Living with uncertainty

I recently met a patient whose credit card wouldn't go through as she was checking out. The problem was with the machine, not her card, but she was instantly on high alert for credit card fraud. "You have to understand," she said, "as a paralegal, I see identity fraud every day, and I'm paranoid that it will happen to me." We (the other students at the clinic and I) got it: we study diseases every day, with signs and symptoms that often appear relatively benign and familiar (fatigue, enlarged lymph nodes, etc.). Thus, med student syndrome. Yes, the possibility exists that one has lymphoma or lupus--but probably, hopefully, not.

Similarly, failing an exam--and with that, losing your summer or having to repeat the year--is always within the realm of possibility. Before med school, "failing" for many of us meant a bad grade; now, passing is a one-shot deal, determined by one exam at the end of the course. There are relatively few questions on that exam, and it's up to your best guess as to what material will be covered. This makes med school is a relatively unique and stressful experience.

So what do we do? One thing we can to is to accept the possibility and let go. Find activities that are pleasurable, soothing, distracting--like cooking! And if you choose to cook, don't worry so much about getting it exactly right: even if it's not perfect, it will likely taste just fine. G = MD.

Refreshing "mud season" salad (before spring veggies have quite hit their stride):

• fresh spinach
• handful of cilantro
• 1/2 apple
• 1/4 lemon
• olive oil or balsamic vinegar optional

Chop the spinach and cilantro. Cut the apple into 1-cm cubes. Pack up with the lemon wedge. Before eating, squeeze the lemon over the leaves and toss together. For added substance, serve with: cheddar or goat cheese, toasted walnuts, pumpkin seeds, lentils, quinoa, or yogurt on the side.

Adds a little bit of sunshine to your day!

Super Bowl Sunday salad!

I went to a couple of talks this week that emphasized the importance of protein. While osteoporosis is a well-known public health problem, sarcopenia, or the loss of muscle mass, is less well-understood by both doctors and the general public. Prevention of sarcopenia is perhaps one reason why people who stand or move around at work may be healthier as they age than people who sit all day (like med students). In terms of the obesity epidemic, concentrated protein (as in meat) is lower calorie and more filling than protein stretched across legumes and whole grains (which I generally prefer). Keeping it simple, most adults should aim to eat 1 gram of protein per day for every kilogram (or 2.2 pounds) of body weight.

In January, I made that resolution to eat more protein, and yet I still find myself gravitating towards vegetarian dishes and grains. To compromise, I decided to substitute quinoa for brown rice in a flavorful beans-and-rice salad. Mexican flavors of vinegar, cumin, and cilantro add spice to these dreary, late winter days, and are perfect for Super Bowl Sunday.

Quinoa "rice and beans":

• 1/2 cup dried black beans, reconstituted (or about 1 can of black beans, rinsed)
• 1/2 cup quinoa, cooked with 1 cup water in a rice cooker
• chopped tomatoes to taste (I used half a can instead of fresh tomatoes)
• 1/4 red onion, minced
• handful of cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 
• 1 teaspoon chili flakes (or 1 freshly chopped chili)
• 1-2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1-3 teaspoons white vinegar
• salt to taste

In a large bowl, toss together your black beans and quinoa, then add tomatoes, onion, and spices to taste. Enjoy as-is, or with salad greens, eggs, or grated cheese (I added some cheese to mine and honestly I'm not sure that it adds much. But up to you.) I doubled the recipe and will have more than enough salad for lunches this week.

Before tossing

After tossing

Summer non-cooking

In the summer, even I don't feel like cooking. I'd rather be outside. I'd rather eat raw, fresh food. My appetite is diminished. Etc.

However, too much of this attitude and I wind up eating yogurt, berries, granola bars, and grilled cheese for meal after meal. Enough is enough!

Fortunately, summer dishes can be mostly raw and therefore take less time to cook. Simply toss a few things together, or pour one thing over another thing.

For instance:

• 10-minute pickles that will last a week (I halved the recipe for 1 large cucumber and 1 small head of celery from this week's farm share)
• cold soba noodles and stir-fried Chinese greens with garlic
• tossed summer grain-and-corn salad

Cold soba noodles: boil the noodles as directed, then drain and immediately run under cold water until cool. Toss with a little bit of soy sauce, ponzu, and scallions. Enjoy with tofu or greens or as is.

Stir-fried Chinese greens with garlic: wash and chop greens into large pieces. Peel a few garlic cloves and leave whole. In a large frying pan or wok, heat about a tablespoon of canola oil until very hot (test with a drop of water or a piece of garlic), then add garlic. Cook for a minute, then turn off the heat and add the greens (if you don't turn off the heat, sometimes the whole thing will catch fire). Turn the heat back on and cook for a minute on high. Season with salt if you're feeling indulgent (or just went running!).

Summer salad: toss together the following ingredients.

• any grain, cooked al dente (I used some cool-looking black forbidden rice)
• 1 ear of corn, steamed and de-kerneled
• handful of chopped cilantro and scallion
• half an avocado, cut into small pieces
• handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• lemon juice
• red pepper flakes

Vegetarian two-pot supper

Sometimes you want to eat locally, but you don't really want to eat locally -- know what I mean? I don't really like rice and beans and tortillas unless they're well seasoned or served with a lot of cheese. But I want to be in touch with my surroundings and the people around me. Besides which, I'm limited by what's available in the grocery stores.

Tonight I decided to make rice and beans (both of which I happen to like in general) part of the meal, rather than the center of the meal. I cooked up two vegetables, separately: first chayote with red onion, garlic, and ginger; then large green beans with garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Next I reheated my black beans, unseasoned, allowing them to soak up the flavors in the pan. In a separate pot I steamed some rice. I served it all in a bowl with cilantro, mimicking an "Asian rice bowl." Variety of flavors and textures, and pretty healthy!