Ever eat Mochi? If you are thinking of Mochi ice cream you are in the right place.

Mochi is a rice cake or dumpling made from cooked, pounded down sweet rice. The art of making Mochi is actually a Japanese ritual done on holidays, especially New Years Eve. For the Japanese, Mochi symbolizes the heart, the soul and the life.

We use Mochi as a breakfast food, snack, dumplings in soup or a topping on cooked vegetables. It comes in all different flavors in the refrigerator section of the grocery store. Some flavors are garlic- sesame, cashew date, cinnamon raisin, plain and even chocolate!

The first time I was introduced to Mochi was when my aunt was telling me that she used it to kick her cinnamon raisin bagel habit. When you cut Mochi into 2" squares and put it into the toaster oven at 450 degrees after 10 minutes it puffs up. The outside is crunchy while the inside is sticky and gooey. Kind of like a bagel.

I suggest adding nut butters or spreads like hummus on top. You can also add regular butter, ghee, maple syrup, agave, or dip it in flax oil. At some restaurants you will see Mochi waffles on the menu for breakfast.

Below is a delicious way to use Mochi as a topping –just like you would add melted cheese to a baked potato or steamed broccoli.

Let me know what you think…

MOCHI MELT

1-teaspoon dark sesame oil
2 cups various vegetables, mushrooms, leeks, carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, broccoli, cauliflower, green cabbage.
1-cup thin strips or shredded Mochi
1/2 cup water
Soy sauce or tamari

Cut the vegetables into matchstick sized pieces.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add vegetables (except broccoli) and stir-fry veggies
until tender, but not quite cooked through.
Season lightly with soy sauce.
Spread the veggies evenly over the bottom of the skillet and top with broccoli. Begin placing thin strips or shredded Mochi over the vegetables.
Cover and cook over medium heat about 10 minutes, until Mochi melts completely.
Serve immediately.

June 21- 24, 2007

Enjoy four days in beautiful coastal Mendocino County at a retreat organized by Learning to Listen Yoga and Meditation Center. Spend time with a community of loving people committed to conscious living. Fruition founder Darshana Weill joins a cast of eight powerful teachers to explore yoga, chi-kung, circling, Feldenkrais, food awareness, meditation and other tools for transformation. For more info visit http://www.learningtolisten.info/pages/calendar/calendar.html

Sunday, July 15, 2007
1:00pm- 4:00pm
Yoga Tree Hayes

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