Too much meat...

I think we (the people of the developed world) are eating way too much meat... It’s a complex issue with many sides, but personally I think people eat too much meat either because they are lazy, greedy or ignorant (or all three). I’m not trying to offend anyone, I myself used to be all three. I used struggle to understand how vegetarians could think opting out of eating meat was an ethical choice, but I just didn’t understand the argument. Granted meat is the most efficient thing for us to eat in terms of calorie content and nutritional value and for that reason it is a convenient way to eat, however it is by no means the most energy efficient thing to produce, or the healthiest option. The fact that cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of men and women in this country must be telling us something.

So why is this happening? Is it the break down in the connection between the people who produce the meat and the people who consume it? A break down in the cultural traditions that used to dictate the treatment and ceremony of meat? Public pressure for higher volumes of a cheaper, more "affordable" product that has enabled the industrialisation of meat production? Everyone want the cost of living to be less, pressure by consumers to produce more chicken at a cheaper price has led to the establishment of battery hens in the most pitiful of conditions, the true cost of your daily chicken stir-fry or green chicken curry is the torture of an innocent bird. Clearly this is a subjective issue, I've heard people argue that they can’t taste the difference between cage eggs and free range and therefore there is no difference. I understand there are people who say they can't afford free range/organic food - but if that is what it costs to produce meat and eggs humanely and you can't afford it, doesn't that just mean you should be eating less?

some happy free ranging chooks...

My current solution to this issue is to eat less meat, cutting back to two-three times a week (less when my boyfriend is away) and when I do eat meat I try to buy free range/organic produce from local producers and treat meat as a side dish, not central to the meal. Supermarket meat does not enter my kitchen, I'd rather eat baked beans. 

I do however eat meat sometimes when I eat out - which is lazy of me - how can I be all preachy when I eat a roast duck noodle soup for $11? After a recent news bulletin on ABC 7:30 report, I'm not sure how much longer I'll be eating roast duck...

I'm still conflicted about this but perhaps that's where I should be. I should be considering the welfare of the animals I eat, the conditions they lived in and how they were slaughtered.  I have heard it be said that lamb is the most reliable "free range" meat because you can't make a sheep eat grain - they have to eat hay or grass. But even that doesn't ensure their transportation and slaughter is in line with what I would consider humane. I have seen plenty of trucks transporting sheep crammed in, legs poking out at all angles, with the top level open to the elements, often in scorching heat. Not to mention the number of sheep paddocks I have seen devoid of a single tree or shade cloth, with sheep hiding under each others bums from the 40 degree heat.

Needless to say, it's is just about impossible to always eat "ethically reared, humanely treated" animals.  Unfortunately regulation standards on this don't currently exist at level I am satisfied with. Which is why many people choose to be vegetarian.

So after all that, last week I bought two lamb chops from the butcher last week. You should see the perplexed looks I get from my local butcher "200 gm of organic mince thanks".... "anything else love?...". which is part of the problem, there are people out there that can't imagine what you could do with only 200gm of mince... Anyway I enjoyed two lovely BBQ'ed lamb chops, steamed broccoli, peas and roasted sweet potato and red onion. I eat most of the fat on the chops.. because I think the lamb was nice enough to grow it for me, I should eat it.... but that's mostly a justification for myself because I love the taste... tell me I'm gross if you want...

Tuna Coleslaw

I apologise for my silence... I'm in the middle of a rather early midlife crisis - I'm feeling super excited about my new path - just struggling to organise my life how I'd like it to be. I have been taking a few photos of my dinners and tonight I'm featuring my tuna coleslaw I made last week. It's funny, because I make up these dishes, usually while walking around the supermarket and even during the cooking, only to google them and discover that I'm not so original after all... oh well, I guess there are some basic food pairings like tuna and mayonnaise that many people love to play around with. So this recipe is a mixture of three of my favourite things, coleslaw + waldorf salad +  tuna! I LOVE my mandolin slicer/grater kit. I recommend them to anyone who likes salads, stir fry's and sliced potatoes on the BBQ. They make salads super quick and easy. I bought mine from a display in a shopping centre - best $35 I ever spent on a kitchen appliance

Salad

1 carrot thinly grated

shredded cabbage equal to carrot volume

1/2 an apple julienned green apples are nice, but I used a sundowner

 (to cut the apple I use the thin slicer on my mandolin then cut them into thin strips)

2 sticks young celery

1/4 red onion cut with same method to apple

2 handfuls of toasted walnuts

Tin of tuna (in spring water for the health conscious)

small handful of sultanas

mint to garnish

It might takes really nice with way more mint - perhaps next time

dressing

1 tsp mayonnaise

1/2 tsp dion mustard

2 tsp olive oil

2 tsp apple cider vinegar/lemon juice

to be honest those dressing quantities are entirely made up, But the ratios are pretty spot on for how I like it. If you are watching your weight omit the olive oil and 1/2 the mayo. I go easy on dressing because I hate to drown my coleslaw. I prefer to eat small amounts of full fat as opposed to more of low fat/diet options. So I eat real egg mayo, which is like 80% fat, but I just don't eat a lot of it. Fat free mayo freaks me out, I can't understand how they can make something that is supposed to be made from egg yolk and oil - 97% fat free. I think they shouldn't be allowed to call it mayonnaise the same way you can't call butter/oil blended spreads "butter" they are called "spread". true story.

White Soup

It’s been cold and rainy lately, so my comfort eating has been going gang busters... chocolate anyone? In an attempt to cut back on the over eating, I decided to make some vegetable soup for lunch. Unfortunately for me, the strong flavours of pumpkin soup make me queasy and although potato and leek is usually my winter soup staple, I felt the need to change it up a little (plus leeks are $3 each in the shop). I moseyed on down to my local fruit and vege and bought my favourite winter vegetables, I know it may seem odd to some people that I enjoy celery, cabbage, swede and parsnip, but if you feel the same way – read on about the joys of white soup…

White Soup

1 large swede (it was the size of a small melon)

2 large parsnips

2 onions (I had one brown, one red)

3-4 sticks celery

4 cloves garlic

¼ of a cabbage

2 cups stock

400gm tin cannellini beans

Big bunch of parsley

Salt to taste

1. Fry the onion and celery until translucent, add garlic and fry for another minute of so
2. Add stock, diced swede, diced parsnip, tinned beans and enough water to cover, bring to boil for about 15 minutes until the root vegetables are soft
3.  Add shredded cabbage and parsley and allow to come back to boil and simmer for only a minute or so, otherwise the cabbages will get overcooked and smelly
4. Blend with hand held mixer until smooth
5. Enjoy – I had smoked salmon on a piece of grainy bread, it was the perfect accompaniment!

I thought it might need some cream or yogurt the way cauliflower soup does, but I think the tin of white beans makes it creamy, although a little grainy. I would have added chives if mine were old enough to harvest – but sadly it was parsley alone. I would normally have added a little bacon, but after speaking with a woman last week who used to raise pigs, I’m starting to rethink my whole stance on pork and other pig products…. but I think this is enough for today…

Chickpea Salad

Dried chickpeas are a staple in my pantry, they are highly nutritious, a great substitute for meat and incredibly delicious. I understand why people prefer tinned, but I chose dried for several reasons

1. They are cheaper
2. They cost less to transport and store, therefore better for the environment
3. You can easily control the volume you cook 
4. I think they taste better

They make your humus fluffier and your salads fresher. It isn't that difficult to think, “hmmm I’ve been thinking about making a bean salad tomorrow, how about I soak those chickpeas”. It's a good habit to get into, quite often I will soak some chickpeas and decide the next day what to do with them.

Chickpea Salad

½ cup dried chickpeas soaked over night

1 tomato deseeded

1 cucumber deseeded

¼ of a red capsicum

1 stick of celery

¼ green apple

Fresh chilli

1 spring onion, green and whites OR a few slices of red onion

A mixture of fresh herbs including parsley, mint, coriander, dill, basil

Juice of 1 lime/lemon OR vinegar

Extra virgin olive oil

salt/pepper

1. Put the soaked chickpeas in a saucepan with cold water (NO SALT) and bring to boil, let it simmer for ~10 minutes. Some chef recommend you remove the scum that forms through boiling process, like you would for a chicken stock but I’m unsure what difference it makes and do it if i remember.
2. While the chickpeas are cooking, finely chop all other ingredients. Chopping everything finely is the most important step because it means every mouthful contains a mix of all the tasty vegetables and herbs. I deseed the cucumber and tomato because it keeps the salad crunchy - but I do eat the seeds!
3. Keep an eye on the chickpeas, after ~7-8 minutes take one out, slice it in half and have a nibble. They are cooked when the knife cuts through them easily and they are soft and fluffy inside. It may take up to 15 minutes depending on the chickpeas and how long you soaked them for. When they are cooked, strain and run under cold water to cool.
4. Combine all ingredients! You can wait for the chickpeas to get cold, or make the salad warm, it comes down to personal preference and personally I enjoy both. but if you want it to last a couple of days, put the cooked chickpeas in the fridge and only assemble when they are cold.

This salad is really nice on its own, sprinkled on a garden salad or with fish or chicken. Sometimes I add a small tin of tuna if I feel the need to up the protein

Modifications…

This recipe is highly adaptable and easily modified. I’ve added a sprinkling of Mangal Chat Masala to todays salad, but it is by no means essential.  If you don’t have all these ingredients the essential components are 1) Some kind of onion, 2) fresh herbs and 3) tomato. You can also make this as a 4 bean mix salad, in which case use tinned 4 bean mix.

Warning: it is possible to overdose on chickpeas, they are very high in fibre, which for people like me with sensitive stomachs, it can get a bit hard wearing on your insides. So if you are new to chickpeas, take it slow and listen to your body – if it tells you it’s sick of chickpeas, put down the fork!

my food journey so far...

I used to think vegetarians were crazy, I interpreted their altruism as self-righteous and believed such extremes were unnecessary because eating meat is part of who we are. Luckily after a particularly wonderful 4 day yoga retreat in late 2010, I realised that my meat intensive diet wasn’t the right choice for my body. Following this, I did some investigation into the ethics of meat production and I finally understood. Not all vegetarians object the killing and eating part (although some do, which is fine), but most of them agree that the way most meat is produced through factory farming methods, results in the highly questionable treatment of animals, making it difficult to consume with a clear conscience. In addition, the environmental cost of the intensive production of meat is unsustainable. If everyone ate lentils instead of beef, the environment would be in a much better place.

Unfortunately I, like many people, really enjoy eating meat. Personally I enjoy a great love for seafood and bacon (not necessarily together). So my resolution to this ethical dilemma is to eat limited meat and if I do, I endeavour try to buy ethically farmed produce. Buying ethically raised meat is difficult and for some animals it’s potentially not 100% achievable…. but we can try yes? The phase “I eat a lot of vegetables” or “I don’t eat that much meat” makes me laugh, because it’s entirely subjective. But in this blog you will encounter my efforts to eat flexitarian and be kinder to the environment as well as my body.

In addition, I’ve noticed a large number of blogs based around healthy eating go to what I consider unsustainable extremes with the use of things like protein powder and excluding egg yolks from recipes in order to increase the protein and decrease the fat. I don’t think it needs to be that hard or elaborate. I believe eating food in its primary form whether it’s vegetables, meats, nuts, fruits or grains, is the best way to nourish yourself, plus once you develop some good eating habits, it isn’t that hard. I promise to include any indulgences; I eat Chinese yum cha like anyone else… so here goes nothing...

today's lunch