What I'm Cooking: Menu by Guest Blogger Mary Dene

I can't stop smiling.  And laughing.  This is going to be awesome.  I asked my incredibly cool friend, Mary Dene, to be my guest blogger.  She's an amazing cook, and she's become a vegetarian since we were stationed together in Germany.  I asked her to tell us how she arrived at such a monumental decision, and then to make this week's menu for my family.  The Wonder Hub is, thankfully (in addition to being a good sport), the kind of man who really just wants to be fed.  The boys have the palates of full-grown world-travelers, and will eat darn near anything.  Just the same, I think I'll let the menu play itself out without cluing them in on its theme.  

It should be fun, come along for the ride!

 “Are you, really? Oh wow, I could never do that. I could never give up meat. You’re a better person than I am.”   I hear that E-V-E-R-Y week – every single week.  So why did I give up meat after 45 years? Two very simple reasons and 1 scapegoat: 1) It started out as a continuous case of painful acid reflux and an outbreak of hives every day. 2) I became brave enough to own what I was eating. Where did the animal come from? How was it raised? What was it fed? Is it leaving a HUGE carbon footprint? So now my philosophy is, “If I eat it, I will own it.”  The scapegoat was that I had always been looking for a reason to become a vegetarian. In my heart of hearts, it never felt right eating the muscle tissue of another animal.

Reason #1: My sister, the nurse, kept pushing me to go to the doc and get a prescription for acid reflux. She said, “I’m on Nexium, Dad’s on it, Mom was on it. It’s just hereditary. You’ll feel so much better.” My crunchy granola mind said, “Try a natural approach first.” Plus, I didn’t want to take medication everyday for the rest of my life. I thought I was too young for that, plus the image of Mom and Dad’s 28 slot pill box was too vivid. So, the first to go was dairy. Not hard. I’d given it up for Lent before. Presto – acid reflux GONE. Now I know why my parents said I was such a crier as a baby. Lactose intolerant. Case closed, sort of. (I now eat dairy is small quantities and not every day from organically AND humanely raised cows only.)

Here’s the scapegoat: Hives still haunted me. All around my middle and covering my thighs, every single night those hives would pop up. I would take a Benadryl, fall asleep scratching, only to wake up with an antihistamine hangover. No way to live. OK Mary, enter scapegoat. Finally, a reason to try and eliminate meat. Why meat? It was as good as any. During this period of abstaining from dairy and meat, my husband was deployed to Qatar. One night after I’d put the children to bed, I stumbled upon “Watch it Now” on Netflix. Enter Reason #2. One of the choices was Food Inc. I watched and was appalled and sickened. That did it. Total convert.

Is it hard sometimes? Yes. Have I faltered? Yes. Thanksgiving turkey and NC barbeque are the biggest temptresses. My remedy is akin to AA when I feel extremely weak. Instead of regular meetings, I re-watch the videos/movies on why I made my choice, and that’s enough of a moral kick in the pants to set me straight.  Also, my mantra at times of weakness is, “I’m eating the misery and suffering of others.” In my heart of hearts, I know it’s the right thing and I can live with myself again.  And the final nail in the coffin is, ‘According to a 2006 report by the Livestock, Environment And Development Initiative, the livestock industry is one of the largest contributors to environmental degradation worldwide, and modern practices of raising animals for food contributes on a "massive scale" to air and water pollution, land degradation, climate change, and loss of biodiversity.’  -Livestock's Long Shadow - Environmental Issues and Options is a United Nations report, released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on 29 November 2006. Do I want to have a finger in that pie? No.

The result of all of this is peace of mind. I feel good inside and out. Can you do it? Yes.

I cook a lot of ethnic foods. Italian, Greek, Korean, etc. If I have a theme, it’s easiest for me. Here’s a typical week’s menu:

MONDAY:  Greek – Hummus (Moosewood Cookbook), Tzatziki (Barefoot Contessa), Greek Salad and Pita Bread. http://www.invinciblemuffin.org/recipes/condiments/hummus_moosewood.html

http://www.barefootcontessa.com/recipes.aspx?RecipeID=597&S=0

TUESDAY: Italian – Eggplant Parmesan (Martha Stewart), Herb Mix Salad with Gorgonzola and homemade balsamic vinaigrette, baguette (http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/lighter-eggplant-parmesan?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/quick-meatless-recipes#slide_1)

WEDNESDAY: Mexican – Vegetable Enchiladas (Martha Stewart), Spanish Rice (Zatarain’s brand), homemade Guacamole and Salsa. (http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/vegetable-enchiladas)

THURSDAY: Korean – Bibimbap and side dishes called Banchan (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/boy-meets-grill/bibimbap-recipe/index.html) We live in Korea, so the access to ingredients for this dish is unlimited. However, make it your own.

FRIDAY: Thai - Kitchen Sink Vegetable Green Curry over a mixture of brown and Jasmine Rice http://www.atasteofthai.com/index.php?page=recipe&id=380

This is when I empty my vegetable drawer at the end of the week and throw in a can of drained garbanzo beans. I do not add the fish sauce, of course.

SATURDAY It’s Family Movie Night: Homemade Veggie Pizza.  I top our pizzas with Smart Sausages® Italian Style by Lightlife

(http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/processor-pizza-dough-684623/) I’ve used this recipe for years. It’s absolutely foolproof.

SUNDAY: Quiche (I usually add whatever vegetables I’m in the mood for), Salad and Baguette  (http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/crustless-broccoli-cheddar-quiches?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/quick-meatless-recipes#slide_12) I use soy milk instead of half and half.

This is just a small fraction of the things I cook, but it is imperative that our family sit down every night together and eat. 95% of the time it happens.  I also discovered this weekly download on Huffington Post. It’s really fun to pick a topic and hear what everyone has to say. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/05/huffpost-family-dinner-do_n_779622.html