Cookin’

I like to cook. Perhaps I am different from some people with eating disorders in that I genuinely don’t like food very much. Maybe that is because my eating disorder has some classic elements but also has a lot to do with my stomach issues and headaches, etc. I considered myself recovered during my last couple years of college. Then I relapsed, originally because I started feeling a) anxious and didn’t feel like eating and b) sick all the time. It is hard to eat when food feels like poison to your body. I have encountered a couple of other blogs where people have eating problems due to similar reasons. Once I relapsed, the old motivations like controlling emotions and body image came back, but originally it was about my sickness. Now it is 5o/5o I guess.

Anyway, I like to cook because it’s fun and I like to make things for other people, but also because I feel more like eating when I put so much work into a meal. I appreciate it, the work and the flavors I put into it. Usually my appetite is pretty non-existent so it’s good for me to cook I think.

I have been experimenting with more complicated recipes than I am used to, and also with making up my own recipes!

Here is one I came up with for dinner tonight:

Sun-dried Tomato and Feta Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients:

• 6 Bell peppers – it is great to get varying colors of red, yellow, orange (but I wouldn’t recommend green)
• 1 and 1/2 cups Quinoa, cooked in 3 cups chicken broth, instead of water, according to package directions
• 2/3 cup sundried tomatoes in oil, chopped
• 3/4 cup chopped carrots, into small pieces
• 2 Tbsp olive oil (or preferably, the oil from the sun-dried tomato container)
• 3/4 cup feta cheese
• 3 Tbsp. dried Basil or use more fresh
• 2 tsp. dried marjoram
• squeeze of half a lemon

1.) In a 2 quart saucepan, bring the chicken or vegetable stock to a boil. Add quinoa and cook according to package directions. (I added the quinoa to the boiling stock, brought it back up to a boil, and then turned the heat to medium and let it cook for 12 minutes. Then I turned the heat off,  covered it, let it sit for 15 minutes, and then fluffed with a fork.)

2.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. When the quinoa has cooled a bit, add in the sundried tomatoes, oil, basil, marjoram, pepper, salt, and feta. Stir to combine. Definitely add more feta if you think it is needed! 🙂

3.) Cut the tops off of the peppers and clean out the insides. Fill them with the quinoa mixture. Place in a 9 x13 inch baking dish and bake uncovered 35-40 minutes or until the peppers are tender and the quinoa is warm all the way through.