Meatles Monday - Just Wanna Sprout About It!

With the gorgeous weekend weather, I have good reason to believe that we have bid our final farewell to winter. Our garlic is on the grow and I am beginning to prep the garden beds for the season.

Garlic shoots *photo by Josie, age 5

Last fall we chopped leaves by running them over with the lawn mower (which David didn't think would work - It did!) and covered the raised beds with them. I read that this would help to introduce more organic matter into the soil and so far it looks to have done the job. When I raked the leaves off the strawberry bed the soil was dark and rich. I worked the remaining bits of leaves into the dirt and then put the rest in the compost pile.

It is great to get back out into the garden and get my hands dirty. My work here has taken on even greater meaning after our inspiring trip to D Acres yesterday and I can't wait to share that with you.

But for now, let's talk sprouts. Last week was my first venture into growing my own sprouts and we enjoyed them on the ride up to D Acres. Sprouts are another throwback my youth when my mother used to send me sprout sandwiches to school and kids used to moo while I ate. That's OK, I forgive them. They didn't know what they were missing.

I am using a Bioset sprout grower that I got from Johnny's Selected Seeds and I am very impressed with how easy it is and how simply I incorporated it into my daily routine. Basically, you just spread the sprouting seeds (there are special seeds for this, you can order those form Johnny's as well and they are mostly organic) in the trays. Then you stack them up and fill the top tray (white) with water while holding your finger over a small valve on the bottom. You place the watering tray on top of the stack and the water flows down through each level and is collected in the bottom which you then empty out. There are little grooves in each tray that hold onto just the right amount of moisture. I fill the tray twice per day so I probably spend about 2 minutes total on this per day.
My first batch was broccoli sprouts which are nice and spicy, just like me. The package said it would take 2-5 days. There was lots of action during this time, but I harvested them on Day 6. I now have my all time favorite sprouts in there, alfalfa. I added many more seeds this round. I only put about half as much as I could have the first time since I wasn't sure how much space they would take up once "sprouted". I should be dining on these by the end of the week.

From seed to sandwich in 6 days.

There are countless ways to enjoy sprouts. I like them on salads, but my favorite is a sprout sandwich. I love pita bread, but I also use whole wheat. I love it with some grated carrots and some cheddar cheese. For creaminess I either put a little mayo on the bread or some sliced avocado. OK, now I'm drooling. Give it a go and you'll be like "Cold cuts? I don't need no stinking cold cuts!" Try it and then give me sprout!

Meatless Monday - Dining Out Can Be Divine

Ideally, I would make a grand and glorious meal breakfast, lunch and dinner from lovely, local, wholesome ingredients, but we all know that life is hardly ever ideal and if I didn't live in the land of reality pre kids, I sure the hell do now. Although it kills me to spend the money, there are times when it becomes necessary to grab something to eat while we are out and about. Times like when you are heading to the grocery store after picking up kids #2 & 3 from preschool and realizing that if you don't get them something to eat beforehand things are going to get very, very ugly. So what to do?
Shamefully, we occasionally have headed through the drive thru under the golden arches and being American children, they would love it if I did this in every pinch. But I can't bare it and I am compelled to seek alternatives. I am rarely impressed by dining out experiences so it is rare for me to frequent a restaurant but I am totally in love with a little spot about ten minutes from my house and Meatless Monday seemed like to perfect time to shout about it!

Meatless Monday - Youth Gone Wild

As a child with a myriad of food allergies and a poncho wearing, draft counseling mother, I grew up eating some pretty funky stuff compared to my peers. I was completely fructose and lactose intolerant well into elementary school. I was the kid bringing sugar free jello to birthday parties having no clue why the b-day boy or girl didn't want to forgo the cake for the jiggling delight I had brought for them. The ice cream truck was never my friend and even once my stomach grew todigest the dairy and treats that the universe had to offer, I never became a sweet lovah.

I have, however, held onto many of the favorites that my mother made part of my diet including...(drum roll please)...Chick Peas!

Meatless Monday After Midnight - Can You Say "Classic"

Slacker. There is no other word for it. I am a Blog Flunky. Maybe more of a Disstracker since I haven't just been lounging around, but more buzzing about with the goings on of life with children and various other beasts. So here I am, in the wee hours, putting down the words that have been swimming in my brain for weeks now.
I actually can't believe that this recipe was not Week One of Meatless Monday since it is not only in the bible of vegetarian cooking, but was probably my first introduction to the V-Word. The Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas is one of two cookbooks that I associate with my mother, The Joy of Cooking being the other. And the recipe for Corn and Cheddar Cheese Chowder is probably my all time favorite thing that my mom made. It brings back warm, winter memories of ski vacations and wool socks; of my Dad's satisfied grin and footy pajamas. The book itself is a time capsule that has made it's way into my permanent collection.

Meatless Monday on Wednesday

I was planning to do a mind blowing post on falafel this week, but between forgetting to soak the chick peas overnight on Sunday and then realizing that I needed to get a little more in depth to sell falafel virgins on the idea, I got a little behind. But rest assured, the treat from the middle east  is coming to a Monday near you ASAP.
In the meantime in between time, I have whipped up one of my favorite, but often forgotten dishes that is so much easier and yummier than you might think. This one comes from the good ole Joy of Cooking, my kitchen bible, with a few tweaks.

Barely and Mushroom "Risotto"

6 tbl butter
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
8 oz diced mushrooms, shitake are awesome, but others are fine
1 cup barley
2/3 white wine
1 tbl crushed garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
6 cups stock, vegetable stock makes it truly meatless, but chicken stock works great too

Meatless Monday - South for the Winter with Beans & Rice

When birthdays roll around for my children,  two out of three in December which was horrid planning on our part, it is tradition that the B-Day person gets to pick what they want to have for dinner. At this point, I don't even know why we bother asking because the answer is always the same - Mexican! Burritous, tacos, quessadillas and their assorted variations and sides are the all time favorite meal around here. Back in my early culinary days, I used to have only one side dish option in my repetoire which was Mexi Rice. Basically, I would cook rice and then add spaghetti sauce, taco seasoning and cheese. Nasty. It seemed good at the time, but now we know there are so many better options.
As a side or as the main event, beans and rice is staple fare that has nourished people around the world forever. I am sure there are a zillion variations, but this is the one that we use.


Simple Black Beans & Rice

1 cans (15.5 oz.) black beans, undrained
2 tbsp olive oil
half an onion, diced
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 package taco seasoning
1 cup water
2 tbl cider vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
salt & pepper to taste
4 - 5 cups cooked white rice

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil and then add the onion, pepper and garlic. Saute 5-10 min over medium heat until tender. Add all other ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to a boil then reduce heat a simmer about 20 minutes. This will be very saucy and that's how you want it. The juice is the best part! Ladle over the rice in large bowls.
*This recipe opens up endless possibilities for adding on. We like to sprinkle shredded cheese on the top. You can also add some diced tomatoes, corn, broken tortilla chips, etc. This also makes an excellent filling in a tortilla. Experimento!

Meaningful Meatless Monday: All Together in One Pot

It would have been easy to forget that today I was due for my second post on meatless meals. Days off from school always throw me off my game a bit. Combine this extended weekend with a very heavy snow falling all around us and it is enough to render me lazy and disoriented. But on this King of Holidays, I find myself reflecting on the vision of MLK and how that relates to my hopes and dreams as an environmentalist. Dr. King saw a better world where people would come together and strive for a deeper understanding of one another. Where we would live in harmony and peace with our fellow man and challenge ourselves to rise above and shed the complacency that plagued our society for so many years.  He dared to dream of a new way of living for future generations. We are honored and humbled by his leadership and we show a formal display of our gratitude on this day.

The Start of Meatless Monday: Tomato Cheese Pasta

I am far too verbose and much too crappy of a photographer to participate in Wordless Wednesday, so I'm goin' rogue and participating in Meatless Monday. I hereby proclaim that on Mondays, I will post a meatless recipe.
You don't have to be a rank and file member of PETA to see the benefits of eating more vegetarian meals. The demand for meat production puts extreme pressure on natural resources and is quite unsustainable. According to an article by USA Today and the Society for Advancement of Education, 56,000,000 acres of U.S. land are utilized for the production of hay for livestock. Only 4,000,000 acres are used to produce vegetables for human consumption. Water, feed and fuel are also disproportionately allocated to sustain meat product. The health and wellness of livestock animals suffers from these burdens and, thus, the risk of disease is passed on to us.