Dorothee Clarke - Cookery Therapist
I am based near Innishannon and have been teaching Macrobiotic cooking in Cork and Bandon for the past 10 years. I moved to Ireland from Normandy in 1979 and cooked in Lios Dana Natural Living Centre, Inch, Co. Kerry, from 1986 to 1991 while studying Macrobiotic Cookery, Shiatsu Massage and Yoga. I offer to cater for dinner/lunch parties in your own home. I am also available to provide wholefood for courses & events. Contact Tel. 021 7331690, email: dorotheeclarke@natural-health.ie for further details.
***** Last updated 15/10/2011 at 20:28 *****
From mid-September 2011 I will be changing the way I present my wholefood cookery. I offer to cater for your lunch/dinner parties in your own home, - any number from 4 to 15 people . I am flexible in meeting your requirements. If you have any specific requests or dietary requirements these can be taken into consideration. I am also available to provide wholefood at courses & events. When catering for your lunch/dinner there is no demonstration as such but I am available to talk about the food as we eat. This gives everyone a chance to raise questions and discuss, around the table, cooking methods and different aspects of nutrition. I also provide recipe sheets.. The preparation of these simple and balanced meals entails using grains, pulses, nuts and seeds with plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit - no meat, dairy or sugar are used.
-You have the choice of 2 or 3 courses- Menu Suggestions: (Plenty more available) Starters Soups: Red Lentil, Split Pea, Miso, Minestrone, Nettle (in season), Barley and Vegetables. Spreads: Hummus, Tahini (sesame seed), Aduki Bean. Seasonal Salads. Sushi. Main Courses Green Lentil Burgers with Brown Rice & Broccoli Florets. Pinto Bean Stew with Millet and Cauliflower Mash & Green Cabbage. Aduki Bean Stew with Spelt Pasta & Stir-fry Vegetables with Sea-Spaghetti. Chickpeas and Wakame (sea-weed) with Bechamel Sauce & Quinoa aux Legumes. Fried Tofu with Savoury Buckwheat & Steamed Vegetables. Lentil Loaf and Mushroom Gravy with Brown Basmati Rice & Brussels Sprouts. Tempeh (fermented soya bean product) and Vegetable Casserole with Bulgar & Leeks. Mung Beans in Coconut Milk with Millet Croquettes & Spinach. Extras Pickled Vegetables: Cucumber, Radish, Sauerkraut Sea-weed dishes: Nori with onions, Dulse in Tahini dressing, deep fried Kombu. Desserts Apple Crumble - Maize Pudding - Glazed Pears - Hunza Apricot Mousse - Baked Apples with Vanilla Custard - Apple Mousse with Cashew Cream - Apple Pie with Soya Cream - Lexia Raisin Flapjacks - Oatmeal Cookies - Tahini and Apple Jelly - Sweet Potato Dessert. Selection of Herbal Teas and Medicinal Teas I bring my own pots, pans and most utensils. All I need is adequate kitchen space and a sufficient dining area. I much prefer to cook on a gas hob, but this is not essential. Lunch/Dinner party prices "Free of charge for the host" 2 course meals range from: 30 Euro p.p. for 4 to 10 people. 25 Euro p.p. for 11 to 15 people. 5 Euro extra for a 3rd. course.
What some participants have said about my former classes: *I know that meeting you and participating in this grounded beginners course has influenced me in ways that will change the course of the rest of my life. Cheers. Steven *Thanks for the introduction to whole-food cookery. Now I can go into health-food shops with confidence whereas in the past I hadn`t a clue. Jane *I really enjoyed the course. I needed to change my diet, to include more vegetables etc... so I now have plenty to start with. Thank you for all the tips. I admire your enthusiasm for good food. Joan *Enjoyed every moment and every morsel of food!! You were so thorough and explained everything in such detail. Hope I will grow healthier as a result!! Good health and thank you. Ida *Got a lot of knowledge regarding health and diet, and awareness about my eating habits (e.g.) I am eating much less salty and sweet foods, or dairy products. Seamus *A very good introduction to healthy eating, good tips which hopefully will continue for me. Particularly interested in the sea-weeds and the tea remedies. Veronica *Was so soothing! I left each week with a full stomach of digestible food and a renewed outlook on food and health, many thanks again for a wonderful experience. Eimear
The following is taken from an article by Rosie Shelley (nutritionist and Health journalist), published in "The Southern Star" of 18th June 2011. `The purpose of macrobiotics is to become free to change all of this world into what we want—unhappiness to happiness, sickness to health, war to peace.` Michio Kushi As you can see, the Macrobiotic field is a philosophy as much as a diet. I was in two minds about whether this subject should come under Nutrition or under Complementary healthcare, until I considered the work of Michio Kushi, who is the standard bearer of Macrobiotics throughout the world today. The name itself underlines that this is far more than a way of eating: macro meaning `great` and biotic referring simply to `life`, giving us `the big/wide/long view of life` Kushi was a student of the late educator George Ohsawa, who seems to have cured himself of terminal tuberculosis by reverting to a traditional Japanese diet. Ohsawa spent the rest of life promoting a blend of Eastern and Western dietary principles that is now known as Macrobiotics. The central tenet is that for better health and happiness, for a life lived in harmony with ourselves and others, the climate and the planet, we should eat mostly wholegrains. Macrobiotic practitioners will vary in the strictness of their guidelines, but generally speaking wholegrains including brown rice, barley, millet, oats, corn, rye, quinoa, wholewheat, bulgur and buckwheat should make up around sixty percent of the diet, while around thirty percent should consist of vegetables, especially brassicas like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and kale. The only significant exceptions are the deadly nightshade family of vegetables—tomatoes, aubergines, peppers and potatoes—which should be avoided. The final ten percent of the diet is made up of beans, especially soya beans and other soya products like tofu, tamari soy sauce and miso, sea vegetables (seaweeds), lentils, nuts and seeds, cold-climate fruits and if needed fresh white fish. Only water and non-stimulating teas may be drunk. And that`s it. But the underlying principles of Macrobiotics are wide-ranging: ·Food is the foundation of health and happiness ·All foods have a character which is predominantly either `yin` or `yang`; the diet needs to balance the two ·Eat unrefined, whole and natural foods ·Food should be grown locally and organically and eaten in season ·Avoid all animal products, refined grains, sugar, tropical fruits, hot spices, additives, caffeine, alcohol, and processed, canned, frozen or treated foods ·Foods should be cooked simply (boiling, steaming etc) using natural fuels, pans and utensils ·Chew thoroughly ·Don`t eat for three hours before bedtime ·Use only natural personal care and household products ·Wear natural materials ·Walk daily in the fresh air ·Practice aerobic or stretching exercises (yoga, martial arts etc) Dorothée Clarke, who is originally from France but has been living in Ireland for over thirty years, came across Macrobiotics when a minor illness made her aware that it was her diet—too much meat, dairy and sugar—that was throwing her whole system out of balance. She went on to train at Lios Dana, the Natural Living Centre in County Kerry in the mid-eighties, and has been sharing her knowledge and skills ever since. Dorothée runs cookery courses, where people can learn how to work with unfamiliar ingredients and make meals that are in line with Macrobiotic principles. She explains that `in Macrobiotics we approach food on two levels: On the first and fundamental level, we apply the principle of Yin and Yang, balancing our daily diet as a whole, as the basis of health and healing. On the second or symptomatic level we use food to address a particular condition or symptom.` So the essential aim of the Macrobiotic diet is to promote wellbeing, but it`s also used to prevent and even manage conditions such as heart disease and, more controversially, cancer. Some clinical research supports the view that this low fat, high fibre, wholefood regime is indeed beneficial for cardiovascular and cancer patients, and there`s certainly no shortage of evidence that each of its main components—wholegrains, vegetables, beans and seaweeds—offers potent protection against an array of cancers. Experts are quick to note, however, that if someone has actually been diagnosed with cancer then the Macrobiotic diet may fall short of providing necessary extra nutrients and calories. This essentially vegan diet has been criticised more generally as lacking in certain nutrients including the iron, vitamin B12, essential fats and calcium found in animal products. But Dorothée points out, for example, that seaweeds are rich in iron, calcium and a wealth of other minerals and vitamins. Soya beans and lentils are an excellent source of protein and iron, while nuts and seeds have good levels of protein, calcium, and essential fatty acids. Personally, like many nutritionists I would conclude that –so long as you take a vitamin B12 supplement or eat more fish, and include all of the permissible foods--this is basically a very healthy, sustainable and affordable plan which chimes well with the public mood in these environmentally aware, recessionary times. Note: if you have any medical condition, always consult your GP before undertaking any restrictive dietary plan. The Macrobiotic diet may not be suitable for anyone with a serious health condition, for children, pregnant or breastfeeding women. Possible Benefits of a Macrobiotic Diet include: higher energy levels, better sleep, mental clarity and balanced mood, blood sugar control and weight loss, better digestive and cardiovascular health, allergy relief, improved immune function, prevention of arthritis, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
To contact Dorothee Clarke, please call on : 021 7331690.
