COOKING
GREEN:
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by Kay Bushnell Most of us experience a greater thrill watching the fog settle over the coastal range than contemplating the environmental impact of our next meal. Yet food that is chosen with thought about its effect on the environment can do much more than simply satisfy our hunger. If we ignore the radical changes that have occurred this century in animal husbandry we are giving our tacit approval to the ecological mayhem they produce. As the Sierra Club states, “When a single hog operation may produce more sewage than Los Angeles, it’s time to take action.” Gigantic corporate animal factories produce most of the animals whose meat ends up in America’s homes and restaurants. Traditional family livestock farmers find themselves squeezed out by nightmarish corporate operations. However, the mega-factories that produce meat do not spring into being and flourish on their own. The exist with the support of consumers who cling to old habits and follow without questioning the messages in advertising paid for by meat purveyors. For centuries large populations of people in Africa, Asia, and India have thrived on a plant-based diet. Now scientific research has proven a strong connection between a plant based diet of grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, and nuts and a reduced risk for heart disease, stroke, breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, and type II diabetes. These diseases are common in populations who eat large quantities of meat and animal products and are much less common in populations who rely on plant-based foods. In recent years public health organizations have publicized the importance of a diet rich in plant foods, and plant-based diets are growing rapidly in popularity. The guidelines to eating a healthful plant-based diet are simple. Start with a good plant based cookbook; identify four or five favorite plant-based recipes and make them regularly; request plant based dishes in restaurants; anticipate the challenge of coming home too tired to cook by stocking your pantry and freezer with plant based convenience foods. Plant based eating is the opposite of depriving oneself. It is a delicious way to improve the health of our land and ourselves. BAKED POTATO FANS WITH CREAMY CASHEW SAUCE These elegant baked potatoes and sauce are a perfect main dish. They are beautiful when arranged on a platter with the sauce on the side or on individual plates with the sauce on top. The velvety cashew sauce demonstrates how easy it is to produce a creamy, mouth-watering sauce without eggs, cheese, cream or butter. The sauce is also a delicious topping for traditional baked potatoes and oven baked fries. Ingredients:
Preheat oven to 425°. Scrub potatoes and pat dry. Place one potato at a time on a wooden spoon. Beginning 1/2” from the end of the potato, carefully slice the potato almost through at 1/8” intervals. (The spoon will prevent the knife from slicing completely through the potato, creating a “fan”.) Place potatoes, cut side up, in one layer in a baking dish misted with cooking spray. Combine 1 T. olive oil with bread crumbs and set aside. Brush remaining 2-3 T. olive oil over potatoes. Place dish of potatoes in the middle of the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Then sprinkle bread crumbs over the potatoes, baste them with olive oil in the pan, and bake another 30 minutes or until the potatoes are completely fork tender. Place a piece of foil loosely over the potatoes if they seem to be browning too much. Place potatoes on individual plates or on a platter, spoon sauce over each potato, and sprinkle with lemon pepper and salt to taste. Makes 6 potatoes. Cashew Sauce: (double these ingredients for a generous amount of sauce)
In a blender whiz cashews alone until they are finely crushed. Add water gradually, then the remaining ingredients, and blend until very smooth. Pour mixture into a small saucepan and warm over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sauce is thick and smooth. Thin with water to desired consistency. Thin with more water when re-heating. Copyright Kay Bushnell — Our food choices can make a difference. — |