Don't stress eat!

Last night I had one of those horrible nights where bacteria- and virus-laden nonsense raced through my head as I lay in bed, in powerful mockery of my lame attempts at meditation and mind-clearing. Once an hour this was punctuated by becoming fully awake, getting up, and then laying down once again to the same as soon as my head hit the pillow.

I've been trying to do everything right, too: yoga, running, studying, dinner out, tea with a friend, reading David Sedaris stories before bed. Despite all this, the stress of having an exam every two weeks is overpowering.

So today I am allowing myself to bake a pie, make a fresh salad for lunch, and then resume studying. I will beat these pathogens!

Simple Greek salad: one chopped tomato, crumbled feta, some chickpeas, toasted almonds, romaine lettuce, oil and vinegar dressing. Each bite gives a satisfying crunch!

Weekend hiatus

The results of the healthy food contest are in, and I won Best Meal! A strong endorsement of my chicken and chickpea curry. I insist that my dish was also the healthiest, but as it did not taste particularly healthy, that went to ants-on-a-log instead (you see what I was up against. The ants-on-a-log were delicious though. Classics are classics for a reason).

Friday afternoon I was exhausted (post-exam) and hungry, so I made a vegetarian stew that I will claim is the healthiest, easiest, and cheapest delicious stew out there, though not particularly refined. Once you have a well-stocked cupboard, it doesn't even require a trip to the grocery store.

Vegetarian stew from the cupboard (inspired by this Persian stew from Serious Eats):

• 6 kale leaves, washed and chopped (or other vegetable, such as tomatoes or peppers)
• 1 tbsp ground cumin (or other spice, such as curry or chili powder)
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 cup lentils, cooked
• 1 cup chickpeas, cooked
• 1 cup brown rice, cooked
• juice of 1 lemon
• handful of chopped parsley (or cilantro or scallions, etc.)
• hot sauce and/or sour cream for seasoning -- this stew is an extremely flexible base and could be seasoned with a variety of things
• 1 tbsp canola or olive oil
• salt & pepper

I cooked the rice, lentils, and chickpeas the night before.

On medium-high heat, heat canola oil in a large soup pot, then add garlic, ginger, and onion. Saute until translucent, then add cumin and stir a few minutes until fragrant (you may need to add some water to keep everything from burning). Add the kale; once it has cooked down a bit, add the rice and beans. Cover with water and simmer on low-medium heat for 15-30 minutes. Add lemon juice and chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with hot sauce and/or sour cream.

                                                   Before:                                   After:

My excuse for not blogging this weekend:

Cooking with less meat

The most surprising thing that I've learned in nutrition so far this year is that most of us need less protein than we think we do. I think that many of us young pseudo-athletes who grew up in the age of Atkins and South Beach were under the impression that we should eat mostly protein and vegetables. For me, doubts began to creep in when I observed Asian cooking, which is heavy on carbs and vegetables but still feeds mostly thin and healthy people. According to one of my professors, "there is no physiological advantage in consuming excess protein," because that protein will be broken down and converted to other products anyway (not made directly into muscle protein). In contrast, he says, "higher carbohydrate consumption preserves body protein" because carbohydrates, rather than muscle protein, can serve as your main source of energy. Apparently, we should aim for 45-65% of our daily calories from carbs, vs. 10-35% from protein.

From a taste and price perspective, adding chickpeas to this chicken curry adds variety of flavor and texture, and is cheaper, than using chicken alone. This recipe was inspired by my upstairs neighbor, originally from Kerala by way of Long Island, who has recently been trying to recreate her father's curry and generously sharing the rejected versions with me. Her dad makes a mean curry, her mom is a professor at Columbia Medical School: we both get teased by our moms for our fledgling knowledge of medicine; we both raid our dads' spice cabinets when we visit home.

Chicken and chole curry (this ingredient list may look longer than most but if you look closely it's really quite minimalist; these ingredients are good to have lying around):

• 2-4 tbsp ground cumin
• 2-4 tbsp curry powder
• dried chili flakes
• 1-2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 1-2 tbsp minced fresh garlic
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup canned tomatoes
• 1 cup dried chickpeas, reconstituted, or 1 can chickpeas
• 1/2 lb chicken breast or thighs, sliced
• canola oil
• salt & pepper
• couscous or rice for serving

In a pressure cooker or pot with a lid, heat a few tablespoons of the oil. When hot, add the ginger and garlic, then onion, then spices. Stir constantly and add water as needed so that the mixture becomes creamy and uniform without burning. Next, add the chicken and cook until the outside becomes white. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, and plenty of liquid, and cook on low pressure or low heat (with a lid) until chicken is cooked through and completely tender. Adjust spices as needed. Should be a brothy stew that can be served with couscous or rice.

From Old Delhi in 2005, not Kerala: