Happy New Year!

Seasons eatings!

I have always wanted to say that for some reason.  I know its lame and I don't know why I felt compelled to do it today but those are the privileges that accompany having your own blog.  So take that haters.

With the new year, I am hoping to accomplish a few things with the blog.

First, I hope to post a lot more.  I'm sure I am the only blogger in the world to say that.  Hopefully my renewed zest will last longer than the noobs that are currently clogging up the gym.

B, I am hoping to post lots of recipes.  I got 2 good veg cookbooks for Christmas and I am hoping to share the good and the bad with you.  We also have a super shiny new Whole Foods in town so I can get some more exotic ingredients.

4, I want to provide more information about why eating fewer animals and animal products is good for your health, the environment, the animals, and global hunger.  I am reading the China Study which has some great information that I will be sharing.  I also found out that our local library pays for digital subscriptions to lots of magazines that you can read on your computer, iPad, Kindle, etc.  So know I can read Vegetarian Times, Eating Well, and Natural Health free of charge.  Def check to see if your library does the same.

So here's to the New Year.  If all vegetarian is too much for you, try being a weekday vegetarian and limiting your meat eating to the weekends.  It can make a big difference in how you feel.  Beth and I started preparing are bodies for our trip to St. Thomas with a fresh berry salad and delicious lentil soup.  Soup was warm and very filling and I got to use my smoked sea salt from Whole Foods which gave it some depth usually garnered from ham or bacon.

Spinach and Berry Salad - Family Sized
6 oz bag of baby spinach
Handful of fresh raspberries
Handful of fresh blackberries
Handful of dried cranberries
3 oz of feta cheese
handful of roasted sunflower seed kernels
balsamic dressing

Lentil Soup
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion - finely diced
2 medium carrots - finely diced
2 celery stalks - finely diced
4 garlic cloves - minced (less or more to your taste)
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp dry thyme
1 tsp dry tarragon
1 tbsp dry parsley
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (careful if you are going vegan, lots of these have anchovies in them)
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp Dijon mustard (I used honey dijon and it was fine)
2 cups of lentils (I used a tri-color mix from Whole Foods but any lentils will do)
2 quarts vegetable broth
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp smoked salt (use more sea salt if you don't have smoked salt, might consider a dash of liquid smoke to give it some depth)
Tabasco and black pepper to taste

1.  Saute the veg in the oil for about 7-8 minutes over medium high in a large pot.  Add the garlic and saute for about 2 more minutes.
2.  Drop in the tomato paste, herbs, Wor sauce, soy sauce, and mustard.  Cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
3.  Add the lentils, broth, and salt.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 30-35 minutes.  When lentils are tender, hit it with as much or as little tabasco and black pepper as you like.  Enjoy.

Thought You Should Know
At the beginning of the 20th century, the average American consumed 120 lbs of meat in a year.  In 2007, the average was 222 lbs in a year.
 

Review: Tomato and Asparagus "Carbonara"

Yesterday I posted a recipe for Tomato and Asparagus "Carbonara".  You can find a link to the recipe in my previous post.

I started by doubling the recipe since I had a large box of penne.  I created the egg and cheese mixture first to make sure it had time to come to room temperature before I mixed it in with the hot pasta.  I also wasn't aware that Beth had pulled up our basil out of the garden for the season so I used a little dry Italian Seasoning instead.  I increased the time for sauteing the vegetables as well to make sure the asparagus was cooked.

Recipe was pretty easy to follow and delicious.  The tomatoes were ridiculously hot and I warned the kids about burning their mouths but they still complained, even after they had cooled.  Like most things, it was better with a little extra salt but the recipe called for seasoning to taste so its up to you.  If you can boil pasta, crack an egg, and saute some vegetables, this is an easy to complete recipe that is hearty and fresh.  Give it a try.

Eat Well!
Otto

Dinner Tonight, Review Tomorrow: Tomato and Asparagus "Carbonara"

Follow the link to see the recipe for the Tomato and Asparagus "Carbonara" that I am going to make for the fam tonight.  Carbonara is in quotation marks since there will be no fatty pork product like bacon or pancetta in this recipe, just egg.  I'm going to double the recipe since I have a big box of Barilla Plus brand penne, which is a good source of protein for non-meaters.

http://www.fortheloveofcooking.net/2012/09/tomato-and-asparagus-carbonara.html



I'll let you know how it turns out tomorrow.

Eat well!
Otto

US Meat Consumption is Falling

October is National Vegetarian Awareness Month and it seems like I am coming across more and more useful articles about avoiding meat.  I guess I am not the only one going veg:

http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=4916&catId=1

And if you need some more incentive to try and be meat free this month, check this out.

http://www.worldvegetarianday.org/

You can pledge to be meat free and  you will be entered to win some cash.  If you enter and get selected, you own me half.

Eat well!
Otto

Crab Seasoned Egg and Artichoke Salad

Just a little something to break the monotony of lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers in a salad for those looking to salad outside the box. My kids love this, mostly because they are fascinated with hard boiled eggs.  We had this tonight with some lentil soup and leftover cornbread.

I will let you decide what kind of ratios you like best on your veg in a salad but I'll put down what I used tonight.

8 oz greens
1 small cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 orange pepper, seeded and chopped
20 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup Parmesan, Asiago,  Romano cheese blend

Egg topping:
4 hard boiled eggs - chopped
1 can cannellini beans - drained and rinsed
1 small jar marinated artichoke hearts - drained and chopped
1 tbsp Old Bay crab seasoning
Put all the ingredients for egg topping in a bowl and mix before adding to the salad

We used a white balsamic and honey dressing from Kroger that was super delicious.  We have had it before with balsamic vinaigrette which is also very good.  I got this from a Muscle and Fitness magazine recipe and substituted the beans for crab.  Give it a try if you want to break out of the salad rut.

Eat well!
Otto

Sweet Potato Fettuccine Review

Yesterday I posted a recipe for sweet potato fettuccine that I wanted to make for dinner.  Since you can get the recipe in my last post, I decided to let you know how it went down, highlight style.

1.  Peeled the potatoes and then sliced them up on my mandoline.  Easy.
2.  Had to cut the slices into uniform strips (about 1/4 in) so they would cook evenly.  Keeping them uniform was VERY HARD!
3.  Followed the recipe but added some sweet onions to the pan to saute a few minutes before I added the potato strips.
4.  Added some blue cheese to the gremolata.    Didn't have a lot, maybe 2 tablespoons.  Figured it would compliment the sweetness of the potatoes with some creamy, tangy, savoriness.
5.  After Will gave me a what the hell is this look and Ali complained about the toasted pecans, we ate it.  Pretty good but needed more salt.  The extra salt gave it a better balance of salt/sweet.
6.  I decided that, like many vegetarian recipes, it would be better off as a side dish. 
7.  Then I decided that it was way too much work to be a side dish.

If you like sweet potatoes, this is good.  The kids actually ate a fair amount but I did threaten no dessert when Ali complained about the nuts (she doesn't like the crunchy texture).  It had good, bright, fresh flavor and was filling.  Lots of fiber and plenty of vitamins.  Not sure it was worth the effort but you never know until you try.  Tonight is vegetarian chili!

Eat well!
Otto

Sweet Potato Fettuccine

 Got a few seconds before the kids start their homework but I wanted to let you know what we are having for dinner.  Gonna try this recipe for Sweet Potato Fettuccine and see how it turns out.

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/sweet-potato-fettuccine-50400000123963/

 

Hopefully I will have time to review it tomorrow and let you know if its as good as it sounds.  I'm thinking about adding some blue cheese crumbles to the finished product for a little extra goodness.

Eat well!
Otto