Sara in America's Profile

You should try making Fesenjaan. It's a Persian stew (usually made with duck or chicken) that uses a walnut and pomegranate base. You can find a good recipe in New Food of Life (a great Persian cookbook in English).

Another thing, also from the North of Iran, is making a walnut pomegranate paste as a marinade for grilled meat. YUM.

Ugh, I have to say that I really dislike it when I go to someone's house and they have pets yet seem to be oblivious to the fact that not everyone appreciates pets in the kitchen, on the dining room table, and so on. Thanks for this post. I once had a roommate who would let her cat jump up on the kitchen table. It drove me nuts and has forever prejudiced me to animals in the kitchen...

I would also say vegetarian chili. Or chickpea dal with rice and yogurt.

I actually really like it when my cookbooks have stains and spills on them. It's somehow nostalgic and a sign of love.

I was just discussing this with a friend the other day. I love this type of meal!

Can you give directions for brown rice in a simple rice cooker?

My biggest problem with lunch is finding healthy snacks and sides to go along with it. I'll often pack a sandwich or some leftovers like pasta or a grain salad and then find myself hungry without anything to eat. That usually means I have to resort to getting a cookie or pastry with my afternoon coffee and I'd like to cut back on that. So, snack or side ideas would be great!

Oh - also - some not dorky looking lunch bags that will fit inside other bags.

I'm also a grad student and also trying to lose some weight. I do a smoothie of kefir, a banana and some kind of berry in the morning, with a coffee. If I'm really hungry I'll add a slice of multi-grain toast with almond butter.
For lunches I like sardines, greens on either brown rice or multigrain bread. Or tofu with sauteed greens of some kind. Today I did the smoothie for breakfast. Then for lunch I had lentils with a hard boiled egg, 2 WASA crackers and a salad of spinach and cucumber.

today was a bad breakfast. water with apple cider vinegar, an odwalla vitamin c citrus juice, and half a sandwich with roasted turkey, cheese, tomatoes and sprouts. usually i have a kefir, banana and blueberry smoothie and a coffee.

I love the green one!