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.

One Pot Meals: The Grad Student Life

Between attending classes, studying for classes, biking to classes, and thinking about classes, Marnina and I have had very little time to think about cooking. In the meantime, we are still alive and have not starved–a true accomplishment  Ever since we moved to Brookline, Massachusetts, we have been invited over to new friends’ houses for meals more times than we can count. We have enjoyed several dozen types of challah’s (apple-pomegranate challah anyone???), and we have brought in the Jewish New Year with plenty of honey-infused food (carrot-japanese yam-apricot tzimmes anyone???). We actually made that tzimmes (we are very proud of it!), but for the most part, we have been thoroughly enjoying other people’s cooking since we moved here.

Healthy Grilling

Picture courtesy of GrillingwithRich.com

Marnina and I just wrote a guest blogpost for Grilling with Rich about the health benefits of grilling for the general population, as well as for people with IBD. CHECK IT OUT HERE.  We wanted to do one last summer-season blogpost before the cold weather settles in.  It is already getting down into the 40s at night here in Boston…so check back soon for some Fall season recipes!

Wise Organic Chicken

Marnina and I have been eating kosher poultry and beef for our entire lives, and so we profess to have a decent amount of knowledge when it comes to the typical kosher meat offerings.  We have always been led to believe that the quality of kosher meat is superior to non-kosher meat because kosher meat goes through a kashering process, which involves salting the meat to extract the blood.  Also, some people say that the kashering process and the specific diet they are fed, produces moister, more flavorful meat.

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.

Gold’n Plump Chicken!

At I Be a fooDie, our goal is to deliver healthy food choices and sound nutritional advice for those who suffer from IBD.  We often espouse the benefits of a certain food or a certain cooking technique, and we hope that our readers pick up on our tips.  One food that we have not given enough attention is chicken.  For many IBDers, chicken is a safe food when compared to other protein sources, such as red meat, nuts, and beans.  The leanest part of the chicken is the chicken breast, and when eaten without the skin, the chicken has a much lower fat (and saturated fat) content than red meat (a lower fat content means less gastrointestinal distress and less digestive work for your intestines).  It is also super versatile, and so it can be modified to fit almost anyone’s taste preferences.

Meet Damion & SCD(Specific Carbohydrate Diet)

Damion (left) with his daughter and wife

I Be a fooDie recently had the unique opportunity to communicate with fellow Crohnie, Damion Moyer. While Damion has been struggling with symptoms of Crohn’s Disease throughout his life, he was officially diagnosed with the disease this past summer.  In an effort to maintain his health, Damion has committed himself to following the SCD Diet (Specific Carbohydrate Diet).   Below, you can learn about the diet and about Damion’s journey with SCD.

If you are interested in following Damion visit “My Cranky Gut” at http://mycrankygut.wordpress.com/.

Taking on the Grill

Grilling has been a cooking method that we have sorely missed since moving out of our homes, especially during the D.C. Spring and Summer months.  There have been numerous times when we have said “this dish would have been perfect if we had a grill,” or “we could have grilled this with X ingredient.”  Well, thanks to Marnina’s co-worker, the proprietor of Grilling with Rich, a well-known grilling blog , we have finally caught on to the grilling madness.  We recently purchased an indoor grill faux equivalent to the outdoor grill – a George Foreman electric grill.  While the George Foreman does not offer the smoky flavor, the food still sits on grates that leave nice grill marks, and it provides some charred pieces of food that Marnina loves to nosh on.