I’ve been reading Dr. Mark Hyman’s blog post titled Money, Politics, and Health Care: A Disease-Creation Economy. Dr. Hyman talks about the fact that one pound of meat requires 2000 gallons of water and produces 58 times more greenhouse gasses than one pound of potatoes. It takes 7000 pounds of grain to produce 1000 pounds of meat. If we all switched out one meat meal for one vegetarian meal each week, it would be the equivalent of taking half a million cars off of the road.
In my home, we eat at least one vegetarian meal each week- mostly because it feels much more like fuel for our bodies - like we’re running a little lighter!
I’m going to suggest one recipe of Black Beans that will be used for three meals - two of these meals are meatless.
Black Beans from Scratch
1 pound dried black beans (if you want really wonderful, creamy beans, try Rancho Gordo.com. They are worth it)
1 onion
1 carrot
1 jalapeño
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp herbes de provence
1/2 cup white wine
olive oil
sea salt
1. Soak the beans overnight. In the morning, put them in a stovetop pot, covering them with a few inches of water.
2. ADD: 1 whole onion, 1 whole carrot, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tsp herbes de provence, 1 jalapeno pepper. Cook on low for about 1 1/2 hours until soft, but not broken down.
3. Drain, but KEEP the broth. Remove vegetables. Add beans to baking dish, cover almost to top of beans with broth. Add about 1/2 cup white wine, several Tablespoons of Olive Oil, and plenty of Sea Salt. Bake at 350 degrees, covered, until they are soft enough to serve.
MEAL ONE- BLACK BEANS AND BROWN RICE
Black beans and brown rice combined make up a perfect protein! Serve with a green salad, or do what I did, described above.
MEAL TWO - CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP (with black beans)
1 cup chopped onion
3 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 quart organic chicken stock (Costco has a good one)
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can chopped green chilies, undrained
about 2 cups of your black beans from yesterday!
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
Put all ingredients in your pot, simmer for about an hour or so while you have a glass of wine or beer with your significant other.
Serve with chopped fresh cilantro, a few tortilla chips and a little grated cheddar on top!
Add a salad for your complete meal.
MEAL THREE- BLACK BEAN TACOS
Taco Shells
Black Beans, Warmed up
Cheddar or monterey pepper jack cheese, grated
Tomatoes, fresh
avocado
lettuce
Salsa
RSS Feed
