Plant-Based Food Tour: Noodles and Pasta

Welcome to the first stop on the Plant-Based Food Tour of Princeton! Every week for the rest of the semester, we are going to show you how to eat plant-based in Princeton, NJ. You may think that Planted Plate or an acai bowl are the only way to get in your plant-based fix, but you’d be surprised what the town of Princeton has to offer for all you vegan, vegetarian, sustainability-minded, or simply food curious folks out there! This week, we will be reviewing noodle and pasta dishes from a range of restaurants, each bringing something unique to the table. We are going to give you our take on these restaurants and their plant-based dishes, using metrics like price, taste, and creativity. We hope you’re ready for another EcoReps x Greening Dining collaboration, because it’s going to be a fun ride. And be sure to check back next week as we dive into our international tastings!

Tiger Noodles – Most Variety of Tofu

Price: $

Bang For Your Buck: ★★★★★

Creativity: ★★

Plant Forward: ★★

Taste: ★★★★★

Ease of Access: ★★★

My dinner tonight was General Tso’s Tofu with steamed rice and a scallion pancake. I wanted a plant-based entrée that had some protein in it, which limited me to rice with tofu. Still, there were a whopping eight (!) tofu options in total to choose from. Luckily, my (ethnically Chinese) roommate quickly came to my rescue and advised me on General Tso’s and also told me to try the scallion pancake. I was very happy with the tofu: fried to a perfect golden spot between crunchy and chewy, its crust scooped up the sweet, sour, and slightly spicy sauce, leading to mini flavor-explosions in my mouth as I bit into it. The steamed rice served well to balance out the intense flavor of the sauce. As for the scallion pancake, my roommate – a harsh critic of Chinese cuisine – declared it non-authentic, but it still hit all the right dopamine-triggering buttons in my brain by virtue of being fried dough. I would highly recommend Tiger Noodles if you are looking for a wholesome and tasty, yet inexpensive, lunch or dinner experience, and if you are on campus, you get a nice ten-minute walk in! The restaurant does not seem to be very vegan/vegetarian-oriented though, so maybe not the best if tofu or avocado sushi are not your plant-based thing. Still, dinner at Tiger Noodles was a blast for me, and you should consider coming to support a Princeton business! (I will probably be back to try more varieties of tofu).

Lan Ramen – Most Creative Fries

Price: $$

Bang For Your Buck: ★★

Creativity: ★★★

Plant Forward: ★★★★

Taste: ★★

Ease of Access: ★★★

On the first stop of my plant-based food tour, I ate at Lan Ramen. This restaurant has a great location across the intersection from the Princeton Public Library and offers several options for vegan and vegetarian food. Though this week we are trying noodle and pasta restaurants, I actually overlooked the one vegan noodle entree because it’s somewhat buried in the menu. Know that there is the Scallion and Ginger Noodles as a vegan noodle option. Since I didn’t see this option in the moment, I tried the Shanghai bok choy, eggplant fries, and vegetable potstickers.

The bok choy was beautifully fresh and green. It felt like a very healthy meal, being just a few simple ingredients combined with the steamed baby napa. The bok choy with rice and the soy sauce included with the potstickers I ordered was very tasty, but I actually ran out of soy sauce before I finished it all. Know that there’s no protein such as tofu included. If you get this entree, make sure to ask for at least one extra soy sauce container; it brings most of the flavor!

I also tried Lan Ramen’s eggplant fries and crispy potstickers. I had to try the eggplant fries when I saw them on the menu; I’ve had sweet potato fries, green bean fries, and more, but never eggplant fries! The dipping sauce for the fries really made it for me, and once again I ran out just a little before I finished the food. The use of eggplant for fries is very creative, so I commend Lan Ramen for that. I do prefer the sweet potato and green bean fries I’ve tried at other restaurants.

The crispy potstickers were the highlight of my meal. In the container came 5 potstickers with beautiful gold coloring. I ate these with the sauce that came with the fries, and they were delicious. They had baby napa, mushrooms, tofu, and baby bamboo wrapped inside. I loved the look of the inside of them and, paired with the sweet sauce from the eggplant fries, this is the item I would recommend.

Though I wasn’t able to try these this time, Lan Ramen also has an “Original Cucumber,” and a “Lotus Root Salad” as plant-based appetizers. For entrees, there is the one vegan option I mentioned earlier and a whole list of vegetable options you can view in the ramen and vegetable section of the menu. It is easy to miss the plant-based options outside of the vegetable section as there are many more meat items and there isn’t a mark to signify that something is plant-based. I would really appreciate it if Lan Ramen added some marks to make it easier to signify these options!

Lan Ramen impressed me with the packaging for their rice, putting it in a sturdy brown paper container endorsed by the green restaurant association. All the other dishes, however, came in a mix of plastic and styrofoam, so I’d really like to see this improve. If you do eat here and you’re comfortable dining indoors, I recommend doing so to reduce waste. Also included in my takeout bag were plastic utensils and two sets of chopsticks. If you don’t need disposable utensils, let the restaurant know when ordering online or by phone!

Lan Ramen is located kitty corner to the Princeton Public Library at the intersection of Hulfish and Witherspoon. It’s about a fifteen minute walk from Whitman College. There is indoor seating and takeout, though outdoor seating is temporarily unavailable.

D’Angelo Italian Market – Best Classic Pasta

Price: $$

Bang For Your Buck: ★★★★

Creativity: ★★

Plant Forward: ★★★★

Taste: ★★★

Ease of Access: ★★★★

The restaurant is located within the Italian grocery market, which is just a few minute’s walk from Fitzrandolph Gate. From their broad selection of classic pastas, I chose the Pesto Genovese. The sizable portion of penne pasta featured liberal amounts of pesto, olive oil, and parmesan cheese, and was tasty and satisfying! The staff is cordial, seating is available both inside and outside, and the store has a cheery ambiance, with many customers coming and going during lunchtime. Definitely stop by D’Angelo Italian Market if you are craving a great traditional pasta!

Lil Thai Pin- Most Vegan Options

Price $$

Bang For Your Buck: ★★★★

Creativity: ★★

Plant Forward: ★★★★

Taste: ★★★

Ease of Access: ★★★★★

I ordered the edamame appetizer, the Vegetable Pad See Lew and the Vegetable Lo Mein Lover. I was super impressed in general with how many vegan/vegetarian options and alternatives there were on this menu! Almost every item has the option of being made vegan and that warms my heart. The edamame appetizer was a classic and for the price, they give you so much! For the entrees, the Vegetable Lo Mein Lover was definitely my favorite of the two. It came with broccoli, onions, and tofu and while the flavor wasn’t overwhelming, it was perfect for a grab and go bite that filled me up. The Pad See Lew came with bok choy, baby corn, and chinese broccoli. Typically, Pad See Lew is one of my favorite dishes to get at thai restaurants, and while I really appreciated the restaurant having an automatic option to leave out the egg, I don’t feel like the dish was packed with strong flavor. The service was super speedy and conveniently located right next to my apartment, and I ordered through the snack pass app which allowed for no waiting time at the restaurant, which is everything I could ask for in COVID times! I really appreciate how conscious Lil Thai Pin is to offer plentiful vegan options, and with its convenience I will definitely be going back!

Purinsu Ramen – Most Likely to Leave Feeling Like You Got Your Money’s Worth

Price $$

Bang For Your Buck: ★★★★★

Creativity: ★★

Plant Forward: ★★★

Taste: ★★★

Ease of access: ★★★★

I tried the Vegetable Wonton-Men, taking the traditional ramen to the next level with the addition of vegetable wontons. This ramen comes in a miso vegetable broth with noodles (obviously), bean sprouts, mushrooms, and scallions. Oh, and don’t forget the vegetable wontons, which for me make this dish worth it. My initial impression was that this wasn’t the most flavorful ramen I’d ever had, but the wontons added that extra kick I was looking for. They also made the dish really filling. I definitely finished my meal feeling like I’d gotten my money’s worth. I also tried the scallion pancake appetizer, which was delicious with the sauce they give you; this definitely fulfilled my fried food craving, but didn’t feel too heavy or oily at all. I would absolutely recommend Purinsu Ramen for some veggie wontons!

Ramen Stop – Most Likely to Fool You Into Thinking You’re Eating Meat

Price $$

Bang For Your Buck: ★★★

Creativity: ★★★★

Plant Forward: ★★★★

Taste: ★★★

Ease of Access: ★★

I was really excited to see that Ramen Stop offered impossible meat, which I hadn’t seen at a ramen restaurant before. I ordered the Impossible Ramen with vegan miso broth, vegan noodles, impossible meat, wood ear mushrooms, cabbage, and green onions. The impossible meat didn’t disappoint; it added a great umami flavor to the noodles and had a texture that reminded me exactly of real meat. I also really liked the generous amount of vegetables in the ramen, especially the green onions, which were crisp and brought some brightness to the dish. The broth was a little salty for my taste, but it definitely had plenty of flavor. For an appetizer, the edamame tofu nuggets caught my eye and I was curious to see what they would taste like. I was concerned that they’d be soggy after a twenty minute walk back to my dorm, but I was pleasantly surprised to find them still nice and crispy. While the portion size wasn’t huge and the nuggets weren’t very flavorful on their own, I enjoyed them paired with the side of ponzu sauce. Overall, I loved the vegan and vegetarian options at Ramen Stop—they have at least one plant-based dish in every category (ramen, bao, donburi, mazemen) and they use a variety of meat alternatives, including tofu, impossible meat, and edamame. Half of the appetizers are either vegan or vegetarian, so I would especially recommend trying them out! A bit far from campus, but definitely worth a visit.

This series is a collaboration between student group, Greening Dining and the Princeton EcoReps

*** We are not food critics, but food enthusiasts. This is in no way intended to be a formal critique or review of any restaurant in Princeton, merely a way to encourage students to try more plant-based options when dining out.

This series is also on our Instagram (@tigersgogreen)! To check out the video version of the plant-based food tour, click here.

Sustainable Meals for Busy Students: Buddha Bowl

Author: Abby de Riel ‘22

A Buddha bowl is a delicious dish of any grains, protein, vegetables, and dressing of your choosing! These bowls, usually vegan, are highly nutritious and make for a balanced meal. They are also inexpensive and help to reduce food waste by being flexible in their ingredients (for example, I’m using some leftovers!). Plus — these ingredients have a lower carbon footprint and produce can include whatever is locally sourced in your area! It is very simple to assemble and ingredients can be portioned however you’d like.

These are my ingredients for today:

Grains: ¼ cup quinoa flakes
Protein: 1 oz. pumfu, which is soy-free and made with pumpkin seeds!
Veggies (which I’m roasting): 1 cup mix of squash, cauliflower, and carrots
Leafy vegetable: 1 cup spinach
Dressing: homemade chickpea hummus & sesame seeds

Steps:

Step 1: First, I roast my protein and vegetables. I chop up a piece of pumfu and mix it with my cut-up veggies; I toss it with a dash of salt, pepper, and a few drops of oil. I put it all on a tray in a toaster oven at 175 °C (350 °F) for 10 minutes.

Step 2: Meanwhile, prepare your grains: I boil some water in a pot — 2 times as much water as my serving of quinoa — and put in my quinoa flakes at a low boil. Stirring frequently, this only takes about 90 seconds! It’s done once the water has been absorbed and the flakes look puffy and start to bubble.

Step 3: Make the dressing! This is super flexible depending on your taste buds; I used some hummus and sesame seeds, but tahini sauce is also super popular.

Step 4: Lastly, assemble your bowl. Start with the grains in the center and put your roasted protein/veggies around it; drizzle your dressing on top. Yum!

This series is brought to you by student group, Greening Dining

Dining Green in a Pandemic

Author: Adam Elkins ‘23

For everyone on campus, we’re all so excited that the dining halls have opened back up, allowing us to eat hot food and spend time together with friends. Of course, they don’t look the same as they did last year. We’re still living during a pandemic, and as a result, we’re not able to implement many of our former sustainable dining practices. Nevertheless, there are still so many small ways you can practice sustainability while eating. I hope this post gives you some practical and simple ideas for protecting the environment–while you protect yourself!

Choose to Reuse

Bring reusable utensils and say no to plastic silverware. Plastic silverware isn’t recyclable, is deadly to sea creatures, and takes centuries to decompose¹. While the dining halls can’t offer everyone reusable silverware, bringing your own utensils is perfectly safe, better for the environment, and easy to clean: simply wash in hot water with soap! It’s also cheap; the U-store sells metal cutlery for just a few dollars.

Along this vein, try drinking from a reusable water bottle. Just remember to fill it up at your closest filtered water station beforehand, because they can’t be filled in the dining hall. In addition, make sure to avoid other unnecessary single-use plastics, such as packaged foods and drink lids, and since student composting isn’t active, prevent food waste by only taking what you can eat.

Drink Local

While drinking water from a recyclable can is better than using plastic, it’s still not as sustainable as a reusable bottle. The water in these cans is often shipped across the country consuming fossil fuels, and there’s no guarantee that the cans end up recycled anyway. Instead, try one of the hundreds of filtered bottle-filling stations across campus, which supply water from the local watershed². If you don’t have a filling station in your dorm, do not fear! You can request one to be installed here; however, tap water from the sinks on campus is perfectly safe and comes from the same place as the filling stations. I drink it every day myself!

Recycling

Recycle! …just be smart about it. Recycling guidelines are different everywhere, and just because you could recycle something in your hometown doesn’t mean it can be recycled on campus. On the flip side, you might be able to recycle materials that went to the landfill at home! Download the Recycling on Campus app for more information on what can and can’t be recycled. If too many non-recyclable materials, like the dining hall meal cartons, are put in the recycling, they can contaminate the whole batch. In that case, materials that would have been recycled are instead sent to the landfill. So remember: When in doubt, throw it out! Also, there aren’t recycling bins in the dining halls yet, but there are typically some just outside. We’re working with dining staff to change this, so for now, just make sure to hold onto your cans until you see a bin.

So there you have it! Just remember that the changes in our dining halls are happening for an important reason. While it’s a shame to have to pause some of Princeton’s most sustainable practices, there are still valuable steps that you can take to make a very real difference. Feel free to share with us how you practice sustainability in the dining halls!

References

National Geographic https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/06/carrying-your-own-fork-spoon-help-plastic-crisis/
Office of Sustainability https://sustain.princeton.edu/resources/drink-local

Sustainable Meals for Busy Students: Black Bean Soup

Author: Camellia Moors ‘22

As it gets colder outside for many of us, soup is a perfect way to warm up! Instead of choosing meat-based options like chicken soup, however, try opting for something vegetarian-based. This recipe’s main feature, black beans, involve far fewer carbon emissions than meats like beef. It can also be made more sustainable through customizations, like buying dried beans in bulk, which reduces packaging and saves money, or by using in-season/local toppings (in my case, I used Florida avocados!).

Regardless of how you choose to swap out ingredients, this recipe is quick, cheap, and easy to make. Perfect for busy students!

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
2 tsp ground cumin
Red pepper flakes (to taste; begin with ¼ tsp)
2 15 oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups vegetable broth
Salt and black pepper (to taste)
Optional:
- 3 celery ribs, finely chopped
- Fresh cilantro (to taste)
- 1 tsp sherry vinegar or 1 Tbsp tablespoons fresh lime juice (to taste)
Optional garnishes: Avocado, cilantro, tortilla chips, etc.

Steps:

Step 1: Prep all of your ingredients. (TIP: If you decide to use fresh cilantro, trimming the leaves is made a bit easier by running the herb through the prongs of a fork to de-stem the plant in bulk. You don’t have to do this, but it goes a bit faster!)

Step 2: Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions, celery (if desired), carrot and a light sprinkle of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft (about 10 to 15 minutes).

Step 3: Stir in the garlic, cumin and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).

Step 4: Pour in the beans and broth and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook, reducing heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, until the broth is flavorful and the beans are very tender, about 30 minutes.

Step 5: Transfer the soup to a stand blender and add in the cilantro, lime juice, and black pepper, if desired. Securely fasten the lid and blend until smooth (keep in mind that the soup will still be hot and steam will escape when you open the lid). Alternatively, use an immersion blender in the soup pot.

Step 6: Return the pureed soup to the pot and add in any additional seasonings to taste. Serve with your choice of toppings (I went with Florida avocado, sriracha, and extra cilantro).

Recipe adapted from the Cookie + Kate blog.

Keeping the Holidays Green

Author: Maddy Chong ’23

With the holiday season quickly approaching, many people are starting to make their wish lists and buying presents. However, it can be hard to be sustainable, especially with the emphasis on online shopping this year, so I have compiled my favorite tips to help keep gift-giving green.

Christmas, New Year'S Eve, Postcard — Image Credit: Daria-Yakovleva via pixabay.com

Step 1: Make a List of People You Care About

This time of year puts a lot of pressure on people to spend money to show that they care. As a result, we can end up spending too much money buying gifts simply for the sake of getting them. My biggest reminder is that you don’t have to buy someone a present to show that you love them. However, if you would like to give gifts, start by writing down who you want to give something to. This helps you keep track of any purchases and curb impulse spending.

Step 2: Picking Gifts

Here are some tips to figure out how to give something while staying eco-friendly! First, try and look for experience gifts rather than material gifts. You don’t want to buy something that someone is going to end up throwing away eventually, so try to buy gifts that can be experienced or used for a long time. This is how we can keep a sustainability mindset when we shop, which is thinking about what happens to presents after they have been gifted (Be sure to check out our Black Friday IG post to learn more about keeping a sustainability mindset). Here are some great experiential gift ideas:

Gift cards!
Subscriptions to music services or a workout program
A donation in their name
Virtual classes (cooking, dancing, music lessons, etc.)
National park passes
A custom playlist
Tickets to a (virtual for now) concert or adventure
Your favorite recipe and the ingredients (so you can make it together)

Making your own gifts is also a great idea. Whether it’s food, something sentimental, or a piece of artwork you know they would like, a homemade gift can be thoughtful and uses less packaging.

If you do decide that you want to buy something material, here are some ideas to keep in mind:

Find gifts that can be used frequently and for a long time! I try to avoid things that have a niche use or are of low quality.
Shop locally, BIPOC owned! This will reduce your footprint as well as show support for your community. Also, buying secondhand will make sure that no new items are being manufactured.
Find ethically made items. Look for things that are Fairtrade, organic, recycled, zero-waste, or carbon neutral. This might take a little bit of research. Also, be careful of packaging that says it’s “eco-friendly” or “green,” because products can say this without actually making sustainable decisions (aka as a marketing ploy also known as “greenwashing”).
Items with a charity aspect can be a good alternative to those without. For instance, if your purchase also donates money to planting trees or a non-profit. Be careful with these products though! You could technically donate to that charity or to plant trees without shipping a product, so make sure that it is something they will use.
Buy reusable replacements to typical single-use products! A lot of household products are designed to be used once and thrown away (think plastic wrap, plastic utensils, napkins, paper towels, Ziploc bags, makeup wipes), so this type of gift can actually save them money in the long run! Finding items that are refillable is also a good idea. Some services now allow you to order items and then send back the containers when you are done.

Step 3: Wrapping your Gifts

Every year, America alone goes through millions of pounds of wrapping paper, more than enough to cover nearly 6,000 NFL football fields! Luckily, swapping out your wrapping paper is one of the easiest ways to reduce waste this season. Considering that the paper is designed to be ripped off and discarded, you’re also going to be saving a ton of money on new rolls each year. However, remember to use up what you already have! This goes for gifts too. If you receive reusable or eco-friendly versions of items, finish up the rest of what you’ve got before opening new products. Throwing them away now defeats the purpose of having reusables!

First, try using paper other than wrapping paper, such as newspapers or the brown paper that comes with packaging. Bonus points for the vintage look (and the recyclability)!

Continue that aesthetic by opting for string, twine, or ribbon instead of tape. Tape is just plastic with glue on it, so trying to limit how much you use is a good idea because it is not recyclable.

Christmas, Gift, New Year, Holidays, Present, Red — Image Credit: monicore via pixabay.com

In the same vein, make sure that you take off any tape you do use from wrapping paper that is recyclable. Remember that not all wrapping paper is recyclable! If it has glitter on it or doesn’t crumple, throw that in the trash! If you use other sources like packing paper or newspaper, try to remove any tape before you put that in the recycling bin.

However, the best way to present your presents is to not use paper at all! I love wrapping gifts in things like clothes, blankets, or scarves. Not only does this look cute, but no waste is produced! You can also use boxes that you already have, such as shoe boxes, online shopping boxes, or clean food containers (and reuse again and again)!

I hope you found some new tips that you love, and remember that any steps you take will help. Happy holidays, Tigers!

EcoReps Sustainable Meals Recipe Book

Author: Camellia Moors ‘22

With the semester quickly coming to an end and the holidays nearly upon us, now is the perfect time to flex your cooking skills and try out some new recipes. If you were looking for culinary inspiration, search no further! The EcoReps have compiled some of their personal favorite sustainable recipes into a “book” below. Please give them a try, and don’t forget to check out our weekly Sustainable Meals for Busy Students posts with Greening Dining!

Breakfast

Cider Pumpkin Waffles: Sure, pumpkin spice might be a bit of an autumn cliché. (But note that it got that way because it is delicious). Spice up your breakfast and make the most of the end of the pumpkin season by making waffles! Find the recipe here.

(Recipe contributed by: Lisa Nicolaison, OOS Staff)

Pumpkin Muffins: Continuing with the pumpkin spice theme, also try your hand at pumpkin muffins! Adam Wickham notes that this recipe can be adapted to a vegan version by substituting ¼ cup of applesauce for each egg and swapping regular milk with plant-based options. Find the recipe here.

(Recipe contributed by: Adam Wickham ‘22)

Spreads and Toppings

Apple Butter: To make a quick, festive, and delicious seasonal condiment, try apple butter. This recipe is very customizable, so get creative with your spices and flavors! Find the recipe here.

(Recipe contributed by: Lisa Nicolaison, OOS Staff)

*Image Credit: Tieghan Gerard via* *halfbakedharvest.com*

Spiced Pumpkin Butter: Not a huge fan of apples, but still looking for something more interesting than peanut butter to put on toast? Try out pumpkin butter instead! Find the recipe here.

(Recipe contributed by: Lisa Nicolaison, OOS Staff)

Soups and Dips

Vegan 3-Bean Chili: For a quick, easy, and one-pot recipe that makes for great leftovers, try one of our EcoReps’ own recipes for vegan chili! Here’s how to make it:

Ingredients
- ~2 cups (10 oz) of frozen or fresh chopped bell peppers and onions
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 15 oz cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 2 15 oz cans black beans (rinsed and drained)
- 1 15 oz can kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
- 1 15 oz can navy or great northern beans (rinsed and drained)
- ~2 cups (10 oz) frozen corn
- 2 8 oz cans tomato sauce
- 1 ⅓ Tbsp mild chili powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- Some salt and pepper
- Optional:
  - 24 oz can diced green chiles
Instructions
- In a pot over medium heat, cook the veggies and garlic for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a tablespoon or so of water at a time as needed to keep the veggies from sticking.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot. Increase heat to high, cover, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until veggies are tender (about 10 minutes).
- Enjoy!

(Recipe contributed by: Julia Harisay ‘21)

Ful Medames: Not in the mood for soup, but still looking for an easy one-pot recipe? Try ful medames, a Middle Eastern bean dip/porridge often served with pita bread. Beans are an excellent source of protein with a far smaller carbon footprint than meat. Find the recipe here.

(Recipe contributed by: Camellia Moors ‘22)

Image Credit: Suzy Karadsheh via *themediterraneandish.com*

Side Dishes

Baked Tofu: Tofu can be eaten on its own or as part of a larger dish, and it makes for an excellent sustainable meat substitute due to its smaller carbon footprint. Whether you already frequently eat tofu or are just starting to try it, here is one of our EcoReps’ personal recipes to try out!:

Ingredients
- 1 lb. firm tofu
- 2 Tbsp lime juice
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic (or to taste)
- 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
- Black pepper
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Wrap tofu in a dish towel for 10-15 minutes to remove excess water, then slice the tofu into 6-8 pieces lengthwise.
- Combine all other ingredients except sesame seeds in a square baking dish.
  - Tip: You can double the marinade if you want more sauce.
- Add tofu to the marinade; turn to coat before sprinkling the top of tofu with sesame seeds.
- Bake the tofu on the top shelf of the oven, uncovered, for 45 minutes.
- Enjoy! Some serving suggestions include:
  - Serve the tofu over rice, quinoa, or noodles.
  - Serve the tofu on a sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and onion.

(Recipe contributed by: Naomi Frim-Abrams ‘23)

Tofu Stir Fry: Sticking with the tofu theme, try your hand at making some tofu stir fry! It’s easy to customize what vegetables you add in; to be environmentally conscious, tailor your recipe to the vegetables that are in season. Maddy Chong says: “I usually add shredded/chopped carrots, spinach, egg, and edamame, but this would be really good with most veggies.” Find the recipe here.

(Recipe contributed by: Maddy Chong ‘23)

*Image Credit: Erin Clarke via* *wellplated.com*

Main Meals

Sweet Potato, Kale, and Quinoa Bowl: Grain bowls have grown in popularity in recent years as they have gained recognition for being healthy, customizable, and easy to take on-the-go. To make your own healthy and sustainable grain bowl, try Julia Harisay’s recipe:

Ingredients
- For the sweet potatoes:
  - 1-2 sweet potatoes
  - 2 tsp olive oil
  - 2 tsp maple syrup
  - 1 tsp salt
  - Pinch of cayenne pepper
  - Several cracks of pepper
- Rest of bowl:
  - 1 small bunch curly kale
  - Cooking spray
  - ¼ tsp sea salt
  - ¼ tsp garlic powder
  - Juice of ¼ wedge of lemon
  - Cooked rice or quinoa, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scrub sweet potatoes and slice them in half lengthwise, then slice each potato widthwise into ½ in pieces.
- Put the potatoes in an even layer on the lined baking sheet. Drizzle them with oil, syrup, salt, cayenne, and a few cracks of pepper. Rub potatoes well to coat.
- Bake the potatoes for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Tear the kale into bite-sized pieces and discard stems. Rinse the kale (do not dry it).
- Spray a pan with cooking spray and put it on the stove on medium heat.
- Put wet kale in the pan and sprinkle it with sea salt and garlic powder. Stir the kale and cover the pan.
- Cook the kale for 3 minutes or until bright green and tender. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice.
- Combine sweet potatoes, kale, and quinoa or rice in a bowl and enjoy!

(Recipe contributed by: Julia Harisay ‘21)

Peanut Noodles: For a filling and easy meal that takes under 15 minutes, try peanut noodles! Combine with the tofu stir fry recipe above for a particularly delicious dish. Find the recipe here.

(Recipe contributed by: Maddy Chong ‘23)

We hope you enjoy these recipes, and happy cooking!

Studying Sustainably – Paper Tips Edition

Graphics and text by Lazarena Lazarova ’21 – originally appeared on @Tigersgogreen Instagram

Check Your Print Settings

One way to use less paper is to use more of it, or rather use it more efficiently! We know that sometimes you just have to print something out, so check your settings before you hit “Print.”

Be sure you’re printing double-sided
Make your margins as small as possible to minimize white space on a page
Use PDF editors, like printfriendly.com, to cut out junk from your printouts
Consider printing 2 or more pages per piece of paper
Be selective and print only the pages you need
Use misprinted paper for scratch work

Make Paper Crafts

If you have a misprint or used paper from past semesters you don’t know what to do with, give yourself a fun study break and make paper crafts using these materials.

Here are some ideas of cool creations you can make! For one, you can practice your origami skills, or you can create paper snowflakes to decorate your window if winter is approaching. Color the paper or use it as is, there are so many possibilities – get creative!

Recycle and Compost

You know about the importance of recycling your paper by having proper recycling bins and following your recycler’s guidelines, but that’s not the only way you can give your paper a second life. If you have access to a composting system, or can start up a compost bin for yourself, you can compost your paper as well!

Some compost systems can only handle shredded paper, so check what yours can work with and cut up the paper with a shredder or using a pair of scissors. Likewise, not all paper can be composted, like colored and glossy paper, which might contain some toxic heavy metals, but newsprint and other paper is safe to use as mulch or in compost. In fact, one study revealed that paper had less toxic material than straw or grass!

Pay it Forward

In the U.S., an estimated 640,000 tons of books are sent to the landfill annually. At an assumed average weight of 4 pounds each, that’s approximately 320 million books discarded each year!

If guidelines allow it, donate your books to libraries, resell them online, pass them on to students planning on taking the same class, or organize socially-distanced book swaps with your friends! Conversely, see if you can buy your textbooks second-hand, rent them, or get digital versions!

Sustainable Meals for Busy Students: Vegan Wawa Gobbler Hoagie

Author: Annika Hsi ‘23

This recipe is a quick and easy way to repurpose Thanksgiving leftovers and reduce food waste. Food waste can be a big problem, especially during the holiday season, with over 450 million pounds of Thanksgiving food being wasted each year.

For this homemade version of Wawa’s Gobbler hoagie, my leftovers happened to be plant-based, but since this recipe is super customizable, you can always experiment with whatever Thanksgiving dishes you have in the fridge!

Ingredients:

Bread (i.e. hoagie roll, sourdough, etc.)
Thanksgiving leftovers, such as:
- ½ cup of stuffing or mashed potatoes
- 3-4 slices of vegan turkey or chicken
- ¼ cup of roasted vegetables
- Gravy or cranberry sauce

Instructions:

Step 1: Cut and toast the bread.

Step 2: Layer on the ingredients. I usually put stuffing or mashed potatoes on the bottom, then vegan turkey/chicken or roasted vegetables on top. If you don’t have your own leftovers or if you want to experiment with some plant-based foods, here are some ideas for sandwich fillings:

Stuffing: I replaced the butter with Earth Balance and the eggs with 2 tbsp of ground flaxseed mixed with 5 tbsp of water.

Roasted Vegetables: I coated Brussels sprouts with olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. Then I baked them at 415°F for 30-45 min.

Plant-Based Chicken: For meat, I used Lightlife Smart Tenders. Lightlife is a carbon-neutral company that produces a variety of different soy-based meat replacements.

Step 3: Enjoy!

Recipe inspired by Wawa

This series is brought to you by student group, Greening Dining

Composting at Home

Author: Claire Wayner ’22

Stuck at home and tired of your garbage can getting stinky? A full 22% of your trash (or more) is likely food, and food waste doesn’t smell too great after a couple of days. There’s an easy and environmentally friendly solution to the odor – start composting!

By breaking down the food in combination with leaves and water, the process yields a rich, nutrient-filled soil additive called compost that can be used in your home garden beds or gifted to your neighbors (here is an article on the benefits of compost for your garden). Composting at home is really easy to start up and doesn’t require a ton of resources. My family has been composting since I was in middle school, and since then, we’ve learned a lot of helpful tips which I’ll share with you below.

During the day, we collect our food scraps indoors in an old yogurt container in the fridge to prevent it from smelling up our kitchen counter. We then empty the scraps into our outdoor composter whenever the indoor container is full. Our outdoor composter is a tumbling, elevated version which we keep in our backyard. It’s definitely worth the investment to buy a model like the one we have because it keeps food scraps contained and elevated (to prevent us from attracting unwanted pests like rats, as we live in a city) and also makes it easier to regularly turn the compost (moving the scraps around is important to promote breakdown and aeration). You don’t need a shiny new container to start composting, however. In a pinch, you can build your own out of anything from milk crates to recycled lumber.

Home compost collected in an old yogurt cup
Photo Credits: Claire Wayner

Keep in mind that you can’t compost all of your food scraps at home – things like dairy, meat, prepared foods/dishes, and disposables marked as “compostable” should stay out of your home compost, as they won’t break down unless put in a more industrialized composting environment like Princeton’s S.C.R.A.P. Lab. Stick to things like fruit and vegetable scraps, eggshells, coffee grounds, or clippings from your yard (raked leaves in the fall are great!). Try to get your ratio of “greens” (e.g., grass clippings, fruit and vegetable scraps) to “browns” (e.g., leaves, eggshells) right.

There are plenty of tutorials online on how to get started (check out this one from NPR). If you live in a dense city and can’t easily set up a compost bin, there are always countertop composters for apartments, or you could check to see if your municipality offers curbside composting pickup (ShareWaste has a great directory of where to drop off your compost if you can’t use it in your home).

*Elevated, tumbling outdoor composter*
*Photo Credits: Claire Wayner*

By starting to compost, you can make a big difference. Most greenhouse gas emissions from landfills come from the breakdown of food. Composting can reduce these greenhouse gas emissions and give us a usable product at the end of it.

Sustainable Meals for Busy Students: Apple Crisp

Author: Joe Himmelfarb ‘24

Sometimes we want to eat something warm, sweet, and comforting––something that feels close to home. At the same time, we want to indulge guilt-free, in terms of both our health and the carbon footprint of our food. To appease these cravings, look no further than this apple crisp recipe and look fast because most apples are almost out of season! This recipe is not only delicious, fairly easy to make, and highly nutritious but also a great way to practice sustainable dining.

Farmer’s markets are still offering a variety of fresh, seasonal apples, but fear not if you cannot reach one: groceries at this time of year often stock locally produced apples. Eating locally has numerous benefits for the environment and is indeed inseparable from the notion of sustainable agriculture. It has been found that “conventional food distribution [is] responsible for 5 to 17 times more CO2 than local and regionally produced food.” Furthermore, opting for local produce supports small family farmers who often promote sustainable agriculture in various ways like limiting their use of synthetic inputs and industrial processing tools. That said, it is also important to take advantage of seasonality: out-of-season produce, even when grown locally, uses more resources than in-season produce grown locally. For example, “More water is needed to…grow strawberries in New York in the dead of winter.”

A final note before the recipe: cooking apple crisp offers an excellent opportunity to test out new kinds of apples. While most apples are not as sweet as our beloved Honeycrisps, Fujis, and Galas, tarter apples shine when it comes to baking. I prepared this apple crisp using Stayman, Jonagold, Rome, Nittany, and Goldrush apples that I purchased at my local farmer’s market. If you are able to visit a farmer’s market, I would highly recommend asking vendors for their opinion on the best baking apples.

Ingredients:

Apple Mixture:

5-6 apples, roughly chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp cinnamon
1-2 tbsp maple syrup
Salt (optional)

Crumble:

1 ½ cups of rolled oats
(Roughly) ½ cup walnuts
2-3 tsp cinnamon
2-3 tbsp maple syrup
Salt (optional)

Instructions:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F.

Step 2: Blend oats or mash manually until coarsely ground.

Step 3: Blend or mix in the remaining crumble ingredients, adding more or less cinnamon, maple syrup, and salt as desired.

Step 4: Roughly chop apples.
Optional Step: For softer apples, microwave chopped apples for 5 minutes.

Step 5: Mix apples with the rest of the mixture ingredients in a baking dish.

Step 6: Cover apple mixture with crumble.

Step 7: Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Step 8: Enjoy!

Optional Step: For a light, delicious plant-based pairing, try nice cream. To prepare: freeze a few ripe bananas, and then blend them while adding small amounts of water or plant-based milk until a creamy consistency is reached. You can also try blending in other flavors like vanilla, cocoa, or fruit like mango and strawberry.

Recipe adapted from the Mama Sezz blog.

This series is brought to you by the student group, Greening Dining.