The Greening of Gavin

Almost Veggie Update – November

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Ten months have past since we set our goal to reduce our meat intake by 80%.  We have consumed many hearty meals since then.

So what has it been like, I hear you ask?

Well, surprisingly, it has been not quite as difficult as we first thought.

Back at the beginning, Kim, Ben, and I were your traditional mainstream omnivores.  We had a portion of meat in our diet at least once a day, sometimes twice.

Once we decided that this reduction was a good idea for our health, the health of the planet and definitely the health of the animals we until then consumed regularly.  We began to look for meat substitutes.  This was to ensure that we could maintain the difference in our diet over the longer term.

Our initial concerns were places to source these alternatives, so along the way, we talked to friends who were vegetarians to find out how they ate.

One suggestion we took on board was that to use a dehydrated soy meal product that kind of looked like dried up beef mince.  You just soak it in warm water for a while, then drain and add to the dish you are preparing instead of mince.  Adding a good vegetable stock helped increase the flavour.

We have discovered many delicious meat substitutes on the market, including veggie bacon, veggie peperoni, and mycelium products made to look and taste like chicken, beef, and pork.  We definitely have rediscovered the full flavour of our home grown vegetables, and herbs.  We add garden grown herbs to just about every meal.

Home made Passata

Cooking with veg really reduces the preparation and cooking times of all meals.  Because the veg or substitute cooks so fast we find that we have so much more time to ourselves in the evening.  It doesn’t take very long to whip up a Lentil burger with a salad, or to make a hearty winter veg soup with beans.

We decided early on that we would have a fortnightly meat allowance, which was a few pieces of free range breed bacon on alternate Sunday mornings or in Egg and Bacon pies.  However, as time past, I found a perfectly good veggie bacon substitute on the market that has the same sort of look and taste.

Stretching the bacon allowance in a pie

Kim and I are down to a few meat meals a month now, which in hindsight has been a great achievement.  Our goal was never one of complete meatlessness (vegans, please respect my lifestyle), and we did cook up a beef madras curry and a chicken korma for my daughter’s 21st birthday dinner in mid October.  We used biodynamically grown meats to prepare this meal.  There was a fair bit left over, so as each guest departed, they left with a big container to keep them going over the next few days.

After eating that meal, I felt bloated and uncomfortable for the next couple of days, and thankfully we have not repeated that type of meal since.

My other meat vice is anchovies, which I put on my fortnightly home made pizza.  I bought a big jar at the start of the year, and we have still not finished it.  Talk about making food last.

Over the year we have found that eating mostly vegetarian meals has been quite easy, so much so that it is occasionally becoming difficult to remember the last time we actually ate meat.  As we discovered in October, we do not really miss these regular portions, and our bodies have adapted well.

As for missing our favourite dishes, this has not been an issue.  With the use of the meat substitutes our normal fare is still on the menu.  We still partake in dishes like cottage pie, lasagne, minestrone style soups, meatloaf (sans meat), and spaghetti bolognese to name a few.

Veggie Loaf

We have also been eating much more from the veggie patch.  I found that starting the meal preparation standing in the patch gets the ideas flowing.  I soon think of something to whip up for dinner even if it is a handful of herbs to add flavour to whatever I am planning.  Regular additions are spinach, rainbow chard, leeks, and spring onions.  Not to mention all the other veg that I grow when it is in abundance.  Eggs from the backyard flock are a staple protein for us.

All we had to do was change the way we thought about food.  I have recently had a medical check-up and my GP is very happy with my condition.  My blood pressure is getting back to normal (still on meds for it but reducing), and my LDL count is dropping.  My stomach issues have all but disappeared, except when I partake in a particularly spicy veggie curry (I am addicted to them).  On top of that, I feel fit as a fiddle, even with the odd back pain as I get older.

A big two leeks up for this lifestyle!

So there you have it.  A good result for all concerned, especially the animals I would have otherwise added to my plate.  Our environmental footprint has been reduced dramatically as well.

Who would have thought that we would still be eating this way ten months down the track?

Almost Vegetarian Update

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Kim and I have really taken to this change of eating pattern.  We are really enjoying it, and I feel full all the time.

In fact word is getting around.  Our local paper were looking for some vegetarians and contacted me (as the President of the sustainable living group), and wondered if I knew anybody that would talk to them.  I mentioned that I was ‘almost’ vegetarian with a goal of 80% less meat in our diet, and the reporter locked in an interview.  Here is the story: Vegging Out.  I was the odd one out, but at least I am trying my best.

We have replaced meat products with a range of things, mostly lentils, beans, pulses and some veggie substitutes that I have mentioned in this post titled “Almost Vegetarian?”  However, Kim recently found a really tasty meat substitute called Quorn, from the UK that has started to appear in the major supermarkets here in Australia.  The company website has this to say about the mock meat;

“Mycoprotein is the common ingredient in all Quorn products. It’s made from a member of the fungi family (the same family that morels and truffles belong to) and is a high-quality meat-free protein that’s low in fat, high in dietary fibre (important for your digestive system) and is a valuable source of amino acids.”

I like it, but the food miles are atrocious.  The price however is comparable to real meat, so it has not hit the back pocket.  Kim only buys it when it is on special, so it is even cheaper.

We still eat biodynamic bacon every second Sunday morning which eggs from our chooks, as we believe that if you are going to eat meat, it better have lived a happy life, free range and chemical free.  Occasionally, the odd anchovy lands on my home made pizza, but I can’t seem to do without the salty little suckers.

Anyway, all good so far, and I feel very healthy and my insides have never worked better!  I can’t remember if I mentioned it, but my cholesterol test was good, and was getting lower due to this conversion to almost vegetarian.  Love the benefits!

You will get a few more years greening and blogging out of me yet!

Group hugs all round for being ‘almost’ vegetarian.

Yellow Curry of Pumpkin

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We still have a few pumpkins left over from last years crop, so I cut one open the other night.  It was in perfect condition even after nearly 10 months of storage, and it was a good feeling that we still had some of this yummy vegetable even as we grow the new crop.

On to the curry.  This is a simple veggie recipe that I found in one of the many cookbooks that I have, that I thought I would give a try because we had all the ingredients and it looked quick to cook.

So into the garden.  As you can see in the picture above, I had to venture into the trifid patch to pick some green beans that were required for the dish (click to enlarge the pano photo).  Tip: If you make the browser large enough, you can see most of the east side of our yard.  Those new pumpkins vines sure are growing large!  It was a bit of a struggle but I managed to collect the required amount of lazy housewife beans with out stepping on too many potential pumpkins.  I chose the smaller ones that were tender with the smallest seeds in the pod.  However, there are so many pods that I have left most to grow large for the seeds.

The pumpkin was taken from this table.  It is the Queensland blue (top centre).  There are only two left now, and still in good condition.  They should last for another few months yet, unless we eat them of course.

Now that I had the main ingredients, I went inside and prepared the meal.  Here is the recipe.

Yellow curry of pumpkin with green beans and cashew nutsServes 4 

1 can of coconut cream (don’t shake the can)
3 teaspoons yellow curry paste
125 ml (1/2 cup) of vegetable stock
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) pumpkin (any kind), peeled and diced
300 g (10 1/2 oz) green beans (any kind), trimmed and cut in half
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
40 g (1/4 cup) cashew nuts, toasted
Steamed rice to serve 

Open the can of coconut cream and spoon the thick stuff from the top of the can into the wok, and heat until boiling.  Add the curry paste, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring for about 5 minutes, or until the oil begins to separate.
Add the remaining coconut cream, stock and pumpkin, and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add the green beans and cook for a further 8 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
Gently stir in the soy sauce, lime juice and sugar.  Garnish with cashew nuts and serve with steamed rice.

It should look something like this.

The taste was sensational.  It was so different than the normal Indian curries that I normally make, which is what it tasted like before I added the soy and lime juice.  The flavour difference after the addition was remarkable.

Anyway, this recipe is going on our regular list, that is until the green beans run out of course.

Just love being ‘almost vegetarian’!