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10.8.99
eight.a
Students present healthy ways to calm hunger pangs
Book review
By Clare McLellan
Beyond Ramen
admit it — macaroni and cheese is quite possibly my favorite dish. At least it's right up there with late-night pizza and Taco Bell. There is nothing more beautiful than a steaming bowl of those goldenrod noodles and the pungent smell of processed cheese.
As much as you might love these foods, they are slightly lacking in nutritional value. In the never ending quest to guide college students toward a healthier diet while keeping the budget low, three of our peers created "The Healthy College Cookbook."
The book was written while authors Alexandra Nimetz, Jason Stanley and Emeline Starr were students Williams College
the introduction, "This book was designed to answer our concerns (and yours) about how to eat healthfully on a tight budget, with a busy schedule and with little cooking experience."
For the most part, the book delivers. Being a novice cook, I found a lot of useful information about how to get started in the kitchen. The first chapter deals with basic kitchen necessities — cooking terms, definitions of spices and tips on shopping for, preparing and storing different foods.
here, though. They denote exceptionally quick recipes with a clock symbol, but the recipes I happened to choose were not all that quick. Authors' favorites are marked with a star, and vegetarian dishes outside of the vegetarian menu.
The next 11 chapters contain both traditional and innovative recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack time. One chapter is devoted entirely to side dishes and sauces, another to vegetarian delights and another for meat lovers. There is something in this book to satisfy all tastes.
Also guiding amateur cooks along the way are "Mom's Tips," which are scattered throughout the book. Pointers on keeping food fresh and sanitary and running an efficient kitchen are offered. Also included are "Kitchen Quick Tips" on additional and/or alternative ingredients for some recipes along with fun facts about food.
On the cover, the book claims to be "Quick. Cheap. Easy." Having tried several recipes, I'm not sure I can vouch for that statement. For one, the eggplant parmesan is NOT quick (15 minutes to prepare, 30 minutes to bake), nor cheap (when was the last time you checked the price of eggplant?) and easy? Well, it doesn't require a Rhodes Scholar by any means. But for a beginner who's used to dumping noodles into boiling water, adding some powdered cheese and volla — dinner is served, easy is not the word that comes to mind for the eggplant dish.
The authors deserve credit
the vegetarian chapter are marked as well. This is helpful when searching for the truly quick and tasty meal
One such meal is a variation on a college student staple, Ramen noodles, in the recipe for Ramen noodle stir-fry. It is tolerably quick, full of vegetables and rather tasty with only two grams of fat per serving. A bit higher in fat but absolutely delectable is the beef stroganoff. As described in the book as, "A great hot dish for cold winter nights," this meal is sure to please.
For a different dessert, try the lemon almond biscotti. Usually served with coffee, this biscotti is an Italian treat that was remarkably easy to make. A definite way to impress those doubting your cooking ability. I do have one gripe about the dessert section: too much emphasis on trying to be healthy. It's dessert. It's generally not worth it if it doesn't contain all the fat that makes dessert the most anticipated part of the meal. The recipes sound good, but I was hoping for some richer options.
Health is a big theme of this cookbook, which can be appreciated. The book makes some substitutions for fattier ingredients such as mayonnaise, helping readers to avoid extra minutes on the stairmaster. Although it made me a bit nervous at first, substituting plain yogurt in places I'd rather not, it works well. The banana shake, made with yogurt, was surprisingly choice, and the recipe can be used with other fruits.
For what it was intended to be, this book is a great resource for college students looking to spice up their diet without a lot of experience and time. Don't expect every recipe's prep time to be five to 10 minutes, and don't plan on all the ingredients being cheap. But it is rewarding to be able to say, "Hey, I made eggplant Parmesan for dinner last night and some biscotti for dessert." Your macaroni-eating friends will be impressed, and Mom will be proud.
And for those die-hards out there, page 79 has a variation of mac & cheese if you ever tire of the box variety.
Sample recipes
Bean and Tomato Soup Makes 4 servings
1 can whole stewed tomatoes, drained and cut into bite-size pieces
1 can kidney beans, drained
1/2 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 can low-sodium vegetable broth
A dash of pepper
1. Combine the contents of the three cans in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then add garlic and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Pour half the mixture into a blender and process until smooth. Return mixture to pot, mix well and serve.
Spice Loaf Makes 10 servings
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
5 tablespoons butter,
chopped
2 egg whites
1/2 cup skim milk
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour,baking powder,salt,sugar,cinnamon and nutmeg.Mix well.Add the butter and mix thoroughly. Stir in the egg whites and milk.
3. Pour the batter into a greased 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Place the pan on a cookie sheet in the center of the oven. Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Cool the loaf on a rack before removing it from the pan.
Excerpted from the Healthy College Cookbook copyright 1999 by Alexandra Nimetz, Jason Stanley and Emeline Starr with permission from Storey Books.
Popper's groove proves elusive on solo album
By Bryan Anderson Kanson music critic
When I say "jolly fat man with a funny hat," you probably think of the mascot for holiday season-consumerism. When I say "jolly fat man with a funny hat and harmonica," you probably think of John Popper.
John Popper, the harmonica-toting front man of Blues Traveler has released his first solo album, entitled Zygote. What is this compulsion for solo records? Artists who succeed, such as Lionel Richie, end up leaving their bands. Artists who fail end up making albums like this.
John Popper is a talented vocalist and a proficient harmonica player, and his band includes the likes of Carter Beauford from the Dave Mathews Band. Popper has the artillery for an excellent blues album, but it was not to be.
John Popper is at his best when he is in a lyrical glove and walling away on his harmonica. Unfortunately, these
Album facts
moments are few and far between.
Title: Zygote
Artist: John Popper
Grade: C -
Label: A& M Records
"Miserable Bastard" is a funk-tinged blues number. Popper brought along the Blues Traveler aptitude for dragging on a song, extending this boring groove for nearly seven-and-a-half minutes. Popper should leave jamming to the experts such as Phish or Widespread Panic, or even Blues Traveler.
Another problem with his album is uninspired lyrics. On "Growing in Dirt," Popper sings "And grow in dirt, and it can hurt/ to grow in dirt/ sometimes it hurts." Deep, man.
On the song "How about Now," blues-prodigy Jonny Lang steps up for a music writing credit, but his guitar talent is squandered in this mellow acoustic jam that never really gets going.
One of the few bright spots on this album is the bluesy piano ballad "Home." As it is with this song, most of the better moments on Popper's album come when he sounds as if Blues Traveler is backing him up.
John Popper should give up the silly notion of being a solo act, go back to Blues Traveler and headline the H.O.R.D.E. festival like normal. This album is uninteresting and not an easy listen.
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