Happy Earth Day!

So Happy Earth Day! I had to get the weirdness off my chest in the first post, but now I am ready to focus on the important stuff. So for those of you who are not or ill informed…today is of course earth day. Pick up some trash, eat those vegetables and fruits, ban meat for the day! Yum…. I am a carnivore, so this is especially difficult for me, but we must try! While you are at it, check out the CO2 emissions that we have emanating from our orifices….

Ok, so to help you out today, here are some yummy recipes that you could try out to be earth friendly.

Breakfast: Since it has already passed, you could try it another day…

Plantain Crepes: this one is from a vegan website (vegan.com)….Yum? It is actually pretty good, I tried it over the Christmas holiday at a friend’s place.

INGREDIENTS:

Omelet
4 small plantains or green bananas (3 cups mashed)
½ cup spelt flour
1 tsp baking powder

Nut Cheese
2 cups cashews, macadamia nuts, or pine nuts
3 TBL lemon juice, fresh squeezed
6 TBL olive oil
5 medium garlic cloves
¼ cup shoyu, or to taste

Veggie Topping
½ cup cilantro, chopped
½ bunch green onions, ¼ inch slices
½ cup carrot, grated

¼ cup or more coconut oil, for sautéing

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut the ends off the plantains (or bananas) and score up the sides.  Place the scored plantains in a 3 quart sauce pan and boil for 20 minutes until you can easily poke a fork through them. Drain the water from the bananas and let cool a few minutes.

2. Remove peels which should come off easily and place plantains in a large mixing bowl.  Mash with a fork or masher.  Add flour and baking powder to plantains and knead into a dough. Separate dough into 4 pieces.  Roll into balls.  Flour the counter and roll the balls into 5” circles.

3. Combine cashews, lemon, shoyu, garlic and oil in a food processor and process until smooth.

4. Heat a skillet over medium heat until hot. (cast iron works well). Pour a small amount of oil onto skillet and fry cake on one side until golden, approximately 3 minutes. Flip and cover ½ of cooked side with nut cheese, carrots and cilantro.  Fold over like and omelet and cover.  Flip and cook until golden brown on both sides.  Serve hot.

Lunch:

Not your mother’s Cheese Sandwich!

So for those of you who love cheese, this is definitely for you!

Ingredients:

1 slice Cheddar Cheese (I recommend Dublin, Irish Cheese- get at Wegman’s, expensive, but oh so worth it in the end!)

1 slice Pepper jack Cheese

1 slice Manchego (or your favorite other cheese!)

handful of soy sprouts

avocado

olive oil

touch of vinegar

sourdough bread

lettuce

tomato and onion slices

pepper to taste

Directions:

Take a medium fry pan and put on low heat (make sure both slices of bread can fit!) put 2 tabs of butter in the center and place bread on top. Halve avocado Throw in onions and tomato to the side of the pan. Turn bread slices over after 1 minute. place all three cheeses on one slice and soy sprouts, lettuce, oil, vinegar, smear on avocado like a spread. after 3 minutes top with the tomato and onion and put sandwich together. Flip until both sides are golden brown, then serve.

Dinner: (a favorite of my friends, love you Avi and Cathleen! haha, APPLES!)

Apple Pesto Tortellini

Ingredients:

Your favorite tortellini (I use 3 cheese or spinach and cheese)

2 red apples

Red onions chopped

Red olives

Red and green peppers chopped

Garlic minced

Romaine Lettuce

Olive oil

Pesto Sauce- Make your own! here’s the video: Tastes amazing!!!!

Directions:

Take a medium sauce pan and add 6 cups of water, boil, add 3 tbs olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Put in tortellini, (time varies with brand)

While boiling tortellini, make the pesto sauce or heat it up whichever you choose, and take out a frying pan.

In the frying pan add a small amount of olive oil, throw in olives, peppers, onions and apples. Keep turning and don’t allow apples to get mushy, may need to add them 3 minutes before tortellini is done.

Strain tortellini and add to fry pan with other ingredients. (Now this part is up to you, you can add the pesto to the fry pan and mix it up, or add after)

Wash, dry and place 3 romaine lettuce leaves on the center of each plate. Plop the pasta in the middle and serve!

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