Kabocha Squash Salad and “Its All Relative”

I love hot food on cold greens! but actually, cold Kobocha is addictive and delicious!

Hey bloggie friends!

Its been a while since I’ve bored you with my musings! You been luck to have our guest share her culinary masterpiece and incase you missed it, you can visit my contribution on her turf.

Today, my recipe actually ties in with the topic! How rare is that!

I was talking to my therapist (how lame is the start of THAT sentence!) about my little OCD tendencies. As I’ve slowly let go of my eating disorder, I realize I do have tendencies that have been “shoved under the rug” because of the eating disorder. It’s quick to blame eating disorder when your running as much as I did and not eat enough to nourish myself. But once a lot of the layers of the eating disorder are shed, there is still that part of me with these tendencies. My therapist told me that OCD and eating disorders are “cousins”.

And you know what? It made a lot of sense. They share a lot of common. I suppose their “parent” is anxiety, the mother (or father, just trying to be fair!) of most psychological disorders. Often times, people will have what I think of as a “deadly cocktail” of both OCD and some sort of eating disorder. I thought about it, and thought OCD and eating disorder share these traits:  impulses to maintain the order, perfections and precise actions.

Hmmm….I never thought of myself as a perfectionist. I mean, if you just read my blog, its ridden with spelling and grammar mistakes! I certainly burn my toast and leave my shoes untied sometimes (simply too lazy to tie them, that is, until I fall). And I wish I were more organized! This doesn’t sound like me.

But after some self analysis, I think I do exhibit OCD characteristics. One big one is control. A lot of chef’s are control freaks. Are they all OCD? Probably not (although, maybe debatable, I’ve seen some fairly wacky OCD stuff from chefs!). But I do have a preoccupation with things I can control. It’s beyond food and exercise, although I admit, I feel a strong pull towards control of those two areas. For example, I hate being at a party where I cant leave. If it’s on a yacht or a boat, forget it! I’m not going! I feel anxious when I’m controlled when I can leave! I feel trapped and the anxiety of not being in control of my departure tortures me.

I think lots of people get a anxious about not being in control. But when is it a problem? I suppose when it takes over your thoughts and prevents you from having a life. When the rigidity gets in the way of life, then you’re in trouble.

But it is rather fascinating how these two are “relatives”. Relatives, real ones like cousins and uncles and what not, may resemble you, may even behave like you, but they are individual people, separate from you. Similarly, I think you need to treat BOTH the OCD and the eating disorder if someone indeed has both. Sure, a lot of the symptoms overlap, but I think both need attention.

I suppose with me, the eating disorder manifested to harming me physically, so the first inclination to remedy what is harming the body the most. But I still had (and I think I still have) OCD issues that need work.

It is a mild OCD, I know shows like “Hoarders” and “Obsessed” make it seem like you live in your mind’s prison and never see daylight. But the thoughts are there, the anxiety is there, there is “safety” in the rigidity. But I’m working on it, and honestly, blogging helps, expressing myself helps. I think I’m hopeful I won’t be like this forever.

Incase you’re interested in reading further, there was an interesting study conducted at Vanderbilt university that you can check out here.

You know what else is “related”?????

Kabocha and Pumpkin!

Actually, Kabochha in also known as “Japanese Pumpkin”.  I know, I know! This can go into my “over-rated food blog” food list, but I admit it, I do love it! It’s very versatile, and in my case cheap (I have an asian market by my house that sells is for .99 cents a pound).  It’s also brimming with vitamins and beta carotene as well as some calcium (and much easier on the stomach than dairy).

sitting on my counter, before I performed open heart surgery on it. O and yes, that is the ice cream maker behind it.

Anyhow, I scored a big one today and roasted some up for a cool salad! Heres what I added to the salads:

-a couple of leaves of napa cabbage (going with the asian theme here!)

-sliced turkey (any protein would do, I like my salads to be “balanced” so I always include a protein)

-sliced persian cucumbers

-avocado

-roasted peanuts (a very nice touch, but cashews and almonds would be great, even pecans would be wonderful!)

-Roasted Kabocha, chopped into cubes

Mix the whole thing up with some ponzu., soy sauce, or hoisin sauce and sesame oil and you have one delicious salad. I like this relative, which isn’t always the case;)

Do you have anything that is a “relative” of something else that you adore?

For example, I like lychee fruit which is a relative of rambutan. I also like Casey Affleck (as opposed to Ben Affleck, his bro). Lets see…..I like “Curb Your enthusiasm” which too me is like “Seinfeld’s” cousin.  Family Guy gave birth to “The Cleveland Show” which was surprisingly a disappointment.   Anyhow, you get the drift. Any “relatives” you like????

By the way, a giveaway will be coming up next week, in the meantime, check out Astrid’s, Maggie’s and Averie’s cool giveaways! You what they say, it is better to give than to receive!