Meatless Monday Menu Week 4

It's time to shrink our carbon footprint a bit and have a great meatless meal.  Tonight we had noodles and tofu in a peanut butter ginger sauce.

I enjoy cooking (actually eating) but one of my weaknesses is with making sauces.  Most of my expeience with cooking and sauces has been opening up a jar of something.  The sauce tonight was quite easy to make.

Ingredients
Sauce
3 cloves garlic minced
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2/3 cup soy sauce
2 tsps ground ginger
8 green onions sliced
1 cup peanuts
1 tbs of honey

Pasta
1 pound of pasta
1 package of tofu, rinsed and cut into 1 inch cubes.  We used organic since soybeans can be heavily treated with pesticides.

2-3 tbs of olive oil

Directions
1. Peel and mince the garlic and set aside.  Then wash and slice the green onions.  Set aside.
Tip: I used scissors for the green onions.  My knives tend to shred the delicate green onions.

2. Prepare the tofu.  Then heat the olive oil in a skillet until it is hot but not smoking.  Add the tofu cubes and use a spatula to toss the tofu periodically.  Begin boiling the water for your pasta as well.  Add the pasta when the water boils.

3.  While the tofu is cooking and the pasta is hopefully not boiling over, it's time to make the sauce. In a good size bowl, scoop out the peanut butter and honey.  Then add the hot water and stir using a fork.  It might not look too appealing at this point.  Then add the soy sauce, and stir.  You may want to use a spoon since the peanut butter can settle or stick to the bottom of the bowl.  Finally, add the ginger and garlic and stir some more.  Don't forget to check on the pasta and tofu.

4.  When the pasta is ready, drain the pasta and place it into a large bowl.  Add the cooked tofu and sauce and mix everything together.  The sauce can be somewhat runny so pull some of it up from the bottom of the bowl to help mix.  Finally add the green onions and peanuts.  If you wish, you can stir these in with the pasta.

Enjoy this protein rich, meatless meal and way to go cutting your carbon emissions.



Next week, we'll profile a meatless breakfast recipe.

How Big Is Your Carbon Footprint?

What is a carbon footprint and what does it matter how big it is?  Well, your carbon footprint is an estimate of how much carbon dioxide and methane, two greenhouse gases, are produced by all of the actions a person does.  The estimate of a carbon footprint also includes all of the objects that a person buys that require carbon to make and ship. So if I take a trip on a plane, carbon dioxide is produced by the burning if the fuel.  If I buy a new toaster, carbon dioxide is generated to gather the raw materials, ship them to a factory, make the toaster, send the toaster to a store, and to take it home.

Does size matter?  Yes it does and the larger the footprint, the larger the problem is.  There are many ways to shrink your carbon footprint, but first you should find out about how large it is.

Try one of the online calculators below.

Nature.org highlights areas such as home energy.  It also includes the world and U.S. averages.

The EPA also has a carbon footprint calculator.  Make sure you have an electricity and heating bill handy since they ask for an estimate of your monthly heating and electricity usage.  They also provide a list of suggestions to decrease your carbon emissions.  

The Oregon Carbon Calculator shows how you compare to similar households.  It also suggests ways that you can improve your carbon footprint.

Once you've estimated your carbon footprint, it's time to take action.  The actions you take and the purchases you make have an effect on the health of the planet.  

Meatless Monday Menu: Week 3

Today's meatless feature is a homemade basil, red onion, and mushroom pizza.  And let me tell you, it was delicious.

Quite a few years ago, I used to subscribe to Time magazine.  The April 9, 2007 Global Warming Survival Guide edition really caught my attention.  We had recently had a winter which was the warmest in my lifetime and I thought, "this is real and something needs to be done."  Fortunately, there are many practical suggestions that I have tried to incorporate into my own life.

Number 22 is the reason why I am doing the Meatless Monday Menu.  When I was younger, almost all of my lunches and dinners would have meat, lots of meat.  Knowing the impact that eating meat has on our planet, I eat less, less meat.  My goal in with these posts is to provide meatless meal ideas that taste good and are nutritional as well.

Tonight's meatless meal can be as simple or fancy as you like so feel free to modify the recipe.


Ingredients:
Pizza dough from a store or homemade pizza dough.  We used Jay's Signature Pizza Crust Recipe.
Olive oil for greasing your pizza pan or stone
Your favorite pizza sauce.  We used sauce from Trader Joe's
Mozzarella cheese

Toppings:
Dried oregano
Parmesan cheese
5 baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1/4 of a red onion, cut into larger pieces
1/2 cup of fresh basil, rinsed and cut into strips

Directions: Make the dough or follow the directions for the premade dough.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  If you are using a pizza stone, be sure to keep it in the oven until the baking temperature is reached.

On a floured surface, roll out the dough to your desired thickness and shape.  This is a good time to add flavors to the dough like garlic or oregano if you so desire.  Then pour a small amount of olive oil on your pizza pan or stone.   Using a brush, coat the pan or stone so that the pizza dough won't stick.

Transfer the dough to the pan or stone.

Then spread the sauce onto the dough, leaving the perimeter of the dough sauce-free.  Next add the cheese, covering all of the sauce.  I prefer to sprinkle the oregano and parmesan before I add any other toppings.  Once you have the oregano and parmesan cheese sprinkled onto the pizza, it's time for your main toppings.  I like a lot of toppings so the amount I used may be too heavy for your taste.  If so, adjust accordingly.  If you are feeling adventurous, try adding the sauce, toppings, and cheese in a different sequence.

Finally, bake your pizza for about 15-18 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.  If the pizza dough has stuck to the pan, use a spatulla to seperate the pizza from the pan before cutting.

Enjoy your pizza while lowering your carbon footprint.

For more meatless meal ideas, check out the Meatless Monday website.

Installing a Rain Barrel

Installing a rain barrel is a fantastic way that we can reduce our tap water usage.   Basically, whenever it rains, water is diverted from the gutters and into the barrel.  During a storm, any excess water flows through a hose at the top and into the grass.  Then, when you need to irrigate, you can either place a watering can under the tap or attach a hose to the valve in the bottom of the barrel.

When you purchase or make a rain barrel, there are some important things that should be done prior to installation.  First of all, the rain barrel needs a solid surface to rest on.  If your downspouts are not located by a solid surface, you will need to dig out a couple of inches of soil.  You will then need to form a base by putting gravel down, one inch at a time, and tamp it down each time.  Once the compacted gravel is close to the surface of the soil, you will then need to place some sand on top of the gravel.  Once the sand is on top of the gravel, tamp it down.  Then you can use a two foot level and to make sure the sand is level.  Once the sand is level, you are ready to place your stepping stones or bricks down.

Once you have a solid place to set the rain barrel, you will then need to cut away part of the downspout so the rainbarrel can fit under it.  Then reattach the elbow to the downspout, ensuring that the rain will flow into the rain barrel.

It is important that your rain barrel has a lid on top so that young children don't accidentally fall in.  A fine screen is necessary for the part of the lid where water flows in.  The screen keeps debris and adult mosquitoes out of the water.

Additionally, depending on your roofing materials, harmful chemicals may leak into the rainwater from your roof. Roofs with treated cedar shingles, old tar, and asphalt shingles can leech toxins into your runoff water.  It is recommended not to use the rainwater that is collected from your roof to water herbs, vegetables, and fruit.

Besides helping to irrigate your ornamental garden or lawn during dry spells, storing rain in rain barrels lowers runoff and the amount of water flowing into storm sewers.  This can potentially lower the effects of flooding in a community.   I own one rain barrel and during a storm, it can collect and store 50 gallons of rainfall.  My home is 864 square feet.  If one inch of rainfall landed on my roof, a total of 539 gallons of water would flow through the gutters.  My rain barrel would store about 9.28 % of the runoff.  Of course, most storm sewers can easily handle an inch of rain at a time.  However, by storing water, rain barrels can be an important tool to help minimize flooding during heavier storms.

For more rain barrel tips, check out this rain barrel care guide.

Meatless Monday Menu Week 2

Today we our having vegetarian fajitas.  The beauty of vegetarian fajitas, well any fajitas, is that you can pick and choose what ingredients you place in the tortilla. Here is what we used.

 Ingredients:

1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper

I'm always overfilling my tortilla.

1 red onion
4 romaine lettuce leaves, washed and cut into bite size pieces
1 30 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed.
5 baby bella or button mushrooms
1 avocado
1 jalapeno pepper
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
cheddar, mozzarella, Monterrey Jack, or colby cheese.  We used colby since that was in the fridge.  Shred if necessary.
tortillas
fresh cilantro
salsa
plain yogurt or sour cream
your favorite hot sauce

Suggested spices: garlic, cumin, cayenne pepper, and cajun seasoning.

Begin by slicing the onions and peppers into thin strips.  Slice the mushrooms.  Add the olive oil to a skillet and heat it on a medium setting.  Then saute the onions for a few minutes until tender.  Be sure to flip the onions occasionally so they do not burn on one side.

What a colorful meal!

Then add the the mushrooms and pepper to the skillet and stir occasionally.  After a few minutes, add the beans and continue to stir occasionally.  This is a great time to add what ever spices you are using.  While the vegetables are cooking, peel and slice the avocado.

After the beans have softened, you are ready to eat.  We like to set our counter up like a buffet so that each person can easily personalize their fajitas. 

Enjoy.

Line Dry Your Clothes to Save Energy and Money

Line drying clothes is a sure way to reduce energy consumption.  According to Laundrylist.org, clothes dryers account for 5.9 percent of residential energy use.  By investing in and using a clothes line or drying rack, you could potentially eliminate that portion of your home's energy consumption, costs, and any associated pollution.  All of that by letting the sun and wind do the drying for you.

Calculate your clothes dryer costs.

In our house, we use three drying racks to accommodate each load of laundry.  One of the racks has three pieces of netting attached to the racks.  The netting is great since it prevents stretching of knitted fabrics by allowing you to lay the clothes out flat.  In spring, summer, and autumn, we are able to line dry clothing on most days.  In the winter and on days with precipitation, the clothes are either placed in the dryer or line dried in our basement.  As a note of caution, if you line dry clothing inside your home, use a dehumidifier or have open windows so that humidity does build up in your home.  A home that is too humid may encourage mold growth.

Using a clothes dryer has hidden costs as well as the obvious cost of energy used to run the machine. If you use a clothes dryer in the summer months, some of the dryer's heat will warm your house.  In effect, your air conditioner will have work even harder to cool your home.

As with any machine, using it will cause wear and tear.  Maintence, repairs, and replacement will become necessary.  Reducing the usage of your clothes dryer will decrease the frequency of necessary care.  This can save both money and reduce the needed materials needed for repairs and replacement.

Speaking of wear and tear, using the dryer is harsh on the fabrics of your clothes.  All of that lint in the lint trap has to come from somewhere.  When you use the clothes dryer, your clothes become worn out much sooner.

If you use a clothesline or drying racks, there are some things to be mindful of.  If you plan to dry your laundry outdoors, keep an eye on the weather.  Rain can quickly soak your clothes.  And while we are on the topic of things falling from the sky, don't dry your clothes under trees or other places that birds congregate at.  Finally, if you are able, take dry clothes off of the line when they are ready.  By doing this, more air and sun can reach the remaining damp clothes.  This will speed up the drying process of the remaining clothes.

Meatless Monday Menu: Week 1

I'm starting a weekly feature called the Meatless Monday Menu. I grew up eating a lot of meat and potato meals. It has only been in the past few years where I have really made a concerted effort to eat a balanced diet. Now I look forward to the delicious vegetarian recipes that we have found and prepared.

One of my reasons for having a Meatless Monday is to shrink my carbon footprint. Cows and other animals produce methane as a byproduct of digestion. Methane which over time, is a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. According to the EPA, methane can trap 20 times more heat than carbon dioxied. If the demand for beef decreases, farmers and ranchers will shift what they grow and raise away from cattle. By skipping meat, your carbon footprint is reduced.

Tonight's menu will be: Homemade bean burgers, rice pilaf, and grapes. Drinks will be organic milk and water.

Here is our recipe for the bean burgers.

1 30 ounce can of black beans rinsed and drained.
2 teaspoons of ground cumin
10 tablespoons of bread crumbs.  These can be made easily in a food processor.
2-4 mushrooms, minced.
8 hamburger buns or lettuce for wraps.
4 tablespoon olive oil
Optional: 1 tablespoon of minced jalapeno pepper

1. Mash the beans in a bowl until they are smooth.  I use a metal reusable water bottle to mash the beans.  Stir in cumin, breadcrumbs, and jalapeno.

2. Then use floured hands and make the burgers.

3. Next, you will be cooking the burgers on either a large skillet or electric grill.  If you use a skillet, you will have to cook the burgers in two skillets or two batches.  Heat the oil on medium heat until hot but not smoking. Place the burgers in the skillet or on the grill.  Cook until they are golden brown.  Flip them once.

Instead of using buns, we are going to use lettuce leaves to hold the burgers.  I prefer cheddar cheese and red onions as a toppings. Avocado slices and sautéed mushrooms are a welcome addition as well.  

Dropping by a Green Fair

If you are looking for new ideas for how to be more green, check out a local green fair.  While Green fairs vary greatly in size, you can be sure that all of the organzations are concerned about and arebcommitted to the environment.

If you go to a green fair, chances are that you will find volunteer organizations, green companies, entertainment, and people wishing to inform you of ecologically sound practices.  There may even be drop off sites for specific recycleables but be sure to check ahead.

Whether it is finding out what is recycleable in your community or discovering ways to compost in your garden, you can be sure to find out how to be a better steward of the Earth. At a recent green fair, I was able to speak with the proud owner of a Nissan Leaf.  I was able to not only check out the car, but to also find out that they have never run out of battery power, which is a concern of many potential electric vehicle drivers.  There is also little maintenance.  Good bye oil changes!  The next time I purchase a car, I will seriously consider electric.

Education at green fairs is fantastic, but one must act on that knowledge in order to help our planet.  When attending a green fair, there may be companies promoting their environmentally ethical practices and products.  These companies are great for helping families and organizations improve their environmental impact.  The also supplement a person's ability to do it yourself.  At my house, I was able to install our rain barrel, but I would prefer to hire a certified company to place solar panels on our roof.  A green fair is a great opportunity to shop for environmentally friendly products and services, and all under one roof.

If you missed your local green fairs, don't be disappointed.  Most are annual and depending on where you live, there may be several held nearby.

What was the best thing you saw or learned about at a green fair?