Meatless Mondays
Today’s Meatless Mondays deliciousness is being brought to you on Tuesday because, hey, sometimes life happens! Lately, Forks Over Knives’ Vegan Lentil Chili has been the stuff of our dreams here at Blue Barn Farm & Sanctuary. It’s one of those go-to recipes that keeps you wanting more. Not to mention, the house smells divine when there’s chili simmering on the stove top.
This is what Chef AJ, from Forks Over Knives, has to say about her recipe:
“This is my family’s all time favorite chili! Red lentils cook very quickly and are not only pretty but creamy and delicious. We love to serve this over a baked Yukon Gold potato.”https://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/red-lentil-chili/#gs.27abpj
Whether we’re out in the pasture working on getting the old, broken-down fencing out, or digging the post holes to install the new fencing for the pig enclosures, this chili fills the tank. All of the ingredients are plant-based so there’s no sleepy, heavy feeling after the meal, which is crucial when you’re feeding an army of animal rescuers eager to get back outside to help around the farm. Winter, spring, summer, and fall are all perfect times for chili!
We like to add some of our favorite veggies to the FOK recipe.
Did I mention that there were no animals harmed in the making of this vegan red lentil chili? Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better! Remember: next time you’re thinking about what to eat, be kind, be compassionate, and have some empathy for all beings. Small changes, make big ripples.
Thanks for stopping by the Blue Barn Farm & Sanctuary’s blog. Like what you see? Please leave us a comment!
This post was originally published on March 19, 2019 by Amy A. Ehn.
Meatless Mondays
One of our favorite vegan recipe websites is responsible for this week’s debauchery: Forks Over Knives. Their Blueberry Oat Breakfast Muffins are easy to make, and so super tasty, they’ll disappear in a heartbeat!
Even though a lot of us don’t necessarily think of sweet treats when we’re thinking of “Meatless Mondays”, an interesting correlation to make is surrounding the dairy and egg industries. Most recipes for muffins call for butter and eggs.
Where does butter come from? Dairy cows.
How does the farmer get the cows to continually produce milk for making butter? By artificially inseminating her at least once a year.
What happens to her babies? That depends on the gender of the calf.
According to an article posted in the Guardian by Chas Newkey-Burden,
“When she gives birth, her calf will typically be removed within 36 hours, so the farmers can steal and sell you the milk that is meant for her baby. Wildlife experts say that a strong bond between cow and calf is formed quickly after birth. Following that callous separation, the mother will bellow and scream for days, wondering where her baby is. The answer depends on the gender of the calf. If male, he will probably either be shot and tossed into a bin, or sold to be raised for veal, which delays his death by just a matter of months. But if the calf is female, she will usually be prepared for her own entry into dairy production, where she will face the same cycle of hell that her mother is trapped in: forced impregnation, the theft of her baby, and a return to the cattle crush two or three months later.”
At the very least, choosing a recipe that doesn’t use butter is choosing a kinder way of connecting with our food. At best, we are preventing the needless suffering of dairy cows. We’ll save the discussion about eggs for another time.
For now, get out your baking utensils. Make these fabulous muffins, and let us know how they turned out. My mouth is watering just imagining pulling them out of the oven, and eating one before it has time to cool! Oh my goodness!
This post was originally published March 12, 2019 by Amy A. Ehn.
Meatless Mondays
Vegan Split Pea Soup in the Crock Pot
It’s that perfect time of the year, here in the Pacific North West, for a big hearty bowl of homemade split pea soup. This is one of those recipes that can be cultivated into a masterpiece catering to your specific desires. As a great place to start, this is what Melissa likes to put in hers, but feel free to get creative with yours:
5 Cups Water (Add vegetable bouillon once the peas have softened. Otherwise the salt from the broth can cause the peas to stay too firm.)
1 Cup Dried Split Peas (Rinse them well))
3 Bay Leaves
1 to 2 Carrots
2 to 3 Ribs of Celery
1 Medium Yellow Onion
Seasonings
Smokey Paprika or Liquid Smoke
Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
Pepper to Taste
Fresh Spinach (Toss it into the pot just before serving. Give it just enough time to wilt.)
Looking at this picture is making me hungry!
Send us a picture of your Split Pea Soup in our comments!
Remember, Meatless Mondays are a great way to incorporate more vegetables, kindness, compassion, and empathy into our lives. What we are putting on our plates is speaking volumes to the industry of meat production. To speak out against animal cruelty inherent in factory farming, let’s vote with our dollars. There is no need for suffering…especially when we have delicious split pea soup ready to go for dinner!
Industrial Pig Farming in the United States
“115 million pigs are raised and slaughtered per year in the US
(2015)…the 3rd biggest pork producer after China
and Europe. The largest producer in the US is Smithfield.
They run “farms” with more than 8000 pigs crammed in. They have slaughterhouses… that slaughter up to 34,000 pigs – per day.”
Store in the fridge or freezer for quick meals with no fuss!
This post was originally published February 18, 2019 by Amy A. Ehn.
Meatless Mondays
Thank you Rabbit and Wolves!
This soup is DIVINE!!!
One of the best parts about writing this blog is being inspired to explore all kinds of new recipes. Today’s Meatless Mondays post is compliments of our friends over at Rabbit and Wolves. Click on the link to get the recipe for this Vegan White Lasagna Soup, and read a whole bunch of fabulous comments.https://www.rabbitandwolves.com/vegan-white-lasagna-soup/
Of course, we are also feeling inspired to take this opportunity to think about how our meal choices are impacting the Earth, and all of the folks who call her home. The factory farming industry is under the microscope, and not just by peace-loving radicals. Here’s a little snip-it from an article in Forbes:
“Factory farming comes under criticism when thousands of animals are crowded in small facilities, diseases may become common and consumers who consume these products can be exposed to serious health effects. This puts further pressure on the meat industry since factory farms have a main focus on operational efficiencies to create a less expensive and more accessible product for consumers. According to American Humane’s survey nearly 95% of participants are “very concerned” about the welfare of farm animals and 69% of consumers responding to a Context Marketing survey (2010) said they would be willing to pay more for food that “promises to be produced to higher ethical standards”, showing that this is an issue that consumers truly care about.”
Forbes Magazine, July 15, 2015, Phil Lemperthttps://www.forbes.com/sites/phillempert/2015/06/15/why-factory-farming-isnt-what-you-think/#2d3af5176065
This is not even beginning to touch on any global impacts of these industrial farming practices; from contamination of water sources, to deforestation for grazing land, and inhumane treatment of the animals being raised as food for other animals and people. We would be outraged if our pets were being treated this way: forced to stand on metal grates and/or concrete floors all day with no space to turn around, or at least be able step out of their own excrement. Why is it okay for the animals being “produced” for food to be neglected and abused?
Here’s your challenge: in the name of bringing our collective habits back into a sustainable place of balance, skip putting meat on your plate one day out of the week. We chose Mondays, but you can pick any day of the week you want! Little ripples eventually turn into big waves. Make this delicious vegan white lasagna soup, and know that it tastes amazing AND it’s good for us, animals and plants included. Then send us a comment telling us about how yours turned out. From all of the folks at Blue Barn Farm & Sanctuary, have a great week. May it be filled with kindness, compassion, and empathy.
This post was originally published February 11, 2019 by Amy A. Ehn
Meatless Mondays
Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili Nachos
“Ya gotta love the black bean sweet potato chili nachos topped off with spinach, cilantro, tomato, vegan cheesy sauce and cashew sour cream…woah,” words of wisdom from Melissa herself. It’s that time of the week again, my friends. Meatless Monday is here. What is YOUR go-to vegetarian dish?
These delicious nachos are super easy to put together. It’s fast, filling, and good for you; not to mention good for the planet.
Black beans: if you don’t have time to get dried beans from the bulk section of your favorite local market, buying them in the can works. (Just be sure to recycle it after you’ve emptied the beans from it, and washed it out.) Cook the beans if they were dried, or simply heat them up if they were from a can.
Baked and mashed sweet potato with a touch of chili powder added for zip.
Corn tortilla chips (we like Que Pasa organic corn chips).
Chop up some veg. We used spinach, cilantro, and tomato. You could also add red onion, avocado, fresh jalapeno, or olives.
Top it all off with a vegan cheezy sauce and cashew sour cream, both of which can be purchased at just about any local grocery store.
Put it all together, and enjoy!
One day a week, take the meat out of your diet. You’re doing a great thing for your body, your animal friends, and the planet. Small adjustments create big ripples! Tell us how your nachos turned out. Did you add your own twist to our suggestions?
Thanks for stopping by at the Blue Barn Farm & Sanctuary!
This post was originally published February 4, 2019 by Amy A. Ehn
Meatless Mondays
Jumbo chickpea pancake covered in cashew sour cream and pear chutney.
A super fun, delicious, and simple way to incorporate more compassion into our lives is by designating one day a week to skip the meat in our diets. Of course, if you are already living a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle, this will be a cinch! Here at the Blue Barn Farm & Sanctuary, we believe that there is an astronomical amount of power leveraged through our buying choices. When we consciously purchase something other than meat to eat, we are sending a very clear message to a global industry that is:
· supporting the worldwide destruction of natural
habitats to grow food for livestock that will be turned into food for humans and other beings
· profiting off of the cruel and inhumane
treatment of animals
· creating suffering for the purpose of driving
the consumerism that is “consuming” our society
· cultivating an audience willing to turn a blind
eye for a cheap deal at the supermarket
· knowingly poisoning us, the soil, and the plants used for livestock feed, as well as the animals eating these “frankenfoods”, through the use and abuse of pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides
Meatless Mondays doesn’t require a drastic overhaul of our diet. It fosters a more clear connection to what we are using to fuel our bodies. It brings in an awareness surrounding the connection between what we are putting on our plate, and how that ripples out into the community at large. Plus, it tastes really good! By implementing this one little interesting shift in our routine, we have the potential of making a gigantic difference in the quality of living for a lot of animals, not to mention the health of our planet as a whole.
Voila! Meatless Mondays are made manifest! This week we are showcasing a favorite tried and true recipe from Angela at Oh She Glows: Jumbo Chickpea Pancake – A High Protein, Filling Vegan Breakfast or Lunch. This divine combination of chickpea flour, garlic powder, salt, pepper, baking powder, and optional red pepper flakes turned pancake will make a believer out of you! She couples her pancake with avocado, salsa, and hummus. We decided to stuff ours with sautéed kale, chard, onion, and mushrooms. However, the options for fillings are practically endless. Now imagine this: it’s made even more delightful with our homemade cashew sour cream topped with our pear chutney created from the fruits of our pear trees. Leave us a comment if you’re excited to learn how to make either of these show stopping extras for this or any number of other delectable treats, and tell us how your Meatless Monday turned out!
This post was originally published January 28, 2019 by Amy A. Ehn