Due to it being meat-free week I have been browsing through my former blog Two Mad Cows which I co-wrote with my friend Carron, looking for inspiration. Carron's son Paris (my godson) is a pescetarian, however, his diet is mainly plant based, consequently many of Carron's recipes are vegetarian.
Meat-free week is about raising awareness but I'm always mindful of the fact that preaching about vegetarianism sticks in many peoples throats, the symbolism of meat eating is never neutral. We tend to go along with the idea that humans have always eaten animals and that this is justification for continuing the practice. By the same logic we could argue that there is nothing wrong with cannibalism, practiced by many savage tribes throughout history, or indeed, murdering one another, since this has also been done since time immemorial.
However, meat-free week is more about having principles regarding the welfare of the animals we choose to eat long term and educating ourselves about eating meat in moderation rather than vegetarianism per se. Which brings me to restaurants as well as supermarkets. We can be choosy when we eat in restaurants and if a menu tells us nothing about where the meat is from you can assume the worst. Chains such as Nandos and KFC use chickens which have been bred in high densities, in hangar style sheds, never seeing the light of day or setting a foot outdoors in the 6 weeks it takes to reach their genetically engineered slaughter weight. Bizarrely, many celebrities wax lyrical about Nandos on Twitter, with plenty of money at their disposal they advocate eating intensely farmed animals, (I suppose celebrity status and wealth doesn't equal brains or compassion so I shouldn't be surprised!)
It amazes me that these high profile individuals advocate that our sustenance should come from misery. Don't they ever take a day off from buying designer handbags or having botox and actually educate themselves about the food chain before opening their big cosmetic dentally implanted mouths? Jamming deformed, drugged, overstressed birds together in filthy, waste covered sheds prior to being slaughtered and ending up covered in peri-peri sauce is hardly conducive to deliciousness in my book!
The least we can do if we are choosing to eat meat is look for products carrying 'Freedom Food' or 'RSPCA approved' logos. Choose free-range or outdoor-bred, eat less meat, have a conscience and vote with your wallet.
This next dish is super tasty and very popular in Mediterranean countries where meat is still regarded with the respect it deserves.
Vegetable frittata
Recipe
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, sliced
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and coarsely grated
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 broccoli, cut into small florets
75g feta cheese
7 free-range eggs
Salt and pepper
Preheat grill to high
Heat oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add onion and cook for 2 minutes
Stir in sweet potato and garlic, cook for 5 minutes
Meanwhile boil broccoli rapidly for 3 minutes
Drain and stir into the potato mixture along with feta cheese
Beat eggs with 3 tablespoons of water, season and pour into pan
Lower heat and cook for 10-15 minutes until almost set
Place under the grill for 2-3 minutes
Slice and serve with a delicious crisp salad
Children particularly love this dish, possibly because it resembles pizza. It's actually equally delicious served chilled and I often pop a slice in Bert or Glenn's packed lunch for a change.
'You give a child an apple and a rabbit. If the child eats the rabbit and plays with the apple, I'll buy you a car.'
- Harvey Diamond
Love Donna xxxxxxx
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