In this weekly series we have been discussing the benefits of a vegetarian diet including: better health, animal rights, food safety, public health, frugal living, global food crisis and the staggeringly huge contribution of livestock/meat to climate change/resource depletion.
Livestock’s environmental impact greater than that of fossil fuel. In 2010, the United Nations Environment Programme called for the adoption of plant-based eating with the report Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Consumption and Production, in which they identified the overall environmental, including climate change, effects of livestock, including global warming potential and land use change, as being greater than fossil fuels from coal, natural gas and crude oil.
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 advantages of a less meat diet we also do some cooking, share recipes and listen to great Beatle music!
Please join us below the fold for more Macca's Meatless Monday!
As the climate crisis becomes more urgent it becomes necessary to accept some inconvenient truths. It becomes apparent that our lives will change either by proactive action to reduce greenhouse gases or by reaction to the effects that climate change will have on our environment. We have an opportunity to get ahead of the problem by deliberately making the changes necessary and becoming part of the solution. By far, the easiest and most effective action we as individuals can take is to reduce or eliminate meat and dairy products in our diet. The benefits for early action are enormous both to our health and the environment.
Today we're going to have some Happy Halloween Fun with some recipes that prove you can have a healthy, Earth friendly feast using traditional holiday ingredients.
PUMPKIN COCONUT BISQUE
Perfect for a chilly spooky night.
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups solid-pack pumpkin, canned
2 cups low-salt vegetable broth
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk, divided
Salt and pepper
Pepitas, for garnish
Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Sauté until golden, about 10 minutes.
Add the pumpkin, broth, sugar, allspice, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat. Cover and simmer until flavors blend, about 30 minutes.
Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Return the soup to the pot. Bring the soup to a simmer, thinning with coconut milk to the desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with the pepita seeds, drizzle with a teaspoon of coconut milk, and serve.
ROASTED VEGETABLE and BABY SPINACH SALAD
This lovely salad can serve 4 as entree or 6 as side.
4 medium beets, peeled and quartered
4 medium golden potatoes (Yukon gold, Klondike rose), peeled and cubed
3 cups cubed butternut squash, sweet potatoes or pumpkin
3 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups baby spinach leaves
4 tablespoons citronette or a splash of balsamic vinegar
Preheat an oven to 425. Line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and set it aside. In large bowl, toss the beets, potatoes and squash with the olive oil.
Arrange the vegetables in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and roast them, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 35 minutes. The vegetables are done when they are tender and turn golden brown and begin to caramelize.
Transfer the hot vegetables to a clean, large bowl and gently toss them with the salt, lemon zest, and black pepper. Add the spinach leaves to the salad, drizzle with the dressing, and gently toss until the vegetables are coated with the seasonings.
Divide the salad between 4 to 6 plates and serve immediately.
PASTA with CREAMY PUMPKIN SAUCE
Even the kids with love this holiday take on mac & cheese.
8 ounces linguine or use elbows etc.
1 medium shallot
3-4 garlic cloves
2 sprigs fresh sage (10-12 leaves)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
3/4 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente (7 to 8 minutes); drain. Meanwhile, mince the shallot, garlic, and sage. Heat olive oil in the pasta pot over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic; stir for 3 minutes until softened. Add the pumpkin puree, vegetable broth, almond milk, nutritional yeast, and half of the sage. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce is slightly thickened and reduced. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the pasta to the sauce, and mix well. Sprinkle each serving with the remaining sage. Serves 4.
LAURA CLAWSON'S VEGGIE CHILI
This is Laura's recipe which has become a mainstay in my house. Great for sport-watching Sunday meals. Just add some cookie cutter bats, pumpkin etc. cut from cheese slices (I use veggie cheese slices)
Vegetarian chili is probably my longest-standing, most reliable vegetarian meal. I got this recipe from a college housemate, and have tweaked it a bit myself. I've been known to combine it with oven fries and a slice of cheese to have chili cheese fries for my Meatless Monday.
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
2-6 cloves garlic, minced (obviously dependent on how much you like garlic; I use the high end)
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, diced
3 15 oz cans red beans or dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
28 oz can ground or crushed tomatoes
1/2 can tomato paste (I use whole small can)
2 bay leaves
4 tablespoons chili powder
1-2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt, more if your canned beans are low in sodium
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Remember to add about 1-2 cups water! when you add tomatoes
Saute the vegetables over low heat until they're soft and the onion is translucent. Dump in the other ingredients and simmer, covered, over very low heat for at least 3 hours, stirring occasionally. (I use a slow cooker and leave it cooking for up to 8 hours.) As it cooks, I check the seasonings and often add more tomato paste and salt.
Edited to add: This recipe is obviously pretty aggressively spiced, but it doesn't have much heat. If you want to add heat, pretty much pick your method—add some finely chopped hot pepper when you saute the onion and garlic, add some cayenne with the chili powder, pretty much whatever. Also, argh! This is what happens when you make a recipe less from a recipe than from habit: you'll want to add some water along with the tomatoes etc.
ZOMBIE EYEBALL CRISPIES
1/2 cup vegan marshmellow or RiceMellow
3 tbsp vegetable margarine
2 cups rice crisp cereal
Combine and form pingpong ball sized spheres. Allow to harden.
Melt 2 cups white chocolate and dip the balls. Allow to harden on wax paper.
Take 1/2 cup melted white chocolate and mix with 1/2 tsp red vegetable dye - drizzle for the "bloodshot effect".
Place a chocolate candy on the top for the "pupil" and allow to dry.
Makes about 18 eyeballs.
"Gimme Some Truth" John Lennon
"Scared" Paul McCartney..from his "New" album
What have you all been cooking? Please share your recipes and fave Beatle music here!