Searching For Brown Rice In Restaurants

I'm always looking for new restaurants that serve whole grains, but they're not always that easy to find. I've learned that if I add the phrase "brown rice"  in quotes to my online search, then I have a much better chance of finding what I'm looking for. If a restaurant serves brown rice, then chances are good that I'll be able to find other foods on the menu that I'd like to eat (like veggies and other whole grains). I also like to narrow my search down even more by adding "whole wheat" to the "brown rice." (Note: Some of the restaurant's online menus are unsearchable images, like Uncle Kwok's, so text for "brown rice" won't always show up in a search. These I found using the old-fashioned way, i.e. the phone book!)

34 Santa Cruz Restaurants That Serve Brown Rice and sometimes Whole Wheat too — (some of them have web sites and some of them I’ve written about in this blog):

    1.    Alfresco Santa Cruz, a sidewalk kiosk (#1) on 1520 Pacific Avenue, (831) 429-1765 (Brown Rice + Whole Wheat Tortillas)
    2.    Aloha Island Grille, 1700 Portola Drive, (831) 479-3299 (organic brown rice)
    3.    Asian Rose Cafe, 1547 Pacific Avenue (831) 458-3023 (no web site)
    4.    Aqua Bleu, 1108 Pacific Avenue, (831) 423-6999 (no web site) 10-15-2012 Update: Aqua Bleu is closed after 8 years. See article.
    5.    Bangkok West -- Aptos, CA -- 2505 Cabrillo College Drive, (831) 479-8297
    6.    Bangkok West -- Watsonville, CA -- 1433 Main Street, (831) 761-8509
    7.    Cafe Gratitude,103 Lincoln St, (831) 427-9583, (6 restaurants in CA, 1 in MO)
    8.    Center Street Grill, 1001 Center Street, (831) 423-4745
    9.    Charlie Hong Kong, 1141 Soquel Avenue, (831) 426-5664 (organic brown rice)
    10.    Chipotle Mexican Grill -- Santa Cruz -- 550 River Street, (831)295-6582 (online reviews say they serve a choice of white or brown rice)
    11.    Chipotle Mexican Grill -- Capitola -- 1955 41st Avenue, (831)295-6076
    12.    Dharma’s Natural Organic Vegetarian Food, 4250 Capitola Road, (831) 462-1717 (organic brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat tortillas, corn, and whole wheat buns)
    13.    Golden City Chinese 1230 Mission Street, (831) 423-0688
    14.    Linda’s Seabreeze Cafe, 542 Seabright Avenue, (831) 427-9713 (doesn't mention the brown rice option on their online menu, but they have it as a footnote on the PDF Menu — at the bottom of the Breakfast page; also, oatmeal)
    15.    Little Shanghai, 1010 Cedar Street, (831) 458-2460
    16.    Malabar Cafe, 514 Front Street, (831) 458-3023 (no web site)
    17.    O’Mei Restaurant, 2316 Mission Street, (831) 425-8458 (no web site)
    18.    Peachwoods at the Inn at Pasatiempo, 555 Highway 17, (831) 426-6333
    19.    Pearl of the Ocean Sri Lankin Restaurant, 736 Water Street, (831) 457-2350, fresh local organic food!
    20.    Phoenix Asian Restaurant, 2301 Mission Street, (831) 466-3888 (no web site)
    21.    Planet Fresh Gourmet Burritos, 1003 Cedar Street, (831) 423-9799 (no web site) (brown rice and whole wheat tortillas)
    22.    Pono Hawaiian Grill -- 120 Union Street, (831) 426-PONO
    23.    Real Thai Kitchen, 1632 Seabright Avenue (at Soquel Ave.), (831) 427-2559 (no web site)
    24.    Sabieng Thai Cuisine, 1218 Mission Street, (831) 425-1020
    25.    Saturn Cafe, 145 Laurel Street, (831) 429-8505 (also one in Berkeley, CA)
    26.    Sushi Totoro, 1701 Mission Street, (831) 426-6660 (no web site)
    27.    Thai Noodle House, 2106 Mission Street, (831) 457-0238 (no web site)
    28.    Tai Orchid Restaurant, 2238 Mission Street, (831) 425-2206
    29.    Thai House, 353 Soquel Avenue, (831) 458-3546 (no web site)
    30.    Tortilla Flats, Gourmet Mexican Cuisine, 4616 Soquel Drive in the Soquel Village, (831) 476-1754 (no brown rice, but they do have whole wheat tortillas!)
    31.    Uncle Kwok's Szechwan Restaurant, 7960 Soquel Drive, Aptos (685-2121)
    32.    Viva’s Organic Mexican Restaurant, 1201 Soquel Avenue (at Seabright Ave.), (831) 425-8482  (organic brown rice and whole wheat tortillas)
    33.    Windmill Cafe, 21231 East Cliff Drive, (831) 464-4698 
    34.    Woodstock's Pizza, 710 Front Street, (831) 727-4444 (doesn't mention the whole wheat crust option on the web site, but they have it!—no brown rice though)

Related Blog Articles:

My Favorite Local Restaurants Today

Lunch At P.F. Chang's

Whole Grains In Restaurants

The Benefits Of Whole Foods
Whole Grains For Centering
Breakfast In An Old Hotel

Getting Started With Macrobiotics

Many years ago, my first introduction to Macrobiotics was the book, Zen Macrobiotics, by George Ohsawa. I found the book in my local grocery store (New Leaf Market) and because I had been hearing the word “Macrobiotics” a lot at the time, I decided to buy it. I instantly fell in love with the whole concept as I read the book. George Ohsawa was appealing to my intellect, common sense, and desire for independence.

That book was published in 1960. Since then, macrobiotic teachers have improved an introductory course in Beginning Macrobiotics. On the George Ohsawa Macrobiotic Foundation web site, there are eight recommended books to get you started with learning about Macrobiotics as well as information on where you can get hands-on experience, such as at the annual French Meadows Summer Camp that happens in July.

Eight books to get you started with Macrobiotics:

1. Essential Guide to Macrobiotics, by Carl Ferre
2. Macrobiotics: An Invitation to Health and Happiness, by George Ohsawa
3. Basic Macrobiotic Cooking, Procedures of Grain and Vegetable Cookery, by Julia Ferre
4. French Meadows Cookbook, by Julia Ferre
5. Essential Ohsawa, Understanding the Basics of Macrobiotics, From Food to Health, Happiness to Freedom, by George Ohsawa
6. Acid and Alkaline, by Herman Aihara
7. Health and Macrobiotics, #7 Diet, An Accompaniment to Ohsawa’s Zen Macrobiotics, by Francoise Riviere
8. Acid Alkaline Companion, An Accompaniment to Herman Aihara’s Acid and Alkaline, by Carl Ferre.

Related Blog Articles:
The Yin And Yang Of Acid And Alkaline
What Is The Macrobiotic Centering Diet?
Diet #7 By George Ohsawa

Lunch At Little Shanghai's

I love saying that. Lunch at Little Shanghai's. This is my all-time most favorite restaurant in Santa Cruz for lunch! I can always count on their delicious brown rice cooked fresh daily. My husband and I try to get there right at 11:30 a.m. when they open because that's when the food is the very best.

We stand in line in front of the cafeteria counter, watching as they place the steaming hot food into labeled warming pans before us. Sometimes I go first. 

"Brown rice, please. For here. One item." I watch as they serve several generous scoops of brown rice onto the plate and then I point to the "Tofu Broccoli" item. Several more generous scoops of soft tofu and broccoli cooked in ginger garlic black bean sauce goes on top of the rice. 

The plate goes onto a serving tray and is moved down the line to receive pickled cabbage if I want it, my choice of soup, and a fortune cookie. Then it's Michael's turn. He usually gets two items, and occasionally maybe three. He has his favorites too, like me. 

The thing is, all of their food is good. (I wish I knew their recipes!) They have menus that you can download from their web site, such as this pdf of "Tofu and Vegetables (All Vegan)." And their prices are more than reasonable, I think, especially for what you get.

Little Shanghai's also serves dinner, restaurant-style. The overhead lights are dimmed, candles are lit, and food is brought to you that you've ordered from a menu with a greater selection of entrees. 

The menu choices are diverse, different, and interesting. The food is simple, life-giving, and unpretentious. I highly recommend it.

Cheers!

Related Blog Articles:
Whole Grains In Restaurants
Lunch At P. F. Chang's
Whole Grains For Centering
My Favorite Local Restaurants Today 

What Is A Veggie Burger?

I discovered some new brands of veggie burger products this weekend while reading the June 2012 newsletter from our grocery store, the New Leaf Community Market. Inside, I found articles featuring grilling tips, recipes, toppers, and "best veggie burgers."

In their list of nine types of Veggie Patties, I was already familiar with (1) Gardenburger, (2) Boca Burgers, and (3) Wildwood Tofu Burgers, and I found some more that I'd like to try, including (4) Sunshine Burgers and (5) Amy's Veggie Burgers. 

Some sounded a little weird, like (6) Quorn Burgers (what is "mycoprotein"?) and (7) Sol Cuisine frozen burgers (too much soy? at least they're GMO FREE!). (8) Dr. Praeger's California Veggie Burger proudly lists the ingredients for their truly all-vegetable burger (no fillers or egg products). And finally, (9) Hilary's Eat Well veggie burgers use two whole grains, millet and quinoa, that are free from common allergens.

The newsletter also included a recipe for "New Leaf's Own Beet Burgers," which includes red beets, quinoa, toasted seeds, onion, flour, bread crumbs, and garnet yams. 

This all got me to thinking about what exactly is a veggie burger? 

According to Wikipedia, a veggie burger is a hamburger-style or chicken-style patty that doesn't contain meat.

As I look at recipes for vegetarian and vegan burgers and lists of product ingredients for store-bought or restaurant patties, I'm seeing a common theme. Either there's an emphasis on having a burger patty substitute that tries to mimic the flavors and textures of meat or it tries to replace the protein you would otherwise get from meat. 

I'm very happy to see that there are a lot more veggie burger options out in the world today, and now I'm excited to see that — finally — many of the patties are including whole grains. Because from a macrobiotic point of view, whole grains are the yang replacement for meat. This is all good information for my dream diner, Burger Number Seven.

It is also good to know that my chances of finding more vegetarian burger options in restaurants are steadily improving! I have found a lot of places, especially cafes and pubs, that serve Gardenburgers or something similar. (See The Cheyenne Cafe.) The great ones serve their own handmade veggie burgers on whole grain bread. (See Boulder Creek Brewery And Cafe.)

Listed in the Wikipedia's Veggie burger article, other places that serve veggie burgers include:

• Burger King (they serve MorningStar Farms Garden Veggie Burgers) and Hungry Jack's in Australia, certain Subways, and Harvey's (served on a whole wheat bun), as well as many chain restaurants, such as 
• Red Robin (they serve Gardenburgers), 
• Chili's  (according to their vegetarian menu pdf, their veggies burgers are made with black beans, egg, dairy, and/or honey),
• Denny's ("Fit Fare" menu includes Amy's Veggie Burgers),
• Johnny Rockets (the "Streamliner" = 100% soy Boca Burger), and 
• Hard Rock Cafe (the San Francisco menu includes a "Veggie Leggie" patty grilled and topped with a portabella mushroom).

Here's a toast to more yang veggie burgers in the world — cheers!

Related Blog Articles:
My Dream Diner — "Burger Number Seven"

Whole Grains In Restaurants

MACRO TALK (Wednesday, May 25, 2011)

My Favorite Local Restaurants Today

Organic Farmers and SOS-Earth

Beckmann's Old World Bakery

This morning I had a very special treat! Thin slices of steamed rye bread from Beckmann's. The bread is the most delicious, pure rye bread I have ever tasted that wasn't homemade. It's made of organic 100% rye flour, water, sea salt, and fresh yeast.

The bread company used to have a small bakery cafe in Santa Cruz, which is where I was first introduced to the rye bread. The cafe has since closed, and now Beckmann's is pretty much the wholesale bakery that stocks many of the shelves in local grocery stores and market places. And I just discovered that you can buy Beckmann's bread online at their website!

Yesterday, I was delighted to find several loaves of their pure rye bread stocked on the shelves at the New Leaf Market, since it is not always there — probably because other people get there before me and snatch them all up! Beckmann's Bakery makes many other varieties of bread, which are also delicious, but none as great in my opinion as the one-hundred percent rye bread.

The loaf is rectangular and shaped like a fruitcake or a brick of pure gold. The bread tastes the best when slices or chunks of it are steamed, and second-best when very thin slices of it are toasted or grilled. It can dry out quicker than other breads, but steaming always seems to revitalize it!

Did you know that rye flour is the original source for sourdough starter? (Someone from the San Francisco sourdough bread company, Boudin told me that on the museum tour at the wharf.)  Natural yeasts in the air seem to love it! It makes perfect sense, once you've tasted the slightly sour quality of Beckmann's rye bread. Wikipedia has a long article about the history of sourdough. I also found an interesting pdf article written online by Robin Donovan on The Story Of Sourdough Bread.

But where San Francisco Sourdough Bread is made of white flour, Beckmann's Pure Rye bread is made of 100% whole rye flour. I see from their website that since the acquisition of the Whole Grain Natural Bread Company, Beckmann's flour is now freshly milled each day, thus retaining most of the vital minerals and nutrients of the rye and making the bread less acid-forming. Beckmann's also uses organic grains, ensuring that no harmful chemicals, pesticides, or GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) are in the bread.

By definition, bread that is made from flour is not a whole food. The process of making flour from the rye berries separates the components and some get lost, like important alkalyzing minerals and metals, thus making the bread more yin and more acid-forming than the whole grain. The more the grain is milled and the longer the flour is moved from place to place, the more that gets lost. Therefore, making your own bread from your own freshly milled flour is going to be the closest to whole foods, and Beckmann's Pure Rye bread is the next closest!

Related Blog Articles
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What Is Macrobiotics?

Here is an answer to the above question from off the top of my head this morning:  

• Macrobiotics is a way of life.

• It follows the principles of yin and yang and the seven laws of the universe.

• It is a language for understanding and controlling the effects of the two forces, yin and yang, on you and your life.

• Macrobiotics is based on the laws of nature.

• Macrobiotics is a practice followed by many people. There are many official websites and macrobiotic centers all over the world.

• Macrobiotics is a diet based on whole, natural foods.

• Macrobiotics is a restless, ever-changing view of our world as we know it.

See:

What is Macrobiotics? by Phiya Kushi

What is Macrobiotics? by Carl Ferre

George Ohsawa Macrobiotic Foundation
Zen Macrobiotics, by George Ohsawa

SEVEN LAWS

TWELVE THEOREMS

Ten Macrobiotic Diets By George Ohsawa

What is "Macrobiotics"? (January 2, 2011)

What Is Macrobiotics? (January 23, 2011)

MACRO TALK (April 27, 2011)

What is Macrobiotics? (M Cafe)

Wild Dandelion Greens Freshen Up Dinner

Wow. Not bad! Here's how I fixed the fresh-picked wild dandelion greens for my dinner:

I put a heaping teaspoon of unrefined sesame seed oil (Spectrum Organics) in a seven-inch frying pan and turned the gas stove on medium-high to heat it up. I washed and stacked about a dozen dandelion leaves on my cutting board and then sliced the stack into very thin strips. I placed them in the pan, stirred evenly, and turned the heat down to medium-low.

While that was starting to cook, I brought out my leftovers from the refrigerator: a mixture of cooked quinoa, brown basmati rice, and wild rice, and a mixture of cooked lentils, kombu seaweed, and onion. I scooped out enough for a single meal and placed it on top of the greens in the pan, then drizzled a little water over it (about a tablespoon). I turned the heat down to low and covered the pan.

While that was slowly steaming, I boiled some water for tea, and washed some dishes. I'm telling you this, because otherwise, I did not use a timer to mark how long it was taking to cook the food. I knew it wouldn't take very long, because most of it I was only reheating and the dandelion greens did not need to cook much at all. (They're often used raw as a salad green.) Then when the tea water had come to a boil and the tea was steeping, I plated up my dinner.

I placed the whole mixture in a bowl, sprinkled gomasio and a little Ohsawa soy sauce over the top, and took its picture. Then I ate it. It was very good. And there was no bitterness at all. Some of the pieces of dandelion greens had become delicately light and crispy, adding a little crunch to the overall dish. Yum, yum!

See Also:
Dandelions, Rediscovering The Wild Greens 

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Green Vegetables