Eating less meat is a very important step in greening your lifestyle. But, too often, "eating less" of something seems like a deprivation and makes you want to eat more of it in the end! Don't let that happen to your sustainable eating intentions.
Reword your new diet commitment into positive terms. Replace "I will eat less meat" with "I will eat at least five servings of vegetables a day." This is a small linguistic trick with huge psychological benefits. I, for one, get nowhere attempting to cut down on junk food in my diet. When I set a goal of eating n servings of fruit a day though, I automatically eat better. I am replacing the bad with the good. After all, a lifestyle, like nature, abhors a vacuum.
You don't have to make this change all at once. Try a progressive goal. This week, eat at least one fruit or vegetable serving a day. It's a reachable goal and will help you start a habit. Next week, make the goal of eating at least two servings a day. At this rate, in a couple of months, you'll probably be eating pretty healthy without effort! Alternatively, change your goal each month. By next winter, you'll be golden!
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For those of us who don't live in perpetually summer climates like Florida, winter can be a hard time to eat healthily and sustainably. Lots of fruits and veggies are flown in from Chile or Mexico, but they tend to be expensive and kind of pathetic looking.
Fortunately there are some very tasty and very healthy winter produce options. Winter is prime time for citrus and root vegetables, as well as brussells sprouts.
Here are some (fairly easy) winter recipies that I have tried this year:
Orange and fennel salad:
-6 oranges, peeled, divided into sections, with membranes, pith(white stuff) and seeds removed
-1 cup of very thinly sliced fennel bulb
-1/2 cup pommegranate juice
-2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-1/4 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Toss fennel and orange segments together. Bring pommegranate juice to a boil over medium-high heat. Let boil for 3 minutes or until reduced by half. Let cool. Wisk reduced juice together with olive oil and drizzle over orange-fennel mixture. Sprinkle with cheese, salt and pepper.
Winter root veggie roast
2 large turnips
2 medum russett potatoes
1 large sweet potato
3 carrots
1 red onion
1 fennell bulb
3 sprigs rosemary
Olive oil
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Clean and peel all veggies. Cut vegetables into roughly 1-inch cubes/pieces.
Rub a small ammount of olive oil onto the bottom of a baking sheet. Spread vegetables evently over the baking sheet in one layer. Use a 2nd baking sheet if vegetables are crowded.
Drizzle vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Place into oven and cook for 25 minutes, tossing vegetables occasionally to prevent sticking.
Remove rosemary leaves from stems and sprinkle over vegetables. Return to the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
If Hannah gives me permission, I'll put up a brussels sprouts recipie that involves bacon (and a vegetarian variation, of course).
Yay bacon!
Braised brussels sprouts (meaty version)
3 ounces pancetta, small dice (about 1/2 cup) OR 3 slices of thick-cut bacon, small dice
3 medium shallots, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
2 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1/4 cup dry white wine (can substitute extra 1/4 cup of broth)
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
salt and pepper (freshly ground)to taste
Line a plate with paper towels and set aside. Place the pancetta/bacon in a large frying pan with a tightfitting lid and cook over medium heat until browned and crispy, about 10 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to the prepared plate, leaving the fat in the pan.
Add shallots and garlic to the pan, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and edges begin to brown, about 3 minutes.
Add Brussels sprouts, sprinkle with salt and pepper, stir to coat, and cook until just browned, about 3 minutes.
Pour in wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and cook until wine reduces by 1/2, about 5 minutes.
Pour in stock, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until Brussels sprouts are tender, about 20 minutes. Taste, adjust seasoning as desired, transfer to a serving dish, and sprinkle with reserved pancetta/bacon.
If you want to make a vegetarian version of this, you can start off with vegetarian bacon..or not. Whether you choose to use veggie bacon or not use any bacon, you will need to add about 3 tablespoons of butter or oil to sautee the shallots and garlic in and to get a good brown on the brussels sprouts. The bacon in the orginal recipie provides enough oil/fat to sautee the vegetables, so it needs to be replaced - butter will give you a richer flavor, a good extra virgin olive oil will give you a slightly fruity favor. Also, sub veggie broth/stock for the chicken stock.
Part of the issue most people have with brussels sprouts is their bitter flavor. By browning the sprouts in a fat (animal, dairy or vegetable) before braising them in liquid, a good bit of the bitter compounds are trapped, keeping the sprouts from getting too bitter.
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