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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Culture Clash in the kitchen

Since I train at Jung Suwon, and work at Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim’s company Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions, I work with a lot of Koreans.  Wonderful people and I have a great time interacting with them and often times get some recipes for old time Korean goodies, although, the recipes are more like my grandmothers’ : take a handful of this, and a smidgen of that…..and add enough spices to make it taste right….

Anyway, one time, one of Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim’s Korean friends, after a lovely dinner, looked me straight into the eyes and said, “white bitch!”

Gasp!  My jaw dropped.

You can imagine what I felt.  I had known this wonderful gentleman for many years, and had absolutely no ideas why he would call me bitch.  I had no idea what was going on.  And to my biggest surprise, all the other Koreans in the room started to laugh, no, roar uncontrollably.

I was lost.  Not only was I being called a white bitch and now they were laughing!  Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim stepped in, and between laughs, explained that what he meant to say, was “white peach,” but because of pronunciation difficulties, it turned into “bitch.”

Whew!

Good thing I didn’t take him seriously when he asked me to go to the crapp house and pick up some food (He had meant a restaurant called the “Crab House.”

So last week a charming Korean lady, visiting Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim, and wanted to cook a traditional Korean meal.  This was great, and as she was serving all kinds of wonderful food, when she served a particular marinated vegetable, she shook her head and said, “I haven’t killed it enough, I think I have to go kill it some more!”

This was an entirely plant based dish!  Nothing even remotely needing to be killed, and besides, I typically don’t have anything alive sitting in the fridge!   Again, Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim was laughing – she understood completely!

She explained that what this lady meant was that she needed to marinate the Korean greens longer to make them more tender!

Hope you had a good laugh today!

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Bringing joy through cooking

A dear blogging friend that lives on the East Coast somewhere, is going through a great loss in her family right now, and we are saying lots of prayers for Shirley and her family.

Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim emphasizes the importance of helping others, especially when they are going through hard times.  And not just in word but also in deed.  “When someone is down,” Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim says, ” extend a helping hand!  Show your support through actions!  Bring some food if possible – the last thing you want to do is to think about what to feed everyone.  When you lose a loved one, Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim continues, you need some time to go through the grieving process. ”

While unfortunately I can’t be there other than through prayer, I did think about what I would make if I lived closer.  “Energy doesn’t have any distance,” Great Grandmaster explains, ” if you think great thoughts about someone, that someone will feel that one way or another.”

It would need to be some sort of easy to eat finger food.  You wouldnt’ want to task a grieving person with too much prep work and dish washing!  It also needs to be super easy to reheat.  And it should be fast to cook so you can run on over and deliver.

I started with the leftover cooked chicken – deboned it and chopped it up.  Sautéed some chopped onions and garlic in olive oil and added the chicken, and then added some mixed greens – a combination of spinach, chard, and Bok choy, but don’t limit yourself – use what you have!  I also added some oriental mushrooms in this version, but really, only your creativity will decide.  Add lots of love to the mix!

After the vegetables are about 3/4 done, turn off heat and let them cool off.  During that time, put a couple of eggs in a blender, add some sort of milk, whether dairy, soy, or coconut is up to you.  Add some salt and pepper and any herbs or spices you feel like putting in.  (I kept it simple and just did salt and pepper.)  I added a handful of grated cheese as well.

Prepare your favorite gluten-free pie crust, or use pre-made if you like.  You can also use some leftover mashed potatoes if you have any, or you can also bake without any kind of crust, which is what I did for myself.

Line cupcake pans with paper or foil liners.  If you are using pie crust, cut out rounds big enough to be patted into the muffin or cupcake pans.  Bake until light brown in pre-heated oven, then let cool off.

Take a small amount of the chicken-vegetable mixture and put into the crust or cupcake form.  Squeeze out the liquid, and put in enough to fill about 2/3 of the cup cake pan. Spoon or pour in the milk/egg mixture, leaving about 1/2 inch from the top.  Repeat until all cup cake liners are full.   Bake about 10 minutes at 350  or until a nice light brown.  They taste delicious hot out of the oven, or cooled off.

Enjoy, dear Shirley, wishing you all the best and may God pour out His blessings on you.

And for all other readers, go ahead and make these for someone you love!

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The powerful Tomato

Here is some more of what Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim is teaching about internal cleansing.

(disclaimer:  I am not a doctor or nurse of any kind, so please check with your physician before you start any cleansing program, new diet, or anything that could have unwanted side effects. )

I personally, on the advice of Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim, am increasing the amount of tomatoes in my diet by a lot, for one week.

Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim mentioned in Jung Suwon class the other day, that tomatoes have powerful cleansing and healing qualities.  You can find the scientific data all over the internet.  But Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim – although she knows all the scientific background – goes strictly by Ki energy.  Great Grandmaster Kim mentioned that right now the energy is right for some good cleansing, losing weight, internal housekeeping and such.

Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim also points out that no two people are the same, so therefore no program will fit all people.  For me, personally, I will have breakfast every day, and then tomatoes the rest of the day, for one week.

What I can recommend though, is for everyone (that isn’t allergic to them) to incorporate more tomatoes in your diet.  I love them a lot just plain, and eat them like an apple.

They are also great slized or quartered, with just a little salt, or with some balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  Or your can use the sauce you learned to make here and enjoy that way.

Or, slice them up and have them with some parsley, as parsley is also a wonderful cleanser and has incredible amounts of vitamin C.

Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim recommends that it’s always best to combine internal cleansing with an exercise program.  Of course classes at Jung Suwon are awesome for that, as you are guaranteed to sweat out everything.  But any type of exercise that will make you sweat works great!

Let me know how you will use more tomatoes, and stay in tune for more tomato related updates tomorrow!

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Soup on a rainy day

In weather like this, and especially after a good, hard Jung Suwon workout, soup is the only logical solution to me.

So you see, today requires a good soup.  Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim talks about the healing properties of food, and that on cold, rainy days our bodies need hot, healing foods.

Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim taught me how to make great soups, and make them quickly.  After training at Jung Suwon, and working up a hefty appetite, most people think noodle soups, ramen, or perhaps meat based soups.  All those are good, no doubt.

But there are also many wonderful vegetable soups that nourish body, mind, and spirt, and are so quick and easy to make!

Here is what Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim suggests:

If you have Kimchi, cut some up and boil for a while, add some freshly ground garlic (or whatever garlic you have on hand.)  Add some of the Kim chi juice. If you have tofu, cut into cubes and add.  And from here on, have fun!  Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim teaches that when you prepare food, have the best of attitudes, put a lot of love into it.  Any kind of vegetable can be added, I prefer celery, zucchini, broccoli, and asparagus.  But be free!

If you have some cooked meat on hand, perhaps some chicken, you can add that as well.  Season to taste – and Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim recommends red pepper, some Kosher Salt, or Himalayan Salt, a little anchovy sauce if you like (no MSG) and some cut up green onions.

Now you are ready to enjoy with rice, or, you could add your noodles, dumplings, or rice cakes.

Enjoy!  As Great Grandmaster Kim would say, “Dig it in!”

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Beauty and the lemon

Since lemons are fruits, and as such, food, I feel justified in blogging about other benefits of the wonderful lemon here.

Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim has taught me a long time ago, that lemons have incredible powers, aside from being health powerhouses, loaded with vitamin C and all other sorts of wonderful things.

But what Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim also points out, is that lemons are wonderful in helping your skin stay young and supple and healthy looking.  Before each meal, including at restaurants, Great Grandmaster Kim asks for some cut up lemon, then takes a wedge, and squeezes the juice into her palms and then gently massages it into her hands.  This not only thoroughly cleans your hands, it will also make the skin so smooth!

After you rub in the lemon juice, let your hands dry naturally in the air.  Don’t rush this step.  Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim advises to let the lemon juice and all its goodness soak in well.  Do not dry off your hands.  Let them dry naturally.

If you want to get the full “lemon benefit” in your life, have some cut up lemons and kosher salt in your shower, Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim says, ” just before you get into the shower, squeeze some lemon juice into a handful of Kosher Salt, and make a paste – use that instead of soap.”

“Here look at my hands, at my skin,” Great Grandmaster Kim offers, “See how smooth they are, just like baby skin.”

During lectures and seminars, Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim sometimes has her staff pass out out freshly cut lemon wedges, for everyone in attendance to try this.

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Jung SuWon style cake pops

 

I know.  I said this wouldn’t turn into a cookie/cake/cupcake type  blog, and I promise again, it won’t.  But just see here what Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim has to say about being flexible in mind and spirit:

“I have to plan, “you may say.  “I have to think about what I am going to do ten minutes from now, or tomorrow, or it own’t happen.”  Yes, you should make plans in the present moment.  You don’t ever stop thinking, but be watchful to keep yourself open to new incoming ideas that may change what you plan.  Th epoint is to be aware every moment of what you are thinking, because whatever is going on now is on the way to manifesting.  How important it is, then to keep everything you don’t want out of your moment to moment consciousness.  how can you do that if you are not focused here, now?”

See?  So this is perfectly all right to blog about cake pops even if you never planned on doing so.

Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim teaches about healthty foods, and also states that healthy can include, once in a while, healthy sweet treats.  And these little goodies, are as healthy as sweet treats can be!  First offf, they are gluten free.  Secondly, they were made with lots of love, one of the most important things to consider when prepareing food, Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim says.

If you feel like making these, start with a home made gluten free pound cake, I prefer this one from Shirley.  Once cooled off, break it apart into little pieces.  Now comes the fun part.  You can either use any type of frosting/filling for the next step, my favorite is to take a block of cream cheese, and blend in a generous amount of nutella.  Or, blend in some strawberry jam into cream cheese until it’s perfect.  Use a little frosting at first and add until you can roll cake pops of the size you prefer.

For the chocolate ones, I used a glutenfree brownie mix and as the “cement” I used the above mentioned cream cheese with nutella.  But go ahead, try your own creations!
You are creative energy!  As Grandmaster Kim always says!

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Jung Suwon style (also gluten free) “Fast Food”

I have been busier than ever at work, and haven’t had much time to share about cooking and food preparation.  How can one possibly have a healthy diet with such a crazy schedule?

Well, Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim has a perfect solution for just such emergencies.  She has taught me that good and healthy food doesn’t have to take hours to prepare.

Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim loves to cook.  She cooks with lots of love and you can taste that love!   Food prepared like this has to be good!  🙂

It helps if you are close to an oriental store, especially Korean grocery store.  Get some plain rice cakes, either fresh, or frozen, both varieties work well, and you can get the ovalettes, or the little strings or fat ropes – they are all very good.

What if you can’t get any rice cakes?  Be creative! Great Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim reminds us ” find your own solutions!”  You could just sautee plain rice, and go from there.  If you can tolerate gluten, then you could boil any kind of pasta (and if gluten free, you could use gluten free pasta)

You can either just sautee the rice cakes, whatever the shape, in a pan with either olive oil, or sesame oil (or any oil of your liking) and add salt, black pepper, and garlic.  Sautee until very light brown and crispy – or, if you prefer, you can just sautee until they are soft.

At this stage, you can either eat as is, or add an egg or two.  Add some kimchi on the side, and you are all set!

 

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The magic of chicken soup

I love making chicken soup.  I also love to eat it!  It is so versatile and you can use it as a base for a whole host of other things.  But let’s talk about the soup first.

Nowadays, I experiment a bit more, and also am not afraid to make the soup if I am lacking an ingredient or two.  I have found that it’s hard to make bad chicken soup.  Somehow it always comes out good.  Of course, I LOVE to make chicken soup and I am sure this happy energy “jumps” right into the soup I make.  It is just like my teacher, Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim, says, that if you are happy and in a good mood, your food comes out tasting good and people will feel good after eating it.  But if you are upset or angry while you are cooking – it’ll show up as indigestion in those that eat that food.  I have to agree with that, from my experience…

While chicken soup is, of course, not a medication, and doesn’t actually cure anything, it does make a lot of people feel better and brings warmth and comfort.  Just the smell alone makes me feel better already….

So, here is my not so secret chicken soup recipe: 

Things I always put into my chicken soup:

• Chicken (duh!)
• crushed garlic (I use a lot, for a good sized pot of chicken, about 3 tablespoons or more)
• One oninon, cut in chunks
• a couple carrots, peeled and cut in rough chunks
• a couple parsnips , peeled and cut into chunks
• a spear or two of celery, cut into chunks
• if you can get it, some celery root

the next ingredients, well whatever I have on hand, I might throw in…in varying quantities

• a spoonful or two of grated ginger
• some fresh sprigs of rosemary
• some parsley
• cilantro
• mushrooms, any kind
• salt and pepper to taste.

Let this boil at least a couple hours, slow, rolling boil is best.  Another trick I learned from Grandmaster Kim is, to boil out the chicken pieces before using it in the soup, with Kosher salt and crushed garlic – this takes out all the hormones and whatever might be lurking in the chicken…

So there you have it.  Of course, don’t stop there.   There are a bunch of things you can add into this soup, to make it into more of a meal – like little dumplings of all sorts, matzo balls, croutons, the sky is the limit!  I personally love to add suchebi – thin Korean dumplings, and I prefer the ones made from potatoes…mmmmh!  I better head to the kitchen right now and start cooking that chicken!!!

PS:  any chicken parts will do.  I personally like using a whole chicken – gives a more intense flavor, but use whatever you have!

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What the heck is Tofu???

Ah yes, tofu!!!

Just gotta love that stuff!  Think about it:  I was raised on good old staunch Austrian food and although we weren’t rich, we were never starving.  Even if all we had for dinner was bread and margerine – starve we did not! 

So, after being anorexic and only having memories of stick to your ribs food, Grandmaster Tae Yun Kim suggested I eat tofu. 

Well, at the time, I had no idea what it even was, so I went to the nearest grocery store and got a generic package of tofu.  I went home, opened it and try to eat it, as it was.   YUCK!!!!!!

I went back to Grandmaster Kim and told her I simply didn’t like tofu and couldn’t eat it.  She asked me to describe how I prepared it.  Prepare??  I was glad I made Grandmaster laugh!  After composing herself again, she gently taught me one very simply way to actually enjoy tofu, not just choke it down.

Here is a very basic “recipe” on how to enjoy your tofu, or, “tofu for beginners”:

Ingredients:

• Firm tofu (best from an oriental grocery store)
• about a handful chopped green onions
• about a tablespoon chopped garlic
• about a tablespoon red pepper flakes
• a little fresh lemon juice (optional)
• a dab of honey (optional)
• about a tablespoon ground sesame seeds
• Naturally fermented soy sauce

Start by cutting up the tofu into bite sized pieces (Koreans tend to make small rectangles that arent too thick)

in a seperate bowl, put the chopped green onions and the rest of the solid ingredients.  Add enough soy sauce to make it into a thick sauce, and spoon over the drained and cut up tofu.

Enjoy!!!

PS:  I know there are probably thousands of different variations on this, and I am not claiming any originality, in fact, I didn’t come up with this!  This is the first recipe I ever received from Grandmaster Kim, so it holds a place very dear in my heart.

PPS:  If you really want to do it up, blot dry the tofu, coat it with a mixed up egg, and fry.  Then use as above.

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