Blueberry and nut power drink – Dr. Tae Yun Kim’s recipe

Sometimes I get really lucky.  A couple of days ago, I got to try Dr. Tae Yun Kim‘s her super secret – and now shared – recipe for a very healthy power drink.  You can either have this as a smoothie, or a more liquid drink.  If you prefer a smoothie, make sure your blueberries are frozen, and add some ice cubes.

Here is the original recipe, but feel free to experiment if you have any nut allergies.  The blueberries are there for a reason, as they are helping with antioxidants, fight Alzheimer’s, and do a host of other good things for your body.  But of course, you are welcome to experiment.

Start by assembling the nuts.  To save time, I have made up individual serving baggies that look something like this:

In each bag, there are (approximately) 3 – 4 of each (except more of the pine nuts because they are so small):

Put those in a blender, along with about a cup of blueberries, more or less.  I always use frozen ones.  Add honey according to your sweet tooth, and add enough water to make it your desired thickness.  If you want more of a meal replacement, use any milk instead of water – coconut milk is superb with this.

Blend really really well, and enjoy ice-cold.  If I have this for breakfast, I am not hungry for a long time!

And my quote for the day, by Dr. Tae Yun Kim, doesn’t really have to do with either nuts or berries or even food, but I happened upon it and loved it so much I wanted to share it with you:

“The whole purpose of change, the whole purpose of continuous cycles of yin and yang is to take you higher, to make you grow, to give you more of what will lead you to a truer expression of your Real Self.  Never be afraid of change.  All changes lead you into greater good.  That is the purpose of change and the purpose of life.”  (Seven Steps to Inner Power, page 51)

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Down home comfort food

Today, I decided to take charge and get back into the kitchen.  After all, I had just read what Dr. Tae Yun Kim has to say about taking charge:

“Who are you?  Waiting quietly within you is a Presence, a Force, a state of Consciousness that gives you power to overcome mental and physical limitations in your life power to harmonize and change discordant situations, power to create and to achieve goals, power to experience peace and joy regardless of the circumstances around you – power to be who you really are.” (Seven Steps to Inner Power, page 3)

All right – armed with these positive feelings, I made my way into the kitchen.  I wanted to make something easy, yet very comforting.  I found the perfect recipe for that here: http://glutenfreeeasily.com/gluten-free-mug-pancake/

I absolutely love the idea of mug muffins, mug cakes, mug anything.

I wanted to experience that joy mentioned above, and so I set to work.  As I was assembling the ingredients, I saw some lonely black berries in the refrigerator, and right away I had an idea.  What if I made that mug pancake with its own sauce/syrup in the mug?  Hmmmmmm.  I heard Dr. Tae Yun Kim’s voice in my head ” how are you going to find out unless you try?  What do you have to lose?

I put some maple syrup on the bottom of the mug, and added some black berries, and microwaved that for a little less than 2 minutes.

I mixed the rest of the ingredients (substituting coconut oil for the butter) in a separate bowl

and poured it over the “sauce” in the mug/ramekin.

I cooked it according to the directions, and the most delicious pancake with built-in syrup was ready!

The flowers, by the way, are a gift from Shirley, the originator of this recipe, and a dear friend. After 10 days, they continue to provide great enjoyment!

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A beautiful breakfast surprise

As you might know, I have had foot surgery a couple of weeks ago, and I haven’t been very mobile as a result.  So, because we live in a very busy world, I have been having cereal for breakfast – gluten free, nutritious and delicious cereal.  I do cook still, but it’s all a lot simpler than what I would normally do.

You can imagine my complete, and delighted surprise when this appeared for breakfast this morning:

Gluten free French Toast!

Delivered with a big smile by a wonderful, 16-year old Jung Suwon warrior.  He not only had the idea all by himself, but also had made it all by himself!  And this from a kid who had been a notorious trouble maker, but whom Dr. Tae Yun Kim has helped transform from a troubled youth to a true warrior!  How beautiful this is!

I was filled with gratitude – and not just for the delicious breakfast – also that there are people who care, and that Dr.  Tae Yun Kim is one of these people.  But not only does she give youngsters a chance – she does so repeatedly.  This young man has had some “relapses” as we shall call it, however, Dr. Kim isn’t one to give up.  With the patience of a Saint she keeps helping.

So, today I wanted to share my gratitude.

“A very powerful expression of love is simple gratitude.  Why is gratitude powerful?  When you express gratitude, you are acknowledging that something good exists.  This action energizes that good thing and gives it momentum to continue existing. “

(The First Element, page 140)

Thank you, young warrior, for such a delight!  I will always remember this day!

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Old world cabbage rolls – Jung Suwon style

I feel like I haven’t posted here in a very long time – it’s been really really busy in my life as a Jung Suwon warrior, and that’s the way I like it!  Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim says that keeping busy keeps us young in body, mind, and spirit, and I do feel that!

Even during the hot summer months it gets cool at night here in the Bay area, and so I like to make summery, yet warming dishes for dinner, that are also substantial enough to feed hungry Jung suwon warriors!

My mother’s stuffed cabbage rolls come to mind, and I just made them a couple of days ago.  It’s been hard to re-create her recipes, because she only took a little bit of this and some of that, and in addition, she never even knew what gluten-free was!  And of course I am always trying to incorporate Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim’s teachings into the way I cook, with the best ingredients and only the best of thoughts in my mind.

Great teacher that she is Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim has been encouraging me to be creative, and find new ways to make tasty food, that nourishes and heals and tastes good at the same time!  So, here we go:

To make this version of stuffed cabbage, I use Nappa cabbage, and carefully separate the leaves off the head, and then quickly put them into almost boiling water just long enough to make the leaves pliable, without breaking.  I used to try to just boil the whole head and then peel off the leaves, but that never worked for me.  Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim compares the cabbage to a fist: just like each finger, each leaf in itself, is weak and cannot survive on its own, but together with all the other leaves, it makes a strong head of cabbage (or, all the fingers together, make a strong fist!) !  Have you ever tried to break a full head of cabbage?  See?  In our case, it’s good that we can peel off each leaf!

For the sauce, if I have leftover spaghetti sauce, it’s perfect.  But if not, I make a quick tomato sauce from scratch, like this:

Saute, in olive oil, a chopped up onion, and some minced garlic, I would use a couple of table spoons, and add chopped fresh tomatoes.  I only use fresh tomatoes for my sauces, but I am sure canned would work well too.

I would also add some chopped mushrooms and parsley and saute for a bit and then add a little good quality red wine (I don’t ever use cooking wine, they add a bunch of stuff to it).  If the sauce is too thick at this point, I add some good quality all natural spaghetti sauce from a jar, or if I have some broth, I add that.

For the filling, I saute mushrooms, garlic and chopped onions and add some pre-cooked ground beef, and some cooked rice, add some chopped parsley and fresh marjoram, and loosely fill the cabbage leaves with this.  Put filling on one side of leaf, then roll up and put seam side on bottom and put in roasting pan.  When finished, put your tomato sauce over it, and finish in pre-heated oven (350) for 20 minutes to half hour.  If you like, you could sprinkle some cheese on it before serving!

Now, “dig it in!”  as Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim likes to say, after giving thanks to God for a most delicious meal!

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Quick, very healthy and gluten free lunch sandwich

It’s Memorial Day weekend, and we practically live outdoors now, especially since the temperatures are wonderful, around 65 degrees!  Perfect!

Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim has invited us to all kinds of great outdoor activities, including a BBQ.  But until then, hungry warriors are storming Jung Suwon, and something has got to be done about that!

It can’t take too much time to make food either, so here is a very healthy and very fast sandwich idea to keep Jung Suwon warriors going!  This can be made with regular bread, or, like I do, with your favorite gluten free bread.

Asparagus sandwich:

Pre-heat oven to 400 F.

Wash, and thinly slice lengthwise a handful of asparagus spears (about 6 or so spears per 2 sandwiches).  Sautee in one tablespoon of oil, with freshly crushed garlic, and add a tablespoon of chopped cashew nuts.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Saute until the asparagus is crip/tender.

While you saute the asparagus, toast 2 slices (per serving) of your favorite (gluten free) bread, and spread thinly with mustard.  Put on a layer of thinly slices avocadoes.  Heap the asparagus mixture on top of the avocado slices, and top with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.  Broil for a few minutes until cheese is melty.

If you have really ravenous Jung Suwon warriors knocking at your door (or anyone else for that matter), you could also add a basted egg on top.  Either way, it’s delicious!

Happy Memorial Day to all, and please take a minute or two and think of all our service members and the great sacrifices they make to make the world a better place to live in!

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Midnight miracle muffins

We had some unexpected guests over, and it was late.  Very wonderful people, but I had nothing to offer, and I was about to get stressed about this situation.  But just in time I remembered something Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim shared with us in  Jung Suwon class, (thankfully it’s also written down in her book, “Seven Steps to Inner Power:”

“Ideally, your awareness should be like a pool of water.  Light travels easily into still water, and you can see right into it.  It becomes very clear.  But when the wind blows and the water is agitated, or when the water is polluted, you can’t see what’s in it clearly.  So how can you make your mind like a pool of still, clean water, undisturbed by turbulent surface thoughts, free from polluting feelings and emotions, so that the light of your consciousness travels easily into your awareness?”

I calmed down and went to work.  The guests, even though not Jung Suwon warriors themselves, would appreciate something reasonably healthy, so my initial thought was to make my “go to” pound cake recipe, but as muffins for shorter baking time, and add fruit and nuts.  But, halfway through mixing it up, I realized that I didn’t have some of the key ingredients, such as buttermilk or even milk.  Oh, and it was a gluten containing recipe too!  Stress returning – I had already creamed the butter and sugar (half of the original recipe) and eggs!  Now what?

“You are creative energy,” these words from Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim rang through my head.

I gathered all the different kinds of flours I had at home, and meanwhile turned on the oven to a safe, all purpose 350 degrees.  Lined muffin pans with cute butterfly liners and went back to the mixing.

Want to see the result?

Want to try re-create them?

Here is what I did – and feel free to substitute to your heart’s content, as long as you know what you are doing!

Recipe for gluten-free, Midnight miracle muffins:

2 1/2 sticks butter (I imagine coconut oil would work, 1 stick butter = 1/2 cup) and 2 sticks would work well too I imagine

1 1/2 cups brown or palm sugar

4 eggs

3 1/2 cups flour total, I used 1 cup almond flour, 1/2 cup Teff flour, and 2 cups of Shirley’s gluten free flour

1/2 tsp Xanthum gum,

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup yoghurt, strawberry banana yoghurt (you can, of course, use any flavor you like!)

cream together the butter, sugar and add eggs one at a time.  Slowly mix in yoghurt and rest of ingredients, but make sure all the flours you use are blended together well before incorporating into the batter.

Bake for about 15 – 25 minutes, then share these wonderful morsels with those you love!

If you train at Jung Suwon, remember to bake up a batch and share with your fellow Jung Suwon warriors (hint 😉 )

Credit where credit is due: the very original recipe I started to work from was from here.

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Simply delicious brunch

This is Easter weekend, and there are so many recipes out there for wonderful and filling foods, desserts, candy and such.  So I am offering you something really tasty and healthy from Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim’s “tool box.”  Sometimes you need to get ready in a hurry for a Jung Suwon class, even during Easter weekend, and you don’t want to feel stuffed and heavy !

So here is what teacher Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim recommends: a light and healthy version of quiche.  If you are on a gluten free diet, like I am, you can use any recipe gluten free pie crust, or, like I do, leave out the crust altogether.

You will need:

Pie crust, either store bought or home made, or none at all

fresh spinach, a couple of bunches, well washed

fresh kale (or if you don’t like the taste, just use more spinach)

half a yellow onion, finely chopped

handful of sliced mushrooms

one cup organic, low fat cottage cheese (make sure it’s made from certified organic milk)

2 eggs

salt, pepper,

Pre-heat oven to 400, line small ramekins, or any small dish that withstands the heat in the oven, with the crust, and bake for about 10 minutes or until light brown.  Lower heat to 375 or 350, depending on your oven.

To make the filling, heat some olive oil in a pan, sautee a couple tablespoons chopped garlic.  Add the onions, sautee until see through, then add spinach, kale and mushrooms.  Lightly sautee, add salt and pepper, lemon juice if you like it more tangy.

In a blender, mix together the eggs and cottage cheese.  Squeeze out the sauteed veggies (you can save the juices to add to some soup later) and add the veggies to the egg/cottage cheese mixture.  Adjust seasoning, fill the baking dishes, and bake until set, around 15 minutes.

Let it set for another 10 or so minutes, then decorate with parsley and cherry tomatoes, or any garnish to your liking!

Now, sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor, and know that Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim’s recipe will contribute to your health and well being.

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More about seaweed soup – Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim style

I wrote about seaweed soup already, for New Years, but I didn’t give you a recipe.  This isn’t going to be an exact recipe either, but you will be able to make a delicious seaweed soup after you read this!

As Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim always tells us, seaweed soup has a big place in the Korean culture.  It is the food every new mother receives after childbirth, to cleanse their system.  It has great nutritional value, and it also happens to taste really really good, when it’s done right.  I am not going to tell you this version is traditional, or the only way.  No, I learned this version from Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim, and that is how I make it.

Plus, it’s naturally gluten free, which is a big plus for me.

There are countless different kinds of seaweed available and not all are for soup.  I used to always ask the people in the Korean store to help me get seaweed for soup, and with a big smile they always did.  Here is what a package might look like:

(This is not my own picture, it is from this blog: http://weekofmenus.blogspot.com/2010/04/korean-seaweed-soup-for-love-of-my.html)

Before you start, you will need to soak the seaweed in plenty of water.  If you are in a hurry, soak it in warm water.  Make sure you use a big container and lots of water, it will absorb a lot!

Take a big pot, and put in some sesame oil, to cover the bottom of the pot.  Saute some chopped garlic – I use a lot!  – and some finely cut good quality beef.  Squeeze out the seaweed really really well, and sautee with the garlic and beef, stirring often.

Season well with black pepper and anchovy sauce – make sure you get the kind that is made from only dried anchovies and salt, no msg added.   Keep sauteeing until really dry, then add water.  Add a lot, the seaweed will still expand.

Best is, use some oxtail soup, or beef bone broth, if you have it, instead of the water.  It will still be superb with just water, but it will be stellar using beef broth of some sort.

Let this boil for a long time, but at least half hour.  I like to let it simmer all day.  You can add any kind of mushrooms to this, and some Korean radish, the big, white kind.  Add in the beginning and let boil.

Just before serving, add some chopped green onions, and season to taste, which, to me, means adding more anchovy salt and pepper, perhaps salt if really needed.

I never measure quantities, so if you are totally new to cooking, especially Korean cooking, keep to the directions on the package – if they are all in Korean, ask at your store.

This is really good with some steaming fresh rice, and a nice variety of Korean side dishes.  Enjoy!

 

 

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Another excellent Jung SuWon breakfast: rice and kimchi

I wanted to write more about breakfast foods, and I want to mention a very simple, yet healthy and nourishing breakfast.  I am talking rice and kimchi here and not like the fancy foods in the picture I posted.

 Again, Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim was my source.  She has a knack of knowing what does a body good, and what gives you energy to sustain you.  Of course, rice and kim chi tastes great any time of day, but the way she showed me to expand on the concept, it’s a sure winner.

If you have a rice pot, make some mixed rice, with brown rice, some beans (soak them before you cook them), millet, sesame seeds or whatever you feel comfortable with.  Korean stores sell some great already mixed bags of grain.  When the rice is almost done, make a couple of eggs (about 2 – 3 per person) any style you like.  I prefer scrambled myself, but this is entirely up to you.  If you really want to go traditional, just as the rice cooker stops cooking, drop some eggs on top of the rice and close again.  Let sit and after about 5 – 10 minutes you got some wonderfully cooked sunny side up eggs sitting right on the rice.

To put it all together, scoop out as much rice as you like, into a bowl.  Mix with salt, sesame oil, pepper and some sesame seeds, mix it well, add the eggs and any kind of kimchi. 

Now enjoy!  This will keep you satisfied all morning without making you tired, and it’s great just before or after a Jung SuWon class!  Now go and try it out!

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Jung SuWon breakfast – continued – Buchu Jan

Here is another one of my favorites.  It’s actually not just a breakfast food, but since it’s easy to make, nutritious, and similar to pancakes, I thought I would post it under breakfasts. 

Yes it is like a pancake, although infinitely more healthy and nutritious.  It contains a lot of vitamins, minerals and fiber, and keeps you going for hours. 

One word of caution:  there are many different recipes for this, and I am not saying mine is the one and only one, although I am prejudiced (this is my blog after all!) and I do think this is the best version.  I got this recipe from Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim, my Martial Arts teacher at Jung Suwon Academy, and it’s been proven time and again.  I will also mention how you can make this in many different ways.  But first things first.

In a blender, put in one egg, a handful cloves of garlic (you could use less), a couple of very hot peppers cut in chunks and enough water to fill to 3/4 of the blender container.  Blend until very fine, then put in a bowl, and add a little salt and pepper.  With a whisk, mix in either some flour, or some special buchu jan mix you can get at any Korean store.  I personally prefer the mix, the end result tends to be better.  Put in enough to make a thin pancake batter.  Now add some buchu. 

Where do you find Buchu and what is it?  It basically looks like thin wheat grass (and I have a feeling if you used that it would work just fine) and I have only seen it in Korean stores.  Ask for it there.  And while you are there, pick up some fresh sesame leaves.  Clean the buchu, and cut them in about 2 – 3 inch lengths.  Finely cut the sesame leaves and mix in as well.  There should be more vegetables than batter….

Heat some oil in a pan, and when very hot, add some of the mixture.  Spread it out with a couple of forks or spoons until very thin.  When you turn them over, flatten the pancake further with a spatula.  Cook until barely brown on both sides and repeat until batter is gone.

Server with the soy sauce you learned to make earlier in this blog (as used for tofu). 

I have a feeling you’ll be making this a lot!  So what if you cannot get buchu?  You can make this with old kim chi – squeeze it very very dry and cut up into thin strips and this is very delicious as well. 

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