Synapse: Current Issue

I cook to procrastinate. All day, I can only think of the scrumptious recipes that I will make upon returning home from my day of classes. I subscribe to cooking magazines, weekly food e-newsletters, watch the Food Channel (when I have access to cable), and even attempted to take part-time summer classes at the California Culinary Arts Institute here in San Francisco when I learned that only fulltime students could register.

Despite this setback, I have compensated by satisfying this cooking itch through cooking some great food for myself. This love of cooking definitely has coincided with my love of medicine. As a young child, I wanted to be an international food critic (!) who traveled the world, tasted some great food, and also gave medical advice. I also pretended that I had my own cooking show in my parents’ kitchen with my sister as my sous-chef. Because this is the food issue, I just decided to give you a sampling of what my meals consist of throughout any given week, including one easy dessert recipe that your friends will love. For all the vegetarians, you are in luck! Almost everything is meat-free. Bon Appetit!

Naima’s Food Menu:

Breakfast: Buttermilk or whole wheat pancakes, rosemary omelet with sautéed tomatoes, onions, garlic, fresh roasted red bell peppers, and avocado, vegetarian sausage (Morning Star Farms), grapefruit, Peppermint Tea

Lunch: My dinner leftovers from the evening before

Dinner: Italian Polenta Casserole with Fresh Soy Protein & Eggplant, Crab and Basil Based Corn Chowder, Green Salad, Garlic Bread

Dessert: Pineapple Pecan Cake (a wonderful modification using boxed yellow cake)

1/2 cup margarine, softened
3 eggs
1 package yellow cake mix
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 3 - 8 inch round pans.
In a large bowl cream 1/2 cup margarine until smooth. Blend in the eggs. Add the cake mix and crushed pineapple with juice and mix until smooth. Stir in the 1/2 cup chopped pecans.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centers of the cakes comes out clean. Allow to cool.

To make the frosting: In a medium bowl cream 1/2 cup softened margarine and the cream cheese until smooth. Gradually blend in the confectioners’ sugar and 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Frost the cake once it has cooled and get ready to share!

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