Meat Free Monday.

For many years I was a vegetarian, however, when we bought a property in Spain eating menu del dia in village restaurants was an impossibility as most of the dishes contained meat or fish, it became a case of 'when in Rome' and gradually I became a carnivore once again.

I've concentrated on how to stretch meat out in my previous posts because too many people in Britain eat vast quantities of meat which comes from battery-farmed animals that have been subjected to disturbing conditions and pumped full of antibiotics. Meat should always be free-range or organic end of story! If you can't afford it seven days a week supplement your diet with a few vegetarian dinners.

Here in Britain we have chosen to close the door on uncomfortable aspects of the intensive farming of the animals we eat. Gone are the days when you shopped for your meat in a butchers where the carcasses were visible, people now don't want to see the dead animal that their cut of meat is coming from. Meat comes in various forms: processed, reformulated and reshaped, we have become used to picking up a plastic pack of meat, in fact a story broke in the news recently about a butcher who has had to remove carcasses from his window display after complaints by the squeamish! (They were all meat eaters by the way.)

It amazes me that we as a nation have become so disconnected from the source of our meat. Mass produced ready meals contain a cocktail of additives, preservatives, colourings and flavour enhancers but people are willing to regularly feed their children these meals, is it any wonder Britain is one of the unhealthiest countries in Europe!

When I recently watched a programme on food poverty I was amazed to see more than one family regularly eating tinned hotdogs, they might just as well of eaten a rubber washing up glove! Tinned hotdogs aren't meat per se, they have no nutritional value and most certainly wouldn't be filling. A tin of mixed beans is half the price of hotdogs, they contain more protein and provide myriad health benefits, mixed with some onions and tomatoes and served on toast this filling and nutritious meal costs a couple of pounds to feed 3-4 people.

Beans on toast

Recipe
2 slices of bread per person
1 tin of butter beans
1 large onion, sliced
10 tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 chilli (optional)
Fresh parsley
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Place chopped tomatoes in a sieve and sprinkle generously with salt, this will draw moisture out of the tomatoes so place sieve in a sink or over a bowl

Meanwhile turn oven onto its highest setting
When oven is hot, arrange tomatoes in an ovenproof dish, add a couple of splashes of olive oil and a sprinkle of sugar
Place in oven and turn oven off, effectively you are drying your tomatoes (as in sun dried tomatoes)
Leave for at least 1 hour
Fry onion in a little oil until soft (add chilli if using)

Add garlic and tomatoes

Add butter beans and season well, combine ingredients and put a lid on, simmer gently for 15-20 minutes

If possible use a good quality rustic bread, sliced white bread won't be substantial enough, I used sourdough bread
Toast bread

Spoon bean mixture over toast and sprinkle with fresh parsley, for added deliciousness add some grated cheese

I had half a tin of baked beans in my fridge and added these too.......waste not want not!

This truly is a substantial and delicious dish and so economical, I urge you to try it.

'Not responding is a response-we are equally responsible for what we don't do. In the case of animal slaughter, to throw your hands in the air is to wrap your fingers around a knife handle'
-Jonathan Safran Foer

Love Donna xxxxxxx