Wrap your mind around this...

It takes 16 pounds of grain and 5,214 gallons of water to produce a single pound of beef.

Maybe if more of us were vegetarian, there would be more food in the world to feed the hungry...

Southwestern Bean Chili


(very easy to make vegetarian by leaving out the boullion)

Ingredients

* 3 cups water
* 1 15-oz. can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 14 1/2-oz. can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes, undrained
* 1 10-oz. pkg. frozen whole kernel corn (2 cups)
* 1 cup sliced carrot
* 1 cup chopped onion
* 1 4-oz. can diced green chile peppers, undrained
* 2 Tbsp. instant beef or chicken bouillon granules
* 2 to 3 tsp. chili powder
* 1 tsp. bottled minced garlic
* 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
* 1 tsp. baking powder
* Dash salt
* Dash ground black pepper
* 1 egg white
* 2 Tbsp. milk
* 1 Tbsp. cooking oil

Directions

In a 4-quart Dutch oven combine water, kidney beans, black beans, undrained tomatoes, corn, carrot, onion, undrained chili peppers, bouillon granules, chili powder, and garlic. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, for dumplings, in a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and pepper. In a small mixing bowl combine egg white, milk, and oil. Add to flour mixture; stir with a fork just until combined. Drop dumpling mixture into 6 mounds atop the bubbling soup. Cover and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a dumpling comes out clean. (Do not lift lid while dumplings are cooking.) Makes 6 servings.
Nutrition Facts

* Calories 269,
* Total Fat (g) 4,
* Saturated Fat (g) 1,
* Monounsaturated Fat (g) 1,
* Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 1,
* Cholesterol (mg) 0,
* Sodium (mg) 681,
* Carbohydrate (g) 53,
* Total Sugar (g) 6,
* Fiber (g) 10,
* Protein (g) 14,
* Vitamin A (DV%) 0,
* Vitamin C (DV%) 0,
* Calcium (DV%) 0,
* Iron (DV%) 0,
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Fried Pumpkin


Not the healthiest way to eat pumpkin, but it sure sounds good - similar to the previous recipe.

INGREDIENTS: (4 servings)
1 lb 5 oz Pumpkin
2 Eggs
3 1⁄2 oz Butter
2 oz White Flour

BreadcrumbsMilk

Salt


Remove the rind and seeds of the pumpkin and cut into medium slices.
Put the slices in a casserole dish and add salt to taste.
Cover with milk and cook for 10 minutes, then drain.
Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl and lightly salt.
Melt butter into a frying pan.

Flour the slices of pumpkin, dip the egg and coat with breadcrumbs, pressing lightly each slice.

Fry until golden.
Place thepumpkins over kitchen paper and serve hot.

Baked Squash


1/3 c. bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
4 small zucchini (or yellow squash) quartered
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

Combine Parmesan, bread crumbs and seasoning in a shallow bowl.

Dip squash in egg, then in crumbs.

Place on cookie sheet and bake at 450 for about 20 minutes. Serves 3-4.

This could be interesting....

Organic Vanilla Almond Milk

1 cup raw almonds
4 cups filtered water
Pinch of sea salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp raw honey

Method

  1. Soak the nuts in water for 12 hours. You should rinse and drain the nuts at least once during this period.

  2. Combine the nuts with the filtered water in a blender. Break all the nuts down but don't let the blender heat the mixture.

  3. Strain the mixture through the nut bag. Add sea salt, raw honey, and vanilla extract and mix thoroughly.

  4. The milk should keep for about five days.
(You can get the nut bag mentioned below at your local health foods store)

Lentil Soup

This from thekitchn.com

To make it vegetarian, I left out the meat and added a drop or two of liquid smoke to replace the smokiness, and changed the chicken stock to vegetable stock - It was still fabulous!
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Fridge-Clearing Lentil Soup
Makes 10-12 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion (of any color), chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1/4 pound chopped bacon, pancetta or ham, optional
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2" - 1" knob ginger, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, optional
2 bay leaves
1 pound dried green lentils, picked over and rinsed
4 - 6 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock or water
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
4 cups chopped fridge-cleared vegetables (cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, leafy greens, etc.)

Yogurt, sour cream or crème fraîche plus chopped herbs and/or chopped onion for garnish

In a large soup pot (6 quart capacity or more), heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté the onion 1-2 minutes until softening, then add garlic and bacon. Add a teaspoon or so of salt and a few cranks of pepper. Cook until bacon browns a bit, another minute or so. Add the ginger, optional red pepper flakes, bay leaves, and lentils. Pour over enough stock to cover. Raise the heat to bring to a boil then lower to a simmer over medium low heat and cover.

If adding hard vegetables like carrots, add them after 15 minutes. This is also when to add the tomatoes. If adding medium-hard vegetables like cauliflower or squash, add after 20 minutes. If adding leafy greens, add when lentils are almost cooked through.

Cook a total of 30-40 minutes, checking in every 10 minutes to stir the pot. Soup is done when lentils and vegetables are tender, but not falling apart. If soup needs more liquid at any time, stir in a cup or two. (It should look like thick soup, but not like thick chili.) When consistency is right, check for seasoning and adjust as needed. Fish out the bay leaves and discard or compost.

For a smoother soup, blend some or all of it in a blender (careful when the soup is hot to blend in small batches.) Return the blended soup to the pot and stir. After blending it may need more liquid. It also will probably need more liquid after cooling and reheated as leftovers.

Garnish with a dollop of yogurt and or chopped onion or herbs.
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Five Spice Soup

I found this at planetgreen.discovery.com this morning... haven't tried it but I plan on it!

Five Spice Soup

6 cups vegetable broth or water
1/2 pound firm tofu
2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1 large shallot head, sliced thinly
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp black bean sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 bunch tatsoi, chopped (substitute spinach, cabbage or other vegetables)
1 large sweet potato, sliced
2-3 small turnips, cut into bite-size pieces (about 2 cups)
2-3 scallions, cut on the bias
handful of cilantro
1 package buckwheat soba noodles, cooked according to package directions

1. Heat several tablespoons of oil in large soup pot. Saute shallots and garlic just until they start to brown. Add spice powder and tofu, stir-frying to coat (add additional oil if needed). Add soy sauce, black bean sauce, broth, sweet potatoes and turnips. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and cook until turnips and sweet potatoes are cooked about 20 minutes.

2. Add tatsoi and cook 5 more minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste.

3. To serve, scoop some noodles into a large bowl, spoon soup over noodles. Garnish with cilantro and scallions.