Posts Tagged ‘cooking at home’

More Than A Meal

Tuesday, June 28th, 2022

My boyfriend and I have started a tradition of cooking over Facetime once a week together. We’re currently long distance so this is a nice way to spend time together and it helps him get more comfortable in the kitchen. We’ll spend the previous night picking out a recipe, go and get the ingredients, and then hop on Facetime to cook the meal together. However, my boyfriend is not super comfortable in the kitchen yet. This has led to several hilarious mishaps. One of the first meals we cooked together was orange chicken. My boyfriend was struggling to get his sauce to thicken so, as the recipe suggested, he kept adding more cornstarch. Suddenly, I saw him freeze and a look of mild horror started to blossom on his face. “Babe,” he whispered, “I think I’ve been using corn syrup instead of cornstarch.” I couldn’t help but burst out laughing, and he soon followed suit.

Food can be such an important part of life, far beyond our dependence on it to keep living. It has become a centerpiece for social events. I can’t tell you the amount of times the words “free food” have gotten me and my friends to go to an event that we otherwise would not have considered. Food is used as an excuse to see people and catch up – “going out for lunch” or “getting coffee” are often used to suggest a reason to hang out with someone. It can help build memories and strengthen relationships, like my boyfriend adding copious amounts of sugar instead of a tablespoon of dry starch. In America, we have whole holidays that center around the food being eaten at them. Thanksgiving is pretty much just an excuse to eat way too much with your family, and I don’t think anyone is in any rush to change that. On top of its importance to our physical health, food has a huge social aspect to it. 

While food’s impact on our social and physical wellbeing are, for the most part, common knowledge, few people consider food’s impact on our mental health as well. According to Dr. Eve Selhub in her article “Nutritional Psychiatry: Your Brain on Food”, what people eat and how much of it can greatly impact their brain functions and mood. This is not only because our brain uses the energy from food to run smoothly but also because good food helps the bacteria and neurons in our gut to stay healthy and help neurons send and receive neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine.  Essentially, the food you eat can affect your mood and energy levels. If someone eats too much, they might feel bloated or tired. If someone eats too little, they won’t have the energy to do what they need to do in the day. This is especially important for people with depression who struggle with energy levels and mood already. The kind of food you eat can also affect your mood with processed foods causing inflammation and blocking neurons in your stomach from sending and receiving neurotransmitters. Overall, the food you eat has a huge impact on your mental health and vice versa.

Mood boosting foods come in all shapes and sizes

I found this out the hard way. I had a pretty good relationship with food until about the end of eighth grade when I started getting incredibly stressed out. This caused me to feel like I was going to be sick every time I ate. I never threw up but I started eating less and less to try to avoid feeling sick. I remember thinking that I would rather be hungry because it meant I didn’t feel sick and I started to enjoy feeling hungry. While this went away halfway through that following summer, the mindset of rather being hungry than sick is still something that I’m trying to get over. In the summer before junior year, I started exercising to try to help my declining mental health. I started doing at home workouts and really getting into fitness. This did help my mental health a little bit but it opened a whole new avenue for hurting my mental health: I started to track my calories. It was pretty harmless at first. I was just curious about how much I was eating and how I needed to change it to fit my fitness goals. However, it quickly became an obsession, with me consistently eating less and less just to see the number on the calorie tracker (and, subsequently, the scale) go down. If I felt like I ate too much that day, I would work extra hard to burn off those calories. I rarely could, and I felt like a failure every time this happened. This is similar to an eating disorder called Orthorexia nervosa. According to NEDA (National Eating Disorder Association) in their article on the disorder, Orthorexia is an obsession with healthy or “clean” eating to the point of damaging someone’s health and wellbeing. This is a very real and serious eating disorder and, while I don’t consider myself as someone who suffered from this disorder, I know I was very close. Luckily, I had friends who knew what was going on and were able to help pull me out of that mindset before it got too dangerous. I was able to forget calorie tracking and, while I still sometimes have the urge to obsessively work out and track my food, I have been able to let it go and start to rebuild my relationship with food.

My Easter meal of steak, potatoes, salad and dinner rolls!

The biggest thing that has helped me overcome this struggle is learning how to cook my own meals. About two years ago, I moved into my first apartment and finally had access to my very own kitchen. It took a little bit to learn what I was doing but I quickly found a joy and passion for cooking. I also found that having more control over my food and knowing exactly what went in it helped me tremendously. I’ve been able to reframe my mindset around food from being solely used to further my physical health to being a fun social activity that helps my whole body function properly. While I’m still growing out of unhealthy mindsets, I have been able to find excitement in searching for new recipes, learning to cook them, and doing it for and with the people I love…even when they add too much corn syrup to an orange chicken recipe! 

Takeaway: Food can and should be much more than calories in and out.

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By: Callie Hedtke

Callie is going to be a senior at DePaul University in Chicago where she is studying Graphic Design. If she’s not at her computer designing (or playing video games), you can find her in the kitchen trying out new recipes. She also likes to be outside exploring and enjoys hiking with her friends and family.


For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services.  At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

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New Cities, New Meals: Chapter 2 — Finding Home Through Food

Monday, July 19th, 2021

When moving to London, you need to pack your favorite clothes, an adapter, and as many tortillas as your bag will fit. 

I left Chicago in 2019 to study at New York University, London. I had never crossed the ocean or left the continent, let alone leave the comfort of my mother’s home for more than two days. The thought of living with people I had never met terrified me, but I knew there was one way to bridge the gap between strangers —food. 

If you ever find yourself in London, just know you will hardly find Mexican food that resembles anything found in America. For one thing, the chicken is coated in cumin and cooked with bell peppers in a thick layer of pepper jack cheese —a sad attempt at the already untraditional “fajitas.” The tortillas are always made with flour, and if you ask for corn, you will be given a look of confusion before being told, “I’m sorry, what?” The sour cream is overly thick and tastes of nothing, and the salsa almost always contains random pieces of corn. You will walk away sad, disappointed, and missing home even more. As a word of advice, stick to Indian food instead. 

I could not accept that Mexican food, my food, was nearly impossible to find — so I made my own. Slightly untraditional? Yes. Hard to source? Yes. More expensive than Taco Bell? Yes, but the outcome was all that mattered. Over plates of chicken tacos I made with naan instead of tortillas, yellow rice, and beans that definitely had not been soaked long enough before cooking, the eight girls shoved into a small, university apartment with me spoke about the lives they left across the ocean. Other students in the building, probably enticed by the smell of garlic and freshly chopped cilantro, would knock on our room door, handing me £2 in exchange for a plate piled high with whatever I made that evening. Slowly, the strangers I was so nervous to meet became my new family, and together we marveled at the differences between home and our new lives. It was as though the family dinners I had almost 4,000 miles away followed me to Central London, teaching me to form my own community with those who now surrounded me. 

Korean fried chicken and dumplings from the local food market in London. Better than the Mexican food, and cheap!

After London, and after quarantine, I found myself repeating the cycle of using food as a means of unity in New York. Sitting on the floor of my new East Village apartment with shared bowls of expensive ramen from the restaurant downstairs, my roommates and I again told stories of our mothers’ cooking and spending summers in our grandparents’ homes. These conversations led to open dialogue, then to honest and vulnerable communication, and finally unity and trust — all while shoveling steamed dumplings in soy sauce and chili oil into our mouths. Like the weekly family dinners I had in Chicago, and the £2 meals I cooked for other students to enjoy in London, I formed a small, trusting relationship with my new roommates in the East Village by sharing a meal with them. Whether it’s a few pretzels, a plain bag of potato chips, or just a bite of a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel (the best are from Sunny & Annie’s on 6th St.), sharing food shows others you are willing to share yourself — your time, your stories, the things you enjoy. 

So, the next time you find yourself unaware of how to build a community, whether in your home or a faraway land, simply open up a bag of chips and offer to share — the conversation will start soon enough, maybe over a bowl of Gorin Ramen!


By: Allegra Ruiz

Allegra Ruiz is a junior at New York University and she is from Chicago. She studies English and is minoring in Creative Writing. In her free time, she enjoys journaling, reading books and essay collections, and cooking for her roommates. Currently, she lives quietly in New York. 

For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC, from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services.  

At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

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The Covid Cooking Club: Chapter 1: Pasta

Tuesday, March 9th, 2021

The Covid Cooking Club

Do cooks have to wear masks?
A very professional-looking chef, who is definitely not me.

Introduction

With the current pandemic making venturing outside your room an act equivalent of walking across the street blindfolded, it is more important than ever that college students learn how to effectively prepare food on their own in order to decrease the possibility of getting permanent lung damage without even experiencing the questionable joy of nicotine. Ideally, this information would be given by a professional chef or at the very least someone with any sort of culinary talent. Instead you’re going to be getting it from a conked-out liberal arts student whose only knowledge of gastronomy comes from how far his head is up his own ass. God help you.

Chapter 1: Pasta

Homemade Marinara Sauce Recipe - Cooking Classy
A delicious and generic plate of pasta with red sauce, made by someone who also is not me.

Pasta. It’s the classic college food for a reason: that reason being most college students are deeply in debt and can’t actually afford anything else. (If only there was some sort of magazine that offered discounts on food products to help them out! But such a radical idea could never come to pass.) The humble cup of ramen has become an icon among undergraduates less for any inherent nutritional or taste value and more for being their best hope of avoiding complete bankruptcy long enough for their debt holders to be lined up against the wall and shot during the inevitable populist uprising. As someone who has the prospect of postgraduate financial stability through an accident of birth, I am not obligated to prostrate myself before the rapacious god that is instant ramen. This has the practical result of the pasta I make being named in Italian instead of Japanese. Pasta has a long and storied history, most of which can be condensed down into “it’s easy to make and tastes okay.” The cooking setup in my dorm consists of a microwave and a gas stove with two cookers with enough room for exactly 1.5 pots, so ease of preparation is appreciated. Also, I’m very lazy. All anyone needs to prepare pasta is a pot, some water, some salt, and a stirring implement. Put the water, salt, and pasta (preferably but technically not necessarily in that order) in the pot, and then boil until it is ready. After an amount of time totally unrelated to whatever it says on the packaging, the pasta will be ready. This can be tested by eating some of it and seeing if it triggers your gag reflex; other testing methods exist but they all sound as if they were dreamt up by lunatics. This will give you something that is edible. Making something good will require a lot more thought and I am not sure if I am actually up to the task. Sure, I enjoy a lot of the pasta I make, but that’s because I like my food to be as carbohydrate-dense as my writing is linguistically dense, not because I achieved any great success in preparing it. My most frequent failure occurs early. The pasta I prepare most commonly is spaghetti, because I have fond memories of eating it as a kid. I probably ate other pasta as a kid, but spaghetti is the only one I remember. It’s also a terrible choice since I inevitably put too much in, then stir too hard before it gets soft, causing the noodles to snap into pieces and defeat the entire point. I usually have better luck with tortellini and macaroni, yet I make them less because I apparently value nostalgia over competence. Fortunately, any pasta can be saved through use of a good sauce. Unfortunately, I am both too lethargic and too ill-informed to make any so I always use canned sauce from the store (or from my parents when I can swipe some off them). I eat mostly red sauce, which inevitably burns and creates an incredibly annoying brown crust on the pot whenever I try to heat it up. There are many instances where I nearly surrender to the dishes instead of cleaning them, and 75% of those come from red sauce. At least it usually tastes decent, though I somehow managed to always spill some on my shirt. Good pasta ultimately requires good sauce, and not having any saucing skill I am utterly unqualified to instruct anyone in its creation. And let’s be honest, you could figure out how to make it adequately without me telling you.

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By: Alexander Rose

Alexander Rose studies satire at NYU Gallatin and wishes he was actually just Oscar Wilde. He is interested in writing, roleplaying games, and procrastination. Describing himself in the third person like this makes him feel weird.

For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services.  

At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

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Make Your Own Sushi: Sushi For The Festive

Saturday, April 1st, 2017

Image Credit: https://www.japancentre.com/en/recipes/1369-flower-shaped-sushi-roll

Image Credit: https://www.japancentre.com/en/recipes/1369-flower-shaped-sushi-roll

One of the great things about sushi is that it often has many colorful ingredients, and this can make it a beautiful and festive dish. Making sushi like this is a little more difficult than the previous recipes, but the added effort makes the presentation positively gorgeous!

To start, we’ll begin like we would with a standard roll of sushi. Tear a strip off your sheet of seaweed, then spread the rice over it, as usual. The ingredients will be wrapped in seaweed this time, to add a nice decorative effect (you’ll need two sheets of seaweed for this recipe). We’ll be making a design of a flower, so you’ll want a few differently colored ingredients. For this recipe, we’ll use crab meat (or imitation crab meat), carrot, and avocado; however, since this recipe is based on color and presentation, feel free to deviate from it and use any other colorful ingredients you like!

Spread the seasoned rice on the first sheet of seaweed, leaving, as always, a border on both the top and bottom edges. Wrap each of the ingredient strips with strips of the second sheet of seaweed, then line one strip of crab meat and one strip of carrot on top of the rice. Leave a little space between them, then lay the avocado strip on top of the other ingredients. Pull the seaweed layer to the edge of the bamboo mat with your thumb and forefinger, and begin to roll it together. Before you finish rolling, however, lay the remaining strip of crab meat and the strip of carrot on top of the avocado, and hold in place with your other three fingers. Carefully roll the rest of the sushi together, and gently press together. When you cut the sushi open, you should end up with a simple flower shape in each piece of sushi. Arrange the sushi on a dish and dazzle your friends!


This is the tenth and final chapter from an e-book by one of the Campus Clipper’s former publishing interns, who wrote about how to make sushi. Follow our blog for more chapters from this e-book. We have the most talented interns ever and we’re so proud of them! For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourage them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing and services.  

At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

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Make Your Own Sushi: Sushi on a Budget

Saturday, March 25th, 2017

Image Credit: http://fruitguys.com/almanac/2011/05/05/roll-your-own-how-to-make-vegetarian-sushi

Image Credit: http://fruitguys.com/almanac/2011/05/05/roll-your-own-how-to-make-vegetarian-sushi

Although sushi is simple and delicious, it sometimes requires ingredients that can be a little on the expensive side. Luckily, there are alternative, less expensive ingredients that can be used to make sushi that is equally delicious!

Of course, buying in bulk is also a great way to save money on sushi ingredients. Japanese sushi rice is generally sold in bulk quantities, so this can help you save as well. Once you make the rice, you can even freeze it in a plastic bag to save to use another time; it will stay fresh in the freezer. This will also help you save time later on if you are in a rush to cook! Sushi rice is usually inexpensive when bought in bulk; however, quinoa can also be used as a substitute ingredient if you can find some that’s less expensive at a local grocery! It is a little harder to roll because it does not have quite the same sticky texture as sushi rice, but with a little extra care, it certainly can be done!

Somewhat like the Japanese immigrants did when they substituted avocado for salmon, we’ll be substituting sweet potato for any seafood. This ingredient has a somewhat similar texture, but sweet potatoes cost a lot less than fish, which certainly helps on a student budget. In addition to sweet potato, this recipe will use shiitake mushrooms. Most of the time, when this sushi is made it is seasoned with scallions; however, finely cut, cooked onions can be used as well. The sweet potato should also be cooked, then cut into thin strips.

Take a sheet of seaweed, then fold and tear off a two-inch strip. Spread a layer of rice (or quinoa) over the large sheet of seaweed, but remember to leave a border on the top and bottom edges. Fold the bottom edge of seaweed up over the rice layer, and lay the seaweed strip down. Line the sweet potato, shiitake mushrooms, and sliced onions on the seaweed, and bring the whole layer down to the edge of the bamboo mat. Roll the sushi together, cut into eighths, and enjoy!


This is the ninth chapter from an e-book by one of the Campus Clipper’s former publishing interns, who wrote about how to make sushi. Follow our blog for more chapters from this e-book. We have the most talented interns ever and we’re so proud of them! For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourage them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing and services.  

At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

Become a fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram

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Make Your Own Sushi: Sushi on a Picnic

Saturday, March 18th, 2017

Image Credit: https://elitefood.wordpress.com/tag/sushi/

Image Credit: https://elitefood.wordpress.com/tag/sushi/

When most people think of a picnic lunch, the first thing on their minds is not sushi. However, there are a lot of summer vegetables that make for delicious sushi ingredients, and since sushi is generally a small but filling meal, it’s easy to carry with you. This recipe will use ingredients that won’t spoil and are summery and delicious. If you’re still doubtful that your sushi will be fresh, though, you can always pack an icepack along with your sushi lunch!

For this recipe, we’ll be using green beans, zucchini, and dried shiitake mushrooms. There are plenty of other mushrooms that are delicious in the summertime, though, so feel free to substitute another type if you want a fresher sushi. Green beans and zucchini are great in the summer, and especially if you grow your own––green beans are super easy to take care of! These ingredients make a great and light summer meal that’s also filling.

As always, fold and tear a two inch strip off the seaweed. Spread a thinner layer of rice than usual over the seaweed, while leaving a border on both the top and bottom edges. This will make it a lighter meal; few people want a heavy meal in their stomachs during a hot summer! Cut your ingredients into strips—the zucchini in particular should be cooked first; the green beans can be left raw for an added crunch. Fold the bottom edge of seaweed on top of the rice layer, lay the seaweed strip down, then line up your ingredients along the piece of seaweed. Bring the whole layer down to the edge of the bamboo mat, and roll the sushi together. Cut into eighths, and pack in a lunchbox. For a nice snack, cherry tomatoes and snap peas will go along well with your healthy picnic lunch!


This is the eighth chapter from an e-book by one of the Campus Clipper’s former publishing interns, who wrote about how to make sushi. Follow our blog for more chapters from this e-book. We have the most talented interns ever and we’re so proud of them! For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourage them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing and services.  

At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

Become a fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram

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Make Your Own Sushi: Study Break Sushi

Saturday, March 11th, 2017

Image Credit: http://www.rawtillwhenever.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/vegan-tempura-sushi-2.png

Image Credit: http://www.rawtillwhenever.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/vegan-tempura-sushi-2.png

Generally, when I’ve been stuck in the library for a while, and I finally take a study break, it’s spent watching stupid youtube videos while eating junk food from the vending machine. Although that makes for an easy snack break, junk food is not such a great idea. After all, there are plenty of foods that are good for your mind and memory, and there’s no better time for a stimulating snack than on a study break! Several of these “brain foods” make for a great sushi recipe, so the next time you need a snack while you’re studying, try it out!

For this recipe we’ll be using brown rice and sushi rice mixed together, along with broccoli, eggplant, and asparagus. Brown rice provides vitamin B6, which has been linked to memory, cognition and brain health. Broccoli, too, has B6, as well as vitamin K, which is known to improve the health of brain cells. Eggplant contains nasunin, an antioxidant that is said to protect the lipids in brain cell membranes that maintain your brain’s health; and asparagus is a good source of folate, which is good for your brain and even reduces the risk of dementia later in life.

To start, fold and tear a two inch strip off the seaweed. Spread a layer of rice over the seaweed, while leaving a border on both the top and bottom edges. Fold the bottom edge of seaweed on top of the rice layer, lay the seaweed strip down, and line your ingredients up. Bring the whole layer down to the edge of the bamboo mat, and roll the sushi together. Cut into eighths, and enjoy!

For a drink that goes well with your study sushi, rather than having a soda, try some matcha green tea on the side! It’s delicious, and it has antioxidants and vitamins that are also good for your brain!


This is the seventh chapter from an e-book by one of the Campus Clipper’s former publishing interns, who wrote about how to make sushi. Follow our blog for more chapters from this e-book. We have the most talented interns ever and we’re so proud of them! For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourage them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing and services.  

At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

Become a fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram

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Make Your Own Sushi: Sushi for Vegetarians and Vegans

Saturday, March 4th, 2017

vegetarian-sushi-rolls.jpg.839x0_q71_crop-scale

Image Credit: https://www.fromthegrapevine.com/israeli-kitchen/recipes/vegetarian-sushi

Sushi is one of the easiest meals to adapt for vegetarian eaters, mainly because when you make it yourself, all ingredient choices are up to you, and sushi is tremendously variable with regard to ingredients. This recipe includes egg—if you’re vegan simply leave it out—as well as dried shiitake mushrooms and spinach leaves. For vegetarians and vegans who need to watch their protein intake (since animal products are an important source of protein), this recipe makes sure to use ingredients that have plenty of protein. Nori seaweed, shiitake mushrooms, and brown rice are good sources of protein; the mushroom also provides dietary fiber and iron. It’s a good idea to use half brown rice and half Japanese sushi rice, so that the rice stays sticky enough to roll easily.

The egg in this sushi is cooked like an omelet, but sweetened. Take an egg and beat it in a bowl––beating the egg thoroughly will help make sure the color is even. Add a pinch of salt and about ¼ teaspoon of sugar, and cook it in a pan, making sure to keep it as flat as possible. When it’s cooked, fold it and cut into strips. Cut the dried shiitake mushrooms into strips as well.

Once all your ingredients are prepared, fold and tear a two-inch strip off the sheet of seaweed. Now cover the seaweed with rice, leaving a border of about an inch on top and a half inch below. Fold the bottom border on top of the rice, and lay the seaweed strip on top of the rice. Line up your ingredients on the seaweed, and bring the whole layer to the edge of your bamboo mat. Hold the bamboo mat and seaweed with your thumb and forefinger, and, keeping the ingredients in place with the rest of your fingers, fold the seaweed and bamboo mat over the ingredients. Unroll the bamboo mat, bring the seaweed to the edge of the mat once more, and roll the sushi all together. Now simply cut the sushi into pieces about an inch long.

A great side dish to go with this sushi is miso soup with tofu. Tofu is a great source of protein, so this soup is the perfect side for anyone worried about protein intake!


This is the sixth chapter from an e-book by one of the Campus Clipper’s former publishing interns, who wrote about how to make sushi. Follow our blog for more chapters from this e-book. We have the most talented interns ever and we’re so proud of them! For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourage them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing and services.  

At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

Become a fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram

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Make Your Own Sushi: Sushi for the Health-Conscious

Saturday, February 25th, 2017

Image Credit: https://www.finedininglovers.com/recipes/appetizer/quinoa-sushi-rolls-salmon/

Image Credit: https://www.finedininglovers.com/recipes/appetizer/quinoa-sushi-rolls-salmon/

Sushi can be a very healthy meal. It’s simple; it’s not processed, and it’s packed with nutrients. Amie Valpone– culinary marketing consultant, nutritionist and author of www.TheHealthyApple.com— emphasizes the importance of clean eating like this for your health. When you eat sushi, you get plenty of nutrients without any unhealthy processing, or heavy butter and cream, making it a great choice for your body! Although we already did a salmon recipe, salmon is one of the healthiest kinds of fish to eat, and a classic sushi ingredient. This time, we’ll pair the salmon with broccoli and asparagus, for a simple and healthy sushi.

Many of the ingredients often found in sushi are incredibly healthy. Nori seaweed in particular has great health benefits; of all of the types of seaweed, it is one of the richest in protein and fiber. It also contains omega-3 fatty acids, as well as vitamin C and taurine, which can help your body maintain a healthy cholesterol level.

Take a sheet of seaweed, fold, and then tear off a strip of about two inches. Spread the rice over the sheet of seaweed, leaving a border of about an inch on top and a half-inch below. If you like, you can mix brown rice with the Japanese sushi rice. Brown rice is an important source of whole grains and minerals, and can even help protect against heart disease and type two diabetes. Mixing the two types of rice will give you the health benefits of the brown rice while staying sticky enough to roll easily. Fold the bottom border on top of the rice.

Now it’s time to line up the ingredients. Wild salmon in particular is full of nutrients and minerals such as selenium and omega-3 fatty acids, with low mercury content. Broccoli, in addition to being high in fiber, also contains plenty of vitamin C and folic acid. Asparagus is also a good source of folic acid, but it also provides almost an entire alphabet of vitamins––vitamins A, C, E, K, and even B6. Now bring the seaweed and rice layer to the edge of the bamboo mat, and begin to fold it over the ingredients. Once it’s folded, use a knife to cut with back and forth sawing motions, again to keep the sushi’s round shape.

Enjoy!


This is the fifth chapter from an e-book by one of the Campus Clipper’s former publishing interns, who wrote about how to make sushi. Follow our blog for more chapters from this e-book. We have the most talented interns ever and we’re so proud of them! For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourage them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing and services.  

At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

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Make Your Own Sushi: Super Simple Sushi

Saturday, February 18th, 2017

Image credit: http://mediterrasian.com/blog/?p=76

Image credit: http://mediterrasian.com/blog/?p=76

As much as I love making beautiful sushi, the truth is that when preparing it at home, sometimes I don’t make it formally: as usual in cooking, there’s an easy way out. Temakizushi literally means ‘sushi rolled by hand’ in Japanese, and this is because you don’t use a bamboo mat to carefully roll the sushi together. You simply take a square of sushi in one hand (a fourth of the full sheet of seaweed), and spread the rice over it with a spoon with your other hand. Then lay whichever ingredients you want to throw together on top, roll it together in your hand, and eat! It’s as simple as that.

Although somewhat less satisfying to make than other types of sushi, mostly because it doesn’t look the same, Temakizushi is absolutely perfect for when you’re with a big group of people. Anyone who’s tried to order pizza for a roomful of people knows the horror of trying to compromise on food, and this way, everyone can make their own sushi to their individual taste. Vegetarians can leave out seafood, those who don’t like crab meat can go for salmon instead.

In my own family, temakizushi is an easy classic. It’s the meal my mom’s family in Japan had the first time my dad went to meet them. It’s the meal we had when I went to visit several years later, with my grandmother and cousins and aunt all squashed around the small table, and the one my cousins chose when they came to New York to visit, when we had three types of fish and vegetables of all sorts from which to choose. A dish like this brings people together; this way, everyone’s pleased.


This is the fourth chapter from an e-book by one of the Campus Clipper’s former publishing interns, who wrote about how to make sushi. Follow our blog for more chapters from this e-book. We have the most talented interns ever and we’re so proud of them! For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourage them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing and services.  

At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

Become a fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram

Share