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.

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. 

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’). 

IBD Stew + Soup = STOUP!

An inflammatory bowel disease “attack” can be frustrating and exhausting, and sometimes even embarrassing (if you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and don’t have immediate access to a bathroom).  Recently, Marnina had an attack that caused her to use the bathroom about 5 times within a 3 hour span.  She attributed the attack to not going to the bathroom the previous day, and then running 5 miles the next morning.  Her intestines literally went into hyper-drive after running, and she nearly ran another 5 miler going to and from the bathroom!   She decided to eat light the rest of the day because her stomach was on “the edge” as she says.  If she challenged herself with something mildly fibrous, difficult to digest, or something entirely new, she would fall over that edge and risk the onset of stomach pain, or possibly another attack.

Autumn Vegetables Fish Soup with Turmeric

As we continue our soup splurge (try saying that 10 times fast), Marnina and I have expanded into adding new kinds of ingredients into our soups: never before have we used fish or pumpkin.  And in our continual quest to find IBD-friendly soups, this one is high up on the list.  With the salmon, turmeric, and extra virgin olive oil, this soup is an omega-3 and anti-inflammatory powerhouse.  As I noted in a previously, omega-3’s can be found mostly in the fat of cold water fish, such as the salmon in this recipe.  Omega-3’s are thought to reduce inflammation, and play a number of key roles in improving one’s circulatory system.  Research indicates that omega-3’s may be better absorbed from food than supplements, so it is more cost-effective and healthier to just get your omega-3’s from natural food sources.  You also have to be wary of some supplements, especially those that are not labeled with a USP (a Dietary Supplement Verification Program that helps dietary supplement manufacturers ensure the production of quality products for consumers).

Greek Moussaka

One of the first things you might notice from this blog is our propensity to try dishes we have never cooked before, and to experiment with different cuisines.  Similar to the Shepherd’s Pie from two weeks ago, we decided to cook another culture’s traditional dish.  This week, we once again ventured outside of our comfort zone and cooked the most widely known variation of a traditional eggplant casserole dish – Greek Moussaka.  This eggplant based dish can be found in many Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries, but the most popular version is the Greek version, which traditionally has three layers: a bottom layer of sautéed/roasted eggplant slices; a middle layer of ground lamb cooked with onion, garlic, chopped tomatoes, herbs, and spices; and a top layer of béchamel sauce or egg custard.  Obviously those ingredients are inherently not kosher (mixing milk and meat), and so as usual we made some substitutions.  We hardly had to modify the dish to accommodate Marnina, but for those of you who have trouble digesting veggie skins and/or veggie seeds, we will explain how to make this dish more IBD-friendly.  The end result? An egg, meat and dairy-free conglomeration of healthy foods.