Posted on by Cleverona Kitchen

Featured Food Blogger of the Month: Sonali Ruder of The Foodie Physician

Dr. Sonali Ruder is a board certified Emergency Medicine physician, trained chef, and cookbook author. She is a contributing writer, recipe developer, and health and wellness expert for several national magazines, cookbooks, and websites.  She is the founder of The Foodie Physician website where she creates meals that are nutritious and full of flavor. She is the author of several cookbooks including the Natural Pregnancy Cookbook and Natural Baby Food.  


1. You seem to be incredibly busy with work, kids, blog, cookbook how do you juggle all these things?

 Sonali Ruder of The Foodie Physician

It can definitely be a challenge to juggle it all! I work clinically in the Emergency Room a couple of days a week. On my non-clinical days, I’m usually developing and testing recipes for the blog or working on various other projects such as writing articles for websites, working on my cookbooks, giving lectures or filming TV news segments. It means many late nights spent working on my laptop after I put my daughter to bed! But the truth is that I love what I do, so I make the time to do it. Plus, I have an amazing husband who helps me with everything! I wouldn’t be able to do it all without him.

2. After years of coming up with new recipes, where do you find inspiration for new ones?

the foodie physician recipes

I am constantly finding inspiration for new recipes and I’m a bit obsessive about it! I keep notes on my phone with recipe ideas as I come up with them- sometimes that happens at 2 o’clock in the morning! I read tons of food magazines, watch a lot of cooking shows, and am constantly browsing the internet for recipe ideas.  Plus, I get inspired when we go out to new restaurants or food festivals. When I taste a dish that I like, I always come home and try to put my own unique spin on it.  

3. What is your philosophy when it comes to cooking?

sonali ruder

My philosophy is that we have the power to take control of our health, starting in the kitchen. Following a well-balanced nutritious diet full of whole foods and leading an active lifestyle can help prevent many chronic conditions like obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. My goal is to give people the confidence and the tools to get in the kitchen and prepare high-quality, tasty meals. Healthy food can and should be delicious!

4. What is the best thing about being a food blogger?

The best thing is probably that we get to eat new and delicious food all the time!  Most people get stuck in a food rut but I have the opposite problem- I rarely make the same dish twice because I’m always coming up with new recipes for the blog.  Also, I get a lot of samples of food and kitchen products to test out and review- that’s always a lot of fun!  

5. Can you tell us 5 things about you that people would find surprising.

  • I’m a Game of Thrones junkie! I can’t wait until the new season starts!
  • I have a serious weakness for mac and cheese. I’ve loved it since I was a kid! I’ve made all sorts of variations of mac and cheese including a “Masala Mac and Cheese” that has Indian flavors.

masala mac and cheese

  • My husband Pete is the other half of The Foodie Physician. Pete is a fellow ER doctor and serious foodie! He manages the social media side of The Foodie Physician and also is the primary photographer. We’ve always done everything together!
  • I went to culinary school after I was already a doctor.  I fell in love with cooking after I finished my medical training and decided to enroll in culinary school in New York City. For one year, I worked in the ER during the day and went to school at night. I loved every minute of it!
  • I love to sleep in. Now that I’m a mom, I don’t get the luxury of sleeping in very often but when I do get the chance, I am more than happy to turn off my alarm clock!

6. What are the three recipes that best represent your kitchen?

    Black Bean and Quinoa Veggie Burgers

    This is the most popular dish on my blog. I’m not a vegetarian but I make a lot of plant-based recipes for the blog. This veggie burger is hearty enough to satisfy even the biggest meat-lover!

    Spaghetti Carbonara with Cremini Mushrooms and a Warm Poached Egg

    This dish is the ultimate comfort food for me.  It takes  “chefy” concepts like carbonara and poached eggs and simplifies them for the home cook.

    Cauliflower Cheesy Bread

    I’m a big believer in getting your kids in the kitchen with you and establishing healthy eating habits from an early age so I have a lot of nutritious, kid-friendly recipes like this on my site.

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