Vegan Recipe - Quick & Easy "Cheeseburger" Mac

My favorite day of each month is the first Friday ... that's the day I get to share a fabulous meatless recipe with you ... usually from a fantastic guest chef. So why does a green living blog post recipes? That's easy ... eating meatless meals is one of the easiest ways to walk a little gentler on the earth because, simply put, it takes less resources to produce one pound of plant-based food as opposed to one pound of animal-based food.

This month I'd like to introduce you to Nicki. Some of you might already know her as Nicki Woo - The Home Guru. She has been a #CTWW participant and supporter for quite some time. Visiting Nicki's site is pure pleasure. She posts a ton of recipes and each one comes with a delightful story. For example, in this POST you'll find a fabulous recipe for Lemon-Mint Slush along with a great story about a sick child, special "sick" treats and how mom's slushes are more special than McDonald's. Recipes aren't her only "thing" though ... you'll find posts on crafts, like this ONE on how to make an autumn wreath ... or this POST where she makes a buried witch topiary (oh you gotta see it). Sprinkled liberally throughout her blog, one will find photos of her beautiful family.

But we're here to talk about recipes, right? Nicki shares her culinary expertise with recipes such as Chicken Lo Mein, Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry and Alligator Gar Balls. WAIT A MINUTE!!! THESE AREN'T VEGAN!!! Nope ... Nicki is a "sometimes vegan", proving once again that one can make a difference with occasional meatless meals.

She has graciously agreed to share one of her vegan dishes with us. She chose this recipe because, in her words, "... in a few short weeks, summer will be ending and we all could use some good weeknight recipes that satisfy and are quick to make from pantry items". So ... check out this recipe and then head on over to Nicki's place and browse around ... I know you'll love it there!


Quick and Easy Vegan "Cheeseburger" Mac

Ingredients:

14-16 oz. of Macaroni (I like 100% Whole Wheat or Barilla Plus)
12 oz. of Vegetarian "Beef" Crumbles
1 14 oz. can Crushed Tomatoes
1 TB olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 TB Chili Powder
1 cup Soy Milk
2 TB Vegan Margarine
2 TB flour
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Prepare Macaroni according to package directions. Be sure to salt the water.
2. In a large skillet, over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add "Beef" crumbles and onion and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add Chili powder, stir, and then add the crushed tomatoes. Cover and continue to simmer on low while you make the "cheese" sauce.
3. To make the "cheese" sauce, place another pan on low heat. Add margarine and allow to melt. In a separate bowl, add the flour to the cold soy milk and whisk to combine. Slowly pour the milk mixture into the pan with the butter, while whisking continuously to prevent lumps. Sprinkle in garlic powder, continue to whisk allowing the sauce to thicken. Remove from heat.
4. Combine macaroni, "cheese sauce" and "beef" tomato mixture. Season with salt and pepper and serve!

Also great warmed in the oven at 350 F for 15-20 minutes, and then sprinkled with Vegan Cheese. Total Comfort Food!

I'd like to thank Nicki for sharing that delicious recipe with us.

If you have a vegan recipe that you'd like to share, please email it to me HERE. And for all the recipes we've shared on this site, please click the tab at the top of this blog.

Happy eating everyone ...

Vegan Recipe - Shiitake & Soba Noodle Bowl

What if you could prepare a meal that is delicious, healthy and Eco-friendly? Sounds like the perfect scenario, doesn't it? Well, good news ... it's absolutely doable! We know about foods that are delicious and healthy but ... how does one make their meal "green"? Easy ... make it meatless. Plant-based foods take far fewer natural resources to produce than animal-based foods. With recipes like the one we're going to share today, you won't be thinking "vegan" ... you'll just be thinking "mmmmm".

Please meet Justin Fox Burks, the author (and brilliant photographer) behind The Chubby Vegetarian. There's so much to love about The Chubby Vegetarian ... "seriously-make-you-drool" photography, great articles on such things as making vegetarian sushi, and, of course, recipes. Justin's recipes aren't "run of the mill" ... nope ... you'll find exotic dishes such as:

• Vegetarian Kimchi + Korean BBQ Sliders
• Vegetarian Pad Thai
• Socca Stuffed With Creamed Arugula & Topped with Artichoke & Pine Nut Ragout
• Baked Lemongrass Tofu + Coconut Jasmine Rice

Is your mouth watering yet? Mine too!

Justin has very kindly agreed to share one of his recipes with us. I hope you will enjoy it!

Shiitake + Soba Noodle Bowl (for one):

Pan-Asian Broth*
Soba Noodles (enough for one)

1 carrot (shredded using a juilenne peeler)

1/2 cup broccoli florets

prepared shiitake mushrooms**

chives

hot sauce (like La-Yu)

soy sauce (or Braggs)

Bring your broth up to a roiling boil. Cook the carrots in the broth until just tender. This will take about 30 seconds to a minute. Using a spyder, fish the carrots out of the broth; repeat the same process with the broccoli, and then cook the noodles in the broth until tender. Remove the noodles from the broth and reserve the broth.

Place the noodles in a bowl. Top on one side with carrots, the other side with broccoli, and in the center, add the mushrooms. Pour about a cup and a half of the hot broth over the noodle bowl. Garnish the dish with chives, hot sauce, and a little soy sauce.

*For the Pan-Asian Broth:

3 cups good vegetable broth

3 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

splash of rice vinegar

splash of soy sauce

splash of mirin

Combine all ingredients in a pot.

**For the mushrooms:

5-6 shiitake mushroom caps (sliced into thirds)

1 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil

pinch of smoked salt

splash of soy sauce (or Braggs)

splash of mirin

Turn on your vent hood -- this recipe creates a bit of smoke! Heat a medium-sized pan over high heat and add the sesame oil. Once the oil starts to smoke, throw the mushrooms in and toss them around. Allow them to cook for about a minute before removing the pan from the heat. Add the smoked salt, soy and mirin. Set mushrooms aside.


I'd like to thank Justin for sharing this fabulous recipe with Reduce Footprints.

For all of the recipes that we've posted on this blog, please click HERE or use the tab at the top of the page. If you have a vegan recipe which you'd like to share, please send it to me HERE. And stay tuned for more recipes ... we post them on the first Friday of each month.

Switching to a Manual Lawn Mower by Jakob Barry

Switching to a Manual Lawn Mower

Lawn mowers as we know them were introduced to the masses in the early 1800s and were powered by people or animals.

Eventually gasoline and electric versions made their way onto the market and the old style manual “reel” or push mowers got lost in junk yards or the dark corners of basements.

In retrospect the transition made sense since using gas or electric made everyone’s lives easier when it came to cutting large lawns or trying to mow over tall grass.

However, in recent years sheer practicality is bringing back the manual reel.

• It costs less both to purchase and operate
• The newer ones are easier to push than their manually oriented predecessors
• There’s no running on empty (no need for fuel or electricity)
• There’s little if any maintenance though wiping down blades preserves them
• The extra push to cut the grass adds a little workout fever to the chore
  

Meanwhile, grounds for switching back to manual mowers or at least having one as an option can further be justified through two other very important issues: curbing pollution and personal safety.

Pollution

Did you know the level of emissions released over time by gasoline powered mowers for personal or commercial grounds maintenance can eventually equal what automobiles emit over hundreds of miles? Also, fumes or oil spills can poison grass or other plant life in the yard much like it harms vegetation along busy streets.

For these reasons and more the US Environmental Protection Agency has been setting new restrictions for small lawn equipment hoping to reduce the environmental impact. Still, next to wearing a gas mask the best way to not breathe in fumes while mowing the lawn is to use a manual mower.

Alternatively, noise is another type of pollution motor powered mowers cause. A gasoline or electric powered mower engine produces enough racket to affect our hearing and sour relationships with neighbors, especially if the lawn is mowed at the wrong time of day.

With a push mower it’s easy to listen to music and if necessary mow the lawn at six in the morning without making enemies.

Safety

Despite there being various sources calculating the annual amount of people injured in lawn mower accidents its clear those numbers are around 100,000 or higher, many children included. It’s also a fact that negligence is only part of the story as most of these accidents are related to the engine’s powering of high speed blades. In an instant they can cut up many hard substances sending pieces flying like shrapnel.

Electric models themselves have separate issues, as extension cords often get run over or tangled up causing damage to other things in the yard. With gas powered mowers the fuel is a hazard and homeowners have been known to throw out their back trying to start them up.

The bottom line: When it comes to safety there can be no compromising. That’s why although the powered mower is convenient and great for big jobs whenever possible the manual mower should be put to use.


Jakob Barry writes for Hometalk.com, a growing community of homeowners and contractors getting the most from their resources by sharing and monitoring projects together. He covers various eco-friendly home improvement topics including Green landscaping and lawn services.