Amateur's Appetite by Torie Smith-Israel

amateur ’s appetite

loyola universtiy maryland fall 2017

A Go-To Guide for Easy Cooking & Healthy Living

CONTENTS

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

MEET THE TEAM

EVERYTHING ESSENTIAL

SMÖRGÅSBORD

ALTERNATIVE EATS

WHAT’S TRENDING

“THIRSTY” FOR LIKES

FARM-TO-TABLE

Letter

from the

Editor

We’re all busy. There’s no way around it. Most of my days are a blur of running to class, work, or seeing friends – and I’m sure yours aren’t much different. In the midst of all the hectic chaos going on, there’s one thing that can make it even more difficult: doing it hungry. Cooking for yourself, let alone eating healthy, is hard when you don’t have a lot of time or know where to start. That’s where the Amateur’s Appetite team comes in. We got together to discuss what’s most important when it comes to eating well and eating right. So pre-heat that oven, Amateur’s Appetite is ready to get cooking! No matter your dietary restrictions or ability to navigate a supermarket, we’ve put together everything you need to know about the essentials. From how to make a basic pasta sauce and healthy substitutes for your favorite fatty foods to what it actually means to be gluten free and foods that benefit you and the world, we’ve covered it all. Time to throw away the frozen dinners and microwave macaroni and cheese; we are here to support you and give you the tools you need to enjoy wholesome, delicious, easy-to-make food. After sorting through hundreds of photos of pasta, making sure each tomato was the perfect shade of red, and filling our apartments with the smell of fresh baked cookies, we’re proud to present to you the very first edition of Amateur’s Appetite. A special thank you to the editorial and design team who made this magazine possible. Enjoy, and we hope you’ve brought your appetite! Torie Smith-Israel, Editor-in-Chief

MEET THE TEAM Torie Smith-Israel Editor-in-Chief

Torie is a huge foodie and is constantly on the hunt for new restaurants or foods to try. When she’s not following Major League Baseball religiously or listening to The 1975, you can find her eating her weight in chicken parmigiana and gluten free chocolate chip cookies.

Abby Zonarich Design Editor

Abby dreams of the day when she can finally host dinner parties in her NYC apartment. She is a potato enthusiast, has borderline obsessive feelings for Wegmans, stress bakes g-free cookies, and believes in the soothing power of a cup of tea.

Rachel Kingsley Art Director

Rachel can be found staging full-fledged food photoshoots everywhere from restaurants and coffee shops to her own kitchen. She’s always taking excessive photos of her food, so much so that by the time she goes to eat it, it’s lukewarm at best. She’s a wine fanatic, coffee addict, and pasta enthusiast.

Nicole George Business Director

Nicole is definitely an amateur when it comes to cooking. She is always trying to find simple yet healthy ways to cook. Growing up she was the pickiest eater, never wanting to try anything new. That was until one day she gave in and now loves anything, especially pizza.

Ellen Roussel Content Editor

Ellen is a journalism major and environmental studies minor but she dreams of spending her days growing old on a farm. When she’s not being the content editor of Amateur’s Appetite, you can find her nurturing her beloved cactus, running marathons, and eating veggies.

Nick Cirone Multimedia Editor

Nick is a lover of all things food related and is always willing to try new cuisines - although he insists that Italian is vastly superior to all others. A “mad scientist” in the kitchen, Nick loves experimenting with new recipes or creating ones of his own…with varying results.

Marysa Mazanek Managing Editor

Marysa is a senior at Loyola studying communications and marketing. She loves to bake and will eat anything that comes in cheese and chocolate. In her spare time, she obsesses over pop culture and animal videos, and probably spends too much time on Instagram.

EVERYTHING ESSENTIAL

By: Nick Cirone

CLASSIC PASTA SAUCE RECIPE

No cook’s recipe repertoire, be it amateur or professional, would be complete without the know-how for making the perfect, basic pasta sauce. One thing I learned from my grandmother: never make enough for just one meal. You can scale up this recipe to really any degree you want, just keep it simmering a bit longer. You can keep a big pot of sauce simmering for a long time. As long as the heat is low enough that it doesn’t come close to boiling, you can keep your sauce warm for hours without fear of burning or ruining it. Don’t be scared about having leftovers either. Pour the leftover sauce into some plastic containers, and place it in the freezer for later use. If you freeze your sauce soon after it cools down, you can ensure that it stays relatively fresh and locked in. The sauce can stay good frozen for months, and you’ll always have a supply of “fresh” sauce on hand (assuming you’re not immediately tempted to eat it directly from the container with a large spoon and some Italian bread). Just thaw it in some hot water for 1-2 hours. All you have to worry about is boiling your pasta, and there you go! You have a pretty easy and wholesome meal with minimal effort!

Nonna Maria’s Marinara Recipe: -Sauté small cut up onions in olive oil -Add 2 cloves cut up garlic and ¼ teaspoon of crushed hot red pepper -Sauté and stir for two more minutes, making sure nothing is burning or sticking to the bottom of the pot -Add in two cans of crushed or diced tomatoes (nonna prefers crushed) and a few leaves of basil -Always give preference to fresh basil, but dry basil does the trick just fine in a pinch -Simmer on low heat for about ½ hour, stirring occasionally -When covering pot, be sure to leave small opening to allow steam to escape -Taste occasionally and salt to taste (Less salt the better, remember you can always add more but you can’t remove salt once it’s in)

PASTA: Your best friend when it comes to an easy and delicious meal

You’d be hard pressed to find someone who’s not at least a moderate fan of Italy’s most famous staple food. And it’s easy to see why. It’s delicious. It’s relatively easy to make. And the amount of hearty and satisfying dishes you can make are almost infinite. You really shouldn’t underestimate the sheer versatility of pasta, and once you recognize the benefits of always keeping a box or two handy, I guarantee you’ll realize just how easy making a restaurant style pasta dish in your own kitchen can be. The beauty of pasta is that it goes with almost anything, and the more practice you get in mixing and matching different ingredients with your favorite types of pastas, the better you’ll get at seeing what works best and how. Pasta is the perfect base to use to make the boring leftovers into a simple and delicious meal that covers all the bases to satisfy your hunger after a long day.

Anything can be mixed together with your favorite pasta noodles in a sauté pan to get a good restaurant style pasta dish going. Think of it like making a “pasta stir fry.” You just need to stir together a good protein, some veggies, a little sauce or a liquid base, pour in some pasta, and you’re pretty much good to go. Most anything you’ll find in your fridge will do the trick. Have some leftover chicken breasts? Chop them up and throw it in a pan with some olive oil, a couple scoops of tomato sauce, some fresh baby spinach, and your favorite pasta. I recommend some standard penne for this one. If you have some spices handy, crush up some spicy red pepper and top if off with a fresh basil leaf to give it that nice Italian touch and… buon appetito! One of my personal favorites is orecchiette (that’s the hat shaped ones) with broccoli and Italian sausage. Say you have some steamed broccoli left over, and maybe some sausage from

last night’s barbecue. Just chop those up into a pan with a good amount of olive oil on low heat for about 10 minutes, being sure to stir it around regularly. Add in your orecchiette when the broccoli and sausage are properly heated up, and be sure to toss and stir it so it doesn’t burn, adding in a teaspoon of olive oil here and there keep it moist. Goes great with some sundried tomatoes and grated parmesan cheese. Your result is a quick fix on an Italian classic, that doesn’t even need sauce either! Another great idea is to chop up some fresh assorted bell peppers and sauté them in a pan with some onions and a little bit of olive oil, a couple of scoops of tomato sauce again and your favorite pasta and… I think you’re beginning to get the idea.

For those a little bit more conscious on carb intakes and making your meals a little healthier, substitutes to your traditional pasta noodles are very diverse. You have whole wheat pasta, rice noodles, or even noodles made with chickpeas that will makes your dish a little bit healthier, with pretty much no hit to taste whatsoever. So next time you have some boring leftover veggies or proteins, don’t be afraid to experiment with your very own pasta dish. Click here to watch these tips in action:

Any basic pasta dish is extremely easy to put together with any ingredients you happen to have handy in the fridge, making pasta THE staple ingredient to always have handy.

Nick’s Tips

FOR PANTRY For the amateur grocery shopper just beginning to stock their fridge, one of the hardest things is figuring out what to always keep on hand. These are the items you can always count on to have in stock for either a quick meal or flavor enhancer that are both versatile and easy to use. Here are five of my favorite items to keep in the fridge and pantry at the ready! Olive Oil – Rule #1: NEVER LET YOUR SUPPLY OF OLIVE OIL RUN OUT! Now, coming from an Italian family might make me completely biased, but they don’t call this stuff liquid gold for nothing. Olive oil is your end-all and be-all cooking companion - I pretty much use it with anything. It’s also a better and healthier cooking substitute for butter; for example, I like using olive oil instead of butter to cook eggs and omelettes. You don’t have to splurge on an extra pricey

bottle of extra virgin, any old olive oil will do fine. I always like to keep a small bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil around to use for salads and to put a splash or two into my pasta. Balsamic Vinegar – I’m a very big proponent of salad, but I like to think of myself as a salad minimalist; that is the less crazy ingredients the better. No cobb salads with a pound of bacon, two hard boiled eggs, and an oil drum of ranch are found in my kitchen. For me, I just like some fresh romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes, maybe some olives, a little sprinkle of parmigiana cheese, splash of olive oil, and some balsamic vinegar to top it off. Balsamic vinegar is the only salad dressing you’ll ever need! Big flavor, but with very few calories, and it’ll practically last forever so you’ll always have a good salad dressing on hand.

& FRIDGE Chicken Breasts – You should always have a solid protein on hand, and you can’t really go wrong with fresh chicken breasts. You’ll find a pack of pre-cleaned and sliced chicken breasts in your grocery store’s meat section, and in my opinion, getting the biggest pack is worth it, even if you don’t have plans to use it immediately. I usually buy a pack of eight chicken breasts, freeze about five of them and keep three in the fridge to use within the next day or two. Chicken is extremely easy to cook and can be made in a variety of ways; one of my favorites is panseared and chopped up to be used for a chicken salad later on. Deli Meats – I always like keeping deli meats like turkey and ham stocked up in the fridge. A sandwich is an easy idea for a quick fix, late night snack, and something to hit

the spot. It’s surprisingly easy to give a sandwich a little extra pizzazz, be that toasting your bread, making your own condiments, using a fancy cheese, whatever! Deli meats are the best staple ingredient because they’ll stay fresh for four to five days if stored properly. And hey if you’re about to run out the door and are hungry, cold cuts are a great snack just by themselves. Bell Peppers – red, green, yellow, whatever! Bell peppers are a perfect staple vegetable to keep stocked for plenty of reasons. Bell peppers store easily, come in a nice variety, can be easily prepared and added to salads, pasta dishes, and stir frys, and they can be enjoyed raw as a quick snack. Above all, bell peppers are just all around sweet and delicious! They stay good for about a week if kept refrigerated and dry, but they’re generally best used in about three to four days.

Cook With Leftovers in M ind : T he Case for Meal Prepping If there’s one thing I’ve learned from growing up in an Italian household, it’s that there’s never such a thing as too much or too big. This applies to everything from family parties to the volume of our voices, but it definitely applies best to the thing that’s considered most important (second only to family): food. Looking back to my childhood, I don’t think my mother ever cooked a meal where there was too little food and we ended up running out. Too little was never an issue, if anything we would complain that there was too much. That’s because my mother knew the benefits of buying in bulk and then of course cooking in bulk; that is cooking with the intention of having leftovers for the rest of the week to go around. In hindsight, it’s kind of a no brainer; why spend so much time preparing food that only lasts a meals worth, when you can opt to give in a little bit more time and scale up your recipes so you have more for later. Whenever my mom cooked, she always kept in mind how what she made could be utilized for leftovers later on and even for our school lunches for the next day or two.

Chicken cutlets were a staple in the Cirone household growing up, they were a favorite among me, my brothers and sister, and my mom too. That’s because she would only have to spend one day preparing say about 30 or 40 cutlets that would last the whole family for dinner and the next few days for lunch. Chicken cutlets for dinner one day meant a nice chicken cutlet sandwich for lunch the next day and maybe even one sliced over salad for dinner the next night. So if you’re making pasta one night, don’t be afraid to make some extra while you’re at it so that way you already have it made for later. It saves you time and hassle in the long run, and if stored properly, most anything can be kept relatively fresh for at least a few days. Another great tip is to meal prep. Set aside one day a week to cook a bunch of simple and easy foods that will last you the whole week. Prepare yourself a lot of rice, cook up some chicken, and roast some vegetables. Be sure to store them all in airtight plastic container, and voila you pretty much have the next few days ready to go. It’s really easy to do, and the more you cook, the more you can experiment with seeing what meals work easiest to cook in bulk. Just remember, if the name of the game is to make cooking easier for you in the long run, be sure to scale up your recipes and save room in the fridge!

SMÖRGÅSBORD

By: Nicole George 14

How To:

Substitute Greek Yogurt for Sour Cream It’s all Greek to me! Anything that involves some sort of Greek food or product I get SUPER excited about. I am half Greek and love anything that has or has to do with Greek yogurt. It is not only delicious, but a healthier alternative to, let’s say sour cream or cream cheese when preparing dishes or having it as something to pair with food. Greek yogurt has fewer carbohydrates, sugar, and more protein than regular yogurt or sour cream. It is the perfect blend of thickness, and the texture makes it a great food substitute. It is also the best kind of pick-me-up snack after a long and hard workout, especially when adding bananas or berries to it. The best kind of Greek yogurt is the plain, unsweetened, low fat version with the least amount of additives. Some delicious ways to substitute Greek yogurt are on top of chili, baked potatoes, tacos, or paired with baked goods. Greek yogurt is a great alternative instead of using milk or ice cream in smoothies, milkshakes, and desserts - especially cheesecakes. Some ways that most people may be wary of trying but I promise are DELICIOUS are substituting Greek yogurt for ketchup to dip fries in, in place of mayonnaise on sandwiches, or as a base for egg salad. Greek yogurt is not only a healthier option but it is also packed with nutrients lost when eating sour cream, cream cheese, butters, and other fatty options. Trust me you will LOVE Greek yogurt once you try it and will not want to go back to the fatty basics.

Greek Yogurt Egg Salad Egg salad is such a classic dish, especially since eggs are an excellent source of protein; they make a great snack or can be added to any meal. People tend to forget that in an egg salad, lots of mayonnaise is used to make that delicious dish. A way to ditch the fatty mayonnaise and lower the calories is to swap it out with nonfat plain Greek yogurt (any brand can be used). Trust me no one will know the difference!

Ingredients ½ cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt 2 tsp. yellow mustard ½ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. black pepper ¼ tsp. dried dill weed 2 tbsp. red onion ⅓ cup chopped celery 6 large eggs, hard boiled Instructions Add the Greek yogurt, mustard, salt, pepper, dill, red onion, and celery into a bowl. Stir well. Peel the eggs. Chop 4 whole eggs and add to the yogurt mixture. Cut 2 eggs in half, remove and discard the yolks. Chop the egg whites and add to the yogurt mixture. Cover and chill for at least 15 minutes.

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Breaking Boundaries When it comes to food, I am always the pickiest out of my friends and family. Ever since I was little, I was never one to try new foods. I always stuck to my usual basic foods consisting of breads, meats, cheeses, pasta; basically anything that was unhealthy. I hated most vegetables and God-forbid there was any “green” meaning parsley, chives or even cilantro, I would pick it right off or not eat the meal at all. I still remember my grandmother giving me this book called Picky Nicky, when I was six years old.

The book was about a girl named Nicky (how ironic since my name is Nicole) who did not like any vegetables and was a very picky eater. You would think after reading that book I would have wanted to try new foods the way Nicky did at the end, but it wasn’t until high school that I really started to embrace more food

options that were so much better and richer in flavor compared to the basic foods I was always eating. It took me a while but slowly, I tried new foods, added more vegetables into my diet, and became open to trying fish instead of always eating chicken or steak. It takes a lot to break boundaries when it comes to food and if you’re someone that doesn’t like change, adding new foods into your diet is always going to be challenging and difficult. Sticking to basic foods that are loaded with carbs, starches, and sugars are not great for you, and if you want a healthier lifestyle, changing your diet is the easiest way to go. For me, it was a lifestyle change of wanting to eat healthier and not being a pain about being picky with my foods. Well, I am so glad I decided to break my food boundaries by trying healthier options and incorporating them it into my diet. I was missing out on amazing foods I would have never thought would be that great or have so much flavor. When breaking your boundaries, I would suggest starting slowly and day-byday adding new foods, replacing the Set up a chart and plan your weeks

bad with healthier options. Set up a chart and plan your weeks out and decide what days you are going to try something new. This does not have to be brutal or terrifying; it is supposed to make you feel better and definitely will have a major impact on your lifestyle in the end. Do not give up breaking those bad food habits: if you do not like a certain food replace it with another option but keep it healthier compared to your original choice. Little by little you will come around to liking these alternatives, especially knowing the benefits that they hold. There are endless amounts of alternatives to break your boundary when it comes to trying new foods and living a healthier lifestyle. All it takes is to break one bad food habit and the rest will follow! Some options to break your boundaries would be snacking on almonds or berries instead of candy, goldfish or chips. Use nut or almond butter instead of peanut butter when you are eating hummus or guacamole, dip with vegetables instead of pretzels or pita

bread. When it comes to crackers and bread, eat multigrain instead of white or wheat. Break your boundaries by using zucchini or squash as noodles instead of spaghetti or any type of pasta noodles. Quinoa is another great alternative to rice and tastes just as good but with added health benefits. If you are making homemade pizza or pie crust, try using cauliflower. In my last article, I talked about Greek yogurt and the benefits of it - definitely use that when baking or cooking as an alternative to butter or cream cheese. Tofu is another great option to try and although it can be bland, a good sauce with noodles or quinoa and spices solves this problem. Plus it’s a great alternative to meats or eggs. Definitely try to always eat fresh, homemade options rather than the processed foods. And for those really wanting to take it to the next level, ditch the processed foods and cook from scratch.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust Pizza! Pizza! Pizza! Now who doesn’t love pizza? It’s one food that no one can resist. The warm dough and endless amounts of cheese and sauce piled up on it, how could anyone say no to one of America’s favorite foods? But with eating pizza comes the calories that no one likes, and that is why in this “how to,” I am putting a recipe together for cauliflower pizza crust. Now I know people are going to be hesitant to try it but when I first tried it was AH-mazing! It’s not only healthier for you but it’s so delicious you won’t even notice the difference!

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 head of cauliflower, stalk removed 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella 1/4 cup grated Parmesan 1/2 teaspoon of salt 1/4-teaspoon garlic powder 2 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Break the cauliflower into tiny pieces and then put into a food processor until fine.

In a bowl, combine both the cauliflower with mozzarella, parmesan, garlic powder, salt, and eggs. After stirring, transfer all of it onto a baking sheet on a tray and spread it out into a circle. Bake for 20 minutes and once it’s finished, add tomato sauce and additional toppings.

Healthy Alternatives For Eating Out When you are eating on the run or just want something that’s healthy and requires no preparation on your end, Sweetgreen, honeygrow and Chopt are the way to go. I know they are all chains and that fast-food restaurants have a reputation for being unhealthy, but I can attest that all three options are committed to providing simple and healthy foods. Sweetgreen, for example, cooks from scratch and provides real food - nothing processed; their mission is farm-to-table. Everything is grown local to where each store is located throughout the U.S. The company wants to create and inspire healthier communities by making delicious salads, and commits to this mission by buying from small to mid-size growers who are farming sustainably. Sweetgreen wants to create transparency with its customers and what exactly is provided when someone is choosing his or her ingredients for their salad; it’s all about providing real food. They are also interested in creating a community that is environmentally conscious by developing stores that are sustainable in design.

Honeygrow, like Sweetgreen, also provides all-natural food that is nutritious and grown locally. They are conscious about the foods their customers eat and want to provide as many healthy options as possible. If you’re not craving a salad, honeygrow also serves noodles and rice with additional hearty toppings from vegetables to poultry. The noodles come in a variety of options including whole wheat, rice, and egg, ensuring that their customers are offered many different alternatives depending on their tastes and/or dietary needs. Lastly, Chopt is another great option for those looking to eat healthy on the go. Chopt, just like Sweetgreen, provides salads with a variety of healthy toppings to choose from. The company tries to locally source their products, ensuring that their customers enjoy a fresh and nutritious meal each time they eat a Chopt salad. All three options cater to a healthier lifestyle and are great alternatives to typical fast-food joints. Next time you are craving a salad or something healthy trust me, these places won’t disappoint!

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ALTERNATIVE EATS

By: Torie Smith-Israel Abby Zonarich

Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread

The fall season is upon us and there is nothing more basic than pumpkin. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin-scented candles, and dare I mention pumpkin spice lattes? Frankly, it’s overused and overrated and it’s about time some other fall dishes make their way as a feature during those cozy, autumnal weekends. Zucchini bread, although the name doesn’t sound appealing to avid vegetable haters, warms the heart and the stomach with the perfect combination of those ~fall feels~.

Ingredients: 1 cup canola oil 3 large eggs 1 Tbsp vanilla extract 2 ½ cups zucchini puree 2 cups sugar 3 cups gluten-free flour mix 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 2 tsp baking soda

Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to convection bake 350 Fahrenheit. 2. Blend oil, eggs, vanilla, and 2 ½ cups zucchini together in a mixing bowl. 3. Add remaining ingredients and stir until mix reaches a smooth batter. 4. Spray loaf pans fairly heavily with cooking spray, or grease generously with oil. 5. Pour batter into pans. 6. Bake large loaves for 35-40 minutes, mini loaves 17-22 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of bread comes out clean. 7. Let cool in pan(s) for 10 minutes before removing to cooling rack.

What is

What is Gluten Free?

Lately, it appears everyone is concerned about this thing called “gluten.” Within the last handful of years, restaurants have started to mark it on their menus while recipes and foods have branded themselves as being gluten free. While the buzz surrounding this dietary lifestyle continues to develop, many are left wondering, what exactly does it mean?

gluten causes severe and painful stomach pains, cramps, and other digestive problems. Gluten is like Liam Neeson in the movie Taken: it will find you, and it will kill you. The same goes for those with gluten intolerances, although typically it is not as life-threatening of a reaction. On top of more people finding out they have Celiac disease or a gluten intolerance, the world suddenly decided to care about eating healthy. Many people associate a lack of gluten (synonymous to these people as carbs) in their diet as being the way to win that bikini body. This is particularly frustrating to the millions of Americans with actual allergies because it causes gluten contamination to not be taken seriously since it’s ‘just a trend’. Also, who would purposely refuse to eat real bread?

Gluten free, whether done as a fad, due to intolerance or because of a serious disease is all based around one thing: the elimination of gluten from one’s diet. The cursed word gluten is the name of a protein found in certain grains that helps food maintain their shape. Think of it as the glue that holds the food together. Gluten rears its ugly head in basically every food you’ve ever loved, namely bread, pizza, pasta, and baked goods. If there’s wheat, barley or rye If you can’t or are choosing not to eat in it, there’s gluten too. And yes, that gluten, fear not! Being gluten free does include many beers. means having gluten freedom. There So why now? Why out of years and are a lot of healthy and delicious years of eating processed foods and alternatives that you can still eat; sugary cereals does the world finally think: fruits, vegetables, meats, seem to care about this little protein? rice, etc. Also, there are plenty of Over the last ten years as research gluten free options for those glutenhas become more advanced, more full foods. Gluten free pizza, pasta, and more people have been tested cookies – you name it, most grocery for Celiac disease. This autoimmune stores have it. Be warned: not all disorder affects over two and a half gluten free brand-name products are million Americans; that’s one in every good however. That cliché cardboard 100 people. People with Celiac are taste does slip in every now and then unable to ingest gluten because their but I’ve found that reading blogs or body cannot break the protein down reviews from people that have already and instead develops an immune tried certain foods will help save you response that attacks the small time and from quietly spitting out your intestine. Put more simply, eating food in the corner.

What is

My Allergy Is Not A Trend Let me first say, I’m not gluten free just for the diet, as lots of people are these days; I’m doctor diagnosed. And I’ll be the first to tell you – from personal experience, it doesn’t live up to the rage. Just because you have to go on a ‘diet’ in order to combat this digestion disorder doesn’t mean that you necessarily reap the benefits that can come from a diet. With all the misconceptions coming from dieting, there are a lot of negative effects that people either don’t realize or don’t take into account. Although many people believe that substituting gluten-free foods into their daily diet are healthier choices, it may not always be the correct option for their body. Gluten-free foods are either heavy in rice, almond, or corn flour. Too much of one ingredient, for example corn, can be bad for your body and cause extreme migraines or stomach pains. Also, since the taste in wheat-based foods is different when the substitution occurs, sometimes the gluten-free foods can seem grainy, stale, and tasteless. To combat this, many food manufacturing companies add copious amounts of sugar. So really, if you’re

not smart about what you’re eating and quantities of sugar add up and you’re gaining weight instead of losing it. If not actually losing weight isn’t a downfall enough, wheat products, especially white bread, are fortified with nutrients that gluten-free foods don’t have. Both folic acid and iron are added back into white bread after it goes through the milling process. Folic acid is a key nutrient for everyone, especially pregnant women, as it helps maintain and produce cells, make and repair DNA, as well as produce red blood cells. Iron is even more important, as it helps to transport oxygen throughout the body, maintain healthy cells, skin, hair, and nails. I envy you if you are on a gluten-free diet just for the trend. I envy the fact that you don’t have to worry about being sick for days after consuming something with gluten in it. I envy you because you probably haven’t had other medical problems as a result of not catching Celiac Disease early enough. I envy your cheat days. I envy the fact that you can stop your diet whenever you want, yet I live with this for the rest of my life.

How to Read a Nutrition Label

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Knowing the serving size helps to determine the correct portion sizes. Without this information, one may be led to think that the values are based on the whole pack, rather than a portion. The total fat content of the food product is listed and further broken down into subsections of saturated fat and trans fat. The saturated fat and trans fat should be the value of concern, more so than total fat which may include monounsaturated fats, which our body needs to function. Watch your cholesterol, the lower the value the better to prevent artery clogging diseases. Sodium may be a value that some need to minimize consumption of for heart health. Any food item with a value under 140 milligrams is considered to be a low sodium food. Carbohydrates are broken down into sugars and dietary fibers. Leftover sugar is converted and stored in fat. Dietary fibers are valuable to individuals with dietary conditions to manage pain, bloating, and motility of the gastrointestinal tract. Protein values are important, especially for those that have been exercising, to help rebuild muscle after a training session. The ingredients are listed in order from those that weigh the most to those that weigh the least. The allergen statements and ingredients at the end of the label make it easy for those with allergies to easily identify the potential allergens in the product so the consumer can be assured of the food safety based on their dietary restrictions to certain foods.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies The perfect way to celebrate fall.

When someone asks you what your favorite comfort food is, what comes to mind? What is the food that whether in times of celebration or in times of sorrow, always enhances the mood and makes everything better? For me, it’s a good chocolate chip cookie. Nothing is as simple and sweet as biting into a soft-baked (or as some people like – crispy) cookie with globs of chocolate melting on your fingertips. There is something so fascinating about this little dessert and its ability to right all wrongs in the world. Years after becoming gluten free, I struggled to find a cookie that lived up to my standards, although let’s be real – can a chocolate chip cookie ever really be bad? Then I came across this basic recipe from King Arthur’s gluten free blog and was eager to make it because I saw one of the main ingredients was pumpkin. I’ll admit, I am a pumpkin fiend. When the first leaf makes a descent from its tree, I am the person who begins eating pumpkin EVERYTHING. Cereals, pancakes, breads – you name it, I love it. You

can imagine my excitement then to try out this recipe. I will say it lived up to my expectations, and if you are someone who loves pumpkin flavored things like me, then this is the recipe for you. Oh, and I should add, it certainly stands to be one of my favorite recipes for gluten free chocolate chip cookies. Simple. Sweet. Chewy. Chocolatey. What more could I ask for? Don’t believe me that sticking pumpkin into a basic comfort food could be good? Give it a try yourself:

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets, or line them with parchment paper.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together: 2 1/4 cups (9 1/2 ounces) Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger Set this aside while you combine the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat together: 1 cup (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar Scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go and continue to beat just until smooth. To this mixture add in: 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Beat this until it’s smooth and fluffy. If desired, you can also beat in the zest (grated rind) of one orange. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, beating to blend. Stir in 1 ½ cups chocolate chips. Then, using a tablespoon cookie scoop or soup spoon, drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets in 1 ¼” balls. Bake them on the middle oven rack for about 18 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Once removed from the oven, let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to racks. Wrap loosely, and store for several days at room temperature; freeze for longer storage. To serve, slightly reheat in the microwave for a soft and chewy cookie. They’re especially delicious dipped in a glass of milk!

Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice 1 Tbsp gluten-free soy sauce 1 tsp chili powder pinch of crushed red pepper 1 lb. of boneless, skinless, thinly sliced chicken breast cut into thin strips 4 tsp vegetable oil 1 green pepper seeded and cut into thin strips 1 red pepper seeded and cut into thin strips 1 onion sliced Package of 6’’ tortillas Salsa Sour cream Fresh cilantro

Directions: 1. To prepare marinade, combine lime juice, soy sauce, chili powder, red pepper and chicken in a plastic bag. 2. Seal the bag, squeezing out the air and turn to coat the chicken. 3. Refrigerate mix for at least 2 hours or overnight, turning the bag occasionally. 4. Drain and discard marinade. 5. In large skillet with medium heat, heat 2 tsp. oil. 6. Saute peppers and onion for about 8-10 minutes, or until softened. Transfer to plate and keep warm. 7. In the skillet, heat remaining 2 tsp. oil. Saute the chicken for 3-5 minutes, until cooked through. 8. To assemble fajitas, soften tortillas according to package direction. Divide chicken and sautéed vegetables among tortillas. 9. Garnish with salsa, sour cream, and cilantro. Pro tip: Pair with brown or basmati rice for a more filling meal.

The Art of Couponing

Until I have solidified a job and a steady income, I am always going to try and cut corners to save a buck when I can. Whether this is choosing to walk instead of Ubering, cutting down on a drink at the bar, or even leaving the guacamole off my Chipotle order, I do this in hopes of ending up with a few extra dollars at the end of the month. The tactics I use to save money during the ins and outs of every day are the same ones I apply to grocery shopping. Saving money at the grocery store is easy. One word: coupons. For some reason, people our age have this weird mentality about couponing as though it’s only reserved for the elderly. There have been times when I’m checking out at the grocery store and I whip out my coupons just to hear the groans of my friends’ questioning “how old am I?” DO NOT LISTEN TO THESE PEOPLE! Using coupons is 100% acceptable and jokes on everyone who isn’t already doing the same. As someone who grocery shops for herself a few times a week and is able to save a good bit of cash, here are my insider’s tips on how to help you save money on your weekly grocery haul: 1. Open a store card These are almost always free and give you different weekly discounts on various products. A lot of times, grocery stores give card holders discounts on meats or buy two for the price of one deals on packaged goods. Plus, every time you shop you get rewards points which add up and can be cashed in as more savings. Some grocery stores even let you convert your rewards

to discounts on gas. I have a store card at nearly every store I shop at.

2. Use coupon websites There are multiple websites to scavenge for coupons such as coupons.com, lozo.com, and mambosprouts.com. There’s probably more that I don’t even know about but these are the three I use. Type in the product you are looking to buy and it will display any available coupons.

3. Check boxes Make sure to always check the inside of boxes for hidden coupons. They tend to be found on the insides of cereal and butter boxes. Cut them out and cash them in! 4. Plan your meals based on what’s on sale One of the easiest ways to save money and prevent throwing away food at the end of the week is to plan out meals at the start of the week. When making a schedule, check and see what’s on sale. For instance, if I’m at the grocery store and I see chicken breasts are priced buy one, get one free, I’ll readjust to have two meals with chicken that week since the second pack isn’t costing me extra. The same goes for if I get emailed a coupon for a specific product; I’ll make a dish that incorporates that certain ingredient as opposed to making it at a time when it wasn’t discounted. Hopefully these four tips are enough to get you started towards saving money. Remember it may only be $5 in savings a week but at the end of the month that adds to $20 or more.

I try it for you, so you don’t have to

Transitioning to an allergy-friendly lifestyle is hard. There’s no way around it other than for me to be brutally honest and tell you that it will not be easy at first but in due time, things will get better. Part of things improving is knowing what products to buy. With so many products out there, how do you know what’s good? That’s where I come in: I try it for you, so you don’t have to.

How it works: each edition of the Amateur’s Appetite, I will try various allergyfriendly products and give you my ratings – the ones you should try and the one’s to avoid at all costs. As someone who has had multiple food allergies for many years now (seven to be exact), I’ve always found it helpful to hear product reviews from someone with the same allergies, experiencing the same difficulties. The hope is I will save you time, money, and frustration.

Udi’s

Rating: 7/10 Pros: Diverse product line, widely available, good taste, low cost Cons: Bread needs work, products loaded with sugar Udi’s is one of the better mainstream brands when it comes to avoiding gluten or other allergens like soy and nuts. They offer products in every area imaginable, from breakfast burritos to pizzas to muffins. Most of their products taste good, albeit that they pack them with sugar. Udi’s dominates the market so if a grocery store or restaurant offers gluten free options, they likely source it from Udi’s. Best product? The blueberry muffins. “Worst”? The bread. I’m hesitant to say worst because the bread isn’t bad but it’s not top quality by any means. On the plus side, a lot of their products are affordable whereas most allergyfriendly products come with a high price tag.

Glutino Rating: 3/10

Pros: Widely available in grocery stores, fair selection of products Cons: Dry, tastes like cardboard, bread always comes with holes in the middle. If you are a beginner to being gluten free, your first purchase is probably a product made by Glutino. I’ll give the company credit where it’s due which is that they have a diverse product line of things like mock Oreos, chocolate covered pretzels, crackers, and bread. However, these are also the same products everyone thinks of when they say, “gluten free is bad.” I find most of their products to be dry and flavorless, so if I were you, I would take a pass on this brand. Pros: Taste is 10/10, chocolate!!! Con: Needs more products Rating: 9/10 Enjoy Life is one of my all-time favorite brands because their products cater to so many of the top allergens. Their chocolate, arguably their best product, is free of gluten, soy, dairy, nuts, and more. This is a huge rarity, particularly finding chocolate without soy, and the best part is, it tastes really good. They also offer soft and hard baked cookies; the snickerdoodles are the most delicious in my opinion.

Enjoy Life

King Arthur Rating: 9.5/10

Pros: Easy-to-bake mixes, diverse products, great recipes Cons: Price, not always available If you’re craving brownies, cookies, or pancakes, King Arthur is your best bet. Their products are fantastic and taste exactly like your favorite gluten-full treats. I use their pancake mix on a weekly basis; it’s easy to work with and takes little time to make. I’ve had friends tell me the brownies I make with it taste better than the real deal. King Arthur’s website offers a plethora of recipes to supplement their products which is another plus. My biggest negative is that their products are on the pricier side but at the end of the day, I find they are worth every penny.

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TRENDING?

By: Marysa Mazanek

What are Those Celebs Eating? ďťż

Each year, there are new trending foods and drinks in the entertainment industry. Celebrities and athletes try out new foods to see which ones they like the best. After looking through various articles about these foods, I noticed that many famous people tend to like the same things, all of which are healthy and easy to make!

Avocado Toast This is a type of open sandwich with toasted bread that is covered in mashed up avocado and is seasoned with a variety of ingredients such as salt, pepper, citric juice, poached eggs, smoked salmon, or even strawberries. Actress and singer, Lea Michele from Glee, likes to start her mornings off with avocado toast.

Egg White Omelettes and Hard Boiled Eggs Eggs provide an enormous amount of protein, but lately more people seem to be relying on egg whites instead of egg yolk as the yolk contains more fat and can lead to higher cholesterol levels. Entertainers and athletes, such as Shaquille Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neal and Ashley Tisdale love their egg white omelettes with a side of fruit and vegetables to give them that source of protein. If you are a fan of the egg yolks, hard-boiled eggs are a healthy and delicious option. Just put those raw eggs in a sauce pot with water and bring to medium-heat for fifteen to twenty minutes and let them cool. You can eat the hard boiled eggs by themselves or cut up and serve with salad or a side of bacon.

Kale Salad Kale Chips Kale chips are pieces of kale that are placed on a cooking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper, drizzled in olive oil and regular salt or sea salt and cooked in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. This is a healthy alternative for chips and does not include any added preservatives. Kale is also delicious by itself or in salads, in place of mixed greens or spinach. Actor Kevin Bacon loves his kale dishes as he told Us Weekly, “It’s the age of kale...a day without kale is like a day without sunshine.”

Zucchini Pasta When I first heard of this dish, I swore I would never eat it. Pasta should just be normal pasta, right? But I was wrong...zucchini pasta is made out of thinly sliced zucchini pieces that are cooked in a skillet with oil, water, salt and pepper. It’s easy to make and healthy for you as well. Kim Kardashian swears by this dish as one of her favorites.

Yogurt with Mixed Berries Start the morning with a fresh bowl of Greek yogurt and sprinkle in fresh berries such as blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. This goes well with any drink such as coffee, water, or orange juice. Greek yogurt is also very filling and good for your body, so that you will be able to stay full until lunch time. This dish is a must-have for entertainers such as Kit Hoover and Maria Menounos from Access Hollywood as well as model and actress Brooklyn Decker. All of these foods are currently trending among celebrities and athletes as they look for the healthy options to conquer the work day. These options are all easy, require only a few ingredients, and contain plenty of protein, nutrients, and healthy carbs that the body needs to function. Try some of these foods out for yourself and see if these stars are right in their dishes and recommendations.

Eating Abroad How to ge t accustomed to food in a ne w countr y

One of the biggest transition periods for young adults during college is their study abroad experience. This is a time for immense change and one of the hardest things to master is learning how to cook for yourself. Last year, I studied abroad in Cork, Ireland for four months. It was the most amazing experience of my life and I learned so many new things about the world, and most importantly, about myself. One of the best things about my experience was learning how to become more independent and cook for myself for the first time. I always knew how to make staple foods, like omelettes or grilled cheeses, but I didn’t know how to make healthy foods that I

could center my whole diet around. After unsuccessfully thawing frozen chicken, I came to the startling realization that my cooking needed some work. By the end of the four months, I knew how to thaw the chicken, cook it in a skillet, season with herbs and serve with a side of vegetables. I learned how to cook and now, I’m here to give you some helpful insights as well. One of the first things that you should know about cooking while abroad is that food preservatives differ by country. In Ireland, for example, food doesn’t have preservatives like they do here in the United States, and will go bad quickly. It’s important to consume products like milk, eggs, bread, and chicken within two to three days. I forced myself to eat multiple yogurts a day just to avoid wasting food and money. This made it much harder to shop at the grocery store because I constantly had to look at the

expiration dates to determine which foods to buy. If this may be the case for you, try to pre-make meals for the next few days in advance. Every few weeks, I would premake pasta salad with chicken and vegetables and would sprinkle it with Italian dressing to add some flavor. By placing the dish in the fridge, it helped to keep the food more fresh. I was grateful that I could make this dish as it saved me time and money while also being simple and healthy.

ďťż

Another crucial thing to know is how to grocery shop while abroad. The brands that we have here in America will not be the same in another country and vice versa. Try doing prior research of some grocery stores or food outlets that will be available in your study abroad country to see which brands are the most similar. In Ireland, I shopped regularly at a store called Tesco, which is very popular in Europe. The brands they sold were different than in America and I had to adapt to a new kind of peanut butter and yogurt. I made it all work but it made me miss my regular brands even more! Most importantly, TRY NEW THINGS while cooking abroad! Studying abroad is meant to take you out of your comfort zones, so why not try to step outside of the box when it comes to cooking. Try a new ingredient, add some extra spices, mix up those foods, and take some risks. Your cooking will only get better! I know, studying abroad is difficult, and the thought of cooking for yourself may seem like a daunting task on top of all of the other changes. But donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t worry, try out these hacks and you will be cooking like a pro.

The Good and the Bad of Milk:

Coconut, Almond & Soy

One popular trend that has taken the world by storm is the obsession with different types of milk such as coconut, almond and soy. Questions surround which one is the healthiest and the most delicious. I am here to tell you all about the pros and cons of each so that you will be able to consume the type that will be most beneficial for your body. Coconut Milk: Coconut milk is derived from the grated meat of a coconut and is known for its richness and high levels of fat. The milk, which comes in both sweetened and unsweetened flavors, is also dairy free, which is beneficial for those

prefer to stay away from dairy. Plus, it tastes great in smoothies and with iced-coffee. Pros: - Dairy free - Rich in various nutrients and minerals: Vitamins C, E, iron, calcium, etc. - May help people to lose weight as it contains a beneficial saturated fat called medium-chain triglycerides Cons: - Contains little to no protein - Some brands put in additives that can cause digestive problems

Almond Milk: Almond milk is created by toasting and grinding almonds and blending them with filtered water. It is known for being a plant-based alternative for regular cow’s milk. Almond milk comes in sweetened and unsweetened flavors. I personally love the sweetened vanilla flavor as it combines well in a bowl of cereal and in coffee. Pros: - Dairy free - Heart-healthy and low in calories Cons: - Low in calcium - Requires an extra effort by consumers to look for extra sources of protein such as supplements or vitamins - Not suitable for those with a nut allergy

Soy Milk: Soy milk is created from soaking and grinding soybeans with water. It tends to be the preferred type of milk for those who are lactoseintolerant as it does not contain dairy. I really like soy milk with Special K cereal as the taste of each pairs well with one another.

Pros: - Dairy free - Rich in necessary acids, proteins, fiber, vitamins and minerals - Helpful for those who want to lose weight Cons: - Dangerous for those with an existing thyroid problem as soy interferes with body’s absorption of thyroid medication - May have various additives to extend shelf-life in grocery stores

Coconut, almond, and soy all have positive and negative impacts on a person’s body. It’s important to consume all products in moderation. Preferences will differ depending on the person, but it’s important to know that all types can work well with different foods and can be used as substitutes for those who have dietary limitations or preferences. Check out this video to see our team participate in a milk taste test.

“THIRSTY” FOR LIKES

By: Rachel Kingsley

Four Easy Cocktails to Impress Your Friends This New Year’s Eve

Everyone knows that New Year’s Eve is the best drinking holiday. Doused in champagne, this night is one major celebration – and you always want to impress. A great way to show off to your friends is to make delicious and beautiful cocktails for the party. Here are four NYE party favorites that your friends will definitely remember sipping on – what happens after that, though, we can’t promise.

#1 Champagne Shirley Temple

A great basic, this cocktail takes a classic and gives it a New Year’s twist. You Need: Champagne Grenadine Garnish: Maraschino Cherry Over ice, take the champagne of your choice and add a splash of grenadine, garnish with a maraschino cherry, and enjoy! PRO TIP: If you want to amp up the party a little, start with vodka and then add the champagne and grenadine to make a Champagne Dirty Shirley, which will hit you a little faster!

#2 Jack Frost Martini

A little more complex, this frosty martini is sure to impress anybody on your guest list. You Need: Pineapple Juice Blue Curacao Vodka or Rum (your preference) Cream of Coconut Garnish: Corn syrup and flaked coconut With ice, shake the liquor of your choice with pineapple juice, cream of coconut, and blue curacao. Dip the rim of your glass into the corn syrup and then into the coconut flakes. Strain the mix into the cup, and voila! PRO TIP: This also can be blended with ice instead of shaken to create a delicious frozen drink, if your New Year’s is spent somewhere warm!

#3 Cranberry Cheers This is what you want to be sipping on when the ball drops. Bubbly and fun, this is an awesome drink recipe to have in your arsenal. You Need: Cranberry Juice Whiskey Lime Juice (fresh squeezed preferred, but not needed) Champagne Garnish: Lime slices With ice, shake the cranberry juice, lime juice, and whiskey. Pour into the glasses and top each with a splash of your favorite champagne to add the fizz. Garnish with a lime wedge on the edge of the glass. Clink glasses with your friends and drink up! Pro Tip: Use the corn syrup skill you learned from drink #2 and rim this glass with sugar for an added aesthetic touch.

#4 Orange Crush A great, refreshing, and easy drink, an Orange Crush is something every adult should know how to make. This simple drink is the best way to finish off your night, after you’ve had a few and can’t make anything too complicated. You Need: Orange Vodka (can substitute plain if necessary) Orange Juice Triple Sec Garnish: Orange slice Mix the orange juice, orange vodka, and triple sec, and pour over ice. Garnish your glass with an orange slice. Sip and enjoy! PRO TIP: A Rachel’s family tradition - in the morning, gather all your hungover friends and finish off the leftover champagne with breakfast by making mimosas (orange juice and champagne). When the champagne runs out, skip back to the Orange Crushes to make sure your New Year’s Day is just as fun and eventful as your New Year’s Eve! The hangover can wait until after you’re a day into the new year.

Jack Frost Martini

Orange Crush

Cranberry Cheers Champagne Shirley Temple

The Instagram-Ready Breakfast:

SMOOTHIE BOWL Those aesthetically pleasing smoothie bowls taking Instagram by storm may look fabulous, but their price and calorie count... not so much. Good news is, you can make it at home for a lot cheaper - and a lot healthier.

Step One: Choose your flavors and add the fruit to the blender. Some

options for you are strawberry and banana, peach and honey, pineapple and mango, or an infinate number of other fruit combos.

Step Two: Add 6 - 8 oz. of your yogurt of choice. The flavor you

choose will depend on the fruit you’re using, but I tend to stick to vanilla because I like the If you’re looking for a added flavor. You’ll also need to add some healthier alternative, Greek yogurt is your ice. The amount will depend on how much best bet because it’s smoothie you want to make, but aim to keep much lower in sugar. the fruit to ice ratio roughly 2:1.

Step Three: Add a little bit of

milk and blend until smooth. It’s important that you only add a small amount - too much milk will cause your smoothie bowl to be too Pro Tip: in a thin. You can crisis where always add you do end up more after, but adding too much you can’t take milk, toss in it out once it’s more fruit and added. For an ice to thicken optional addition: it! add honey or maple syrup for sweetness.

Step Four: Here’s where the fun

starts. Once the smoothie is in your bowl, it’s time to turn your attention to toppings. It’s always a safe bet to start with adding the fruit that is the base of your smoothie bowl, and these can be arranged however you want - along the edge of the bowl, in a circle in the center, in a straight line through the bowl - get creative! Other choices of toppings include chocolate chips, nuts, honey drizzle, coconut, additional fruits, chia seeds, and granola. Use your imagination, and focus on both taste and appearance.

How to Instagram Your Food 1. Always use natural light when possible! If you can’t, try to use indoor lighting from a lamp with a shade so that it’s diffused, rather than fluorescent. 2. Change up your placement. I tend to like photos with half of the food in frame and half out, but you may also like a bird’s eye view, or a close up of the dish. Play around with it and see what looks good for your food. 3. Consider adding props, tastefully! (pun intended) Sometimes I’ll add a prop such as a decorative pitcher, coffee cup, or bottle of wine. This can give it that extra pop, but be careful to not overdo it. Always take some photos with the prop and some without, just in case it ends up being too much.

Once you’re done, you have a bowl that will get you all those Insta likes, and a great taste too. Grab a spoon and dig in!

How to Pair Like a Pro:

Wine & Food

PART ONE: Wine & Cheese

Everyone knows that the classiest snack is a glass of wine and a delicious cheese platter. But rather than just grabbing the first bottle you see and slicing up whatever cheese is in your fridge, you can amp up the sophistication by creating perfect pairings for everything from dinner parties for friends to just a relaxing night for yourself. ~ Pair wines and cheeses that match in flavor intensity. This will make sure they complement each other, not overwhelm. Wines over 14.5% ABV are more intense and taste better with more intensely flavored cheeses. Wines under 12% ABV are less intense and match nicely with more delicately flavored cheeses.

~ Bold red wines go best with aged cheeses, like provolone or cheddar. ~ Sparkling wines go best with creamy cheeses, like my favorite, brie. ~ Wines and cheeses from the same region are generally a good pairing. An example of this is Sauvignon Blanc with goat cheese.

45 46

~ Firm, nutty cheeses will go with almost any wine, so theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re your safest bet if you arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sure. These include cheeses like Swiss, gruyere, and gouda.

PART TWO: Wine & Dinner

The best dinner comes with a great glass of wine. But how will you know what wine to choose? Amateur’s Appetite is here to help make sure your delicious dinner is paired with a wine that complements and enhances it. ~ Just like with cheese, make sure you consider the flavor intensity of both the food and the wine – they should match. ~ The wine should be sweeter than the food. Avoid bitter wines and spicy food. ~ Red wines go with bold meats, ex. red meat ~ White wines go with lighter meats, ex. chicken or fish ~ Bitter red wines go well with dishes that contain more fat. FREEBIE: A Zinfandel would go great with Nick’s pasta sauce recipe on page 6

PART THREE: Wine & Chocolate For your dessert, let’s keep it simple. Just break up some great chocolate bars on a platter and serve with the wine that matches for something small and easy, but still impressive. ~ Choose dark chocolate if you want a bold, intense flavor. ~ Choose milk chocolate if you want a creamy, sweet flavor. ~ Choose white chocolate if you want the sweetest flavor. ~ As with dinners, keep in mind the sweetness level. Your wine should always be sweeter than the chocolate. ~ A fruity red goes great with dark chocolate. ~ Sweet dessert wines go well with milk and white chocolates.

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FARM-TO-TABLE FARM-TO-TABLE

By: 48Ellen Roussel

WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH

You’re meandering through the supermarket aisles, trying to stock up on your weekly groceries. Bread, veggies, eggs, milk…the list goes on. Sometimes it can seem like there are a million and one options for every type of food, and they all come with labels like “natural flavors”, “non-GMO”, “no added coloring”, “organic.” But what does this stuff even mean? These buzz words can be deceiving, especially when trying to pick the healthiest version of what you want. One of the most confusing things to battle while in the grocery store is the whole “GMO/ non-GMO” debate. What even are GMOs and are they bad for you? GMO stands for “genetically modified organism” and it means that the plant or animal that you’re eating has undergone genetic changes to make it something that, naturally, it is not. Genetic engineering, GE, is used for a whole variety of reasons, but the result is always the same: a new organism that, without scientific intervention,

GMOs?

wouldn’t exist. Among the most common crops that are genetically engineered are cotton, corn, canola, and soybeans. These are crops that are found as ingredients in nearly every type of food on the shelf. GMOs are used by scientists to benefit farmers. They can produce an increased yield at a lower cost, and can be modified so the crops can grow in less-than-ideal climates. However, GMOs do not exist without some drawback. One of the longterm effects of GMO use is the creation of superweeds and super insects that will one day be resistant to the GMOs that are fighting them off now. Also, it is too soon to know the impact that GMOs might have on human health. As of now, GMOs are perfectly legal and are a prevalent part of your everyday grocery shopping experience. Worldwide, there is a debate on whether or not foods should be labeled when they contain GMOs. Over 60 countries have policies on GMO labeling, but there is currently no nationally-recognized mandate in the US that requires such an act. Next time you are in the supermarket, take a look at what is labeled “non-GMO” and think about whether or not you want to eat foods that have been in a lab before they were ever on your plate.

What is

Composting 101 SUPPLIES NEEDED: BIN, SHOVEL, SHADE, AND SCRAPS

Whether you have a few pots of herbs on your windowsill, a backyard vegetable patch, or have a plot at your local community garden, one thing remains the same with all plants: they are only as healthy as their foundation. Happy plants grow in happy soil-- but how do you ensure happy, healthy soil? The easy answer is: compost. Composting is the process by which food scraps and yard debris are broken down by bacteria, fungi, and bugs in an aerated system (a fancy way of saying there is oxygen present). This process yields fertile soil, which helps plants grow tall and strong, and reduces the

need for fertilizers that can pollute the land and water supply, and cause illness in humans and animals. Composting doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be confusing or scary. Tons of people are discovering the benefits of composting their own soil from their own scraps: it reduces waste, is good for the environment, and fun! You can buy a compost bin from your local home maintenance store, or you can make your own. In general, it should be made of wood or a sturdy material, no less than three feet by three feet. The bigger the bin, the

more compost you can generate, but that also means you’ll have a lot of Speaking of digging, you’ll need your trusty shovel to dig, mix, and tumble the compost as it is breaking down. It is this movement of the compost that allows oxygen to get in there and speed up the breakdown process. You’ll want to place your compost bin in a partially shaded area, to prevent it from drying out, especially in warmer months. You’ll also want to make sure the bin is close enough to a water source, as well as on well-drained soil. This will ensure your compost mix stays damp enough, but is never overwatered.

Finally, scraps. Start collecting! Things that are great for compost: leaves, grass clippings, bark, newspaper, weeds, cardboard, dryer lint, coffee grounds, dead plants, manure, grain, hair, eggshells, and fruit and veggie scraps. You’ll want to mix-and-match a little to find the perfect ratio for your compost mix. Ideally, it shouldn’t be too wet or too dry, and shouldn’t be too smelly. How will you know when your compost is ready? When your soil is moist, smells earthy, and is full of worms, bugs, and microorganisms.

Check Your Sustainability When trying to transition to a more sustainable

lifestyle, it can be difficult to know where to start. Keep your sustainability in check with these 10 simple steps! Reuse, reuse, reuse: Always have a reusable

bag or two on hand when you go shopping. This cuts down on plastic and paper bag use. Glass jars are also great to bring to a store to buy rice, pasta, oats, and beans in bulk.

Ban the bottle: Refrain from buying bottled

water. Tap water is safe to drink, but if you prefer some extra filtration, invest in a water filter.

Go local: Eating locally grown food is a great

way to reduce your carbon footprint. Buying local means you are supporting local farmers, reducing transportation emissions, and your food is probably a lot fresher!

Preserve it: Learning how to preserve foods, especially fruits and vegetables, ensures you are eating local, in season foods all year round.

Eat less meat: I get it, meat is hard to beat.

But going meatless one or two days a week significantly reduces your carbon footprint. When you do choose meat, be sure to look for meat that is organic, anti-antibiotics, and from local farms.

Be fish-friendly: Next time you find yourself at

the fish counter, save yourself some large fish to fry, and check out the app, Seafood Watch, which does all the investigative stuff for you and tells you which fish is both good for you and good for the environment!

Say no to hormones: If milk alternatives aren’t

your thing, make sure you do some cows a favor and buy milk that is hormone-free. Industrial farmers have huge greenhouse gas emissions, so try to say no to milk and milk-products as often as you can.

Reduce waste at home: There’s no point in

spending money on disposable tableware. Invest in some sturdy stainless steel silverware, cute cloth napkins, and real cups and plates. You can find tons of cool options are your local secondhand store, or hit up a yard sale to find some home goods for cheap.

Don’t waste scraps: Instead of throwing away

your coffee grounds and food scraps every week, save them and make your own compost! Your garden and potted herbs will thank you.

Educate yourself: There are tons of resources

out there to make it easy for you to know what is healthiest for you and for the planet. Check out epa.gov or your local university’s sustainability website!

This publication was created and produced by students in the Journalism Capstone at Loyola University Maryland and is intended for educational use only. The copyright is jointly held by the university and the students who produced this magazine. Publisher: Nora Frenkiel, Department of Communication, Loyola University Maryland