Hope you all have been having a peaceful, happy holiday time. For me, the holidays and end of the year are a time of natural reflection so I wanted to share that with you today and to get your input on our way forward.
Macca's Meatless Monday has been a fantastic way to spread the word about the many benefits of a meatless diet and we have learned that reducing/eliminating meat from our diets is a very powerful way to improve public health and reduce health care costs by reducing the incidents of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and many cancers. It's also the most effective action an individual can take to reduce the worst effects of climate change. Not only is reducing meat consumption the most effective action we as individuals can take to reduce climate change but it is the only action left to us that will remove enough greenhouse gases from our atmosphere to buy us enough time to work on reducing the huge amounts of legacy emissions that we have accumulated. So the importance of this issue requires that we move forward to reach as many as possible to let people know that we need everyone's participation if we are to save our planet and species from the worst effects of climate change.
I do think it's been important to stress the importance of reducing meat consumption to reduce climate change but to also provide the solutions in the form of recipes because a change in eating habits can be difficult for some and it's all about finding meatless recipes that you like enough that make it easy for you to replace meat in your diet.
With Macca's Meatless Monday I've been trying to thread the needle as our readers reflect a huge variation of food and cooking interests. We have foodies who are experienced gourmand cooks and we have those who don't have the time and cooking skills or cooking interest and just need some practical, fast, easy, and cheap solutions to changing their diets. Although I love to cook my own situation requires that I spend the least amount of time possible to put together a healthy, Earth friendly, delicious meal.
Of most importance is trying to have policy changes at the governmental level.. Especially changes such as reduced subsidies to farmers that encourage the continuation of our mono-cultural production of produce that goes into animal feed which makes it profitable for large scale animal production. Also we need to influence for more sustainable purchasing of food commodities for schools, the military and other government dependent programs. But, we all know how difficult it has been to even influence for the smallest changes at the governmental level. And we don't have the time to wait for that change. We have only five years to make a substantial reduction of C02e to prevent runaway climate change. So we need to be working on making policy changes but we also need to realize that we are going to have to make the necessary changes in our own lives.
So you tell me. What are your suggestions for moving forward? How can we get more people on board to make this easy life change that is crucial to our survival? I would have set up a poll but I think a poll sometimes restricts creative responses so I hope you will share your suggestion in the comments.
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.
Join me below the orange Danish pastry for recipes to help ring in New Year 2012!
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!
As a southerner my New Year's celebration is not complete without traditional good luck foods. It's possible to have an Earth friendly, delicious veggie New Year's feast without hog jowls..I promise.
COLLARD GREEN & BLACK EYED PEA GOOD FORTUNE SOUP
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin or use less to taste
1 sprig fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
4 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
5 cups chopped collard greens, or kale leaves (about 1 bunch), tough stems removed
1 15-ounce can black-eyed peas, rinsed
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring, until just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add sliced garlic, thyme and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Increase heat to high and add broth, tomatoes and their juice. Bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in collard greens (or kale), reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Discard the thyme sprig. Stir in black-eyed peas; remove from the heat and cover. Serves 6
Great with cheese toast made with vegan cheese
GARLIC JALAPENO GRITS
Serves 4
1 cup dry grits (not instant)
Vegetable broth (use the amount of broth in replacement of the amount of water your box of grits says to use, probably about 3-4 Cups for this amount of grits.)
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced or less to taste
3 jalapenos, seeded and thinly sliced (or you can use 1/4 C of jalapenos from a jar, chopped up)
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional but really good!)
1 teaspoon salt (if you're using broth with salt in it, you might want to skip this)
pepper, to taste
Hot pepper sauce to taste if you like more heat!!
In a medium pot that has a lid, saute over medium heat the garlic in the olive oil for about 2 minutes. Add the jalapenos and saute for another minute or so and then add the vegetable broth and grits. Stir everything up, put the lid on the pot, and bring the grits to a soft boil. As soon as it starts to boil, turn the heat down to a simmer. Here is where the time varies - check your package of grits to be sure, but it's usually about 5 minutes that you want to simmer the grits with the lid on. About halfway through that time, add the nutritional yeast, salt and pepper, stir everything up once and put the lid back on. You just want to make sure that everything stays mixed together and stays nice and creamy. Once your 5 minutes are up, remove the pot from the heat and stir again.
At this point, taste the grits to make sure there is enough hot sauce and salt for your liking. Add a bit more of that stuff if you need to. Remember, the grits will thicken a bit as they start cooling. Everyone seems to like their grits to be a different texture. Depending what kind of mood I'm in sometimes I like them thicker or thinner than other times. You know what's awesome about grits? You can always add more water to thin them out or cook them a bit longer to thicken them up. So add more water if things are too thick for your liking or cook them a bit more if they're too runny.
SAUTEED GREENS with CANNELLINI BEANS and GARLIC
Great with the grits above! A fantastic veggie entree!
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 large bunch greens (such as spinach, mustard greens, kale, or collards; about 1 pound), thick stems removed, spinach left whole, other greens cut into 1-inch strips (about 10 cups packed)
1 cup (or more) vegetable broth
1 15-ounce can cannellini or white beans, rinsed, drained
1 teaspoon (or more) Sherry wine vinegar
Heat 4 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and dried crushed pepper; stir until garlic is pale golden, about 1 minute. Add greens by large handfuls; stir just until beginning to wilt before adding more, tossing with tongs to coat with oil.
Add 1 cup broth, cover, and simmer until greens are just tender, adding more broth by tablespoonfuls if dry, 1 to 10 minutes, depending on type of greens. Add beans; simmer uncovered until beans are heated through and liquid is almost absorbed, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon vinegar. Season with salt and pepper, and more vinegar if desired; drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and serve.
BLACK EYED PEA FRITTERS (BOLLITOS)
I've shown this recipe before but in my area a New Years would not be complete without these babies...and plenty of hot sauce to go with!
2 cups canned black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
2-3 cloves garlic to taste
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper
1 tbsp lime juice
1/4 cup flour
peanut oil or vegetable oil for frying.
Strain you peas and run rinse twice. Grind the peas, and your peeled garlic cloves in a blender or food processor, adding a little water to soften. The mixture should be thick and lumpy. Mix in your salt and cumin. Saute your onions and pepper in olive oil. Remove from the pan and add to the mixture. Stir in the flour and the lime juice.
In a deep frying pan add vegetable oil to a depth of about two inches. Heat the oil, not letting it get too hot! Drop your mixture by tablespoonfuls into the hot oil. (I formed small balls in the palm of my hand). Cook a few at a time until golden brown, turning occasionally – about three to four minutes.
Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Serve hot with lime wedges and hot sauce if desired.
PEAR and CRANBERRY PANETTONE BREAD PUDDING
I usually receive at least one Panettone during the holiday season..it's a great house gift because there are so many ways it can be served. This is one of my fave and makes a great New Year's brunch dessert. Makes 6-8 servings.
3 large pears; peeled, cored and sliced
2 tablespoons butter or vegan butter (I use Earth Balance)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup cranberries, dried or fresh (or raisins)
1 panettone tear into about 1 1/2 inch pieces
3 eggs organic, free roaming
2 cups soy eggnog
1 teaspoon vanilla
Powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Peel, core, and slice three large pears; saute in hot butter until softened. Arrange pears in a greased 3-quart rectangular or round baking dish. Sprinkle pears with sugar, ground cinnamon, and dried or fresh cranberries or raisins. Top with panettone, tearing to fit. In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, eggnog (or half-and-half or light cream plus sugar) and vanilla. Pour over panettone in dish; press down lightly with the back of a spatula or large spoon to moisten all the bread. Bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes or until egg portion appears set. Let stand for 20 to 30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar; serve warm. If desired,
"You Tell Me" Paul McCartney
"Ding Dong, Ding Dong" George Harrison...Groovy Happy New Year song from 1974
What have you all been cooking and what are your New Years food traditions? Here is link to 2009 New Year's diary Starting Over . Please share your recipes and fave Beatle music here.
You all have meant a great deal to me and I wish to each of you a peaceful and healthy New Year!
Join me, should be enough for everyone :)
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