Announcing Our NEW Website – www.ibeafoodie.com

Dear I Be a fooDie follower,

We have EXCITING NEWS!!! After a year and a half of blogging, we have outgrown our blog and have migrated to a NEW WEBSITE, www.ibeafoodie.com.

As of today, we will no longer be posting to http://www.ibeafoodie.wordpress.com.  No further email updates will be sent through our WordPress site.

To get the most updated information make sure to follow us on our new website and Twitter and to like us on Facebook.

Ibeafoodie.com is full of many new resources including printer-friendly recipes and I Be a fooDie Jr., a kids corner for IBD nutrition and diet related resources.  Don’t forget to check out our most recent blogpost about Sabich, a delicious lesser known Israeli pita sandwich made with eggplant and hard-boiled egg.

Thank you for following I Be a fooDie and we hope that you will continue to join us on our culinary journey!

Best wishes,

Marnina & Seth

The Ultimate Sandwich

During our graduate school winter break we took a trip to Los Angeles to visit Marnina’s uncle. We were eager to experience Los Angeles’ vibrant culinary scene.  In addition to the usual Malibu, Venice Beach and Santa Monica sightseeing, Marnina’s uncle provided us with quite the culinary tour. We sampled Indian, vegan Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, and American cuisine. We even hit up the famous Magnolia Bakery (yes, the banana cream pudding was UNBELIEVABLY DELICIOUS).  While partaking in one of L.A.’s new fads, personal piea, at a cafe called SimpleThings,  Marnina grabbed the menu (she loves to bring home menus).  The menu included many delectable sounding sandwiches. The combination of ingredients in each sandwich sounded so gourmet and unique that we anticipated returning to the shop and trying their sandwiches. Unfortunately we were not able to make it back before we left town.  To compensate for our loss (and because Marnina saved the menu), we vowed to recreate the best sounding sandwich on their menu – The Sweet Potato.

Sultan’s Delight!

What’s on the menu today, Gutsy?

This past week, Marnina and I went on a Turkish kick.  We literally ate and prepared all things Turkish for lunch and dinner.  Marnina’s mother recently bought and sent us a signed copy of The Ottoman Turk and the Pretty Jewish Girl. It is a wonderful cookbook that should be on every foodie’s shelf (especially if you love Mediterranean cuisine!).  The pictures reminded us of our culinary journey through Turkey this past summer and left us yearning to recreate some of those memories in our kitchen.  While the recipes are simple and involve few and easy-to-find ingredients, most are not quick to prepare.  We had taken a cooking class in Istanbul and afterwards we had still not fully understood how many steps were involved in most of the dishes we had prepared.

Favorite Recipe. Revealed

We have blogged dozens of recipes, most of which we have thoroughly enjoyed. Some of the recipes were incredible (Blintz Souffle), some were surprisingly good (Sweet Potato Gnocchi) while others were a bit disappointing (Greek Moussaka).  We have done our best to give you some of the the recipes that have turned out well, but alas, we are guilty of witholding a recipe that we have selfishly enjoyed for years now.  We hope you can forgive us…we know you will after you try a bite of this dish.

YouBar: Design Your Own Protein Bar

Gutsy has discovered the perfect protein bar!

Ever since I started following a low-fiber diet for my Crohn’s Disease, I have struggled to find meal replacements or snacks that are “Marnina-friendly.” One of my biggest issues was finding granola bars that were less than 3 grams of fiber. While the consumer industry is raising the fiber content in their products to make them healthier, the added fiber is further limiting my snack choices.  I was especially surprised when I went looking for protein bars. Protein bars are a gold mine for fiber. Companies design protein bars so that they can replace a meal and so they usually contain between 3-8 grams of fiber.  After speaking with fiance Seth, my in-house nutritionist, I learned that companies add fiber to protein bars because it helps slow digestion and make the energy from the bar last longer. That is great news for everyone BUT me and and others who cannot tolerate lots of fiber. 

I Be a fooDie’s New Addition

Marnina and I are proud to introduce the newest member of our I Be a fooDie team…. Gutsy!  Our new mascot Gutsy is a stuffed intestine created by our logo designer Shari Bodofsky.  While Gutsy may not enjoy long walks on the beach, he does enjoy educating and raising awareness about IBD.  We decided to unveil Gutsy in honor of IBD Awareness Week (Dec. 1 – Dec. 7).

Eggvocado & Surviving the Holiday Season

Presenting…..the Eggvocado!

A healthy breakfast should start with a mixture of fiber and protein, both of which contribute to satiety. Individuals with Crohn’s Disease often have to limit their fiber (and in some cases, their fat intake), which limits their ability to consume avocados. Eggs can also be a trouble food if eaten in high amounts, especially because a decent amount of fat is stored in their yolks. However, if these foods are eaten in moderation, they can be paired to create a delicious breakfast combination. If you want to mix up your breakfast routine, try out this new breakfast food: the Eggvocado!

Comfort Classic Combo!

As we continue on our fresh herb kick, we recently decided to counteract the cold weather with not one, but two, old-time comfort foods: tomato basil soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.  But this wasn’t any ordinary pairing of the two comfort foods – instead of eating them separately or dunking the grilled cheese sandwiches into the soup, the sandwiches acted as the croutons.  They were nothing like regular croutons that have a crunch, and instead were mostly soft and chewy.   Pan-frying them did give them a slight crunch on the exterior though. The basil provided an extra kick of flavor; tomato basil is a great combination and we recommend pairing the two ingredients whenever possible.

In with the Fresh Herbs!

Fresh herbs can make or break a dish. In the past, we have often used dried herbs as a substitute for fresh herbs. We turned to the fresh variety when we felt it would truly enhance the taste, but we often substituted dried herbs because of the convenience factor, and because we could never use up the entire bunch of fresh herbs before it went bad. But now, after consistently cooking with fresh herbs for a few weeks, we may never turn back.  Needless to say we thoroughly enjoy the fact that our refrigerator is constantly stocked with an assortment of fresh herbs, whether it be dill, parsley, cilantro, or thyme.

Pumped Up for Pumpkin

As Fall sets in and the leaves begin to change colors, the chilly weather signals one thing: really really really cold weather is coming. In a gloomy and sometimes arctic region like New England, it is necessary to find the bright spots that accompany the arrival of Fall. For us foodies, that would be apple picking, the abundance of certain root vegetables, and of course, our favorite group of foods: winter squash. If you can recall, we once packed a stuffing into a pumpkin, baked it until it was soft, and then took a trip to food heaven as we enjoyed one of the best meals ever (Happiness in a Pumpkin). Marnina jokes that I am so much in love with squash, especially butternut and buttercup, that I should have her engagement ring resized so that it can be given to a squash. 

We have recently gone on a pumpkin craze, and we would like to share two recipes that have been indulgent but still relatively healthy due to pumpkin’s nutritional content. For dinner on Friday night we made a dairy-free pumpkin custard, a light dessert that takes like pumpkin pie filling. Then, for Sunday morning brunch, we cooked up a baked pumpkin french toast dish that was off the charts good. While we enjoyed the smell of our apartment during the cooking process of both of these dishes, we REALLY enjoyed the buttery pumpkin sweetness that infused our custard and french toast.