Meatless Monday

In an effort to lessen our carbon footprint, we have decided to join others in enjoying one meatless dinner a week. We do not always eat meat with every meal, but having a planned day for this will make this a more regular event, along with helping with meal planning. The reasons for eating vegetarian are pretty substantial. An article from Cornell University states that it takes an average of 29 kcal (calories) of fossil fuel to produce 1 kcal of protein output. Beef is the worst offender at a ratio of 54:1 and chicken is not really all that bad at 4:1. I have seen quite a few resources that state differing numbers, but they are all fairly close. It may seem weird to think of a ratio of fossil fuel energy to human energy, but it all boils down to the fact that meat is not really efficient as a food source. Vegetables and grains give us a better energy return on our energy investment. There are also issues of antibiotics and added artificial hormones. It is estimated that up to 70% of the antibiotics that are administered to cows are actually given to animals that are perfectly healthy. We all know by now that too many antibiotics just help bad bacteria get stronger. And as far as hormones go, our bodies work to maintain a balance of natural hormones. It would seem like commonsense that throwing unnecessary hormones into the mix is not a good idea. There is debate on whether or not this has contributed to earlier puberty rates.

We are currently saving a portion of our grocery budget towards the purchase of a quarter of a cow worth of meat during the next slaughtering season at a local ranch that has grass fed, free range cows. Having beef from a local source ensures that it is not factory farmed and will be markedly better for our health and the planet. But until then, we will enjoy at least one night a week without meat. To help us along with this, we need more meat free recipes. Each week I will be posting our recipe trials or things we already know we like. For more ideas and information on Meatless Monday, a quick Google search came up with this site: www.meatlessmonday.com.

Now on to the first recipe!

We tried the Potato and Kale Quiche from The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook by Cathe Olsen. (This is a really nice book with lots of good recipes and wonderful food information. While it is focused on nutrition for pregnant and breastfeeding women, it is a great information resource for everyone.)

1 pre-baked pie crust
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cups peeled, diced potatoes (about 3 medium)
2 cups packed kale (the store did not have any, so I used spinach)
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese (4 ounces)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare filling while crust is pre-baking. Warm oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion. Saute 5 minutes. Stir in potatoes. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Stir in kale (or spinach, in our case). Cover and cook another 5 minutes. Kale and potatoes should be tender but not overcooked.

Whisk eggs, milk, mustard, sea salt, pepper, and nutmeg until frothy. Place 1/2 of the cheese evenly over bottom of crust. Place potato and kale mixture over cheese. Cover with remaining cheese. Pour egg mixture over vegetables and cheese to fill crust. Bake for 40 minutes, or until center is set. Cool 10 minutes before cutting.

This was my first time making a quiche. It was also the first time I pre-baked a crust. I kind of messed up on that part. The filling was quite nice though and not too "eggy" like I worried about. I think we will try this again, maybe with some small modifications to better suite our family, and also using a larger pie pan.


For dessert we had Black and Blue Cobbler from Best of Country Slow Cooker Recipes. I could not find this book listed on either Amazon or Barnes and Noble, so I can not post a link at this time. The woman who contributed the recipe is Martha Creveling from Orlando, Florida. The cobbler was quite good, and smelled really nice while cooking. I can say that I did not include the orange peel, as we did not have any.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 eggs, beaten
2 Tbsp. milk
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
3/4 cup water
1 tsp. grated orange peel
Whipped cream or ice cream, optional

In a bowl, combine flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Combine eggs, milk, and oil; stir in dry ingredients just until moistened. Spread the batter evenly on the the bottom of a greased 5 quart slow cooker. In a sauce pan, combine berries, water, orange peel, and remaining sugar, bring to a boil. Remove from the heat; immediately pour over batter. Cover and cook on high for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until a toothpick inserted into the batter comes our clean. Turn cooker off. Uncover and let stand for 30 minutes before serving. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.