Meatless Monday

 

This New York Times article gives a great tip for starting your “meatless” journey. Instead of making meat the star of your show/meal give it a supporting role. Start by altering your portions. Rather than buying thick porkchops try a skinnier cut or try a smaller portion of steak. Build your meal around side dishes; veggies, grains, beans salads or a fruit dessert.

Recipe of the Day: Avocado Dip

Ingredients

• 2 medium ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
• 1 package (8 ounces) fat-free cream cheese
• 1/3 cup plain yogurt
• 1/3 cup picante sauce
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Tortilla chips

Directions

• In a small bowl, mash avocados and cream cheese until smooth. Stir in the yogurt, picante sauce, lime juice, salt and garlic powder. Serve with chips. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 2-1/2 cups.

Source: NY Times.com

Recipe: Taste of Home

Wordless Wednesday

 

Source: MotherNatureNetwork.com

Meatless Mondays

Food (or veggies) for thought: Did you know that about 18% of all greenhouse gas emissions are related to meat consumption?

Recipe of the day

Black Bean Burritos

Ingredients

• 2 (10 inch) flour tortillas
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 teaspoon minced jalapeno peppers
• 3 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Wrap tortillas in foil and place in oven heated to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake for 15 minutes or until heated through.
2. Heat oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Place onion, bell pepper, garlic and jalapenos in skillet, cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Pour beans into skillet, cook 3 minutes stirring.
3. Cut cream cheese into cubes and add to skillet with salt. Cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir cilantro into mixture.
4. Spoon mixture evenly down center of warmed tortilla and roll tortillas up. Serve immediately.

To make this recipe my own I would add cumin, tomatoes (or salsa), rice and I would substitute the cream cheese for a shredded cheese blend. What would you add?

 

Recipe: Allrecipes.com

Ask the Sustainability Coordinator

Naturally I get lots of questions about sustainability and the environment. So I thought that from time to time I would share some of the most commonly asked questions with you. 

Q: Can I recycle this cup from _____________ (insert the name of a fast food restaurant here)?

 A: If the cup has a waxy coating (see picture to the right) it cannot be recycled. These cups are made of multiple types of materials and that makes it difficult for the recycler to identify the components.

If the cup does not have a waxy surface (see picture to the left), it can be recycled. To be sure, take a look at the bottom of the cup, there you should see the three chasing arrows (recycling) symbol. This means that the cup (or lid) can be recycled. Plastic straws can be recycled as well!

Photo Source: Dental Excellence and Make and Takes

Wordless Wednesday

 

Photo Source: MadSilence

Taxing….Soda????

 

We have previously explored taxing different consumer items (plastic bags for example). But what about food and drink? Mother Nature Network profiled a segment from the Today Show titled “Is taxing soda a good idea?” It talks about how many empty calories and sugar the average American gets from soft drinks each year and how that amount may be reduced by adding taxes. The panelists suggest a 1¢ tax for each container oz. For example, a 40 oz. drink would be taxed an additional 40¢ a 16 oz. drink, 16¢. Although I don’t drink soda (I stopped due to athletics…and never went back to it) I don’t know that a tax would necessarily reduce sugary drink consumption. Take a look at this clip and tell me what you think? Soda drinkers…would this make you think twice about purchasing soda? If it wouldn’t stop you, would you buy a smaller sized drink to reduce the tax?

Photo Source: How Stuff Works

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday