Non-Dairy Chowder & Purple Sweet Potatoes

Fish Chowda!

On a recent visit to our local supermarket, Marnina and I came to the conclusion that we were spending too much money for subpar produce and seafood.  For months we had been bemoaning the produce and fish section of the supermarket (as well as the entire store in general), but for some reason we could not muster up the courage to switch our allegiance to a new supermarket.  Every now and then we would supplement our shopping trips with some tastier-looking food stores such as Harris Teeter or Whole Foods, but we would do the bulk of our shopping at the less-than-appetizing local grocery store.  We thought we were getting a better deal on our produce and other foods, but in reality, we were paying slightly lower prices for mediocre (and sometimes rotten) food. 

Happy World IBD Day!

One of Marnina’s many positive qualities is her relentless energy to educate, raise awareness, raise funds, and reduce stigmas that are associated with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).  She has campaigned on Capitol Hill through IBD Day on the Hill, she has volunteered at Camp Oasis to be a role model for younger kids with IBD, she has raised over $13,000 for IBD research through Team Challenge, and most recently, she organized an event in which John Bradley, author of The Foul Bowel: 101 Ways to Survive and Thrive with Crohn’s Disease spoke at a local hospital about his IBD trials and tribulations.  We have extra copies of the book for sale and can mail copies to anyone interested. Contact us for more info (ibeafoodie@gmail.com).  

Marnina with John Bradley

Marnina is living proof that IBD does not have be debilitating, especially since she continues to manage to overcome her disease and to live out her dreams.  She still experiences the discomforts associated with Crohn’s Disease (testing, doctors visits, stomach issues and dietary restrictions), but her resolve to fight against IBD is just as strong today as it was in the hospital 8 years ago when she was first diagnosed.

The Hype Over Probiotics

Probiotics can lead to a happy gut!

There are many therapies that have been touted for Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, but only a few have proven to be truly effective.  The usual medications and lifestyle adjustments are well-known, but somewhere in the midst of all the traditional therapies are the lesser-known complementary therapies, such as probiotics.  The role of bacterial flora has been postulated as a potential contributor to the cause of IBD — it is now generally accepted that the intestinal bacterial flora contributes significantly to the pathogenesis of IBD[1].   The inflammation caused by Crohn’s Disease can also disrupt the natural balance of microorganisms, which can allow harmful organisms to potentially worsen the inflammation.

For those new to probiotics, here is a quick overview:

Saucy Meatballs (& Vegetarian too!)

The virtues and vices of red meat is a hot-topic right now, especially after the publication of a Harvard study entitled “Red Meat Consumption and Mortality: Results from 2 Prospective Cohort Studies.”  The study looked at the association between red meat consumption and mortality, and the researchers concluded “a higher intake of red meat was associated with a significantly elevated risk of total, [cardiovascular disease] CVD and cancer mortality.”[1]

Aromas of India

Does this make your mouth water?

In the IBD Guide to Eating Out, we mentioned that typical Indian restaurants in  the U.S. serve many dishes that are oily, creamy, and incorporate lots of fat (and sodium as well).  In general, individuals with IBD need to be conscientious of the amount of fats/oils in their food, and must also be aware of the amount of spices used.   IBDers should know, however, that almost any recipe can be modified to fit their dietary preferences.  There is always an IBD-friendly version of a dish.  Here, we present you with an alternative to the Indian dish Palak Paneer (farmer’s cheese in a thick curry sauce based on pureed spinach) called Palak Tofu, a vegan twist to the normal recipe.   It tastes very similar to Palak Paneer, but is healthier, less oily, and more protein rich.   The dish is basically tofu cooked in curried spinach, a very healthy dish that goes well with some rice or naan.  You will love the green color, and your house will smell like an Indian restaurant for hours afterward….what could be better??

Sweet Potato Gnocchi…For Passover!

One of the (many) blessings of Passover is that we see some delicious dishes that are traditionally made only once a year….not from a lack of access to particular ingredients (who doesn’t keep matzah in their pantry year-round??), but because the dietary restrictions of Passover require us to utilize ingredients that we don’t generally use year-round.  For many, this means the holiday is the one time a year we see the Passover dishes that we remember our parents making since we were children.   This year, Marnina made her mom’s peach kugel that was so good that we were scraping the sides of the 9 x 13 baking dish to salvage all of the caked-on pieces.  And for the Seder, my mom made a flanken tzimmes with carrots, sweet potatoes, and prunes – the meat and veggies are slow-cooked with honey and sugar to the point where they are so tender and sweet that they just instantly melt in your mouth (don’t worry, we avoided the prunes at all costs).

The Passover Conundrum

Enter...the Exodus from Egypt!

For those with gastrointestinal issues, Passover presents a conundrum.  On the one hand, we are commanded to avoid eating leavened bread, and we are also not allowed to consume many types of additives, preservatives, and other artificial ingredients that are ubiquitous in today’s food supply.  As a result, Passover is almost like going on a detox diet.  We are essentially eliminating the wheat/gluten products from our diet, a boon to our health.  We toss everything that is made with white flour and loaded with sugar, and we fill our kitchen with fruits, vegetables, proteins, some matzah, and only a modest amount of artificial ingredients.

Help! Everything is Fried – New Orleans Dining

"New Orleans Cookery"

While Marnina and I were in New Orleans this past week, we came to the conclusion that the people in New Orleans know how to produce incredibly unique and tasty food.  And no, we did not come to this conclusion while in a drunken stupor on Bourbon Street. Their food is world-renowned for its distinctive qualities, which include Creole, Cajun, French, and other cuisines’ influences.  We had some memorable meals at even more memorable locations – beignets at Café du Monde, redfish croquettes at one of the top-rated seafood restaurants in the French Quarter…..and eggs, grits, and homemade biscuits that tasted like it came straight out of my grandmother’s kitchen (the owner even called me ‘sweetheart’). 

Down Home Southern Cooking

Love the Southern flair!

Marnina and I will be visiting the wild and wacky city of New Orleans later this month to tour Tulane University as part of our graduate school search.  We are always excited to visit new regions and cities that offer entirely different styles of cooking, different ingredients, and new combinations of food.  New Orleans is well-known for its food – it mostly combines elements of Creole and French cuisine, as well as some elements of African, Spanish, and Cuban traditions. While different cultures may share the same ingredients and cooking styles, multiculturalism can clearly give us something new.

Spicing Up Life: Tandoori Cauliflower

Before we enter into the world of spices, we want to give you a “SKEWER IBD” update. We have run about 45 miles so far and are less then $75 away from raising $4,000. We will be mailing a copy of The Foul Bowel to the winner of our blog giveaway, Allison Finn. Congratulations Allison!!  Our fundraising isn’t over yet though. We still need your help and donations to really “stick a fork” in IBD. Please consider donating today (click here).  We are currently the 3rd top fundraiser on our team! Thank you to those who have donated so far!!  Also, as you may or may not know, the Jewish holiday Purim (ready more about it here) begins tomorrow night. We will be rocking some pretty awesome I Be a fooDie costumes that you won’t want to miss. Stay tuned for pictures (and to see us make a fool of ourselves…)

Now, back to SPICES! We love spice. When we cook we often do not use measuring instruments to measure out spices.  Instead, we add spices almost by the handful to the point where the spice aroma lingers for hours afterward.  We used to just double the prescribed amount of spice in a recipe, but now we just go by instinct and smell.  I have been able to convince Marnina that spices can replace unhealthy ingredients, such as salt and sugar.  For example, I literally dump cinnamon into my cream of brown rice every morning because cinnamon has a sweet and warm taste that can replace sugar or any sugar derivative.  We mostly omit broth and seasoning mixes from our soups because of the high sodium content and replace them with extra spices.  Some of our favorite ground spices are curry, coriander, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, and cumin, all of which happen to be spices featured in Indian cuisine.  We have recently started using fresh ginger and garlic, and have noticed that the flavors provided by these fresh spices are more intense than the ground versions.