Welcome to Monday! It is a pleasure to post these recipes each week. At the moment I am working on a pitch for a grant for mothering Mother, and the work is reminding me of the intention of the cotton bags and these recipes.
Outside of breathing, eating is the most repetitive action in our daily lives (I am omitting sleeping here!). Therefore effort that we put into changes in the food that we eat has the possibility of making a big difference environmentally when spread throughout a lifetime! mothering Mother is taking it one meal at a time! That is all that any of us can do, get the information and start to make incremental changes.
Shopping is a way to begin the process. If I choose to not buy packaged foods, such as chips, or granola bars, then when I am hungry for something easy and quick those options will not be sitting close at hand, and challenging me on my commitment to eat in a more healthy way. Just the thought of eating different foods can be overwhelming, even before I actually do anything! Just the mental activity can talk me out of my good intentions!
Take it one meal at a time. And with Meatless Monday, take it one day at a time. Prepare in advance for your Meatless Day so that there is less chance of you abandoning your efforts part way through the day. View the mothering Mother videos that show various techniques and some actual meals.
Stay the course! I can see our son putting less objections up for the Meatless Monday concept. He knows of the larger commitment that I have made, and although he and my husband are not on the same meatless journey, they do recognize the value in the holistic way of shopping and eating with the Earth in mind.
Reading the NY Times article on processed and junk food gives some understanding to the magnetic power of these foods. Let this knowledge be power for you, power to overcome the marketing that lulls all of us into these ways. Build strength!
Start by purchasing good quality vegetables, fruits and bulk items in cotton! Start to shift your habits right at the point of purchase – at the grocery store! We are here to inspire and support you and planet Earth’s health journey!
Eat well, be well.
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| Although I planned to cook with ginger and rutabaga, once I started the process I decided to keep it simpler! This is the cook’s prerogative and creativity! |
Grilled Tofu with Vegetables and Millet
1 block tofu, drained and dried in a cotton kitchen towel
Sesame oil
Salt, pepper
1 cup millet (see video ‘How To’ Cook Millet)
2 1/2 cups water or vegetable stock
Pinch of salt
1 T ghee or sesame oil (see video ‘How To’ Make Ghee Butter)
1 onion, sliced (see video ‘How To’ Slice an Onion)
1 red pepper, sliced (similar to the onion slices)
1/2 cup fennel, thinly sliced (use the bulb at the bottom, the stalk and the wispy green bits at the top)
1 tomato, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced (optional) (see video ‘How To’ Mince Garlic)
1 bunch spinach, washed and stems removed
Rinse, then slice the tofu into large flat pieces.
Lay flat on a kitchen towel, with another towel on top, and gently press out the water. Repeat this several times, moving the towel to find another dry place for pressing.
Brush sesame oil onto the tofu, sprinkling with a touch of salt and pepper, and put under a hot grill. Grill until a crispy edge forms.
Flip the tofu by placing another rack on top and then flipping it over. brush with oil and grill the other side. *Remember the oven gloves!
Brush with oil and grill the other side. Put the grilled tofu aside until the vegetables are ready.
Prepare the millet. Rinse it in a sieve under water, and then dry roast in the pan before adding the water and salt. Bring it to the boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and let cook for a further 40 minutes approximately. When cooked let the millet sit in the saucepan, covered, for a further 5 minutes.
In a wok or comparable frying pan, heat the ghee or sesame oil over a medium heat, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the pepper and fennel, cook a further 5 minutes. Add all parts of the fennel except the wispy green bits. They can go on at the last. Season with a little salt and pepper, and set aside to go on top of the tofu.
In the same hot pan, add the diced tomato and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the tomato is mostly broken down. Then add the spinach, folding over carefully so that all of the greens cook.
Onto a dinner plate put a piece of the tofu, topped with the onion/pepper/fennel combination, topped with the green wispy bits from the fennel. To the side add some millet and spinach!
Enjoy the colors, and the taste! If the mixture is too dry for your liking, add a small amount of a healthy condiment or oil from your pantry (in our home some tamari was added to one dinner).
Serves 3-4.
Shanthi
Cost (approximate numbers)
Tofu – $2.50
Millet – $.75
Onion – $.75
Red Pepper – $2.50
Fennel – $1.00
Tomato – $2.00
Garlic – $.25
Spinach – $3.99