5 (Fun?) Facts You Didn't Know About the Meat that You Eat

Hey everyone,

Sorry I haven't written in so long.... I know you all have been waiting with bated breath for a new post (and that might possibly explain why I had 32 pageviews today when nothing new was on.... either that or someone just refreshed the page 32 times. Good for you!)

Anyway, no meal today (that's right, I didn't have dinner... nah, just kidding. We had boring food that I didnt even make). So I've decided to do a more informational post (and I really should be doing more of these...).

Now, you might be wondering why I put the word "fun" in parentheses with a question mark (aren't you just fascinated by punctuation?) Well, that's because while information about the meat you eat may be interesting/gruesome/shocking, I'm not sure I would call it fun. It was all for alliteration's sake, you know?

Also, I'm too lazy to put citations and sources down for my information. All my sources are reliable. Trust me. I did not make this stuff up. I mean, who would?

So here we go with 5 (fun?) Facts you didn't know about meat:

1.) 99% of all animals eaten in the U.S. come from factory farms- Yes, I have put this on my blog before. However, I believe it is one of the most shocking and truly revealing facts about meat consumption in the U.S. Factory farms are what make up the core of the problems we face here with meat. Because of it, we have bad quality meat that abuses animals, puts chemicals into our bodies, and eventually makes us sick. You know how one day you might wake up and throw up, but the next day you're fine? Many people just say "Oh, I caught a bug". But in reality, most "24 hour stomach bugs" come from consumption of bad meat.

2.) Animal agriculture is the #1 cause of global climate change- When we think of things like "global warming" and "global climate change" the first thing that comes to mind as a cause is things like gasses and transportation. That is part of what makes animal agriculture the #1 source (as in transporting meat), but in fact animal agriculture contributes even more to climate change than all transportation in the world combined.

3.) The average American eats the equivalent of 21,00 whole animals in an entire lifetime- Okay, so this one absolutely shocked me. And I'm still trying to figure it out. Seem's like a lot of meat, huh? Just think about it in terms of whole animals. It's kind of gruesome, isn't it? Although I'm still not sure of the validity of this one, I still feel it was worth sharing (and thinking about!)

4.) About 1/3 of the land surface of the Earth is used for livestock- Don't we have better things to do with our land than to use it for caging and abusing various animals? This is mind boggling as we keep in mind that most of the Earth is water anyway. So now that we know that (yay learning!), think about it. Of the remaining space left over on the earth, we use it for farming animals (and not even in a good way!). Don't get me wrong, it's fine if a good amount of land is used for livestock, but 1/3 is simply ridiculous.

5.) And now I leave you with my favorite fact, complete with a video! 70% of America's beef is treated with ammonia- The video really explains it all, but really. First of all, they're using the outside of the meat that isn't even meat. Or edible. But then they use something called ammonia to "clean" it. Ammonia is a chemical. It is absolutely not made for human consumption. And even worse, labels don't even tell you if you're consuming ammonia or not. Because apparently it's a process. A process? Really? Next thing you know they're going to call high fructose corn syrup a process and you won't know if you're eating that either!

Anyway, here's the video (if you need a visual aid/ deeper explanation)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wshlnRWnf30

Happy Eating!

(Oh, wait. That's going to be quite hard after watching that video....)

Leda :)

(Image credit: procsilas via flickr)

(Credit to Jonathan Safran Foer Eating Animals)

Can You Say Risotto??

Well, this post is long overdue.... but I'm going to post it anyway, because I'm sure you are all dying to know what I had for Meatless Monday this past Monday. First, I'll post the recipe, just so we can get that out of the way.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)

1 cup chopped fennel

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

2/3 cup dry white wine

4 to 5 cups simmering chicken stock, preferably homemade

1 pound thin asparagus 10 ounces frozen peas, defrosted, or 1 1/2 cups shelled fresh peas

1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest (2 lemons)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/3 cup mascarpone chcheese, preferably Italian
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives, plus extra for serving

Directions:

Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and fennel and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Add the rice and stir for a minute to coat with the vegetables, oil, and butter. Add the white wine and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until most of the wine has been absorbed. Add the chicken stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring almost constantly and waiting for the stock to be absorbed before adding more. This process should take 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the asparagus diagonally in 1 1/2-inch lengths and discard the tough ends. Blanch in boiling salted water for 4 to 5 minutes, until al dente. Drain and cool immediately in ice water. (If using fresh peas, blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes until the starchiness is gone.)

When the risotto has been cooking for 15 minutes, drain the asparagus and add it to the risotto with the peas, lemon zest, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Continue cooking and adding stock, stirring almost constantly, until the rice is tender but still firm.

Whisk the lemon juice and mascarpone together in a small bowl. When the risotto is done, turn off the heat and stir in the mascarpone mixture plus the Parmesan cheese and chives. Set aside, off the heat, for a few minutes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve hot with a sprinkling of chives and more Parmesan cheese.

So first off, I'd just like to say that risotto is one of my favorite things to eat.... EVER. And although this dish is time consuming, it is by no means technically difficult (depending on what your defenition of "technically difficult" is....) and in the end is so worth it. Trust me.

This dish is originally an Ina Garten (aka the Barefoot Contessa) recipe. And although she is mostly a "French" chef, this Italian dish is nothing short of spot on. And let me just make one thing clear, all of her dishes turn out well. Maybe I'm over exagerrating a bit, but my mom and I have never come across a recipe that wasn't delicious.

(Ina, if you're reading this- which I'm sure you're not- I'd just like to say that my mom and I love you!)

Anyway, I made a few modifications to this dish (which is surely wonderful in it's original form, because I've had it that way). To be truly meatless, I always make sure I use vegetable stock. Sure, chicken stock has more flavor, but it's chicken. Also, I substituted the fennel for an extra leek, just because I don't like fennel (I mean, it tastes like licorice!)

So when my mom suggested that I make a risotto, I felt this bit of fear strike through my body. No, risotto's not a scary dish. But a few weeks ago I was watching The Next Food Network Star with my family and Jyll (a very experienced cook, I might add) made a risotto for none other than the famous Wolfgang Puck. She served it to him and the selection comittee, and he took one look at it and said (in his very pompous Austrian accent of course) "Darling, let me show you how to make a risotto the right way. Yes, in the kitchen. Right now". And that's just what he did. Well, isn't he charming? Now do you see why I was afraid to make risotto? If Jyll couldn't make it right, what makes me think I could? Well, I was wrong. And it turned out wonderfully.

Now onto how it tastes (yes, I do overwrite). To me, risotto is the Italian version of Mac 'n' Cheese (though I do believe that is originally considered Italian as well....?) However, instead of pasta we use arborio rice, a short grain rice that's very meaty (haha) and tender. The trick with this dish is that you have to stir it constantly (and yes, by constantly I do mean constantly). The best part of this whole recipe is the marscapone. It makes the rice so thick and creamy. Not to mention the fact that you first mix the marscapone with lemon juice. Seriously, I could eat a whole bowl of just that.

And this is yet another dish that comes complete with leftovers! And I mean a lot of leftovers. Seriously, I'm about to go eat some now for lunch.

All in all this risotto turned out fabulous. It really is a good way to get your vegetables while eating comfort food.

How easy is that?

Leda :)

The Results......

Yes, by titling this "The Results" I am totally making this overdramatic. Anyway, here's how my Meatless Monday Meal of, yup you guessed it, pasta primavera came out!


(I'm sure you all really appreciate my expert camera skills....)




The Whole table, complete with bread and salad





Side view....pretty





Top view-the vegetables were so colorful




So I hope you all get the chance to try out this wonderful recipe. It honestly did not take much time at all, I even had time to clean up and make a homemade salad dressing in between! The best part of it was the roasted vegetables with the herbs de provence. The onions were ridiculously addicting! (They kinda tasted like onion rings... healthier though). Despite it's overall deliciousness, there is one small flaw which is that there is SO much pasta and it leaves you wanting more veggies (Surprising, right?). And because of this, there's a lot of leftovers (even though it said it served 6... exactly the number of people eating in my house).

But who said leftovers are a bad thing?

Happy Eating!
Leda :)

(Image Credit: Personal Collection)

Meatless Monday Meal of the Week- Giada's Pasta Primavera!

Hey everyone!

Okay, fine, I haven't posted in a while. I've been busy with a whole mess of things. But now that I'm done working at camp for the summer, I'll have oodles of free time to keep blogging away for my loyal followers (you know who you are...)

So this post is gonna be short and sweet, as I have deemed myself notorious for writing uber long blog posts.

Anyway, we all know what day it is! Yes, that's right, its Meatless Monday. I can sense your excitement! So tonight I will be making Pasta Primavera. Meaning "Spring Pasta" in Italian, Pasta Primavera is a light, healthy and simple pasta dish with lots of fresh vegetables. Although there are loads of different recipes for this dish, I have decided to go to a trusted source. The trusted source that I speak of is the one and only Giada De Laurentiis. Knowing her and her Italian roots, this pasta dish is sure to be amazing. Here's the recipe!



Ingredients:

3 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips
2 medium zucchini or 1 large zucchini, cut into thin strips
2 yellow squash, cut into thin strips
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs or herbs de provence
1 pound farfalle (bowtie pasta)
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup grated Parmesan


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

On a large heavy baking sheet, toss all of the vegetables with the oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs to coat. Transfer half of the vegetable mixture to another heavy large baking sheet and arrange evenly over the baking sheets. Bake until the carrots are tender and the vegetables begin to brown, stirring after the first 10 minutes, about 20 minutes total.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Toss the pasta with the vegetable mixtures in a large bowl to combine. Toss with the cherry tomatoes and enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve immediately.



One thing that I really love about Pasta Primavera is how you can add in any vegetables that are in season and it always tastes great. This version contains very summery (or should I say "springy") vegetables including squash, zuchinni and tomatoes. However, Giada puts a little spin on this classic by roasting the vegetables instead of blanching them, making this dish more rustic and, fortunately, less time consuming.

Look forward to pictures of this finished product tonight!

Pasta Primavera, here I come!
Leda :)

Recipe Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis at FoodNetwork.com (also available in her cookbook "Everyday Italian")

Meatless Monday Photos!!

Okay, I'll admit it, I'm being really lazy tonight (okay, I'm not really being lazy, I just had a lot of work to do and I'm tired. Deal with it.) so I'm just gonna keep this post short and sweet with some pictures I took of what I made on Monday (meatless, of course).

Well, before I do that, I think I should just tell you about my experience cooking this food. For one thing, cooking is always going to be a lot harder than you think it will be. No matter how good you are. Take me, for example. I've had a fair share of cooking experiences, but I had originally thought that this would be easy, but let me tell you, it wasn't. I'm not saying it was technically challenging, but there was just a lot to do. Like chopping. Chopping is just downright awful.

Anyway, the point is, don't underestimate the recipe. This recipe was great, though. It was clear, concise, and ended up tasting great! I don't mean to scare you or anything, I just don't want you to be surprised.

So, without further ado, I am officially revealing my creations! And if you're looking for the recipes, make sure to check out my previous post. Enjoy!

Leda :)


P.S. My favorite part of this meal was definitely the sauce. Seriously. I would use that stuff on absolutely anything. SO addicting.




The carrot ginger soup and consturcted lettuce wrap





The noodles! Iadded a sprig of mint for color :)






The condiments (sauce, cilantro, lime, peanuts, coconut)





The whole table! (yes, there are 6 place settings)

Meatless Monday Meal! (Plus: The Wonders of Whole Foods)

Monday is right around the corner everyone! And we all know what that means: Going back to work, getting up early, and oh, did I mention Meatless Monday? Yup, thats Monday for ya. The best day of the week!

So it is now time for me to share with you the meatless recipes that I am personally going to make this Monday. And no, my mother is not going to be the one cooking it. It's me. Anyway, I haven't actually made these recipes yet, so I can't tell you how they turn out (that will have to wait until Monday night, of course) but I want you sitting there at home reading this to have time to get all of the ingredients you need. Okay, here it goes. My Meatless Monday Meal of the Week:


Lettuce Wraps with Chile Peanut Noodles:


Ingredients

Chile Peanut Noodles:

3 ounces dried bean thread noodles
1/2 cup unsweetened peanut butter
3 tablespoons brown rice syrup
1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon shoyu or tamari
2 teaspoons chile sauce 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped


Lettuce Wraps:

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup dehydrated coconut flakes
1/2 cup toasted peanuts, roughly chopped
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
4 limes, quartered
1 head butter lettuce, such as Boston Hoisin sauce

Method

For the chile peanut noodles, soften noodles in medium pot of hot water until tender, about 15 minutes. Bring noodles to a boil and cook 1 minute, then drain and set aside. Using a food processor, mix together the peanut butter, brown rice syrup, lime juice, shoyu or tamari, chile sauce, garlic, and 1/3 cup warm water until combined thoroughly. Toss noodles with 1/2 cup of the chile dressing. Reserve remaining dressing, and set noodles and dressing aside. For the lettuce wraps, arrange cilantro, coconut, peanuts, onions, limes, lettuce, hoisin sauce, chile noodles, and reserved chile dressing in separate bowls. Let guests create their own lettuce wraps by topping lettuce leaves with any or all of the items as they like.


Nutrition

Per serving * (about 6oz/169g-wt.): 540 calories (300 from fat), 34g total fat, 11g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 470mg sodium, 49g total carbohydrate (7g dietary fiber, 14g sugar), 14g protein *Does not include sauces


Carrot-Ginger Soup:

Ingredients

4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
1 pound carrots, coarsely chopped
1 medium Yukon gold potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

Method

Heat 1/2 cup broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in ginger, carrots, potato and remaining broth and heat to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. In batches, carefully puree in blender. Stir in lemon juice and garnish with chives.

Nutrition

Per Serving: 130 calories (5 from fat), 0g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 220mg sodium, 28g total carbohydrate (5g dietary fiber, 9g sugar), 3g protein


Okay, I know that seems like a lot of, well, "stuff" to do (I hate that word, but it seemed necessary) however, the recipes really are simple. And what makes it simple to do (and simple to find) is a little place called Whole Foods. You're probably thinking "Wow, this girl's just so obviously trying to advertise Whole Foods" but in my honest opinion Whole foods is an amazing place. Although Whole Foods was (and still is) notorious for it's exorbitant prices, it has gotten cheaper in recent years. Not only is the quality of food great, but they have this wonderful sense of community that is contagious once you walk in. When you're there, you want to buy those apples from the orchard 20 miles away and you feel the need to buy the grass fed, humanely treated ground beef. At Whole Foods, you can always make good choices.

Now, I could go on and on and on about how magical Whole Foods is, but much of that will come to you in later (and shorter) posts. But for now, I'll just leave it at that.

Make sure you check out my blog Monday night when Ill reveal the results of my (hopefully) beautiful Meatless Monday Meal (pictures included, of course)!

Until then, Happy Eating!
Leda :)

(Image and Recipe Credit: Whole Foods)

The Truth About Factory Farming

Close to 99% of all meat consumed in the United States comes from what are called "factory farms". So chances are that the last piece of meat you ate (whether it's fish, beef, chicken or pork) came from one of these so called "farms".

But what exactly is factory farming?

Some of you may be familiar with the name, but few know what they are, what they do, and what meaning they have to us as consumers. And here's where I come in. To tell you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

First, I would like you to visualize where you think your meat comes from. Do you see that big red barn? Oh, look! A happy farmer and his little family! Look at all those happy cows, pigs and chickens roaming free on the open grasslands! Beautiful, isn't it?

Now, completely erase that image from your mind. And don't worry if this was the way you thought farming was, because up until recently, that's what I thought too.

Okay, now that that visual has now (hopefully) disintegrated in your mind, I would like for you to picture a real factory farm. Imagine a long shed with a tin roof, and inside there are animals (chickens, cows, pigs... your choice) either stacked in cages to the ceiling or packed in an extremely small area. Now, these animals aren't the slightest bit happy. Their bodies may be too big for their legs to carry them due to the excessive amount of steroids and drugs that they are forced to take. The animals that are in severe pain aren't even the worst of it. Many lie dead on the ground and decay for days before being taken away. Blood curdling cries flood the room, and the animals are in a frenzy, yet they have nowhere to go.

(If you are still having trouble trying to grasp that image, as many of us initially do, please refer to the picture above.)

This is where your meat comes from. This is where 99% of all of our meat comes from. And this, my friends, is only a broad picture of what goes on in factory farms across our nation. I could possibly go on for pages and pages about the specifics, but those will come to you in later posts.

At this point, I am only looking for you to get a little picture in your mind of what I'm talking about and what I care about.

And as I sign off for today, I am asking you one thing:

Is this where you want your meat to come from?


(Image credit: "Broiler Chickens Raised for Slaughter" by Farm Sanctuary via Flickr)

(Citation: "99% of..." calculation by Jonathan Safran Foer based on census inventory, EPA regulations, and NASS reports from 2007 and 2008)