DELIGHTFUL COOKING FOR SPRINGTIME
c. Jane Quincannon Stanchich
Spring is a time a fresh beginnings, garden greens and an abundance of different tastes. One can eat lighter in Springtime, meaning almost exclusively vegan, with less use of oil and heavy preparations. The macrobiotic diet includes plenty of organic vitamin and mineral-rich foods that cleanse and nourish us in the Spring, leaving us with a greater sense of strength, calm, and satisfaction. In the Spring, we focus on the Liver and Gall Bladder and their cleansing and healing with foods that grow during this season.
Chinese Medicine teaches that the grains for Spring are barley, wheat, and spelt. People avoiding gluten can cook non-gluten whole grains such as brown rice, 100% soba/buckwheat and seeds such as quinoa, millet, teff, amaranth, and non-gluten oats. We cook a wide variety of protein-rich beans each season, with an emphasis on white beans, mung beans, and soy tempeh. Green edamame is perfect in salads, sauté, and to sprinkle on grain salads. Fabulous flavors - deliciously healthy!
Our bodies thrive on all of the mineral-rich leafy greens that strengthen bones, cleanse the blood, improve our eyesight, aid elimination, relieve tension, and enhance sleep. Include kale, broccoli, collards, bok choy, parsley, mustard greens, watercress, and parsley (which we keep in a glass like flowers on our kitchen counter to be reminded to use it often!) At our home, we eat delicious leafy greens as part of every meal. We most frequently boil or steam the fresh greens and often sauté broccoli with garlic and olive oil, use lettuces in salads, add celery leaves or cilantro as a garnish to soups. Try green sprouts and micro greens as well as green beans and asparagus. They are delicious and packed with nutrients!
Enjoy other organic vegetables as well, including sweet vegetables such as: Squash, cabbage, yams, onions, corn, sweet potatoes and root vegetables such as: Carrot, parsnip, turnip, beet, rutabaga, and kohlrabi, cooked in a variety of styles from raw to marinated, boiled, sautéed, or cooked with grains and beans for a sweet, delicious dish. Fruits come into ripeness in late Spring so we enjoy strawberries and various berries as the weather warms.
Lino always says that the seasoning for Spring is sour, which we find in umeboshi, lemon, limes, vinegars, and green apples. Fresh herbs such as parsley are also lovely additions to the flavors of any meal. We use a variety of other seasonings, such as ginger root and tamari, toasted seeds, condiments, and sea salt, but are sure to add in some sour flavors each day. When macrobiotic grains, beans, sea vegetables and fruits are lovingly combined with lively seasonings, (grain and bean salads for example,) we create a colorful menu magic that makes us feel more energized and enlivened.
As you cook in the Spring, remember, as in all seasons, to prepare a variety of dishes and cooking styles to nourish different organs, conditions, and tastes. Take cooking classes! Learn the basics of macrobiotic cooking, then expand and be creative while you have the foundation of knowledge to prepare balanced, digestible, and energetic dishes. When you learn to organize your weekly menus, shop carefully, and practice macrobiotic cooking techniques, you and your family are able to create wholesome, economical, and delicious meals. Happy Cooking! And Happy Spring! ~ Jane
Jane Quincannon Stanchich, Licensed Nutritionist, Certified Macrobiotic Teacher, counselor, author, and noted chef, is an international teacher of macrobiotic health principles with over 25 years experience. Ms. Stanchich has served on the faculty of the renowned Kushi Institute, Becket, Massachusetts, where was insturmental in the creation of the comprehensive Kushi Level Instruction. In 2007, Jane received the prestigious Aveline Kushi Award for noted service as a macrobiotic educator.
This former Public School Teacher is a Certified Yoga Instructor and proponent of exercise and movement therapy, ecological living, and creating a healthier world. Along with her husband, famed macrobiotic counselor and author, Lino Stanchich, Jane teaches at public and private schools, health centers, universities, and corporations in her hometown of Asheville, North Carolina and throughout the USA and Europe. They teach in Italy, Switzerland, Holland, Portugal, Great Britain, and Spain. In 2010, they were key macrobiotic instructors at the SHA Wellness Clinic (Voted "Top Medical Spa in the World.") in Alicante, Spain. Both are regular presenters on the annual Holistic Holiday at Sea Cruise.
Ms. Stanchich contributes to numerous international publications and has been a regular featured writer for "Christina's Healthy Loving Journal" and the new "Health Education Initiative," both founded by Christina Pirello, of the Emmy Award-Winning PBS Television Cooking Show, "Christina Cooks!"
A main consultant with the highly successful Ritz Carlton Hotel's Macrobiotic Culinary Program, Jane also conducted the macrobiotic menu program for the Kellogg School of Public Health's dining facility at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. She is an editor and co-producer of her husband's books, audios, and videos, and appears on his Do-In video and Laughter Therapy audio.
Jane has produced a macrobiotic cooking video and DVD entitled, "Macrobiotic Cooking for the Whole Family, Meal #1" and book, Healthy Holiday Cooking: Delicious Macrobiotic Recipes for Autumn and Winter Celebrations. A DVD titled, "Cooking Terrific Tofu Turkey," accompanies her holiday book.
A resident of Asheville, North Carolina, Jane presents, with Lino, dynamic healing macrobiotic seminars and retreats in her hometown, throughout the United States, and in Europe. In Spring and Autumn, Jane and Lino have presented week-long Great Life Mountain Seminars and also hold frequent week-end seminars in addition, for macrobiotic study, in Asheville, North Carolina.
Lino and Jane Stanchich's website, www.greatliefglobal.com , contains a wide array of informative articles, scientific data, inspiring recovery testimonials, delicious recipes, and a full service online store with resources for a worldwide community.