Meatless Monday Musings as a New Year Begins

Embed from Getty Images

At a weekly address in June of last year Pope Francis berated our “culture of waste” and urged us to follow the example of our grandparents stating, "Our grandparents used to make a point of not throwing away leftover food. Consumerism has made us accustomed to wasting food daily and we are unable to see its real value…Throwing away food is like stealing from the table of those who are poor and hungry."

Anyone who reads this blog will know how much these words resonated with me. But let’s take this one step further. When food is discarded it is a waste not only of the food itself but also of all the resources and energy that went into growing it, harvesting it, transporting it, and preparing it. 

Our American food system is only one of the factors contributing to the increase in greenhouse gases. But changing the way we eat is one of the easiest actions we can take as individuals to help heal our planet, while making ourselves healthier as well This is why I will continue to be a Meatless Monday blogger during the coming year. 

It is my intention to get back to the basics in my posts this year, with recipes geared to eating lower on the food chain, saving resources, and also saving money [who couldn’t use a bit of that right now?]. There will be also be tips to help ensure culinary success, product reviews, food news, and suggestions for further reading.

I don’t have a recipe today, but I do have a great link to share.

One of the most prolific writers on the topic of “Eating Well” is Michael Pollan. The recently released PBS documentary, In Defense of Food, produced by Kikim Media, is based on Pollan’s 2008 book with the same name. You don’t want to miss this opportunity to accompany author/narrator  Pollan on his fascinating journey around the world to answer the question: “What should I eat?” The documentary first aired at the end of December; you can watch it for free here until January 28.

I attended a Michael Pollan talk and book signing in 2008, shortly after In Defense of Food’s release. His inspirational words that day changed how I thought about shopping and eating and were a big factor in my starting this blog.

Perhaps he will motivate you as well. I suggest his small volume Food Rules to get you started on your Michael Pollan reading list.

That’s it for today. I hope that as I continue writing in the new year that you will continue reading.

Happy Meatless Monday. Have a great week!

On Mondays I often blog on food, food issues, or gardening in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”

Meatless Monday: The Eighth Deadly Sin

Wasting food is a sin, no doubt about it, my friend and I agreed the other night. While it is not called out specifically as one of the “Seven Deadly Sins,” Food Waste is right up there with the seven human shortcomings that made the list: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. 

View image | gettyimages.com

Big Ag makes the argument that GMO crops are necessary to feed the world's growing population, but voices ranging from Jonathan Bloom, author of American Wasteland to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) have been urging corporations and consumers alike to recognize that cutting food waste would allow an immediate, dramatic reduction of the number of people in the world who are going hungry. A recent WSJ blog  cites a study by the Copenhagen Consensus Center that makes this alarming statement: “Between 10-50% of all crops are lost between the time they leave the farm and reach consumers.” The group claims that “reducing post-harvest waste by just 10 percentage points could lower food prices and prevent 60 million people from going hungry.”

“Man in the Maze,” one of 5 films to win the Sundance Short Film challenge, opens with shocking footage of mountains of peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers from Mexico being dumped into Arizona landfills, still in their packaging, because the price point has fallen too low for the growers to make the desired profit. The film then goes on to show one group’s effort to salvage and distribute some of the discarded produce. You can watch it here. 

In an interview with Food Tank, Jonathan Bloom reminds us that wasting food also squanders valuable natural resources (the energy and water that went into its growing and distribution) and contributes to environmental pollution since the food produces methane as it rots in landfills. 

Large producers and corporations are not the only ones guilty of the sin of food waste. Consumers are at fault as well. Did you realize that Americans waste some 25% of the perishables they bring home? 

There are some easy steps each person can take to help reduce this number. Every weekend, before making my grocery list, I try to take inventory of the perishables in my refrigerator, and then I play “Chopped,” in an effort to keep as much as I can from the compost bin or the trash can. This week I discovered some pre-washed kale on the edge; I steamed it and added it to a soup I had made earlier in the week.

My biggest challenge is not wasting dairy products such as that last bit of yogurt left in the container, or a piece of cheese saved for too long. More than once I had to toss buttermilk, purchased for use in baking, and then left on the refrigerator shelf, opened, for too long. Then I discovered powdered buttermilk. Powdered buttermilk stores for years when refrigerated, and there are clear instructions for its use printed on the container. Mix the powder with the dry ingredients and add the appropriate amount of water when prompted to add the liquid buttermilk. It may seem a small thing, but switching to powdered buttermilk is easy to do, and you will never waste this dairy product again.

For  more ideas on cutting food waste in your own home, check out this resource prepared by the NRDC.

Happy Meatless Monday! Watch out for any icy patches! [Yes, we had to shovel out again today. But we saw flocks of robins over the weekend. Let's hope they know something we don’t.]

On Mondays I often blog on food, food issues, or gardening in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”

Meatless Monday: A Banana Is a Terrible Thing to Waste

I had bought a bunch of bananas because guests were coming and I thought fresh fruit would come in handy for snacking, but this bunch never turned bright yellow. I suspect they were perfectly ripe once and would have been quite tasty, but I missed that stage. And, before I noticed, they had become heavily splotched and mushy.

I knew, however, that bananas become more useful as they age (within reason), unlike other produce that goes by. In fact, there are so many uses for over-ripe bananas that it is a crime to waste them. 

Perhaps the easiest way to deal with overripe bananas is to peel them and use them in a smoothie. You can also pureé them for use in DIY ice cream or frozen yogurt.  You can even peel them, seal them tightly in a ziplock bag, and freeze them for future use. 

We have been an enjoying an extraordinarily cool August, so I decided to make banana muffins. I turned to a favorite recipe from the very first cookbook I acquired — The Young People’s Gas Cookbook [as in cooking with gas, not cooking to cause gas]. 

In the ’60s, our local gas company embarked on a campaign to encourage current and future homemakers to cook using gas ovens and ranges. They made it easy for Girl Scouts to earn their cooking badge by offering cooking classes in their test kitchen, equipped with state of the art gas appliances. The entire troop took four classes together, and to earn her badge, each girl would prepare meals based on recipes in the cookbook for her family and practice and commit to memory a variety of cooking skills from boiling to braising.  

In my case, the “Banana Tea Muffins” were a hit, the “Eggs a la King” not so much [Yes, these many years later I still remember how that dish went over with my dad.] There was a test on week four! I don’t remember the test, but I received my badge, so I must have passed!

Following is the original recipe.

BANANA TEA MUFFINS

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup sifted flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 2/3 cup sugar 
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1/3 cup melted shortening
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and sugar into mixing bowl. In another bowl, mix together beaten eggs, shortening, and mashed banana. Add to dry ingredients, mixing only enough to dampen all flour. Turn into well greased muffin pans and bake in 400° F oven about 20 minutes, or until done. Makes 16 small muffins.

Banana Tea Muffins for Modern Times

I have updated the recipe a bit for more modern times. Here are my changes:

• Substitute 1/3 cup NON GMO canola oil (or other light tasting oil) for the melted shortening.
• For 3/4 cup of the white flour, substitute whole wheat flour, or 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1/4 cup almond meal.
• Cut the salt to 1/2 tsp.
• Make 12 muffins instead of 16.
• Check for doneness at 18 minutes.

Note that the muffins may seem small by today’s standards.

These Banana Tea Muffins have a marvelously crunchy top. I bet you can’t eat just one. 

Happy Monday. Have a great week!

On Mondays I often blog on food, food issues, or gardening in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”

Meatless Monday: Being Mindful of the Food We Eat

It’s Meatless Monday and Earth Day Eve — the perfect day to think about what and how we eat. 

Raising and transporting the food we eat requires huge amounts of natural resources. Yet, in 2010, over 30% of the total food supply in the U.S. was wasted. That’s 133 billion pounds of food, or 141 trillion calories—a staggering 1,249 calories per capita per day according to Eliza Barclay in the NPR blog The Salt! The EPA estimates that in 2011 Americans threw away 36 million pounds of food — from uneaten leftovers to spoiled produce. Clearly wasted food = wasted resources, but food that is landfilled also breaks down to produce methane, a greenhouse gas. Food waste accounts for the largest percentage of waste going into municipal landfills — 21%!

Whether we are vegans, vegetarians, or omnivores, each of us can take some steps to bring these numbers down. Here are a few ideas:

As you eat, be mindful of the resources need to grow your food, of the farmers who raised it, and the energy consumed to get it to you. The high cost of raising beef has received a lot of press, but have you ever considered how much water it takes to raise the strawberry? An infographic in Mother Jones makes it clear that every bite of food is a precious commodity.

Do what you can to reduce the carbon footprint of your food. 

• Try growing some of your own by starting as small as you like – say with an herb garden on your windowsill.
• Support your farmer’s market.
• Consider joining a CSA. 

Do what you can to cut down on your food waste.

• Check what’s in your fridge before heading to the store.
• Plan your meals ahead and shop with a list.
• Buy just the quantity you need in the bulk section.
• Eat your leftovers.

Convert your friends

Together we can make a difference.

Happy Earth Day!

On Mondays I often blog on food, food issues, or gardening in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”

Saturday Short Subjects: Know Your Fridge

America wastes nearly half of its food according to “food waste fighter” Jonathan  Bloom, author of the book American Wasteland. You may have heard about produce rotting in the field, either not picked because there was no one to harvest it, or left on the ground because it just doesn’t look good enough to sell.

But did you know that Americans waste nearly 25% of the food they take home?

What can you do?

You can start by making some small steps.

• Shop with a list.
• Buy only what you can use.
• Use what you buy.
• Store your purchases correctly.

The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) recently shared a great infographic: “The Refrigerator Demystified.” 

I thought I knew mine, but I learned a few things.

And, next time you pass a bin of “tomatoes with issues” at your local farmers’ market, consider taking them home with you. Ditto for apples. They both make great sauce.

For more on Jonathan Bloom and his work to reduce food waste, check out his blog, Wasted Food.

For more ideas on cutting food waste, check out my post from the past on how to put your freezer to work. 

Why Saturday Short Subjects? Some readers may recall  being dropped at the movie theater for the Saturday matinee — two action-packed feature films with a series of short subjects (cartoons or short movies, sometimes a serial cliffhanger) sandwiched in between. Often the short subjects were the most memorable, and enjoyable, part of the morning. That explains the name. The reason behind these particular posts is that we are all short on time. My Short Subject posts should not take me as long to write or you as long to read (or try).

Saturday Short Subjects: Love Food, Hate Waste

Food Waste is a huge issue in the UK, just as it is in the US. Love Food Hate Waste tackles this problem, promising… “Whatever food you love, we can help you waste less and save you money.”

Their site is easy to navigate and easy on the eye. There are facts, tips on reducing food waste and saving water, tons [tonnes UK parlance] of recipes, and tools to help you discover many more from ingredients you have on hand. 

Love Food Hate Waste offers something for everyone. Newbies to the kitchen, particularly those on a budget, will appreciate the hints on “making the most of the food we buy” and the meal planning section. Experienced cooks will enjoy the seasonal recipes and the beautiful food images. Environmental educators will find plenty of facts ideas, and stories to share.

Love Food Hate Waste is also available as a free app for your smartphone, a great tool for helping you with menu planning on the run. Two caveats: The app requires over 19 MB of storage, and the recipes use the metric system and UK English. [You are limited to England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales as selections for your home country.] Check out the website first. If you like what it offers and have the space on your phone, go for it! 

Love Food Hate Waste is an initiative of WRAP, a not-for-profit organization in the UK formed to “help recycling take off in the UK and to create a market for recycled materials.”  

Have a great weekend. 

Why Saturday Short Subjects? Some readers may recall  being dropped at the movie theater for the Saturday matinee — two action-packed feature films with a series of short subjects (cartoons or short movies, sometimes a serial cliffhanger) sandwiched in between. Often the short subjects were the most memorable, and enjoyable, part of the morning. That explains the name. The reason behind these particular posts is that we are all short on time. My Short Subject posts should not take me as long to write or you as long to read (or try).

Meatless Monday: Putting Your Freezer to Work

In Connecticut there are a few weeks left in “pick your own season.” There are still apples to be plucked, as well as pears and raspberries. Winter squash is making its first appearance, and tomatoes “with issues” are available at a good price. Now is a great time to put a little food by.

Canning is not a tradition with which I am very familiar. I canned applesauce once under my mother-in-law’s supervision, but, frankly, it made me nervous. That does not mean, however, that I don’t participate in the autumn tradition of preserving food. I simply choose to use a different method — freezing. 

I have discovered that freezing is a particularly good way to store applesauce, apple crisp, berries, baked goods, cooked squash, tomato confit, and batches of soup or chili. All you need is space in the freezer, appropriate containers (squeaky clean), and properly prepared food or produce.

The National Center for Home Food Preservation, established with funding from the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (CSREES-USDA) to address food safety concerns for those who practice and teach home food preservation and processing methods, is an excellent site, with everything you need to know about freezing, including general information on such topics as:

• Containers for Freezing 
• Foods That Do Not Freeze Well 
• Headspace to Allow 
• How Long To Store Frozen Foods 

as well as detailed instructions on best practices for successfully freezing a number of specific items.

Here are some tips of my own:

• Always label your containers with the name of the item and the date on which you put it in the freezer. [Entirely different things can look remarkably similar once frozen.] 
• Freeze your leftovers if you know you won’t get to them in a timely fashion.
• You can freeze milk and juice if you are going on a trip.
• Never heat any plastic container in the microwave. Empty the contents into glass before nuking it.
• Your freezer runs more efficiently when it is filled [Note: This does not mean stuffed.]

Food Waste is a pet peeve of mine. Jonathan Bloom, author of American Wasteland, blogs about how America wastes nearly half of its food and what we can do about it.

Use your freezer wisely and do your bit to stop food waste. You might even find yourself with some spare green in your wallet for living a little greener. 

And, if you decide you do want to give canning a try, the National Center for Home Food Preservation has info on that, too. 

Happy Monday!

I often blog on food or food issues on Monday in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”