When you need to cool down- Watermelon Gazpacho

Old Faithful Geyser, Yellowstone National Park

Grand Teton National Park

This summer has felt hotter than before.  Perhaps it's that I'm now living in NYC and am experiencing the incredible heat and humidity the city seems to absorb.  There is something that unites new yorkers in the dramatic weather changes- it is as if we are suffering together and it makes us stronger.  Needless to say- many people escape the city as much as they can.  But being a newcomer and working at odd times, I've stuck around. 

I've had so many transitions in the past few months, that internally I've also felt like everything is boiling over and I needed to cool down.  Transitions are really times that make you stop and analyze life.  It seems so easy to coast along until things are brought to a head and we are forced to face the good and the bad of reality.  Ultimately I think they bring us to better places, but while going through them it can be tough.

So when it was time to contribute to  host my first shabbat dinner in the city I felt like I needed to find something cooling.  Gazpacho has never been my thing, but I think because it felt like I was drinking tomato sauce- so I tried this watermelon version and everyone loved it! It is super easy to whip up and a sure win in the summertime.  Enjoy!

Watermelon Gazpacho  (Adapted from the eating well recipe )

Ingredients:

1/2 watermelon diced (about 6lbs w/ rind)

Watermelon Gazpacho

1 medium cucumber diced

1/2 red bell pepper diced

1/4 cup (one handful) of fresh basil chopped finely

3 tablespoons of white wine

2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 teaspoon of salt

1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon of fresh terragon

2 tablespoons of minced shallots (or fresh summer onions)

Directions:

1- Mix all ingredients into a large bowl

2- Separate out 1/3 ingredients

3- For the other 2/3 of ingredients use a hand blender to blend together

4- Mix back together the ingredients and store in refrigerator

5- Serve once chilled 

When wanderlust gets the best of you- Coconut Red Lentil Green Curry

Shenandoah, April 2013

It's the end of medical school, and I have three months of vacation before starting residency.  My time is being spent mostly looking for a place to live in NYC, recooperating from yet another knee surgery, and spending some quality time with friends and family.  This next month I'm in DC, enjoying living with Jacob before we have a few months apart.  I struggled with the decision to stay here, take some weekend trips, and two 10 day trips abroad, instead of spending two months backpacking.  My wanderlust continues to linger, sometimes preventing me from fully enjoying the free time I have.  A week ago I took a weekend trip with some girlfriends to a cabin in Shenandoah.  The trip- as characteristic of my friends- was therapeutic in more ways than one- and shook some of my restlessness away.  I came away feeling that my wanderlust can be satiated without going so far.  So as this month goes on I'm going to delve into some cooking that will give me a taste of new cultures and experiences.

Coconut Red Lentil Green Curry

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons of Grapeseed Oil
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
8 scallions sliced, w/ white and green parts separated
3 tablespoons of green curry paste
4 Medium sized carrots chopped
1 large russet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup of red lentils (sorted and rinsed)
1 can Coconut Milk
2 cups of vegetable broth
Smathering of All Purpose seasoning
Pinch of Salt

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add in ginger, garlic and scallion whites, cstirring until softened for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add in curry paste.
3. Add in carrots, potato, lentils, broth, coconut milk, salt, all purpose seasoning
4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer.  Stir occasionally until veggies and lentils are tender (about 20 minutes)

Coconut Red Lentil Green Curry

5. Sprinkle curry with scallion greens and serve with brown rice.

When Life Gives you Lemons- Lemon Roasted Branzino and Tahini Roasted Eggplant

These last few weeks have been met with some surprises.  Perhaps it is the expectations we set for ourselves, and the disappointment that results when those expectations are not met.  I like to think that things happen for a reason.  Every disappointment I had in my life, eventually led me to further opportunities and shaped my life into what it is today.  Sometimes I try to imagine my life had I not had those disappointments and met whatever my hopes and expectations were at that time- and then I realize I would never change it.

Inspired by my recent trip to Israel and the wonderful people and food I had there...

Sde Nechemia Israel, April 2013

Lemon Roasted Branzino (Recipe for 2)

1 Branzino filleted and deboned into 2 pieces
1 Leek (white parts only, sliced thinly)
2 cloves of garlic (chopped finely)
2 meyer lemons (or other small lemons, sliced thinly)
Thyme (one bunch)
Salt to Sprinkle
Olive Oil to drizzle

1) Preheat oven to 425
2) Lay parchment paper over oven roasting dish and lay fish skin down in a single layer
3) Drizzle fish with olive oil
4) Top with leeks, garlic, lemons and salt

Israel-Inspired Branzino + Eggplant

5) Take thyme and dip into olive oil that has run off of the fish, and lay atop fish
6) Cook for 20 minutes

Tahini Roasted Eggplant

1 Eggplant
1 spoon-full Tahini paste
1/2 lemon
teaspoon of paprika
teaspoon of garlic powder
dash of salt
all purpose seasoning (or any seasoning mix of spices)
drizzle of olive oil

1) Preheat oven to 425
2) Slice Eggplant and place in oven roasting dish (that has been covered by parchment paper)
3) Take olive oil and drizzle into hands, massaging each piece of eggplant
4) sprinkle with salt and all purpose seasoning
5) Cook for 40 minutes
6) While waiting prepare tahina by mixing tahini paste with half of a squeezed lemon, paprika, garlic powder, and enough water to make an even consistency
7) When eggplant is ready, top with tahina and serve.

Israeli Salad compliments this meal well

A soup for Today- Vegan Curry Red Lentil Soup

A Soup for Today.

Aspen, Colorado January 2013

Today I found out I matched in pediatric residency.  On Friday I find out where exactly I will be.  The anticipation makes me feel like life is on hold.  Jacob and I aren't sleeping much these days as we await what our next 3 years will look like.  This morning as I awaited the news that I officially matched, I felt frozen- I could not do anything or make any decisions.  What better for de-frosting myself than cooking up a new soup?  This recipe is from Cookie and Kate (http://cookieandkate.com) a great cooking blog. It certainly did the trick- though it is a bit more labor intensive than some of my other soups as the dicing can become arduous.



Vegan Curried Red Lentil Soup 

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 piece (about 2 inches) fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)

• 1 large shallot, finely chopped (1/4 cup)

• 2 large carrots, peeled and finely diced (about 1 cup)

• 1 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons curry powder ( i used green curry paste)

• 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk (reduced fat or regular) *be sure to shake and mix canned milk well*

• 5 cups water

• 1 cup dried red lentils, picked over and rinsed

• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped tart dried cherries (preferably organic unsweetened)

• 3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro stems, plus 3 tablespoons cilantro leaves for garnish

Instructions:
1) First prep all ingredients as above (chop, dice, peel etc)
2) put oil into pot and heat on medium
3) Add carrots, garlic, ginger, shallot and half of salt and let cook while stirring for 5-10 minutes until shallots transluscent
4) Add curry powder or paste and stir for another minute
5) Add 1/2 cup coconut milk + water, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer
6) Cook 8-10 min until carrots/lentils are soft
7) set aside 2 cups of soup.  Strain these two cups leaving only solid ingredients in a separate bowl and recombining liquid with the remaining soup.
8) With a hand immersion blender blend the remaining soup in a glass bowl.
9) recombine the soup with that set aside
10) Add most of the cherries, leaving some for garnish, and all of the cilantro stems
11) When ready to serve separate into 4 bowls, garnishing with remaining coconut milk, cilantro leaves and cherries.

This past week I gave the dvar torah at my minyan- this is what I said:

We are midway between purim and pesach.  Between a time of celebration, high energy, and partying to one of cleansing, renewal and lower energy.  Being a purim baby and an admirer of springtime, these few weeks have always been filled with lots to do.  Prepare for my birthday, prepare for pesach, prepare to come out of winter hibernation.  However this time in between the celebration and renewal, there is not really much to be done. 

This week parshat vayak’hel-pekudei can be summed up in three main parts.

1-   Moses assembles the people of Israel and reiterates to them the commandment to observe Shabbat

2-   He conveys gods instructions in making the mishkan; The tabernacle, or portable sanctuary in which the Jews carried the Ark of the Covenant through the desert.

3-   The people of Israel donate the required material (gold, furnishings, garments etc) in abundance so much so that moses has to tell them to stop giving.

Stop giving? How often do we hear that?  I took this to be more of a metaphor to stop doing and reflect on what has already been done.  As young professional urbanities living in one of the most strung out cities in the world- I’m sure we can all use this reminder.  In the age of yoga and meditation the act of being and reflection, instead of doing all of the time, has now begun to catch on.  Numerous studies have proven that mindfulness and meditation lead to better health outcomes, they decrease anxiety, our perception of pain, and our blood pressure readings.  Perhaps Moses was giving us further instructions on life---- just chill out.  Take this time to clear our minds before we clear our closets in two weeks. 

In discussing the positive effects of not doing more I am reminded of a recent article I read about parenting adult children.  The premise of the article was a mother contemplating how best to be a parent now that her children were grown and no longer needed her in the same capacity they once did.  She mentioned several arguments she had with her now adult children when she would give them suggestions for what they should do to solve the problems they presented her.  One day, her son stopped the argument and said mom I know you are trying to help me but the best way you can help me is to just be there for me, and stop trying to do for me.

As a medical student, I spent part of my curriculum learning communication skills.  While the old fashioned paternalistic view of medicine has changed to be more patient centered, so have our communication styles.  It is now faux pa to tell patients what to do, rather it has proven more effective and beneficial to have the patient tell us more while we engage in reflective listening.  Using a technique called motivational interviewing, many in the psychology world may be familiar with, we work together with the patient to motivate them to change.  By doing less, and being more present, providers can now gain more information while building a more cooperative relationship.

It seems fitting to me that this parsha started with the commandment of Shabbat and ended with telling us to stop giving more.  While Shabbat provides an avenue to stop doing and just be, we are reminded of the importance of doing this on a daily basis.  So I challenge you in the days in between purim and pesach- how can you incorporate this mantra of doing less, being more present, and reflecting more?