When I was in college, I maintained a regular practice of taking myself out to eat. I did this almost every night. Taking myself out to eat became a self care practice of sorts, alongside my other regular practice of cooking healthy and nourishing meals at home. Sometimes I mixed up the venue, but more often than not I went to a small macrobiotic restaurant in the East Village called Souen that was a few blocks away from my old apartment on St. Marks Place. And more often than not, when I dined at Souen I ordered the Macro Plate, an incredibly simple plate of steamed vegetables and grains, served with my choice of dressing (I always chose miso tahini). I have no idea how many times I ate at Souen, but I venture the number was possibly in the hundreds.
More than just a place for me to enjoy a solo meal, Souen was my introduction to macrobiotic food. You can read a great blurb about macrobiotics on the Souen website here, but I'll summarize some of the basic principles:
The macro plate at Souen: brown rice, steamed kale, broccoli, kabocha squash, carrot, wakame, and bean of the day
Macrobiotics is a lifestyle that stems from Zen Buddhism. It maintains that by eating unrefined, unprocessed, balanced foods such as grains and vegetables that are local and in season, we can maintain good health and live in harmony. Macrobiotics is meant to evade the stigma of "diet food," insofar as the plate should be balanced, abundant, and delicious. It shouldn't sacrifice anything or evoke an air of restriction. One of the most important elements of macrobiotics is taking the time to savor and enjoy the food, chewing close to 30 times for each bite (because digestion begins in the mouth, this is also a very healthy habit to develop). Macrobiotics has a lot in common with mindful eating, a philosophy that was already quite important to me at the time, and which you can learn a bit more about from this infographic.
It's easy to get bogged down by the myriad definitions for the myriad diets that exist in the world, but I want to stress that I don't support diets of any kind and I don't think of macrobiotics as a diet. It really is a lifestyle that I found resonated very much with my own, and one that I continue to practice in my own cooking and daily life. As you'll see in the paragraphs to follow, my own macro plates look quite different from the ones served at Souen, and each one I make looks a bit different as well (making the "recipe" section of this post a little difficult to hone). I also definitely don't cook like this for every meal. I do, however, find that the premises of macrobiotics guide all of my cooking.
I like macrobiotics because I have a deep appreciation for fresh, seasonal produce and I try to integrate it into my cooking as much as possible. Eating in this way has helped me appreciate the individual and distinct flavors and textures of so many vegetables; for example, rich and creamy steamed kabocha squash is one of favorite things to eat. I like macrobiotics because I believe that eating should be about more than a simply feeding one's appetite or emotions — it should be (whenever possible) a nourishing practice that helps bring balance and well-being. (P.S. I also love macrobiotics because I love sauces and dressings, and the whole premise of this lifestyle is preparing simple ingredients, then packing a ton of flavor into the sauce.)
To that end, I wanted to provide some general guidelines and "recipes" for how I create macro plates at home. The truth of the matter is, any combination of grains, beans, vegetables, protein, and dressing can constitute a macro plate, but I have my go-to combinations and I think they are pretty delicious and worth sharing. Here are some sample plates:
Steamed kale
Seared tempeh
Avocado
Roasted sweet potato slices
Leftover Spanish rice
Leftover falafel
Miso-tahini dressing
Steamed kale
Leftover Spanish rice
Roasted brussels sprouts
Roasted sweet potato
Seared tofu cubes
Avocado
Smoky cashew dressnig
Steamed kale
Roasted sweet potato
Roasted brussels sprouts
Seared tempeh cubes
Cilantro
Avocado
Hummus and salsa
Steamed kale
Soba noodles
Seared tempeh
Roasted kabocha squash
Smoky tahini dressing
Scallions
Cilantro
I provide these examples to demonstrate both the similarities and differences among my macro plates. They are all a basic collection of grains, vegetables, and some type of sauce, but they still vary. I almost always have: steamed kale, tempeh or tofu, avocado, miso-tahini dressing, and a collection of roasted vegetables (not often steamed, as served by Souen, since I find roasted to be much more satisfying). Sometimes I have rice, and sometimes I have soba noodles. Sometimes I substitute hummus, salsa, or another condiment in as the dressing. Sometimes I add leftovers to my plate. I usually garnish with scallions and cilantro since I love those flavors and think they make every meal better.
Today, I'm going to share a recipe for my simplest, most regular macro plate. It contains: roasted brussels sprouts, roasted sweet potato, seared tempeh, steamed kale, avocado, and miso-tahini dressing. This is one of my favorite meals, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Roasted brussels sprouts
Ingredients
- 1 lb of brussels sprouts (aka one package? I am honestly approximating bc I don't know how to recipe)
- 1-2 tbsp of olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder (optional)
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar OR soy sauce (optional, imparts more flavor if you are looking to mix things up)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 or 425 degrees. (The variation depends on your oven, as well as how crispy you want the sprouts to get. I like mine super crispy, slightly burnt even, so I tend to go for 425.)
- Cut the bottom bit/root of the sprouts off, then slice in half lengthwise.
- Transfer the sliced sprouts to a baking dish, then toss with oil/seasonings, being sure to coat every piece evenly.
- Roast for 30-45 minutes (tossing mid-way through), or until the sprouts are browned on the outside and the leaves are crispy, if desired.
Roasted sweet potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes (any kind is fine, use what you can find)
- 1-2 tbsp of oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder (optional)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, cumin, chili (optional, imparts more flavor if you are looking to mix things up)
Instructions are pretty much exactly the same as the brussels sprouts above, except they bake for longer — more like 40-50 minutes, although cook time depends on how large you cut the potato pieces. I like to mix things up here, sometimes cutting into wedges, fry-shaped sticks, cubes, and even thin chip-like slices. You can also roast the sprouts and potatoes together if you want to save some time.
Seared tempeh
Ingredients
- 1 package of tempeh (I generally use Lightlife usually, but any brand will do!)
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil (or another neutral oil with a high smoke point) (don't use olive oil)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (I have never measured this so I am once again guessing)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder (optional but good to add)
- 1-2 tbsp soy sauce
Instructions
- Cut tempeh into thin slices, about as thin as you can get it/want it.
- Heat oil in a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Add tempeh slices to the pan, ensuring that they don't overlap (you might have to cook in batches if you are cooking a whole block of tempeh at once). The tempeh should sizzle when it hits the pan; if it doesn't, your pan isn't hot enough. Cook for about 1-2 minutes.
- Sprinkle smoked paprika (and garlic powder if using) over the tempeh evenly in the pan. Then pour over the soy sauce, stirring the pieces to ensure they are coated. Let cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Flip the tempeh. The side facing up should be brown and slightly caramelized. Pour a bit more soy sauce on top if desired, moving to coat the now bottom-facing side. Let cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the bottom side is equally caramelized.
Miso-tahini dressing (inspired by Souen)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp tahini (I recommend this brand, it is the best tahini I have ever purchased and affordable too)
- 1 tbsp miso paste
- water to thin
Instructions
- Add tahini and miso paste to a small bowl. Stir together, adding water to thin to your desired consistency.
Assembling the macro plate
This part is quite intuitive, but to close the loop: add roasted brussels sprouts, roasted sweet potatoes, a few slices of the seared tempeh, steamed kale, and avocado (slice your desired portion) to a plate. I didn't provide a full recipe for the kale but basically: add your desired amount of kale to a pan with a tiny bit of water, and let it cook down for about 1-2 minutes, stirring to make sure it wilts evenly. Pair with a small bowl of miso-tahini dressing, garnish with desired toppings (sliced scallions, chopped cilantro, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, etc.) and enjoy!