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Greetings!
Gung Hay Fat Choy!
Lunar New Year fell on February 3rd this year and is the start of the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese zodiac system.
To greet the new year, I would have cleaned my house; bought a new outfit; paid my debts; showered and shampooed; eaten chicken and long noodles on New Year's eve. So what did I do? Ok, ok I did take a shower and wash my hair.....but I am still going to have a great year because I am inviting you, my favorite readers to join me on a wonderful vacation on my Alaska cruise! I'll be part of a team running some really great wellness programming for the whole week. It's going to be fun, and you'll go home with a whole new outlook on your health.
This past Monday capped off an intense few months for me of trying my hand at recipe creation and recipe testing as judge for cookbook awards. I just finished our latest photoshoot on Monday for the Well-Fed Heart website. Check out these heavenly pancakes with cherry compote, perfect for your Valentine's breakfast.
Building Community through Cuisine,
Naomi
Naomi Kakiuchi,
RD, CD, CCP |
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 Naomi's Alaska Cruise
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Energize Your Life!
Are you ready to plan your summer vacation but want to make it a memorable trip?
Do you feel like you want to keep the "healthy" going but feel a cruise would work against it?
Do you like to see several destinations but hate to pack and unpack?
Have you always wanted to see that Mendenhall glacier and see the pristine scenes of Alaska but didn't want to go it alone?
We have the vacation for you on board the 2011 Ship Shape Carnival Alaska Cruise! You'll learn healthy living tips from experts including nutritionist David Meinz and exercise physiologist Dr. Jason Karp and yours truly. You will access to everything on the cruise (pools, spa, casino, restaurants), AND exclusive seminars with me, David and Jason who will be on-hand for special seminars on everything from vitamin supplements and sugar substitutes to organic foods and why exercise matters. In case you were wondering, I'll be running a week's worth of live cooking demonstrations and tastings, teaching you healthful recipes you'll love and can fix quick. This sailing truly offers a crash course in wellness, plus you get to enjoy the sights of popular Alaskan ports including Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway. We sail out July 19th, but registration ends on February 18th, so check this out while you still can. Learn more about my cruise and find out how to register now! Or feel free to send me an email if you have any questions. |
New Year's Soup
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Some Lok Mei ingredients: Longan fruit, polygonatum root, Dioscorea Yam, lily bulbs, fox nut and Lotus seeds (halved, with brown skins) |
Wayne's mom makes a healthful soup at New Year's time called Lok Mei (six flavors). Each ingredient is picked for the different health benefits it provides. Above all, it improves the appetite when you're feeling unwell.
If your store (Uwajimaya)sells the prepacked sets of all the herbs then making this soup will be easy. But you can also search out each item individually.
Sometimes people use different herbs according to their taste and what health ailment they want to address. Usually it's made as a salty/savory soup, but sweet versions are also heard of.
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Lok Mei Recipe by Naomi Kakiuchi as dictated by Jennifer Lim (AKA Wayne's mom) 1 prepackaged set of soup herbs or ½ cup lily bulbs
½ cup fox nut seeds
¼ cup lotus seed (without the center seed)
6-7 pieces white wai san (dioscorea or Chinese yam)
¼ cup dried apricot kernels or ¼ cup dried Almond Seed
10 3-inch pieces glehnia root (radix glehniae)
8 cups chicken broth or Broth of 1 package pork bones and 1 package chicken breasts Salt to taste - Take herbs out of the package and rinse them well.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and blanch pork bones and chicken. Remove and rinse in cold water.
- In a large soup pot, place blanched meat with herbs and 8 cups water. Bring to a boil. Boil 10 minutes and reduce heat, simmer for about 2½ hours. Use a spoon or strainer to skim any scum that bubbles to the top.
- Remove bones and chicken and discard. Salt soup to taste and serve. (Yes! you may eat the herbs in the soup.) Note: As you can see, this recipe is variable depending on what you have on hand and how strong you might like it.
Interested in Chinese Soups? I recommend A Tradition of Soup, Flavors from China's Pearl River Delta by Teresa M. Chen. |
Community Calendar
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New Year's Celebration at Wing Luke Museum
Saturday, February 5, 2:00 pm
719 South King Street, Seattle
Come welcome the Year of the Rabbit with a colorful Lion Dance performance. The Lion dances to the sound of firecrackers, drumbeats and cymbals through Chinatown during New Year festivities. It brings good luck and drives evil spirits away as it dances in front of businesses and homes. In return, people offer lettuce and money to the Lion.
 Children's International Film Festival at NW Film Forum
Through Sunday, February 6
1515 12th Ave, Seattle
The largest international festival of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. This year's 10-day extravaganza is a mind-blowing blend of live performances, animation, features, shorts, historical films and fantastic hands-on workshops, all crafted with care to appeal to the next generation of movie lovers. Includes a round-up of contemporary animation from China and The Azemichi Road (from Japan) both on Saturday, February 5th.
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