Beets

Yep.  You read that right.  On our FABULOUS food blog, I am writing about BEETS.  I always thought they were those stinky vegetables you could pretty much only eat pickled or canned, and no matter what, you had to HIDE THEM.  And they don't hide well (ask anyone in our family about our purple pancakes, even a pound of blueberries can't mask a can of beets). 

But guess what?  REAL beets, you know, fresh ones farmers pull out of the ground, are actually GOOD.  Like really good.  No, I am not kidding.

My dad was in town a couple weeks ago and we visited our farmer's market.  He picked up a couple bunches of organic golden beets.  I was worried. Although, probably not as worried as my husband, who had a built in aversion to beets due to some heinous beet crime his mother committed against him as a child (sorry Gail, but it is true!). 

The time came, and my dad pulled out those beets, topped them, and washed them.  I couldn't believe what was happening.  We were going to eat beets.  BEETS!  We tossed them with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and parsley, wrapped them up in foil, and tossed them on the grill for an hour. 

The results?  Smooth, sweet, buttery goodness.  They are like carrots, but not.  Even the kids love them.  Andrew had THIRDS!  I went back to the market the next week and loaded up on those bunches of organic golden beets, topped them, cleaned them, quartered them and froze them so I can be sure to have them all winter.  Go.  Find yourself some real beets and see for yourself!

Curried Cauliflower

I found this on the Allrecipes.com app and added some cooked chicken from those roasted chickens in the supermarket - YUMMY if you like curry!

Ingredients:

• 1 large head cauliflower, broken into small florets (for someone that is new to cooking, this took the most time)
• 1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 3/4 cup mayonaise
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons curry powder

I did not do the 12 wheat crackers or 1/4 cup melted butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Place cauliflower in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water, and cover.  Cook until tender, but still firm (about 10 minutes).  Drain, and place in a greased casserole dish. I lined it up pretty even and then layered cooked chicken pieces over it.
3. In a large bowl, mix together soup, mayonnaise, milk and curry powder.  Pour over cauliflower (and chicken).  If you want to do the crackers, crush them and mix with the butter.  Sprinkle over the cauliflower/mixture.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.
5. Enjoy!

If you build it, they will come

You will hereby love me and hate me...

Start by toasting graham crackers in the oven at 365* for 4 minutes...

Mix up the following:

2/3 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 t baking soda

1-2 t vanilla extract

3 cup flour (at high altitude)

1 cup mini marshmallows

1 cup M&Ms (or chocochips- but I had none)

Drop cookie dough mixture on each graham cracker...

Bake for 5min and then spread the dough flat with rubber scraper & bake another 3-4min...
Add a handful of mini marshmallows and Hershey bar squares & bake until golden brown (I hadn't put dinner in the oven yet so I upped the temp to 375* to move things along and baked another 7-9min) ...
Contain the excitement...
Cut and serve...
I like cookies on the gooey side.

More on reducing meat in your diet

I love the EWG. They have so much good info for people trying to do better for themselves and for the earth. Here is their report on meat impact, both in terms of environmental and personal health. Post your meal ideas for reducing meat!

At-A-Glance / Brochure - 2011 Meat Eaters Guide Meat Eater's Guide to Climate Change + Health Environmental Working Group

We can't go meatless.

We can't do it.  Not even just one day a week.  For one thing, we REALLY like meat.  For another, I can't stand beans or mushrooms.  That really limits my "meatless" options.  And Mark?  Well, "meatless" to him means we eat fish.  He has to have a slab of meat on his plate if I am going to call it dinner.  So "Meatless Monday" is a no go in my house.

But that doesn't mean I am not taking action.  In fact, I am pretty sure my actions are adding up to more impact than if I were to just have a meatless day.  Instead of "Meatless Monday," we are reducing our meat consumption at just about every meal.  I will admit, we still like to have a nice SLAB of beef on our plates occasionally, but even then, I am getting my beef from a local rancher who is very responsible and sustainable in his practices, so I feel OK about it.  But on most occasions, I am working on making a little bit of meat go a long(er) way.  Here are some of my ideas:

1. Kabobs: last night I fed our family on 2 small chicken breasts, and we felt like we ate like kings.  Marinate your chicken and cut it into small pieces.  Add your favorite veggies and you are set for a feast!

2. Lettuce Wraps: 1/2 pound of ground turkey goes a LONG way when you also puree a slew of veggies (cabbage, spinach, zucchini, carrots, beets, broccoli stems, etc) and add them to the mix.  Then add a little soy sauce and hoisen and you have some excellently healthy YUM to stick in your lettuce.  My kids EAT. THIS. UP. 

3. Head to the orient.  Stir fry (no carb), Lo Mein (wheat spaghetti), and fried rice (brown, of course!) are all excellent ways to use small portions of meat or even leftover meat.  You can use just about any meat (chicken, beef, pork, and seafood all work) and you can toss in just about any veggie you have on hand.  This is a "go-to" in my kitchen.

4. Fajitas: same idea as kabobs.  You have 2 chicken breasts and, between the veggies and the tortillas, you can spread them out to go a LONG way.

5. Fish Tacos: see #4.

6. Chicken Taquitos: Slow cook chicken in salsa (and your favorite seasonings), shred, mix with cream cheese and shredded cheese.  Then roll inside of warmed and softened corn tortillas and bake at 425 until crisp.  YUM.

What ideas do you have to make a little bit of meat go a long way?

Fabulously Different Coleslaw

We had this at my MIL's this weekend and Mark and I fought over the leftovers.  Then I came home and made it here the next day!  It is not your traditional coleslaw.  It is So. Good.

Slaw:
1 head of cabbage, shredded (I wouldn't hesitate to sub red cabbage or broccoli slaw or your favorite savory crunchy shredded veggies here)
1 red pepper, chopped
1 can water chestnuts, sliced into slivers
1/2-3/4 cup slivered almonds
1/2-3/4 cup chow mein noodles

Dressing:
1/3-1/2 cup salad oil
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup sugar (I used 1/4 cup agave)
1t salt
1t pepper
1/2 tube dill paste (I did not have dill paste, and so used 1/2-1t dry dill weed)


Mix and enjoy.  (and you will enjoy)

*note: be sure to add your chow mein noodles at the last minute so they don't get soggy.  This is not a make it and let it sit coleslaw.