Once a year, go someplace you've never been before. - dalai lama

On a recent trip to Ikaria, a Greek island in the Aegean Sea, I took a windy, narrow, hilly ride to Therma. Therma is a spa town know for it's therapeutic hot springs. It also has the largest concentration of radon (radioactive mineral) in Greece and the most radioactive hot springs in the world. This initially made me pause because in the U.S. we avoid radon gas. After the realization that it's radon contained in the rocks below the water that warm the hot springs I decided to try it. It was incredibly soothing and my slightly arthritic left big toe was happy for weeks after.

Travelers come to Therma for all kinds of health reasons, including inflammation and arthritis. The recommended therapy is 20 minutes a day for 20 days every six months. If you're curious, here's a physician's study of Therma treatment from a book I browsed while at my hotel located just above one of the hot springs.

By late afternoon I joined a table of fellow travelers already indulging in Gemista. Gemista is baked stuffed vegetables, usually tomatoes and peppers, but it can be anything from zucchini flowers to eggplant. Eating Gemista and other dishes was like exploring dozens of Greek family kitchens.

To share my love of this dish I've created a grain-free version of Gemista using tomatoes and Spanakorizzo (recipe below) as the stuffing. I add a bit of feta to each tomato and bake it with potatoes or other veggies such as chopped eggplant, zucchini, or just bake them on their own. And instead of feta you can add Parmesan, goat cheese, or your favorite savory cheese. To go diary-free, add some ground protein, or turn it sweeter with some chopped dates or raisins.

Gemista needs about one hour of baking time and you'll need to prep the stuffing ahead of time so it's best to make it ahead or bake it while you're making other things.

For omnivores, try my bell pepper stuffing recipe on page 164 of the Cooking for the Specific Carbohydrate (SCD) cookbook. Enjoy!