Fish Friends and Recipe

More Information on Fish and a Recipe that Reduces Fish Farming!

The Psychology of Fish

The college library during final exams week is a sight to see! You can go in during any time of day and see tired and over-stimulated college kids chugging energy drinks and ordering pizzas at 1 a.m. In one specific library, there is a huge fish tank sitting in the middle and a sign that says “take a break!”. Then, in the engineering library, there are stations for playing with Lego's and coloring with crayons. Interesting, I know!

So, this upcoming year, I am getting a fish for my apartment. Here’s why:

1.       Fish are not messy and do not have a litter box nor do they poop around the house!

2.       Fish do not bark or hiss at random shadows outside your window.

3.       Fish do not shed (in the air).

4.       Fish do not scratch your furniture, eat your shoes, or pee on the couch.

5.       One fish does not cost above $20 (at least not the ones at the local pet store).

6.       Studies have shown that aquariums reduce blood pressure and stress levels. Even watching a video of fish has therapeutic effects. Do you ever wonder why there are fish tanks in Finding Nemo? It’s because they are supposed to be calming!

7.       Alzheimer's patients experienced less physically aggressive behaviors and needed less supplements for memory loss.

8.       “Fish are friends, not food!”… Fish are companions!

Sources:

Saltwater Aquarium

Freshwater Aquarium

Fish Farming

This brings me to my latest point, which is about fish farming. According to Farm Sanctuary, psychologically, because we do not associate fish with screaming, we assume that they do not feel pain. Research also shows that fish exhibit intelligent behavior, like interactions with other fish and learning capabilities. Factory farming is an issue that not many people think about. Granted, fish is healthy for you, but not fish that has been fed hormones, antibiotics, and has high levels of stress. (Factory farming does not only apply to land animals). To learn more, read a pamphlet on Food & Water Watch, watch Overfishing: Reeling Them In or End of the Line.

Recipe

In case you are still craving seafood, check out this recipe that I just made. It’s delicious, low fat, and does not harm beautiful creatures!

Vegan Tofu Fish Sticks

Vegan Cheese Pizza

Cheesy Polenta Pizza 

Recipe adapted from:

Forks over Knives Cookbook

Something I do miss about being a vegan over a vegetarian is eating cheese pizza. We have this amazing pizza place nearby where the pizza is hand-made, salty, and the cheese just melts off your tongue as you taste the perfect ratio of tomato sauce… So, to make up for it, I decided to try this recipe out. This was surprisingly delicious and non-vegan people liked it! Another benefit is that this pizza doesn't leave you feeling greasy, bloated, or guilty. Try it out!

Ingredients:

·      1 cup pasta sauce or pizza sauce

·      4 cups of water

·      1 teaspoon sea salt

·      2 cups of cornmeal

·      1 cup cashews

·      1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice

·      ½ teaspoon dried basil

·      ¼ cup water

·      Extra toppings for your veggie pizza: onions, zucchini, eggplant

Directions:

1.     Bring the water and salt to a boil in a large, flat saucepan.

2.     Whisk in the cornmeal until it is all incorporated, turn the heat to low, cover, and cook for 40 minutes.

3.     To make the ‘cheese’ sauce, put the cashews, lemon juice, basil, and water into a food processor. The texture will resemble cream cheese.

4.     Once the polenta is cooked, take it out of the saucer and put onto a large, round pizza dish. Bake it for 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

5.     Put the pasta sauce first, then put the cheese topping in golf ball-sized rounds onto the pizza (and any other toppings). Cook for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

6.     Once it’s done cooking, spread the cheese around the whole pizza and enjoy!

Smoothie Mania!

SMOOTHies!

What is a smoothie diet?

To answer a frequently asked question, a smoothie diet is a diet that consists solely of smoothies. Smoothie for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can have an artificial smoothie like Slim Fast or you can make your own smoothie at home using both fruits and vegetables.

Do smoothie diets work?

Smoothie diets, using caution, do work because you are simply reducing your calorie and carbohydrate intake. The beauty of a smoothie is that you can make any combination taste good! For breakfast, you can make a chocolate smoothie, for lunch, you can make a banana smoothie, and for dinner, you can make a green smoothie.

Are they healthy?

After reading numerous articles on green smoothies and smoothie diets in general, smoothie diets should be used for fast weight loss. This website suggested that you should not continue a smoothie diet for any more than 10 days. Imagine eating 200 calories per meal making 600 calories a day. Compared to the average person's diet when their calorie intake should be around 1400. 

The main goal of weight loss is to make it last and to build healthy habits. It is impossible to live your whole life drinking smoothies! Losing weight is about becoming healthy and remaining healthy in the midst of tempting situations like a huge piece of cake in a restaurant etc. 

The most iconic celebrity known for having used a smoothie diet effectively is Jessica Simpson. She lost 60 pounds in 4 months (which is really shocking!) But, if you’re interested in reading/learning more about it, check out this website.

I decided to write this blog post not because I’m dieting but because I know that in college, we don’t have the time to wait 10 minutes for the pan to heat up, nor do we have the time to make pancakes! A smoothie is super quick and easy.

Here are three smoothies that I have had for breakfast each day:

Green Smoothie Recipe #1

Inspiration: Kitchen Treaty

Ingredients

·         1 cup fresh spinach

·         1 cup fresh mango

·         1 banana

·         1 cup almond milk

·         ½ cup orange juice

·         ½ cup ice cubes

·         1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds (these add some more fiber plus omega-3 fatty acids and a little protein)

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve with a straw.

Summer Mango Smoothie

Inspiration: Prevention Magazine

Ingredients:

·         1 c mango chunks

·         1 banana

·         2 tsp fresh lime juice

·         1 teaspoon ground ginger

·         ½ cup almond milk

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve with a straw.

“Chocolate Covered Raisins” Imitation Smoothie

Inspiration: Forks Over Knives Cookbook

Ingredients:

·         1 cup almond milk

·         1 cup orange juice

·         1 cup spinach

·         1 banana

·         6 dates (pitted)

·         3 tablespoons raw cocoa powder

·         2 cups frozen blueberries

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve with a straw.

If you can think of any strange sounding combinations that are delicious and/or nutritious, let me know!

Healthy Whole Wheat Waffles with Berry Compote

Whole Wheat Waffles with Berry Compote (Vegan)

This recipe is super easy and quick! The only time consuming aspect is actually cooking the waffles. It's also low in fat because of 5 tablespoons of oil. This makes 10 medium sized waffles so it's 1/2 tablespoon of oil. I like to freeze them and then pop them in the toaster the next morning for breakfast! 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups of almond milk (any nondairy will work)
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 5 tablespoons olive oil (can use any type of oil)

Mixed Berry Compote

• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon water
• 4 cups thawed frozen mixed berries (with juice)
• 1/2 cup cane sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flours, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. 
2. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, water, applesauce, and olive oil.
3. Stir in the liquid mix into the dry ingredients until well incorporated. 
4. Meanwhile, heat the waffle iron.
5. Spray the waffle iron with nonstick spray and use about a cup of batter. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the waffle maker stops steaming. Or, just follow the manufacturers instructions.
6. To make the compote, in a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water. In a saucepan over medium heat, mix berries, sugar, lemon juice, and spices. Stir often until it boils and bubbles. 
7. Quickly stir in the cornstarch mixture and then take it off heat.

Apple Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies (Vegan)

Apple Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies (Vegan)

Power Foods:

Apple (Raw and with peel) =  

• High in Fiber 
• Vitamin C.

Flax Seed = 

• Omega-3 essential fatty acids: good" fats. 
• Lignans:  antioxidant qualities. Flaxseed contains 75 to 800 times more lignans than other plant foods.
• Fiber

Preliminary studies show that it may help fight heart disease, diabetes and breast cancer. 

Ingredients:

·       3/4cup Rolled Oats

·       1/4cup whole wheat flour

·       1/4tsp Baking soda

·       ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

·       ½ teaspoon cloves

·       ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

·       1/4cup Packed brown sugar

·       2tbsp cane sugar

·       1/3 cup ground flax seed

·       dash of salt

·       1/2tsp Vanilla

·       2tbsp safflower

·       2tbsp Apple sauce

·       4tbsp Peanut butter

·       ¼ cup of rice milk

·       1 apple, peeled and chopped into small pieces

Directions:

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.    In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda, sugars, flax seed, spices, and salt.

3.    In a smaller bowl, combine the wet ingredients: vanilla, safflower, apple sauce, rice milk, and peanut butter.

4.    Pour the wet mixture on top of the dry ingredients and mix well. This can be challenging so you may need to use your hands.

5.    Once fully mixed in, scoop about two tbsp. of batter onto a parchment paper lined baking dish.

6.    Put an even amount of apple pieces onto each cookie, flatten, and then bake for around 30 minutes.

Dining Out Tips for a Vegan/Vegetarian

Don't be Scared to Eat Out! 

When I sit wondering what my next blog post will be about, a topic always comes up! Something that I have realized from talking to my non-vegetarian friends is that they feel like if they became a vegetarian or vegan, they would lose the opportunity to eat delicious food and restaurants. A common misconception is that restaurants do not have alternative options. The truth is however, that you just have to do a little research... Or, read this blog post. 

I went out to eat last night (the first night since I am a vegan)! My family and I went to a local restaurant in a quaint, historic, small town. To get ready, I looked at the menu online beforehand. It definitely helped with alleviating awkwardness!

I sat down at the restaurant the moment of truth came! The waitress walked over and asked me what I’d like to eat and when everyone ordered homemade pasta (which contains eggs!), I proudly said “black bean burger with a side of steamed veggies please!”. But, of course, life is not always as easy as a bowl of cherries and next came the real test: dessert time. I looked at the menu, and the options were: Caramel double chocolate brownies, homemade red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, strawberry shortcake. “Great”, I thought. “Maybe on the off chance, one of those won’t contain eggs”. Turns out that they all did, and guess what, I was the lame one at the table who ordered a fruit cup! Yes, I said it. A fruit cup. And, I’ll be honest, when I happily (but reluctantly) ate my fruit salad, my friends did not judge me! They were impressed. So, next time you’re out, be proud to be different.

Something else that I have learned, is to eat a snack beforehand if you know that you are going to an annual barbecue festival. Granted, you probably should not go to the barbecue festival if you have the choice, but if not, then you can even bring a sandwich with you.

Last week when I went on a camping trip, I packed a load of healthy snacks even though my friends were packing a lunch for me. So, being vegan requires preparation beforehand. At your grocery store, grab the produce that is on sale for that week (last week it was carrots and strawberries). Then, wash and prepare them. So, peel the carrots and chop the leaves off of the strawberries. Put them into a Tupperware container and the next time you are on the run and need a snack, you don’t have to worry about the effort to clean the carrots etc. I also pre-measure an ounce of nuts and place them in snack bags and store them in my cupboard. So basically you are making your own 100 calorie/ 1 serving snacks. Moral of the story? Be prepared ahead of time and make grab-and-go snacks.

Third, don’t be afraid to ask the waiter for their vegetarian or vegan suggestions. It never hurts to ask for dairy-free or vegetarian meals because the waitresses know what they are talking about! A trend that I have gotten into is asking the person taking my order what a common vegan item is. At Starbucks this morning for example, I asked what the most common soy milk drink was and the answer was “an iced soy chai tea latte with an drizzle of vanilla syrup and a shot of espresso”. Without the barista, I never would have thought of that! It was delicious and low fat (by the way!). Then, at  Bodo’s, a famous local bagel place here in town, the cashier taking my order said that many people order a hummus and olive spread sandwich on a whole wheat bagel – and I threw on bean sprouts for the fun of it.

I hope this helps!

Sweet and Salty Pea Guacamole (Vegan)

Sweet and Salty Pea Guacamole (Vegan)   

Yesterday, I was craving guacamole, but I couldn't find avocados. So, I adapted a recipe that I found. This recipe's main ingredient is peas. Peas are fresh, green legumes rich in B-vitamins and iron, so this recipe is low fat, healthy, and delicious.

Ingredients:

·        2  1/2 cups of frozen green peas, thawed in microwave

·        1 clove garlic

·        1/3 cup lime juice

·        1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

·        1 small tomato (optional)

·        1/2 cup of onion, chopped

·        1/2 cup fresh cilantro

·        1/8 teaspoon hot sauce

·        1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

1.   Put the peas, garlic, lime juice, cumin, hot sauce, and salt into a food processor and process until it makes a smooth green mix. 

2.  In a medium-sized bowl, combine the pea mixture, onion, cilantro, and tomato. 

3.  Cover and refrigerate.

4.  Serve with chips, fresh vegetables, or on bread.