The Fun Side to Eating Healthy

For those out there who don't know, in my last semester at Clark, I took a number of steps towards the vegetarian camp. Having grown sick and tired of stuffing my face with meat products of questionable quality, I slowly started dialing back my meat intake. At first, I would only eat meat once or twice a week. Considering that I always ate breakfast in my room, ate little sized lunches,  reducing meat from my diet wasn't all that hard. Dinner truly is the one meal at Clark that I usually eat in the cafeteria; everything else is either consumed in my room or purchased at the cafe in the library. When I ate dinner, I would either make a salad or make up a dish from what was being served in the vegetarian section. The food quality was noticeably improved. Gradually, I started forgetting to eat meat, soon going a whole week in between meat consumption. Then, I just stopped eating meat all together. Only in emergency situations, for example the dreaded weekends in which the options were seriously reduced, would I eat breakdown and eat a piece of grilled chicken. However, I tried to avoid those days. In all honesty, I used to be a very picky eater. Before this started, my interests in vegetables were extremely narrow for a girl my age. The same can be said of raw fish. Yes I ate fish. If I didn't then my protein intake would have been drastically reduced. It was my fellow foodie and dear friend Therese who introduced me to the magical thing called sushi. In fact, if it wasn't for her, I probably would not have become a foodie myself. (Thank's Therese!) 

During my time as a vegetarian at Clark, I discovered just how amazing vegetables were. I started to enjoy eating beans, tofu, squash, lentils, etc. Unfortunately, I had to return to my omnivore ways when I returned home for the summer. Let's face it, the cost of vegetables can be very pricy and I considered it unfair for my mom to just buy me vegetables. So I made a deal with myself: Try and cut back how much meat I ate per week, and when I get back to school, pick up where I left off. Thus explaining my recent expedition for the perfect vegetarian cookbook, which ultimately resulted in the purchase of a cookbook aimed at vegans. I can say now that the chances of me converting to being a vegetarian are infinitely higher then they are of me going totally vegan. And I'll admit now, when I return to my attempt at a vegetarian (or almost vegetarian) lifestyle, I will miss meat, mostly steak and hamburgers. However, I enjoy eating healthy and the way my body feels when I do so. 

Note, I'm not trying to make this blog post about the unhealthy affects of eating meat, all I am say is that those who have a diet that consists of consuming red and processed meats at nearly every meal should maybe consider some new eating habits. Truly, this little rant only applies to those who don't really have a balanced diet/ think eating fast food is a good substitute and will provide the necessary nutrients. Sorry to burst your bubble if thats your eating style but habitual consumption of fast food is BAD.

Whoa, I'm losing focus of the todays post. Gotta get back on track before its too late. Look pictures!

Anyway, in anticipation of my return to vegetarianism, I celebrated by baking Black Bean Brownies, a recipe taken from The Happy Herbivore by Lindsay Nixon, who also has her own blog, www.thehappyherbivore.com.

The recipe was incredibly simple, just some bananas, oats, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, cinnamon, agave nectar I used honey, and of course, beans. 

I love beans, something I had never eaten before until last summer while on a camping trip with my father. Naturally, when I saw the role that beans had in this recipe I become incredibly exited. Beans, in my opinion, are one of the best vegetables out there and need to be included in as many recipes as they can. Soups, salads, side-dishes, and now, dessert! Beans is definitely one veggie that I will never get sick of eating. 

As a runner, I am not unfamiliar with how amazing bananas are. Back when I competed, my coaches would say that if we were going to eat anything before a race, make sure its a banana. Other then providing the obvious potassium, bananas have natural sugars that supply  an instant and substantial boost of energy. Its also low in salt which makes it a great weapon for combating high blood pressure and high in fiber. If those aren't good enough reasons to love bananas then consider these two: first off, according www.rawplus.com, bananas are great cures for hangovers as they help calm the stomach, rehydrate the body, and builds up blood sugar levels. And secondly the ninth and tenth doctors of Doctor Who loved bananas.

When all was said in done, the brownies looked pretty good when they came out of the oven. I do suggest trying a smaller pan. I used a nine by nine pan and the brownies came out very thin. Overall, the brownies were given rather negative reviews. I liked them, but I think I was the only one. Mom, dad, and sister have already told me to never bake them again. Personally, I don't think there was anything wrong with them -they tasted delicious with vanilla ice cream on top- but that's just me. In the recipe below, Lindsay suggests using raw sugar which I didn't add though as it turned out, the bananas were almost overpowering in taste and smell. Additionally, the recipe calls for agave nectar, something I didn't use. Since agave nectar is a substitute for honey, I used the latter instead. That probably made them more sweet then they usually are. Despite some negative reviews, I'm going to try making this recipe again. My friend and future suite mate Ginny, a true vegetarian, has told me that she has had delicious black bean brownies in the past, so I'm looking forward to trying the recipe again with her assistance.

Tomorrow I'm back to cupcakes so until then, 

Jill

Black Bean Brownies, adapted from The Happy Herbivore by Lindsay Nixon

Ingredients:

• 15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 whole bananas
• ⅓ cup agave nectar
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ cup raw sugar (optional)
• ¼ cup instant oats

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 8x8" pan and set aside. Combine all ingredients, except oats, in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth, scrapping sides as needed. Stir in the oats and pour batter into the pan. Bake approximately 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before slicing. Chef's Note: if you find these brownies are too soft or too fudge-y, add another 1/4 cup oats or flour.