Week 7: What's A Vegan Anyway?

    This week's blogpost on the vegan lifestyle was inspired by Ft. Worth based Spiral Diner. My flexitarian friend introduced me to this modern eating hotspot this past week to mix up our ho-hum dining routine.

    Spiral Diner's motto is to offer a menu of tasty vegan food, which is a rare commodity in Texas from what I understand. Reasonably so, considering that Texas is generally known as a state of vast cattle farms and carnivorous steak eating people. Spiral is a quaint and quirky little spot located on a side street off of Rosedale. Not only do they offer a broad menu of delicious options, but they also offer shelves of vegan friendly products and several packets of information about going vegan. I must admit that I was a little skeptical as I stared down my breakfast burrito, chock full of fresh veggies, potatoes, and tofu scramble. How could tofu ever be comparable to an egg? But I was in for a surprise- The tofu scramble was delicious and well complemented by Spiral's home made salsa. The biggest surprises of this meal? For starters, Almond Milk is one of my new favorite complements to my morning coffee. And to finish, we enjoyed what is one of the best lunchtime desserts I've ever experienced- dubbed appropriately the Death Star. A pecan studded brownie with home made ice cream and whipped cream, garnished with ground espresso beans and topped off with a shot of freshly brewed espresso. Chocolate, ice cream, and coffee- where could you possibly go wrong? I'm still stumped by the fact that this dessert was 100% vegan.
    Amy McNutt, the founder of Spiral, was inspired to become a vegan during her creation of a film about cattle farms in California. This leads me to those all too familiar questions- what makes a vegetarian a vegetarian? And what in the world is a vegan?
    Vegetarian is a word with many definitions. Generally speaking, a vegetarian is one that does not eat certain types of meat or animal products. There are several different kinds of vegetarians. An ovo-vegetarian, for example, eats eggs but not dairy products. A lacto-vegetarian eats dairy products, but not eggs. An ovo-lacto vegetarian eats eggs and dairy products.
    So how does veganism play into this? A vegan is considered a strict vegetarian- one who consumes absolutely no meat or animal products including eggs, dairy, and even honey. The decision to become a vegan can come from many different influences including religious, economic, or ethical reasons.
    The existence of places like Spiral are proof that being a vegan is not easy. Picture trying to avoid animal products in the BLUU, where you have no idea how things are prepared or what they may come into contact with while in transit. The one vegan that I know on campus prepares all of her meals in her room and avoids eating out with her friends. This implies social impact as well as an entirely new method of time management that I can't even imagine. My challenge for myself this week is to experiment with some type of vegetarianism- even if it is just giving up beef for the week. It will be interesting to see how many adjustments I will have to make in order to stick to this plan. Will it change my lifestyle? Will I feel better about myself after this beef free week? I guess we will just have to wait and see.

    Rory Freedman, Co-Author of "Skinny Bitch"book series, gives 5 reasons why you should consider going vegan in this video. Rory mentions a few reasons that I have never heard before- this veganism video is definitely food for thought.

    So whether you're a carnivore or a herbivore, keep these facts in mind when making decisions about what to eat this week. 
    College is a time for experimentation, right?

    Happy Eating!

Week Six: Cooking Class

    This week I will be taking you all on a date. Unfortunately it will only be a virtual date, but it’s the thought that counts right?

    For Valentine’s day, my boyfriend took me on a surprise date to Central Market. Those of you who have read week one’s post know that I am a Central enthusiast, but when we arrived I must admit that I was a little confused. A date in an upscale grocery store? But it all made much more sense when he brought me upstairs and into a cooking class. He obviously knows me pretty well because this is right up my alley!

    Central Market offers an array of different cooking classes. From desserts to Italian to sushi, they pretty much cover it all. The one that we sat in on happened to be a heart healthy menu. It was a lot like the Food Network got plopped right into the center of my restaurant of choice. They had several rows of tables and chairs set for mealtime that faced a fully equipped kitchen with cameras and television monitors so that you can watch the chef’s every move.  Our chef was a portly, good humored man who joked and instructed as we observed and ate the dish as he was recreating it before our eyes.

    The menu was magnificent. As I mentioned, this was the heart healthy cooking class so the four-course meal was full of simple, health conscious, and of course tasty food items.

    The first course was a cold broccoli salad. To create this meal opener, the chef blanched broccoli and soaked it in ice water, then sautéed onions with a little bit of balsamic vinegar and topped everything off with sliced almonds and lemon zest for a refreshing finish. The second course was an Italian vegetable soup, which included things such as red beans, celery, and other soup friendly veggies. This soup was one of my favorite parts of the meal because it was so simple and yet still healthy and delicious. The third course was similarly easy to create. The chef cooked up some orzo (which is a rice-shaped Italian pasta) and sautéed it with a bit of chopped red onion and asparagus. The main course was a salmon filet with almond pomegranate sauce. The chef explained that instead of using fattening and potentially unhealthy things to thicken a home made sauce, ground almonds serve as a thickener without adding a ton of extra calories or saturated fats. Dried pomegranates and a dash of pomegranate syrup gave this sauce a sweet and tangy flavor that complemented the salmon well. For dessert, the chef served a pumpkin polenta that was reminiscent of pumpkin pie, but with about half of the calories and fat.

    This class was such a great experience. Not only did I get to enjoy a Food Network like experience right before my eyes, but I also got to learn several healthy alternatives to create a well thought out meal.

    So next time you are looking for a unique night out, whether it’s with that special someone or a group of girlfriends, check out one of Central Market’s awesome cooking classes.

    Happy Eating!

Week Five: Coffee and Confections

    This week I will be exploring one of my favorite things on this planet- coffee. My friends often ridicule me for the fact that I am rarely seen without a cup of coffee in my hand. I bring a cup to each of my morning classes and I usually average about two cups a day. In college, coffee is the liquid of life. If there was a holy grail for higher education it would probably be full of some kind of latte or mocha. Coffee is something that college students take very seriously- especially when finals week rolls around. I write this week’s entry in hopes that I may introduce you all to a few new study spots or just a place to grab a great cheap cup of coffee.

    My first coffee hotspot is a new establishment on campus called Stay Wired coffee. I discovered this place when my bible study group met there a few weeks back. Located behind the bookstore, it looks a little dim and sketchy from the outside but the inside is warm and cozy with lots of comfortable chairs that are perfect for studying. They have a menu of house drinks and a few snacks- anything off of the specials menu is a good bet when it comes to choosing a drink. I have to admit that I had a mini celebration upon discovering this place. As I’m sure many of you have noticed, TCU has a dangerous shortage of quaint little coffee shops. Stay Wired is getting our campus off to a great start.

    The second on-campus coffee shop that I want to share with you is Café Brazil. Although it that hasn’t opened yet, I am already bursting with excitement over the addition of this 24 hour coffee shop to the block of restaurants below the Grand Marc. My best friend and I have made several pilgrimages to Dallas just to study in the Café Brazil setting and enjoy a s’mores latte. They serve much more than coffee at Café Brazil, but anywhere that serves something good and is open for 24 hours is an institution worth knowing about!

    So why is this entry titled “Coffee and Confections,” you might ask? Well there isn’t anything that goes much better with coffee than a little something sweet. A perfect example of a coffee shop that offers great drink options and a few blissful treats is Buon Giorno, a coffee shop off of 7^th street. Not only do they have a broad menu with countless tasty hot and cold caffeinated drinks, they also offer great home made desserts.  My personal favorite is what they call a Cake Ball, which is basically mashed up cake mixed with icing, rolled into a ball, and dipped into chocolate. They are actually very simple and fun to make… Definitely worthy of a future eating adventure.  Below is a picture of the coffee and cake balls my friend and I ordered while on a coffee date this past week.

    For today’s entry, I want to leave you with a really simple recipe for a delicious little home made truffle. All you need is one package of Oreos, one 8oz package of cream cheese, and a package of dipping chocolate (which can be found in the baking aisle). Crush the Oreos until they are in small pieces. Combine the entire package of cream cheese with the Oreo crumbs and mix with your hands until it has been evenly distributed. Roll this gooey combination into balls and refrigerate until they become firm. Coat each ball in the melted dipping chocolate and voila- you have one batch of Oreo Balls. These are great to eat with your afternoon coffee or even serve at parties. Keep them stored in the refrigerator and they will last you a couple of weeks as long as one else finds out about them…

    Until next week, stay caffeinated at a few of these great coffee shops and indulge in one or two of these tasty treats.

    Happy eating... And drinking!

Week Four: The Superbowl

    The Superbowl is about so much more than just football. Sure the game is pretty entertaining, especially if your team is in the spotlight. The commercials are also good for a laugh or two. But in my opinion, the Superbowl is all about the food. After all, what’s a football game without a few amazing snacks? Football is complemented so well by great cooking.

    This week I spent Sunday afternoon in the kitchen with a few of my friends whipping up our own versions of a few Superbowl classics. Our menu consisted of fully loaded queso dip, fresh guacamole, pizza pockets, pigs in a blanket, and cookie brownie bars (the same featured dessert from last week continues to work its magic!). Not only is this menu full of mouthwatering snacks and treats, every item was home made and fed a group of 20 for under $40.

    Our first cooking endeavor was the loaded queso. We started with a package of ground turkey (in place of ground beef- lean turkey is much better for you than basic ground beef), a can of whole corn kernels, a can of black beans, two blocks of Velveeta and a can of Rotel mild tomatoes. Sautee the ground turkey until cooked thoroughly and add the cans of corn and beans until heated through. While this is cooking, melt the blocks of Velveeta with the Rotel in the microwave. Once the cheese is melted and the turkey mixture is heated, combine the two and mix well. The loaded queso may taste like it took hours of hard work, but you can toss it together with little effort in just a few minutes.

    The pizza pockets and pigs in a blanket are very similar in that they seem much more complicated to create than they actually are. The trick to both of these recipes is simply a package of Pillsbury crescent roll dough. For the pigs in a blanket, all you need is a pack of mini sausages to roll up inside of the crescents (my favorite brand is Hillshire Farms) and you are good to go. For the pizza pockets, spread a scoop of red sauce across each unrolled crescent. Add a pinch of mozzarella cheese and a couple of pepperonis and fold the dough into a little pocket. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes and you have a set of amazing hot snacks. These two snacked sized favorites disappeared even faster than the loaded queso. They were definitely a favorite!

    The guacamole is probably the most complicated and expensive part of this cooking experience. There are many shortcuts you can take, like pre-cut avocados for example, but we decided to go whole hog and buy 6 fresh avocados to smash up ourselves. Halving the avocadoes and removing the pit is an art that is not easily mastered, but with a little practice anyone can do it. For tips on that, try visiting this website. Once the avocadoes are peeled and mashed add a powdered pre made guacamole mix, and add your favorite flavor of Tabasco for a little extra flare. This delicious guacamole is definitely worth the extra effort.

    All in all every dish got devoured, but I still got the most rave reviews for the infamous cookie brownie bars (see the week 3 blog for details). Below are a few before and after pictures of these tasty game time snacks.

    The Superbowl only comes around once a year, but next time you are entertaining for one of TCU’s away games or staying in to watch a Cowboy’s game with your friends, remember to try these easy crowd pleasers.

    Happy Eating!

Week Three: The Art of the Home Cooked Meal

    As I mentioned in my first post, often the worst thing about being at college is that horrible longing for mom’s home cooking that seems to surface a little too often. In my freshman year, I lived in a dorm that didn’t even have a kitchen inside of it. I found myself often venturing across campus to my friends’ dormitories to bake cookies or make macaroni and cheese simply for the feeling of creating something for myself and eating it on my own time. I write this entry in hopes that you have access to a kitchen wherever it is that you may be living, whether it be on campus or not. I was lucky enough to have two experiences with home cooking this week- one meal of my own accord and one meal made by some of my friends.

    Every Tuesday night, my sorority’s executive team has a meeting. We take turns bringing snacks or desserts because we meet around dinner time and if we happen to run late we all end up starving by the time the meeting is over. This week happened to be my week to provide snacks and I decided to make it my mission to provide a quick, easy, inexpensive, and delicious home cooked meal for my sisters.

    My menu for this ideal dinner included a home made pizza, a salad, and a dessert. I began with a Pillsbury pizza crust- you can find it in the refrigerated section of the grocery store near the biscuit dough and break and bake cookies. I love using this dough because you don’t actually have to put in the work to make it from scratch, but it still feels homemade simply because you bake it yourself.  It is easy enough to use as well- just open the container, roll out the dough on to a cookie sheet, and pre-bake it for about five minutes or until the dough starts rising. I like to sprinkle a little parmesan cheese or a few herbs onto the crust before baking it as well. Once the crust was pre-baked, I took it out of the oven and added ½ cup of alfredo sauce and about half of a small package of shredded pizza cheese. Bake it for about ten more minutes and voila- you have your very own home made gourmet white pizza.

    As for the salad, they now sell convenient little caesar salad kits that include the lettuce, a package of croutons, and a little packet of dressing all in the same bag. I found this in the section of the grocery store with all of the other bagged salads. It takes all of 30 seconds to assemble this no brainer salad, and I usually put it together while the pizza is baking.

    For my grand finale I made cookie brownie bars. These little treats are always a huge hit and that’s no surprise considering they are two amazing desserts rolled into one. To top it all off they are extremely simple to make. I buy the boxed version, which calls for a stick of butter, a few tablespoons of water, and one egg. To create this dessert you spread the brownie mix into a pan and plop scoops of the cookie dough on top before baking. They are simple enough to make and definitely worth the five minute preparation time. I recommend putting them in early because they take about 40 minutes to bake.

    So next time you are looking to eat in for the evening or impress a few of your friends with a simple home made dinner this menu is a great option and very easy to put together. Not to mention the fact that you can put this entire dinner together for about the price of a normal restaurant meal that feeds one person.
    Most of my inspiration for this type of meal that is part home made and part store bought comes from my favorite Food Network show, Semi-Home Made Cooking with Sandra Lee. For a few more ideas similar to this meal, check out her website Semi Home-Made Cooking with Sandra Lee!
    Happy Eating!

Week Two: Beating the Frog Bucks System

    One of the most beneficial parts of the TCU meal plan is the Frog Bucks system. For those of you who aren't TCU students, some of TCU’s meal plans can be complimented with the option of a small amount of money set aside for you to spend at restaurants that have formed a contract with TCU. The Frog Bucks system is basically a way out of being stuck eating at the BLUU day in and day out all semester long. To the small-budgeted college student, using Frog Bucks at a restaurant feels like eating for free. The problem? Those of us who aren't lucky enough to have the prime time meal plan are stuck with the basic plan, such as the one that I have, which only provides $150 worth of Frog Bucks for the entire semester. That allows about $30 a month for outside meals. How is this meager amount supposed to last me through the entirety of five months? My goal this week has been to work out a way to beat the Frog Bucks system at some of my favorite Frog Bucks restaurants.

     Chipotle is what I would consider a brilliant institution. Their variety of fresh and organic ingredients makes it difficult for me not to eat there on a daily basis. The atmosphere of the restaurant is clean and modern, perfect for today’s college student. Throw in some of their lime salted chips or special smoky Tabasco sauce and I’ve found my happy place. At Chipotle, seven dollars will get you a burrito so huge that finishing it seems about as likely as completing a trek up and down the side of Mount Everest in the time space of one lunch break. Unfortunately, my Frog Bucks budget won’t allow me the luxury of spending that amount on a burrito on a weekly basis unless Chipotle and the BLUU are the only two places I ever want to eat. My solution? One of my vegetarian friends tipped me off about a way to beat Chipotle’s seven-dollar burrito system. She introduced me to my new go-to meal, the black bean and cheese burrito, and I’ve never looked back. Because you are only ordering two sides, this mini-burrito usually runs about $1.68, but I’ve been charged only 80 cents for it more than one time. Take the description “mini” with a grain of salt- this burrito may be mini by Chipotle standards but it is bigger than a normal sized taco bell burrito. Add a little bit of Chipotle’s special smoky Tabasco sauce and you’ve got yourself a tasty source of healthy protein for under two dollars. Now that’s what I call a smart lunch.

    Not in the mood for Mexican? SmashBurger is one of my favorite new Frog Bucks hot spots this semester. However, a regular burger with a drink and fries can run up to fourteen dollars, which is way out of my Frog Bucks budget. My solution for cheap burger bliss is to order off of the kid’s menu. For under five bucks you get a burger, fries, and a kids sized drink. The kicker is that the burger is the same size as a normal burger (take it from my personal comparing experience) and the drink can be refilled as many times as you need.

    So next time you’re looking to eat out in the TCU “for free” way, keep these helpful Frog Buck tips in mind. 
    Happy Eating!

Week One: Introduction and Central Market

I have what some may consider an unhealthy obsession with food.  I know exactly what you’re thinking and no, I am not a calorie counting fiend who measures every ounce gained or lost on a daily basis. Quite the opposite in fact, I rarely step on a scale. My relationship with food is one of love and comfort. We each have that one type of food that can lift us out of any bad mood no matter how despicable it may be.

I find it intriguing that food has the ability to inspire such strong emotions in people. I’ve discovered in college that perhaps the most common emotion inspired by the food here is nostalgia. Sorry TCU, but the Brown Lupton University Union cafeteria just doesn’t always cut it. I’ve witnessed many a student gazing morosely at a bland turkey sandwich or grease coated piece of pizza and wishing that they were at home eating mom’s spaghetti and meatballs. Aside from the often sub-par variety of dishes, getting food at the BLUU often leaves me feeling like part of a herd of thousands of lions that are all fighting over one single zebra carcass. If you are willing to brave the fifteen minute wait for a salad, chances are favorable that all of the lettuce will be gone by the time you get to the front of the line. Sadly, the frequent lack of decent food in the BLUU is what inspired me to choose this topic for my blog.

For as long as I can remember, I have been in charge of baking birthday cakes and cooking Thanksgiving dinner for my family. Cooking is a source of entertainment and relaxation for me. During a stressful week I can almost always be found in the kitchen baking some kind of calorie-dense source of deliciousness. It is my goal to reveal my favorite recipes and restaurants to help the average college student eat healthy and delicious food without breaking the bank.

Just this evening I went on an eating adventure with my friends to Central Market. Although its reputation calls to mind all of its expensive specialty grocery items, it is a little known fact that purchasing a single meal at Central Market is not only delicious but also inexpensive if you know what to look for.          

Thanks to Central Market, tonight I enjoyed a plate of sushi and a vegetarian egg roll for ten dollars. Not too shabby for a celebration dinner after the first week of classes. The options are limitless- they have a prepared food section with everything from a sandwich and salad bar to crab cakes and salmon. They also offer a variety of fresh soups, which is what makes it one of my favorite places to grab lunch. A small bowl of soup goes for about $3.00. I guess you can call me an unofficial “foodie,” which is the term that Central Market has coined for their employees who love all things food and want to share their knowledge with others. Their website (centralmarket.com) talks a lot more about what they have to offer. So next time you are looking for a place with some variety where you can sit down and eat a good hot meal, Central Market is a great option, especially if you are looking for a break from the collegiate cafeteria routine.

Happy eating!