Meatless “Shepherd’s” Pie
Apr 23, 2010 Eco Friendly Home
For our Earth Day dinner last night, I made a recipe called Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie. Well, approximately. I didn’t have all the ingredients. No Vegemite or similar, and we were out of carrots. But I came pretty close.
Cooked the lentils and barley in veggie broth for about an hour all together. Threw in some garlic and a variety of spices. Sauteed some chayote squash and asparagus, and added them when the barley was close to done. Added in some frozen green beans. Thickened the remaining liquid with a flour and water mixture.
Topped with mashed potatoes and some mozzarella, then threw the thing in the oven for long enough to melt the cheese.
In other words, I didn’t follow the recipe very precisely. I took the idea and ran with it. That’s pretty much how I cook.
I did most of the cooking in my cast iron skillet. I love that thing. No transferring a hot mess into a casserole dish to cook in the oven, and it really saves on cleanup.
A Hit?
Finally, a new vegetarian recipe that went over well with my family. My oldest daughter in particular loved it. It took my husband nearly two hours before he said “you know, you could just add the lentils to regular shepherd’s pie.”
I was wondering how long it would take him to get to the “just add meat” stage.
That’s longer than usual, though. And he agrees with my point that it is a good meal on its own and really useful for saving money or just not having to worry about whether or not there’s any meat defrosted.
One step at a time. One step at a time. I’m just glad to have a new, highly acceptable vegetarian meal to rotate in.
Tags: cooking, earth day, meatless meals, recipe
How to Choose Green and Healthy Cookware
Mar 3, 2010 Eco Friendly Home
If you’re like me, you regularly spend time cooking for your family at home. It can be both a chore and a delight. But have you ever bothered to think about whether your cookware is both environmentally friendly and good for your family?
It’s a thought that’s easy to skip. Cookware is something that once you have it, you’ll probably take it for granted, at least until the nonstick coating wears off.
That’s one of the biggest problems with Teflon cookware. That stuff comes off bit by bit through the years, guaranteeing that you will have to replace it regularly, and that your family is eating bits of Teflon. Not really what I want in my food, even though nothing is proven health-wise about it… unless you’re a bird, in which case I understand concerns have been demonstrated. Teflon can create a gas called PFOA that is poisonous to them when used at high temperatures.
The use of PFOA in making nonstick surfaces is decreasing already, as the EPA is working with companies to eliminate its emissions and product content by 2015.
Even if you aren’t concerned about the Teflon, having cookware that you have to replace regularly isn’t exactly environmentally friendly. Wouldn’t you rather have stuff that lasts longer?
Cast Iron Cookware
Cast iron cookware is my absolute favorite. Heavy, takes a little extra care, but it lasts just about forever. My favorite skillet is a cast iron skillet that was handed down to me from my grandmother. So long as I take care of it, I may very well be able to hand it down to my own grandchildren.
Cast iron cookware does release a little iron into your food, in part depending on the acid content of the food. That’s not a bad thing, as many people need a little more iron in their diet.
You do not need huge amounts of oil to cook in cast iron. Keep your cookware well seasoned, and it is beautifully nonstick.
Best of all, even if you don’t have someone to inherit cast iron from, you may be able to find it in antique shops or thrift stores. There’s also plenty of new cast iron
If you don’t want iron leeching into your food, there are ceramic coated cast iron pans you can buy also. They come in some nice colors as well.
Stainless Steel
If you want something a little lighter, go for stainless steel cookware
Old, dinged up stainless steel cookware can leech some chemicals, but only in small quantities.
“Eco Friendly” Nonstick Cookware
“Eco friendly” nonstick
Thermolon is what the coating is usually called, and I have some concerns about whether or not it is really worthwhile. Looking at online reviews, people love it at first, but within a couple months in an awful lot of them start to have problems with food sticking badly to the cookware.
This type of cookware, for all it gets trumpeted as being green, I am much concerned is more of a greenwash. It’s not green if frustration with stickiness causes you to replace the pans in short order.
They’re also apparently quite susceptible to chipping, and some manufacturers recommend you hang them rather than store in a cabinet or drawer. I consider durability a part of being green, so these don’t do well in that respect.
Overall, despite the number of people calling this type of cookware green, I’m not convinced. I suggest sticking with more reliable types.
edited to add
Glass Cookware
I had a reader point out to me that glass is another great choice. I don’t know how I forgot my beautiful glass cookware. My Pyrex cookware is wonderful for cooking and storing the leftovers. You have to use it in the oven, not stovetop, but it’s amazing stuff. Wonderfully easy to clean since you can put it in the dishwasher if you like.
Tags: cast iron cookware, cooking, food, green cookware
One Small Change Month Three & Month Two Review
Mar 1, 2010 Going Green
Month three of the One Small Change challenge already? How did that happen?
Month two’s challenge of washing my hair with baking soda and vinegar went pretty well. It’s a different feeling, and one I’m still experimenting with. Hair still comes out soft, but a different kind of soft that takes some getting used to.
This month’s challenge is going to be a bit more difficult for me. I want to get my family to eat at least one vegetarian dinner a week. Getting others involved is always a little more difficult.
The hard part about this is how my family generally reacts to vegetarian meals. There’s one that everyone enjoys, Sand and Shells, but that’s it.
My husband always says either that it would make a great side dish or suggests adding something to it, such as chicken, bacon, ground beef… you get the idea. He’ll accept the occasional vegetarian meal, but as a weekly thing may push his habits a little.
The two older kids are each challenging for this in their own way. Neither likes beans just now, although my son used to utterly adore them.
My oldest daughter loves barley in soup but not otherwise. She hates all nuts and nut products, except once in a while when she will enjoy cashews, but is just as likely to hate them the next day. She loathes couscous.
My son is just plain variable in what he will eat on any day, even favorite foods. He’s still highly resistant to all unfamiliar foods. On the plus side, he would take peanut butter as a food group if I let him. Except when he wouldn’t. He enjoys couscous sometimes.
I have some hope that a recipe with lentils will do well. They’ve all enjoyed those in homemade chicken soup, to the point that my daughter begs me to make it. Might be possible to get them eating lentils in another recipe.
I’ll probably start the first week with Sand and Shells, just because they go over well and the leftovers go into my daughter’s school lunches. Very easy lunch for her to bring, something I really appreciate in a leftover. This will also give me time to start looking up recipes and getting any ingredients I don’t already have on hand.
Tags: cooking, food, one small change, vegetarian
Plan Regular Vegetarian Meals – Green Step By Step
Dec 15, 2009 Green Step By Step
While not every family is up for going completely vegetarian, most can enjoy the occasional vegetarian meal. Incorporating vegetarian meals into your regular rotation is a great way to cut back on meats, which are much less environmentally friendly as well as less healthy when eaten in the usual American excess.
Decide how you want to go about it. You might try buying a vegetarian cookbook
Think about how often you want to go vegetarian. I try to have any lunches that I’m not eating as leftovers be vegetarian and I also regularly cook vegetarian meals for dinner. For you it might be once a month, once a week, whatever works.
It can take some experimentation to figure out what works well for your family. Some people have a very low tolerance for changing their eating habits and you may have to go more slowly. On the other hand, you may hit upon a well loved vegetarian meal that quickly goes into rotation for your family. Mine loves Sand and Shells, for example.
Eating vegetarian meals gives you a lower environmental impact from that meal, and you’re likely to be eating something healthier as well. You might be surprised at how delicious some of these meals are.
Tags: cooking, vegetarian food
Frozen Homemade Baby Food vs. the Dead Microwave
Oct 5, 2009 Eco Friendly Home
I’ve posted a few times about making homemade baby food. It’s a process I’ve been enjoying.
Serving it, on the other hand, has been a bit more challenging of late. You see, my microwave died.
Well, not so much died as started sparking. Not a good thing, especially since it’s quite new.
Good thing it’s still within the return period.
But that does mean I have to plan a bit more ahead for when Selene wants her meals. It takes rather longer to reheat her food without a microwave.
How I handle it depends on what I’m doing. Fastest is popping it in a small pot and stirring the baby food until it’s about a safe temperature.
But sometimes I’ll put it in an oven safe bowl and put it in the oven to warm up. This is effective if I’m already using the oven for something else. Takes about 10-15 minutes or so, and if there’s a touch of ice still in the food when I take it out, that’s a good thing. Helps to cool off the parts that are already melted and too hot.
Reheating her food this way means that it often has to spend a few minutes cooling back down to a baby safe temperature. That’s no fun if she’s hollering for her meal now! You know how patient babies aren’t, especially when they’re hungry.
I’ll be glad when I get that microwave brought back to the store and get a replacement. It’s just so much faster and I know better how long to heat the baby food to keep it at a safe temperature so I don’t have to cool it back off.
Still, it’s nice to know how easy it is to cope without.
Tags: baby, cooking, food, homemade baby food
