In this weekly series we have been discussing the benefits of a vegetarian/vegan diet including: better health, animal rights, public health, food safety, frugal living, global food crisis and the staggeringly huge contribution of meat/livestock production to climate change/resource depletion.
Destruction of the Amazon makes it the fourth largest source of greenhouse gas emissions on the planet. 80% of Amazon deforestation is due to the livestock industry for grazing land and for space to grow crops for animal feed. More than 70 Million cattle are living in the Amazon right now. The cattle industry in the Amazon is the single largest source of deforestation on the planet.
Macca's Meatless Monday/Meatless Advocates is a solution-oriented activist group, with solutions for some of the most pressing issues of our time, including climate change, global food/water insecurity and public health. Here we don't just talk about the severity of the crisis. Armed with knowledge about how our actions can contribute, we become part of the solution.
Kudos to the City of South Miami for joining the Meatless Monday campaign!
I was inspired to create this series by former Beatle and vegetarian advocate Paul McCartney (Macca) who partnered with the Meatless Monday campaign to promote less consumption of meat. We not only discuss the advantages of a less meat diet we also do some cooking, share recipes and listen to great Beatle music!
Not only is it easy to become a part of the solution to climate change but it can be fun! Today I'm sharing some recipes that are fun to prepare and serve. Your friends and family will appreciate your effort to prepare an Earth friendly meal which includes a little humor.
MOCK 'CHICKIN' NOODLE SOUP
Before we get to the fun we gotta get rid of the winter cold that so many of us caught with the blast of cold weather this past weekend. For me, having a winter cold brings back thoughts of Mom's noodle soup; usually from the red and white can. Trouble is nowadays it's
scary to think of eating chicken, much less a can of processed crap from who knows where. So below I have an Earth friendly, healthy, delicious alternative to those childhood comfort memories.
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large celery stalks, finely diced
3 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, minced
6 cups good quality vegetable broth or 6 cups water with 2 vegetable bouillon cubes
1 teaspoon salt-free seasoning, such as Mrs. Dash brand
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
4 to 6 ounces short, fine noodles (see note below)
4 to 6 ounces baked tofu, finely diced
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the celery, carrots, garlic, onion, and about 2 tablespoons water. Cover and sweat over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften.
Add the water with bouillon cubes, seasoning and dried dill. Bring to a rapid simmer. Lower the heat, cover, ad simmer gently for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
Raise the heat and bring to a more vigorous simmer. Add the noodles and simmer steadily for 5 to 8 minutes, or until al dente.
Stir in the diced tofu, then season with salt and pepper. Serve at once. As the soup stands, the noodles quickly absorb the liquid. If you plan on having leftovers of the soup, add a cup or so additional water before storing, and adjust the seasoning. This way the soup can develop more flavor as it stands.
Note:
You can use vermicelli or angel hair, broken into 1 1/2 inch pieces; soba noodles are good too, if you want something a bit more nourishing or assertive. Fine, round noodles such as anellini are also good
POTATO LEEK SOUP IN BREAD BOWL
This super bowl is a knockout! Delicious, easy and stick to your ribs kind of dish so satisfying this time of year. Great for company watching the Sunday games too!
2 tbsps. olive oil
4 leeks, trimmed and diced
2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, diced
6 cups good quality vegetable stock
1 (15 oz.) can cannellini beans, drained
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. dried thyme
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the leeks and sauté until just translucent, about five minutes.
Add the potatoes, 5 cups vegetable broth, thyme, salt and pepper to the pot and bring to a simmer, cook until the potatoes are tender, 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the beans and remaining one cup of vegetable broth in a blender. Blend until the beans are fully pureed.
Once the potatoes are tender, carefully transfer about half of the soup to the blender containing the bean mixture and continue to puree. If you prefer a fully-pureed soup, go ahead and blend the entire mixture (you may need to work in batches or use an immersion blender).
Return the mixture to the large pot and return to a slow simmer. Serve in hollowed out bread bowls if desired. You can make the top of bread bowl look like a football by using a squeeze bottle to pipe on football laces with any soft cheese, mayo or mustard.
ENCHANTED BROCCOLI FOREST
The ultimate iconic fun food with recipe by Mollie Katzen. I usually add all the options to make this a healthy entree but feel free to make it as plain as you need to to please the kids.
2 cups brown or white rice
1 pound fresh broccoli
1 tablespoon butter (I use Earth Balance) or canola oil (plus a little extra for the pan)
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill (or 2 teaspoons dried)
3 tablespoons fresh mint (or 3 teaspoons dried)
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
pepper to taste
cayenne to taste
Options:
1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds
1/4 pound Swiss or cheddar cheese, grated
a little extra butter for the top
Trim the tough bottoms from the broccoli stalks and cut the tops into smallish spears of whatever size suits you.
Preheat oven to 325° F.
Lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking pan. Melt the butter or heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven. Add the onion and salt and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the onion begins to soften. Add the garlic and the lemon juice and saute for about 2 minutes longer. Stir in the rice, some black pepper and cayenne to taste along with the optional ingredients. Taste to correct salt, if necessary, and spread in the prepared pan.
Now the fun part. Arrange the broccoli upright in the rice, and, if desired, drizzle with melted butter. Cover loosely with foil and bake just until heated through (15 -20 minutes). Serve right away.
NIRVANA ENCHILADA CASSEROLE
Let's have some cooking fun with Isa Chandra from
post punk kitchen. This is her video and recipe and it's yummy but if you need to take some shortcuts like I usually do just use a prepared enchilada sauce. This is a fantastic football watching brunch recipe!
For the potatoes:
1 1/2 lbs yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
Fresh black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
For the Enchilada sauce:
4 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced medium
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (use 2 if you like more heat)
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano (Mexican, preferably)
2 28 oz cans whole tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon agave nectar
White sauce:
1 cup cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
3/4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
For the filling:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, quartered and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups cooked pinto beans (2 15 oz cans, rinsed and drained)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
For assembly:
18 8 inch corn tortillas
Optional toppings:
Pepitas
Fresh chopped cilantro
Make the potatoes and enchilada sauce:
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the potatoes with the oil right on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with fresh black pepper and salt, and toss to coat. Bake for 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 350 F, flip potatoes and bake for 10 more minutes. Leave oven at 350 F because that is the temp that the enchiladas need to bake at.
Preheat a 4 quart pot over medium heat. Dry toast the cumin and coriander seeds in the pan for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until they’re fragrant and a few shades darker, just be careful not to burn. Add the oil and saute the onion, jalapeno and garlic with oregano and a pinch of salt for about 5 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, salt and agave, cover pot turn the heat up to bring to a slow boil. Let cook for about 20 minutes.
Once cooked, puree until smooth with with either a submersion blender or by transferring to a blender of food processor. If using a blender, intermittently lift the lid to let steam escape so that it doesn’t build up and explode and kill you. Also, note that if you use a submersion blender you really have to blend a lot to get the seeds to smooth out. Taste for salt and set aside to cool.
Make the filling:
Preheat a large pan over medium heat. Saute the onion in oil with a pinch of salt for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and saute just until fragrant, 15 seconds or so. Add the mushrooms and salt, and cook until they’ve released a lot of their moisture, about 5 minutes. Add the pinto beans and lime juice and cook just until heated through, 2 minutes or so.
When the roasted potatoes are ready, toss them into the filling mix. Taste for salt and set aside.
Make the white sauce:
Drain the cashews. Add everything to the blender and puree until completely smooth. It’s rather thick, so definitely scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula often or so to make sure you get everything. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Assemble this bad boy:
So we’re just going to be adding layers of sauce, tortillas and filling, then topping it all off. Let’s begin.
Lightly grease a 9×13 casserole pan. Ladle in a thin layer of enchilada sauce, then layer 6 tortillas into the pan. Now things are going to get a bit messy! Ladle in another layer of enchilada sauce (about a cup’s worth), and flip each tortilla to smother in the sauce. Each one should be coated, but you should still be able to see the tortilla, that is to say, it shouldn’t be drowning in the sauce. Next, layer the tortillas so that they’re slightly overlapping and covering the bottom of the pan.
Now add half of the filling, and pour on 1/2 cup of sauce or so. Layer in 6 more tortillas and repeat the process of smother each of them in a cup of sauce. Cover with the remaining filling. Once again pour 1/2 cup of sauce over the filling, and add the final layer of tortillas. Smother those in a cup of sauce. Reserve the rest of the sauce (if any) for serving.
Finally, top with the cashew sauce. I pour it directly out of the blender and try to ribbon it in thick globs over the top. It doesn’t have to be neat, it will look cute pretty much no matter what. Place in the 350 degree oven, and bake uncovered for about 30 minutes. The topping should be lightly golden.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with a handful of pepitas and chopped fresh cilantro if you like and serve!
STUFFED THANKSGIVING BURGER
Isa's recipes are so good, I had to use another one. What an idea; great holiday tasting burger!
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Small yellow onion, diced medium
2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
8 oz cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dry rubbed sage
4 cups baguette sliced into cubes
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup hazelnuts [if your processers not up to chopping these nuts just take your time and use the hand method]
I cup cooked lentils (brown or green, canned is fine drain first)
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup dried cranberries
To serve:
6 sourdough rolls
Kale [rubbed with olive oil and a little salt or your preferred greens]
Vegan mayo (I use veganaise)
Preheat a large, heavy bottomed pan non-stick (preferably cast iron) over medium high heat. Saute onion in one tablespoon olive oil for about 3 minutes with a pinch of salt, until translucent. Add mushroom, celery, garlic, black pepper, thyme and sage and saute for 7 to 10 minutes, until mushrooms have released most of their moisture.
Add baguette cubes, and drizzle in the other tablespoon of oil. Toss bread to coat in the mixture and cook for 5 minutes or so, tossing often, to lightly brown the bread.
Add the vegetable broth and use your spatula to really mush the bread up in the broth, so that it absorbs all the liquid and resembles stuffing. Let it cook about 3 more minutes, to sop up all the flavor.
While everything is cooking in the pan, place hazelnuts in food processor and pulse until they are chopped (not pureed.) Pieces should range from itty bitty to pea sized. Transfer nuts to a large mixing bowl. (No need to clean it out for the next step.)
Add the lentils to the food processor and puree until relatively smooth. Now add the bread mixture from the pan into the processor and pulse 10 to 15 times. You want the mixture to hold together, but there should still be mushroom and celery visible, it shouldn’t be a puree.
Transfer this to the mixing bowl with the hazelnuts. Add in the cranberries and salt. The cranberries like to stick together so make sure you separate them. Combine thoroughly, using your hands if need be, to form a firm but still malleable mixture. Taste for salt and pepper.
Let the mixture cool completely. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or so, just to help it firm up and let the flavors meld a bit.
Rinse out your cast iron, and preheat on medium-high. Roll the burgers into 6 equal sized tennis balls. Wash your hands often and keep them a little damp during this process for that the burgers don’t stick to your hands. Flatten into 1 1/2 inch thick patties.
Cook in a thin layer of oil for about 4 minutes on each side. Serve on buns with greens and mayo.
PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICH COOKIES
These are fun to bake and eat! Thank you Vegetarian Times! Makes 24 cookie sandwiches
Cookies
2 cups smooth natural-style peanut butter
4 oz. Earth Balance margarine (1 stick)
1 cup dark brown sugar
½ cup evaporated cane sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup plain soymilk or almond milk
3 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
⅓ cup roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped
Filling
½ cup coconut creamer or soy creamer
8 oz. vegan chocolate chips (1 ¼ cups)
1. To make Cookies: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, or coat with cooking spray.
2. Cream peanut butter, margarine, brown sugar, cane sugar, and vanilla 2 to 3 minutes with electric mixer, or until smooth. Beat in soymilk and 1/4 cup water.
3. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and peanuts in separate bowl. Add flour mixture to peanut butter mixture, and beat just until dough forms.
4. Scoop 1 Tbs. dough onto prepared baking sheets 2 to 3 inches apart. Make crisscross pattern on top of each Cookie by pressing down with fork. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until edges of Cookies begin to brown. Cool on baking sheet.
5. To make Filling: Heat creamer in top half of double boiler over medium heat until steaming. Pour hot creamer over chocolate chips in bowl, and let stand 30 seconds. Mix creamer and chocolate with wooden spoon until chocolate is melted, then whisk until smooth.
6. Spread 2 tsp. Filling on flat sides of 24 Cookies. Top with remaining Cookies.
"It's So Easy" Paul McCartney with Buddy Hollie cover
"Struggle" Paul McCartney from his New album
What have you all been cooking? Please share your recipes and fave Beatle music here!