Comforting Rituals

To me, one of the most relaxing and satisfying things is to cook a delicious and healthy meal for my family.  As the weather begins to cool and the leaves start to turn glorious reds, yellow, and oranges, I get the urge to experiment with squashes and greens, maybe creating a beautiful risotto or a sturdy stew. The process of following a recipe and concentrating on the ingredients at hand becomes a kind of meditation. Chopping, slicing, mincing, sauteing, seasoning, tasting, and serving. The best times are when the phone and television are off and the strains of  soothing music are heard gently in the background.

It may sound familiar to folks that physical exercise like running, swimming, or biking can be a tremendous stress-buster. It's absolutely true, and the physical health benefits to the cardio-vascular system are also extremely important. When it comes to stress reduction in particular, research has shown that repetitive, productive, and creative activity using your hands is an excellent and even more effective treatment for the symptoms of depression and anxiety.
The process of cooking, knitting, making art, playing music, gardening, or even working on the car can result in a decrease in stress and anxiety and a calmness to one's thoughts. The hamster running in its wheel inside of your brain begins to slow down or cease altogether and allows you to catch your breath and regain perspective on your strengths even in times of hardship. The activity should be one in which your hands are used, stimulates some creative impulse, and has a productive goal in mind. Unfortunately, for all you gamers out there, playing computer or video games does not ordinarily qualify since oftentimes there is no immediate end in sight. You may complete a level of a game, but there's usually always another more challenging level lurking around the corner ready to trip you up. Using whatever appeals to you the most, begin to invest more time each day to engaging in a hands-on activity that is enjoyable and also serves to reduce your stress level.

In my next post, I'll talk further about the relaxation response and discuss a simple meditation practice that you can use to alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety. In the meantime, for all you cooks out there, I'll leave you with a recipe you can try at home for a meal that feels like comfort food to me, enjoy!

Italian Meatloaf with Pan-Seared Brussels Sprouts
(recipes adapted from Michael Chiarello and Heidi Swanson)

For meatloaf:
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 red pepper, seeded, small diced
1 onion, diced
2 teaspoons (about 3 cloves) chopped garlic
1 pound ground beef
2 eggs
¾ cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped basil leaves or 1 tbsp dried basil
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves or 1/2 tbsp dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup marinara sauce

View full recipePreheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat and add the peppers, onions and garlic. Saute until just soft, remove to a plate and cool.

When the peppers and onions are cool, combine all of the remaining ingredients together except for the marinara. Pack the meat mixture into an oiled loaf pan, if you do not have a loaf pan, form the meat mixture into a loaf shape on an oiled oven tray or baking dish. Top with the marinara making sure to spread evenly over the top.

Bake for approximately 50 to 60 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees F in the middle of the meatloaf. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

For brussels sprouts:
Ingredients
Brussels Sprouts
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Wash the brussels sprouts well. Trim the stem ends and remove any raggy outer leaves. Cut in half from stem to top and toss them in a bowl with a glug of olive oil.

Place the brussels sprouts in a medium hot pan flat side down (single-layer), sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt, cover, and cook for roughly 5 minutes; the bottoms of the sprouts should only show a hint of browning.

Once just tender, uncover, turn up the heat, and cook until the flat sides are deep brown and caramelized. Toss them once or twice to get some browning on the rounded side. Season with more salt, a few grinds of pepper, and a dusting of grated cheese.


Serve with some wild rice or a baked potato and enjoy! Please let me know if you try it and what you think!