In general, I am much more moved by and attached to my
four-legged friends than my bi-pedal cohorts. Oh, the rivers I could have
filled with my tears for animals! I wept
for days for Bambi. I supressed choked sobs when in 6th grade
science class, we watched a nest of ducks get run over by a bulldozer. Sarah
McLaughlin inflicted 90 seconds of torture with her SPCA ads. And the worst, of
course, the good-byes I’ve whispered into the soft triangles on the heads of my
own furry friends.
Despite this affinity for creatures, I don’t think it is wrong
to eat an animal. Even the cute ones. Meat is arguably why we humans
are so super smart; meat gives us a lot of nutrients we need; meat is the only livelihood for many farmers who have
non-arable land; not everyone lives near a co-op or has access to ingredients for a balanced vegetarian diet; and dammit, meat is tasty,
especially put on a stick and grilled.
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| cute and delicious Italian goats |
However, the way animals are raised and slaughtered would
give the 1kg per day carnivore nightmares. It’s absolutely horrifying. And so,
so unnecessary. The current demand for meat far outweighs what is necessary for
our bodies. We only need about 500g per week which is the equivalent of a steak
and a couple of chicken breasts. Most Americans eat nearly twice that amount.
Not only is meat (especially red and processed meat) connected to cancer and
heart disease, its production is disastrous for the environment. But the big
cheeses in agribusiness don’t want us to know that! If we reduced our intake by
half, thus making it possible to afford high-quality, hormone-free, grass-fed
happy animal products, a lot of corporate farms would fall (or buy the farm, so
to speak).
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| horrifically unhappy animals |
But there’s also guilt I feel regarding the plant part of the diet. I fret about the damage done to the environment during the transportation of all those exotic fruits and vegetables I buy at the Asian supermarket. I worry about the deforestation that’s occurring so that I can put guacamole on my vegetarian tacos. I can’t ignore the vast amount of water that California uses so I can get my calcium and Vitamin E from a handful of almonds. And don’t get me started on all that plastic packaging of vegetables and grains that ends up in the landfills. Oh yeah, and what about all those kids who spend hours a day for a few pennies picking these nuts, vegetables, and fruits.
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| avocado farms in Mexico |
Going down the ethical rabbit hole is exhausting, so in the last year, I’ve had to set my moral compass in a way that I can live with. I only eat a bit of meat on the weekends and I try not to buy too many avocados. I don’t adhere to my rules all the time (no way I’m going to eat tofurkey on Thanksgiving) and I’ve given myself permission to let the rules change and evolve as I (hopefully) do.
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| tofurkey-gross! |
Cutting down on meat has been fairly easy. It’s all about
substituting it with ingredients that have a good “mouth-feel” and using lots of tasty colourful vegetables, grains, and spices.
I've cut out chicken in stir-fries and substitute it with cashew nuts. A big bag of cashews costs 2 euro can be used in 3-4 meals, whereas 2 free-range chicken breasts costs 4 euro.
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| cashews taste great fried |
I hated cauliflower for the first 40 years of my life until I discovered how roasting it in the oven transforms it into something that is hearty enough to be a main and even more delicious than meat. I use it as I would baked chicken and serve it with rice or quinoa, a veg, and a sauce. A head of cauliflower costs about 1.50 euro; 2 chicken breasts is about 4.
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| tandoori cauliflower |
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| roasted cauliflower with romesco sauce (vegan meal) |
Finely chopped mushrooms can take the place of half or all mince in ragu and lentils can replace mince in chilli. A box of mushrooms costs .89 euro. Mince is pretty cheap (2 euro for 400g of pork and 3 euro for beef) and can vary depending on how much fat is in it. More fat=cheaper.
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| looks like mince pork but shrooms, carrots, onion |
Ok, I know that there is as much of an issue with dairy production as meat (and it's not that much healthier), but a couple times a week won't kill me. And pan fried cheese is heaven. Paneer for one meal is a bit more expensive at 2.60 euro and haloumi is maybe 3.50. Still cheaper than steak.
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| fried paneer and vegetable curry |
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| fried haloumi and a salsa and dirty rice |
Chickpeas are amazing because they're healthy, toothsome, cheap, and have a lovely flavour. Also, using more carrots (cut 'em small and they're nearly invisible), celery, and vegetables in stew and soups can cut out some of the meat content. I'll be honest. I don't have the time and patience to buy dry chickpeas and soak them overnight and then cook them. They're much cheaper this way, but a can is .59 which is still a hell of a lot cheaper than meat.
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| chickpea, mango, vegetable curry (vegan) |
The foods I love best: lasagne, burgers, tacos, etc are often because of the sauces or toppings. So I've made those the star and don't really miss the meat.
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| spinach bean Mexican lasagne |
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| black bean burger
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Some vegetarian dishes can easily be mains and are quite filling on their own. One eggplant costs about 1 euro.
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| baked eggplant |
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| homemade falafel (another great use for chickpeas!) |
But of course, when I do get a hankering for a bit of steak, I try to put it in a healthy vehicle and limit the amount. These lettuce leaves are about .89 a pack. A package of tortillas is about 3 euro.
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| Korean lettuce wraps |
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| lamb, cabbage salad, hummus, baked plantain chips |
I feel fortunate that I like to cook and I live with somebody who enjoys my experiments. I don't have to worry about any kids who'd rather sit at a table for 7 hours in protest than eat a vegetable. I can't boast weight loss or a reversal of the aging process. Nor am I sure if my meals are that much cheaper when you factor in the cost of the ingredients of my pantry, but I do feel "lighter" and a bit healthier and my conscious regarding cows and avocados is somewhat eased. Now if I could just eat like this all the time instead of going crazy on Saturday and Sunday and eating baskets of onion rings, entire pizzas, and chocolate cakes.........
