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??

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.

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.

Happiness in a Pumpkin

Last weekend, Marnina and I wanted to go apple-picking with some friends from Brandeis University. When we arrived, we were told that the apple-picking season was over at this particular orchard due to the substantial amount of rain.  Therefore, we ended up going ‘pumpkin-picking’ instead.  At first, we were disappointed.  But then Marnina mentioned that she had a pumpkin stuffing recipe back home that sounded delicious.  I was suspicious at first, mainly because the recipe called for baking an intact pumpkin in our smaller-than-small oven.  However, as our neighbors (and our taste buds) can attest, the pumpkin smelled (and tasted) like a slice of heaven.   We wandered around the pumpkin patch for about 20 minutes, took some awesome pictures (see below), and painstakingly picked out the smallest pumpkin we could find (6 lbs!).

Spinach Cilantro Quesadillas

Every now and then, Marnina and I reminiscence about our lives at Brandeis University.  We especially enjoy recalling certain aspects of Brandeis that are etched into our memories. One of our most vivid memories is of delicious cafeteria food (can you sense my sarcasm?).  Brandeis food tended to be very friendly to Marnina – they have a kosher dining hall and lots of fish and cooked vegetables.  However, after the first 2 months at Brandeis, you could have eaten just about every dish that you would see for the rest of your 4 years of your undergraduate career.

Our Second Dish – Healthy Spinach Calzones

During our senior year at Brandeis University, Marnina and I made veggie calzones using Trader Joe’s herbed pizza dough.  We chose Trader Joe’s because the dough was kosher (a necessity!), cheap and delicious.  Trader Joe’s has three types of dough—whole wheat, plain (white) and herbed.  The calzones were melt-in-your-mouth good, and so we decided to recreate a similar dish using an online recipe.  Feel free to make your own dough or use your favorite kind of store-bought dough.  Calzones are especially friendly for IBD sufferers because most of the filling is usually cooked (to death!) on the skillet, and then the entire calzone is baked, meaning the entire dish is easier to digest.  Plus, veggies are full of antioxidants, and antioxidants improve circulation and digestion and also naturally reduce inflammation in the body.  We also try to vary the color of our veggies because different colors provide different types of antioxidants (broccoli, carrots, and mushrooms are a staple in our kitchen).