You'd have to be a
half-bright to characterize the Dems' performance this past November 7th as pathetic: it was almost perfectly average for the out of power party running in a President's 6th year. Slightly below average in the House, slightly above in the Senate, and the first time both houses of Congress switched during a 6th year mid-term election in 88 years. For the first time in 6 years George W. Bush will be subject to the oversight and scrutiny of Bill Clinton and perhaps popular measures that have been ignored by the Republicans such as raising the minimum-wage, sky-rocketing college tuition, and stem-cell research will be addressed.
While Americans voted last Tuesday to end one-party rule, we each vote everyday with our money and actions that culminate in a greater impact than any one vote for a Democrat. I think a cornerstone of the "Libertarian Democrat", of which I count myself a member, is choosing actions that better our Earth, community, and ourselves without the government forcing me. Which is why I want to contribute some additional diaries to already
excellent series on Dkos that explore vegetarian/vegan cooking by an amateur for amateurs because it's my personal belief that there is no single other thing each of us could do to make our world more sustainable than reducing our meat consumption.
Recently a study was released that there is a positive correlation between
red-meat consumption and breast cancer:
The study of more than 90,000 women found that the more red meat the women consumed in their 20s, 30s and 40s, the greater their risk for developing breast cancer fueled by hormones in the next 12 years. Those who consumed the most red meat had nearly twice the risk of those who ate red meat infrequently.
...
Although more research is needed to confirm the association and explore the possible reasons for it, researchers said the findings provide another motivation to limit consumption of red meat, which is already known to increase the risk of colon cancer.
And while breast cancer is unlikely to affect my health directly, it can affect people I care about and reducing the rate of breast cancer would in theory reduce health-care premiums.
Many people think of vegetarianism as bland veggie-burgers and soy milk but with a little know-how and adventurism a vegetarian/vegan diet can be extremely varied and palette-pleasing. Today I ate something too simple to be in a cook book, fairly quick, delicious, and dripping with as much flavor as any steak I`ve eaten.
I began by brushing organic Portabella mushrooms with my favorite substance on Earth, Sriracha Chili Sauce. The mushrooms were expensive, and being poor maybe I won't go with the organic in the future, but personally I'd rather spend money on delicious food that I know is grown right by non-corporate or poverty-waged farmers than 50 dollar jeans or that newest video game system. Portabella mushrooms have also been found to contain
nearly twice the amount antioxidants than green beans or carrots!
I then put them on a skillet over medium heat with just enough Balsamic Vinegar to thinly cover the pan. I cooked each side for about 4 minutes, periodically pressing down with a spatula. You can tell they're done when they're about to blacken and bleeding juice. Make sure you have a fan or some sort of ventilation because it gets pretty smoky with the vinegar (maybe I should have cooked it over a lower temperature). Portabellas are great at absorbing flavor so if chili sauce isn't your thing maybe mustard (or whatever) is. You don't need an iron-skillet either, but cooking in one adds iron, something vegetarians need to make sure they're getting enough of.
Here is a wheat tortilla toasting over low-heat and coated with a mixture of garlic, olive oil, and parsley that I had leftover from grilled polenta (which I'll write about later). Just olive oil would have done but the garlic adds a nice flavor and here's some information to digest: a
1992 study found that it takes 119 liters of water per kg of wheat but 3,682 liters per kg of boneless beef! This is why I believe that by eating wheat, mushrooms etc. you're personally doing more to conserve water than anything Nancy Pelosi does on the House floor.
I then put it all together and added some spinach for texture. It really is incredible tasting, if I do say so myself, but if there was a change to make it'd be to use a sub roll instead of tortilla because the Portabellas are just sopping with juice. I finished surprisingly full, didn't miss the meat or cheese at all and doubt any omnivorous friend or family member would have either!
Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist or cook (any advice is welcomed!) and while I've been contemplating vegetarianism for years my final decision to begin now was heavily influenced by the seminal, if not always best-sourced, The Food Revolution by John Robbins