Where Do I Start? Cook More Vegetables & Grains!
by Meg Wolff • Cape Elizabeth, ME

Eight years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer and began a Macrobiotic diet, which is a plant-based way of eating that is centered around whole grains. At the time I was unaware of the gorgeous
variety of vegetables available in most super markets. In fact, I thought a rutabaga was a vintage car!
Since then I’ve become passionate about vegetables. I try to include 5-9 servings a day. I even eat sea vegetables. And I found that as I eliminated sugar and artificially processed foods from my diet, these new foods became tastier.

When I teach whole foods cooking the most common question I get is, “Where do I start?” Start by adding delicious whole grains and more vegetables to your diet. Be adventurous. For instance, if you only like broccoli and carrots, eat more of them. If you eat meat 5 days a week, cut back to 2 days and replace the meat with fish and a bean dish. Learn to cook brown rice, or other whole grains such as millet or quinoa. If you don’t cook beans, start with canned organic beans and gradually learn to cook them from their dried form. It’s really easy once you get the hang of it, and surprisingly economical.
Start by learning to make simple brown rice. Then steam a green vegetable, cook an easy vegetable and add an easy bean soup if you like. This is how I began my journey towards health.

Here are a few recipes to get you on your path toward healthier eating. These recipes are also wheat free:

Simple Boiled Brown Rice
2 cups organic short grain brown rice
4 cups spring water
Small pinch sea salt

Use 2 parts water per 1 part rice. Place rice and water in a pot, bring to a boil over high flame. When gently boiling, add a pinch of sea salt. Cover the pot with a heavy lid, lower the flame, simmer for 45-50 minutes. When finished, allow the rice to sit for 3-5 minutes undisturbed before removing the cover. Sprinkle with gomasio, a crushed sesame salt obtained from any health food grocery store.

Long Slow Steamed Vegetables
1 carrot cut into large chunks
1⁄4 cabbage cut into large wedges
1 onion sliced into large wedges
1⁄4 cup hard, sweet winter squash
2-3 inch strip kombu soaked and sliced into small strips

Place kombu and its soaking water in the bottom of a pot. Place the piles of cut up vegetables in pie-shaped wedges around the pot, instead of mixing all together. This will keep the flavor of each intact. Add 3/4 inch of water. Cover pot and bring to a boil over a medium high flame until there is steam from the pot. Lower flame and cook without disturbing the pot for 15-20 minutes or longer. If water evaporates during cooking add more water to the bottom of the pot. When vegetables have become tender, add a few drops of tamari soy sauce. Replace cover and simmer five more minutes. Remove from the flame, let sit, and serve after a couple minutes. Vary the combinations of vegetables each time you prepare the dish.


Black Bean Soup
1 cup black beans,( for starters use organic canned) or soaked overnight and covered with water
4 cups water
1 inch strip kombu seaweed (if you have it)
2 cups chopped cauliflower
1 carrot, diced
1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
pinch cumin (optional)
1 green onion, sliced
2-3 teaspoons tamari soy sauce

Wash and soak black beans overnight or used organic canned. Drain soaking water and add fresh. Place in a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil over high heat, lower and simmer for 1 hour. Add cauliflower, ginger, carrot and cumin and simmer 20 minutes—just until veggies are tender. Stir in the green onion, season with tamari, and let it sit awhile before serving, to let the flavors blend. Garnish with slivers of fresh green onion.


Quick Steamed Greens
1 bunch leafy greens such as kale, collard greens, or mustard greens. (Kale is a good green to start with.)
Spring water

Wash the leafy greens. Bring water to a rapid boil over a high flame in a pot or steamer pan. Add greens, cover and steam on high for 2-3 minutes, depending on the texture of the leaves. Remove from pan immediately and place on a flat platter to stop them from cooking longer.

You can read more about Meg Wolff and her journey towards health in her just released book, Becoming Whole, The Story of My Complete Recovery From Breast Cancer. Visit her website: www.megwolff.com