I'm stuffed. I just ate my body weight in lasagna, and it was wonderful. I apologize for the lack of photographic evidence, but the saucy, cheesy mess of deliciousness wasn't exactly attractive. For my second day as a vegetarian, I actually managed to eat vegetarian. I had bread and olive oil for breakfast, a bagel for lunch, and that pile of lasagna for dinner. Of course I would have liked to add some ground beef or sliced meatballs, but I loved every bite anyway. All I had to do was cook some lasagna noodles and layer them with tomato sauce and cheese; you can add vegetables and non-meat protein as well. Just bake for 15 minutes or so at 350F until bubbly and you have some hot, gooey, meat-free lasagna to last you for a few meals. Well, maybe not, if you eat as much as I did.
Another aspect of tonight's dinner that made me even happier was knowing that eating vegetarian, even for only a meal, is a step in the right direction for improving the environment. Today, I'd like to focus on the environmental impact, specifically pollution and climate change, of eating a typical American meat-heavy diet. Methane from cattle, gasses released from manure, fossil fuels used in transportation, refrigeration, and cooking, and all other aspects of the meat industry total to approximately 18% of world emissions, but the number can be anywhere between 5 and 50%. The Vegetarian Society estimates that livestock produce 37% of the methane, 64% of the ammonia, and 65% of the nitrous oxide linked to human activity. The EPA has estimated that industrial animal waste has polluted 35,000 miles of rivers in 22 states and contaminated groundwater in 17 states with various bacteria. That bacteria kills fish, harms humans, and causes algal blooms, which consume large amounts of oxygen and make it difficult for organisms to live there.
In summary, the huge numbers of animals needed to satisfy demand wreaks havoc on the environment. The amount of energy required to produce animal protein is far more than the amount of energy to produce alternative proteins. In addition, while some manure is good for crops, the 350 million tons of it produced every year emit greenhouse gasses, spread disease, and contaminate water. I know that I probably won't be able to eat an entirely vegetarian diet, but these statistics certainly make me want to reduce the amount of meat I eat, if nothing else.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Vegetarian Challenge - Day 1 (Honey Ginger Salmon)
I am definitely not a vegetarian. I love burgers and fried chicken and meatballs and all that is good in this world. Nevertheless, I do feel a bit guilty about my dietary habits; I love animals and I recognize the terrible cruelties involved in producing enough for us to eat. So when I was presented with the opportunity to do a huge project of my choosing for my AP Environmental Science class, I decided to explore the impact of a typical meat-heavy diet.
For the next week, I will be a vegetarian. Well, technically a pescatarian, since I'll be living on fish, cheese, and carbs. That doesn't sound too painful, but I'm not a huge fan of alternative proteins: I don't really like peanut butter, especially if it's not in desserts, I'm not a huge fan of quinoa, and I'm a little scared of the jiggly mass that is tofu, though I have decided that I will try some at the end of this whole experiment. I'll post all my recipes here, along with a few of the most interesting tidbits of research I found while working on my actual project; I'll list my sources on the last day. This is for school, after all.
Anyway, it's day one. I've survived a whole day. Fantastic. I had some cereal for breakfast, leftover mozzarella sticks for lunch, and one of my favorite fish recipes, honey ginger salmon, for dinner. It's an extremely easy recipe and takes only an hour to make, which is perfect for school nights like tonight when I have a ton of homework, studying, cooking, and this project to work on. All you have to do is whisk together a marinade, let the salmon sit for half an hour or so, grill it, and drizzle on the glaze. It's a delicious balance of sweet, salty, and savory, and salmon is the best fish for these flavors. I don't miss meat at all! ... yet.
1 lb Salmon
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
2 T + 1 tsp Sesame Oil
2 T Rice Wine Vinegar
2 T Brown Sugar
2 T + 1 tsp Soy Sauce
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 T + 1/2 tsp Grated Ginger
3 T Honey
1 tsp Sesame Seeds
Combine the olive oil, 2 T sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, 2 T soy sauce, garlic, and 1 T ginger. Add the salmon and chill for 30-60 minutes.
Combine the remaining sesame oil, remaining soy sauce, remaining ginger, honey, and sesame seeds.
Grill the salmon until almost cooked through. Drizzle with the glaze and grill until salmon is cooked.
Serves 4
Recipe Adapted from Williams Kitchen
For the next week, I will be a vegetarian. Well, technically a pescatarian, since I'll be living on fish, cheese, and carbs. That doesn't sound too painful, but I'm not a huge fan of alternative proteins: I don't really like peanut butter, especially if it's not in desserts, I'm not a huge fan of quinoa, and I'm a little scared of the jiggly mass that is tofu, though I have decided that I will try some at the end of this whole experiment. I'll post all my recipes here, along with a few of the most interesting tidbits of research I found while working on my actual project; I'll list my sources on the last day. This is for school, after all.
Anyway, it's day one. I've survived a whole day. Fantastic. I had some cereal for breakfast, leftover mozzarella sticks for lunch, and one of my favorite fish recipes, honey ginger salmon, for dinner. It's an extremely easy recipe and takes only an hour to make, which is perfect for school nights like tonight when I have a ton of homework, studying, cooking, and this project to work on. All you have to do is whisk together a marinade, let the salmon sit for half an hour or so, grill it, and drizzle on the glaze. It's a delicious balance of sweet, salty, and savory, and salmon is the best fish for these flavors. I don't miss meat at all! ... yet.
1 lb Salmon
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
2 T + 1 tsp Sesame Oil
2 T Rice Wine Vinegar
2 T Brown Sugar
2 T + 1 tsp Soy Sauce
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 T + 1/2 tsp Grated Ginger
3 T Honey
1 tsp Sesame Seeds
Combine the olive oil, 2 T sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, 2 T soy sauce, garlic, and 1 T ginger. Add the salmon and chill for 30-60 minutes.
Serves 4
Recipe Adapted from Williams Kitchen
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Mummy Cupcakes
Remember how last week I promised you another cupcake recipe? Well, here it is, and it's even more perfect for fall (and specifically Halloween) than the last. Instead of chocolate cupcakes, I'm using gingerbread cupcakes. They're basically spice cupcakes with some molasses and caramely brown sugar; in other words, these cupcakes are gingerbread in cake form. Even though gingerbread is kind of a cake already. Whatever. These cupcakes are perfect.
It's a pretty basic recipe for a pretty delicious cupcake. Just combine your dry ingredients, beat the butter and sugar together, add some eggs and molasses, and alternate the dry ingredients with some buttermilk. I'll admit buttermilk isn't what you would typically associate with gingerbread. It works, though, and it makes the cupcakes much more tender and fluffy. The cupcakes pair perfectly with a maple glaze, but I frosted them like mummies for Halloween. Don't know which way to serve them? Luckily for you, I included both recipes, so you can serve half one way and half the other. Or you can just drink all the glaze and frost the cupcakes like mummies. Nobody will know, so don't feel too guilty.
If you do choose to stick to the Halloween theme (at least for this week; there's plenty of time for maple-y goodness in November... or all year round), the mummies are really easy to make. I chose a basket-weaving tip (my art teacher did commend my apparently wonderful basket-weaving skills in Sculpture back in freshmen year) but used the flat side instead of the ridged side. That's just me, though; you can use a petal tip, a flat tip if you can find one, or the ridged side of the basket-weaving tip if you want stylish mummies. I'm not sure if stylish mummies exist, but they will now. Anyway, once you pick your tip, fill a piping bag or ziploc bag with the buttercream, screw on the tip, and pipe a bunch of strips over the cupcake. Add two mini M&Ms for eyes and you have your mummy. It's that easy.
2 1/2 Cups Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
1 T Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 T Ginger
3/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 T Cinnamon
1 Stick Butter, Softened
1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
2 T Molasses
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Buttermilk
Heat oven to 325F and line a cupcake tin with paper cups.
Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon together. Beat the butter and brown sugar together, then add the molasses and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Gradually add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk in two additions; stir until smooth.
Fill the cupcake tins and bake for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through. Cool.
For the maple glaze, sift 1 cup of powdered sugar. Whisk in 1/3 cup maple syrup, adding more powdered sugar or maple syrup as necessary until pourable.
For the buttercream, beat a stick of softened butter in a stand mixer until fluffy. Gradually sift in 1 1/2-2 cups powdered sugar, then add a pinch of salt, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1T milk. Add more milk or powdered sugar if necessary.
To frost the mummies, fill a piping bag or ziploc bag with the buttercream. Use the flat side of a basket-weaving tip to pipe strips of icing across the mummies until covered. Add two mini M&Ms as eyes.
Makes 12 Cupcakes
Cupcake Recipe Adapted from Lilach German
It's a pretty basic recipe for a pretty delicious cupcake. Just combine your dry ingredients, beat the butter and sugar together, add some eggs and molasses, and alternate the dry ingredients with some buttermilk. I'll admit buttermilk isn't what you would typically associate with gingerbread. It works, though, and it makes the cupcakes much more tender and fluffy. The cupcakes pair perfectly with a maple glaze, but I frosted them like mummies for Halloween. Don't know which way to serve them? Luckily for you, I included both recipes, so you can serve half one way and half the other. Or you can just drink all the glaze and frost the cupcakes like mummies. Nobody will know, so don't feel too guilty.
If you do choose to stick to the Halloween theme (at least for this week; there's plenty of time for maple-y goodness in November... or all year round), the mummies are really easy to make. I chose a basket-weaving tip (my art teacher did commend my apparently wonderful basket-weaving skills in Sculpture back in freshmen year) but used the flat side instead of the ridged side. That's just me, though; you can use a petal tip, a flat tip if you can find one, or the ridged side of the basket-weaving tip if you want stylish mummies. I'm not sure if stylish mummies exist, but they will now. Anyway, once you pick your tip, fill a piping bag or ziploc bag with the buttercream, screw on the tip, and pipe a bunch of strips over the cupcake. Add two mini M&Ms for eyes and you have your mummy. It's that easy.
2 1/2 Cups Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
1 T Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 T Ginger
3/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 T Cinnamon
1 Stick Butter, Softened
1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
2 T Molasses
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Buttermilk
Heat oven to 325F and line a cupcake tin with paper cups.
Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon together. Beat the butter and brown sugar together, then add the molasses and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Gradually add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk in two additions; stir until smooth.
Fill the cupcake tins and bake for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through. Cool.
For the maple glaze, sift 1 cup of powdered sugar. Whisk in 1/3 cup maple syrup, adding more powdered sugar or maple syrup as necessary until pourable.
For the buttercream, beat a stick of softened butter in a stand mixer until fluffy. Gradually sift in 1 1/2-2 cups powdered sugar, then add a pinch of salt, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1T milk. Add more milk or powdered sugar if necessary.
To frost the mummies, fill a piping bag or ziploc bag with the buttercream. Use the flat side of a basket-weaving tip to pipe strips of icing across the mummies until covered. Add two mini M&Ms as eyes.
Makes 12 Cupcakes
Cupcake Recipe Adapted from Lilach German
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