bloat like mad and I’m trying to figure out if macro is the way to go for that). Thanks!
you werent joking, you are a kabocha FIEND! note to self: must try.
The recipe looks yummy, but your snack? Not so much… if it were really macro, you wouldn’t be using a microwave…
@Lynette: I’m not macro! I just like macro food.
Awesome! Been searching for this info , thanks for posting, macrobiotic diet.