Meatless, Flourless Monday

There’s nothing like seeing an Al Gore movie to make you feel like you can’t waste another single thing or another second more. 

That was (and still is) my exact situation after having the opportunity to watch “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power” last Friday night. Check out the trailer or this video of the film's theme song to see for yourself just how dire the earth’s situation is.

Yet, despite a last minute re-write of the film’s ending after the president pulled the US out of the Paris Climate Agreement, the message of “Truth to Power” is a positive one. Vice-President Gore manages to convince viewers that is still possible for the citizens of the world, wherever they live, to make the change planet earth needs (even without their leader’s support). Change starts with us.

As I try to map out what my next bigger steps will be, I am implementing some small ones, starting with being even more careful not to waste or take for granted any of the resources I already have on hand.

During my recent stay in a cottage colony on Cape Cod, I had the opportunity to buy a dozen eggs laid by hens who live on the premises. I brought home the ones I had not used and needed a special way to put them to good use.

A good friend sent me a recipe in the mail (yep, that’s not a typo) thinking I might like to try it it in one of my cast iron skillets. The tiny newspaper clipping contains “A Recipe for Pan Baked Lemon-Almond Tart” from Mark Bittman’s “Here to Help” column in the New York Times. It called for 4 eggs, just what I had on hand. 

I ran out for some cream and a lemon (sadly no lemon tree in my CT back yard). I used Trader Joe’s almond meal for the ground almonds. The greatest work was juicing the lemon and grating its peel.

I melted the butter on the stovetop in my number 8 cast iron pan, poured in the batter, and cooked it on low until the edges set. After 20 minutes in the oven, the cake tester showed it was done. I skipped the broiler step, content to dust with powdered sugar and sprinkle with more almonds. 

It made for two decadent and delicious breakfasts, perfect fuel to power us on for the hard work ahead.

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 Joy and Benefits of Cooking at Home

Food writer Mark Bittman makes a strong case that cooking and eating at home is good for you and for your family. In the “How to Eat Now” issue of Time,  Bittman wrote, “…not cooking is a big mistake—and it’s one that’s costing us money, good times, control, serenity, and, yes, vastly better health.”  

In his newest cookbook, How to Cook Everything Fast, he demonstrates how easy meal preparation can be if you are organized and do a bit of planning ahead. This latest addition to the How to Cook Everything series is full of hints on how to stock your kitchen, menus, preparation tips, and suggestions for making the most of your time. Even though I’ve been cooking at home for most of my life, I suspect I can learn a few tricks from this volume.

In the spirit of illustrating just how simple it is to cook at home, I thought I’d share a favorite cornbread recipe from The Moosewood Cookbook, written by Mollie Katzen in 1977. 

You will need a few simple ingredients and an 8” or 9” square metal pan or ovenproof glass dish or a cast iron skillet (my pan of choice) for baking.

Delicious Corn Bread

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 cup buttermilk* (OR 4 Tbsp. dry powdered buttermilk and one cup of water)
• 1 egg
• 1 cup yellow corn meal** 
• 1 cup unbleached white flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 Tbs. melted butter

Method

• Preheat oven to 425° (400° if using a glass pan)
• Butter your baking pan well.
• Beat together egg, buttermilk (or water), and honey.
• Mix all dry ingredients together.
• Combine all ingredients, including melted butter, and mix well.
• Spread into buttered pan. 
• Bake for approximately 20 minutes.
• Test for doneness at 18 minutes. The tester (or sharp knife) should come out clean when inserted into the center of the pan. When the bread pulls away from the side of the pan that is a good indication that it is about done. You want the bread fully baked, but not dry.

*If you are doubtful that you will use up the remainder of the liquid buttermilk before it goes bad, try powdered buttermilk instead. Powdered buttermilk stores for months (the site claims years) when refrigerated, and there are clear instructions for its use printed on the container. Mix the powder with the dry ingredients and add water when prompted to add the liquid buttermilk.

**Bob’s Red Mill has a Non GMO variety if this matters to you.

My favorite cornbread pan — empty!

Cornbread is the perfect accompaniment to chili or stew and is great with butter and jam for breakfast. It reheats well if there are leftovers. Once you’ve made your own there will be no going back to the store-brought variety. 

Here’s to home cooking! 

Happy Meatless Monday. Good health to you, and to the planet.

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: Joining Hands for a Better World: 12.23.13

On December 3, I set out on a pre-Christmas challenge — to post a tip a day we can collectively follow with the goal of making the world a better place. 

In honor of Meatless Monday, today’s suggestion is 

Make Some Vegetable Soup…

…if not today, then after the holidays.

Here are some ideas to inspire you.

The Meatless Monday site has many vegetarian soup recipes. You may know the author of this original recipe for Pea Soup with Roasted Root Vegetables. One serving of this soup has 15 grams of protein in its 235 calories, only 8 of which are fat!

One of the Meatless Monday recipes of the day is Roasted Chestnut Soup. If you’ve ever wondered what to do with all those chestnuts you roasted on an open fire, this one is for you.

With a good vegetable stock, you can make an infinite variety of soups. Here is a recipe from food writer Mark Bittman for “Very Flavorful Vegetable Stock in One Hour.”

Be on the lookout for great soup recipes as you flip through your cookbooks as you plan your holiday meals. I discovered some long-forgotten recipes for pasta e fagioli and minestrone in The New Italian Cooking by Margaret and G. Franco Romagnoli. [Published in 1980, so not quite so new anymore.] Keep in mind that just because the recipe calls for pancetta, you don't have to use it. A little extra olive oil will work just fine.

Making soup is a great way to use up leftover vegetables like celery. Don’t be afraid to improvise. If you don’t have time to make your own stock, try stock in a box or add an all-natural vegetable bouillon cube [I like Rapunzel.] to some hot water. If you have almost, but not quite, all the ingredients a recipe calls for, use what you have. 

Vegetable soup is the perfect antidote to rich holiday food.

That’s it for today. “See” you tomorrow.

“All together now,” as the Beatles once sang. Let’s see how much good we can do over the next few weeks.

I often blog on food, food issues, or gardening 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.”

Meatless Monday: How to Turn Any Salad Into a Meal

This short post is about making your summer easier, your time spent in the kitchen shorter, and your summer salads more satisfying.

The next time you cook a grain — any grain — to go with a hot dish, make twice as much as you need. Set aside what you require for dinner, and then place the remainder in a glass or ceramic dish, immediately marinate it, let it cool, and then place it in the fridge for use later in the week. 

Within the next few days, prepare your favorite salad and add a scoop or two of the marinated grain.

My salad, in the photo below, has a base of mixed salad greens and is topped with: shredded carrot salad from The Art of Simple Food, by Alice Waters; fresh sugar snap peas; minced Bermuda onion; grape tomatoes; avocado in fresh lime juice; and a generous scoop of marinated red quinoa.

I marinated the quinoa in a dressing I made in the proportions of 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to 3 tablespoons of good olive oil.

Mark Bittman offered up a similar salad idea in “Eat With the Grain,” in the June 12 New York Times Magazine. He suggested using 2 cups of grain to 1 cup of fresh veggies. 

There is no need to measure or to be that precise. Go with what you have on hand. This is a great way to use up leftovers that don’t quite make a meal on their own. 

Adding a grain turns a simple salad into a satisfying meal. With a grain like quinoa,  it’s one packed with protein as well.

Doesn’t this sound easy?

Have a great week. Happy eating.

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.”

Meatless Monday: 5 Tips for Meeting Slow Food’s $5 Meal Challenge

Slow Food USA’s $5 Meal Challenge is this coming Saturday — September 17!

For those of you who haven’t heard (or may have forgotten), Slow Food USA is inviting people across the country to share — this Saturday —a healthy, affordable meal, at a cost of less than $5 a person.

Are you ready to meet the challenge? Here are 5 tips to help you on your way.

• Think beans or other legumes, and plan ahead so you can skip the canned version. Food critic and cookbook author Mark Bittman urges all cooks to do so.  Among his talking points for cooking dried beans vs. using canned ones are economy, variety, taste, and the fact that leftovers can easily be frozen for future use. All you need is time, so keep this in mind when mapping out your cooking strategy. Here is a link to my Split Pea Soup which appeared on the Meatless Monday site on April 12, 2010. 

• Eggs (off-limits to vegans, and the whites of which are allergens to some) are another inexpensive source of protein. Just make sure your guests are on-board before choosing to use them. The Incredible Egg site has scads of recipes You might want to verify that the eggs you choose are “Certified Humane.” 

• Use seasonal ingredients. For example: A fresh peach pie prepared while peaches are in season can be a “can-do” for this challenge, particularly if you make your own crust. One made with oil is the least expensive way to go. I bought a bushel of peaches for $18.95 last week, about 50¢ a peach. If I’d picked my own, they would have been even cheaper. $5.00 should just about cover the cost of your pie. Check out two of my favorite cookbooks for more ideas: Simply in Season, by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert and The Art of Simple Food, by Alice Waters. The recipes in each volume are clear, relatively easy, and foolproof (in my experience anyway).

• Make a meal from what you have on hand. Use Google with Recipe View to help you find the perfect recipe. With this tool you can search for a specific recipe or main ingredient and then narrow your options by selecting the ingredients you do or do not wish to include, as well as the time available and any caloric restrictions.

• If you are cooking with friends, consider Stone Soup. Just be sure to start VERY EARLY, and you might want to omit the stones.

For more details about the day and the campaign, click here. You can pledge to take the challenge here. 

Good luck, and have fun. “See” you next Monday if not before.

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.”