In this weekly series we have been discussing the benefits of a vegetarian diet including:better health, public health, animal rights, frugal living, global food crisis, food safety and the immense contribution of meat/livestock production to climate change/resource depletion/public health PDF
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.
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 many advantages of a less meat diet we also do some cooking, share recipes and listen to great Beatle/McCartney music!
We all succumb from time to time. After all, bringing home take out food is easy and fast. But, we all know that we pay the price for that convenience not only by busting the budget but by ingesting countless unwanted and unnamed ingredients mainly salt, sugar and fat which are used to tantalize our taste buds. In addition, we don't have a choice as to the quality of the ingredients. But I think we can assume that as a restaurant's main motive is profit that there have been some compromises in the purchase of ingredients. Today I will show you how you can satisfy your cravings for your favorite take out without compromising your budget or your health.
My favorite take out food is comfort food which I crave and then want immediately. That leads me straight to Chinese restaurant fare with its' sweet, hot and sour ying and yang opposites with their curative and soothing effects.
VEGETABLE LO MEIN with TOFU
adapted from Vegan on the Cheap...serves 4
It’s a great way to use up leftover spaghetti or linguine, as you only need about 4 cups of cooked pasta for this recipe. (You can even use reconstituted ramen noodle bricks if you have them on hand. Just throw away the seasoning packets, break the bricks into pieces, and place them in a heatproof bowl. Cover them with boiling water and set aside to reconstitute.).
16 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Salt
2 tablespoons canola or other neutral oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons grated ginger
1 medium carrot, shredded
4 to 5 scallions (green onions), chopped
4 cups shredded green cabbage (or napa cabbage or bok choy) (or swap out veggies such as broccoli and snow peas)
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
4 cups cooked spaghetti or linguine or reconstituted ramen (throw away the seasoning packets, break the bricks into pieces, and place them in a heatproof bowl. Cover them with boiling water and set aside to reconstitute.).
1. Cut the tofu into 1/2-inch dice. Toss with the cornstarch and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and set aside.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and cook until golden brown all over, about 7 minutes. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
3. Add the remaining oil to the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, carrot, scallions, cabbage, and mushrooms. Season with salt and stir-fry to soften, 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Stir in the soy sauce, rice vinegar, ketchup, and sesame oil. Add the reserved tofu and the cooked noodles. Toss to combine, adding a bit of water (or extra sauce) if the mixture is too dry. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Serve hot.
May add toasted black or regular sesame seeds or for a spicy version, add a drizzle of sriracha.
HOT and SOUR SOUP
adapted from 1,000 Vegan recipes
7 dried shiitake mushrooms
14 dried dried lily buds omit if you can not find
7 cups vegan "chicken" broth ( try Better than Bouillon ) or vegetable stock
2 Tb canola oil
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated finely
1 Tb red chili paste
1/2 cup bamboo shoots, diced
1/4 cup tamari
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 Tb cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1 ( 14 ounce ) package of firm tofu, pressed and drained, cubed
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
chopped green onions and cilantro, for garnish
1. Soak the dried mushrooms and tiger lily buds in warm water for 20 minutes.
2. Trim off any tough stems and slice the mushrooms. With your fingers slice the tiger lily buds.
3. Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the ginger, chili paste, mushrooms, lily buds, bamboo shoots and tofu. Cook and stir for 1 minute.
4. In a small bowl, stir together the tamari, sugar, salt, pepper and vinegar. Pour in wok and toss well.
5. Add stock and bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Stir in the tamari, sugar, salt, pepper and vinegar.
7. Combine cornstarch with water. Add to the pot and heat until boiling. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.
8. Turn off heat and stir in sesame oil.
To Serve - Divide into 6 soup bowls and garnish each bowl with scallions.
BLACK BEAN ENCHILADA PIE
This pie seems to satisfy my cravings for Mexican food including; enchiladas, tacos, burritos etc. This is not a precise recipe..serves about 6
First oil pie pan with olive or veg oil. Then layer corn tortillas to form the crust, fill with a layer of brown rice then a layer of diced tomatoes followed by a layer of black beans and layer of corn (with a couple Tbsp. chopped black olives) pour about 3/4 cup green enchilada(chili) sauce over all. Top with tortilla strips and a wreath of cilantro. Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes until heated through and lightly browned.
FALAFEL in PITA
My fave take out seems to be all ethnic with middle eastern and Greek near the top of my list. This falafel is awesome and served in mini whole wheat pitas makes an unexpected appetizer.
1½ cup dried chickpeas
1 large onion, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 cloves of garlic
1½ teaspoon cumin
1½ teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons bulgur wheat
4 tablespoons whole wheat flour
Olive oil for pan frying
Tahini sauce (mix 1 part tahini to 3 parts water)
Mini whole wheat pita bread
Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover them by at least 2 inches. Let soak overnight, then drain. Or use canned chickpeas, drained.
Place the drained, uncooked chickpeas and the onions in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the parsley, salt, cayenne pepper, garlic, and cumin. Process until blended but not pureed.
Sprinkle in the baking powder, bulgur and flour, and pulse. You want to add enough bulgur and flour so that the dough forms a small ball and no longer sticks to your hands. Turn into a bowl and refrigerate, covered, for several hours.
Form the chickpea mixture into balls about the size of walnuts.
Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat; Cook falafels until nice and golden on all sides, about 15 minutes total.
Serve in mini pita breads and drizzle with tahina thinned with water.
SPINACH PIE or SPANAKOPITA
A great company dish...serves 8-10
1 large onion chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 packages frozen chopped spinach, (10 ounces each), thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 pound feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
1 tbs fresh grated lemon zest
1 tsp dried dill or 1 Tbs fresh dill (optional)
5 large eggs, lightly beaten (organic, cage free
4 ounces frozen phyllo sheets, thawed and thinly sliced
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Prepare filling: Defrost spinach and squeeze out excess juice. Chop onions and garlic. Saute in about 1 Tbs olive oil over medium heat until translucent. Transfer onions and garlic to a large bowl, mix with spinach, feta, parmesan, bread crumbs, lemon zest, dill and 1 tsp of salt. Mix and season with pepper to taste. Add eggs and fold into mixture.
Prepare pie: Pack filling into a 9″ spring form pan. Thinly slice filo dough. In a bowl, coat with olive oil until all pieces are lightly covered. For one pie, you will only use maybe up to a quarter of a box of filo. You can freeze the rest for another purpose. Place the filo topping over pie until it is completely covered.
Bake Pie: 30 minutes in oven at 375 degrees.
TOMATO FOCCACIA
When you want a lighter take on take out pizza, foccacia is perfect. Yields 2
1 package yeast
5 cups flour
2 tsp sea salt + 1 tsp
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 sprig rosemary
1 sprig oregano
Olive Oil
Combine yeast and 2 ½ cups flour with 2 cups water. Let rest 15 minutes.
Add the rest of the flour and the salt- combine well. Turn out and kneed 10 minutes. Dough will be wet and tacky. Transfer into an oiled bowl and place in a warm place in the room, covered – about 4 hours, until doubled in size.
Oil a pizza pan and press the dough evenly into the sheet- let it rise again 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Place the tomato slices over the dough and sprinkle the sea salt and herbs over that. Drizzle with olive oil and bake 15 to 30 minutes until golden brown.
Not to bring up old rivalries but just to enjoy 2 brilliant musicians covering the same awesome song
"Bring It On Home To Me" cover by John Lennon
"Bring It On Home To Me" cover by Paul McCartney