12 reasons I'll be eating meat in 2012

Photo: Nourished Kitchen
I haven't eaten red meat since I was 12 years old. 

At the time I had all sorts of indignations about the way the world worked. I was just starting middle school, my body was changing, and I didn't like any of it. 

Blood was gross. Boobs were gross. Body hair was gross. I was hypersensitive about visceral things. Seeing bones, veins and fat on my plate made me squeamish. Why couldn't we all have been made of sugar and flour instead?

By the time I had entered high school I was beginning to create an identity for myself which included rebelling in subtle ways. I never really liked meat that much, probably because my mom wasn't very good at cooking it. When I found out that there were plenty of people my age who didn't eat any meat at all, I knew what I had to do: I had to become a full vegetarian.

Being a vegetarian was easy. It gave me an excuse to not eat a lot of things that I didn't like, including most of what my parents cooked. But secretly, I craved fish, and on a few occasions I snuck pieces of barbecued chicken from the refrigerator. 

Throughout my 20s I have been a moderate "pescatarian," who occasionally eats poultry. But I don't like to use labels any more. I don't think there's anything wrong with eating a little grass-fed beef every now and then. In fact, I think it's rather healthy. But I still haven't brought myself to do it. I resolve to change that this year.

For a variety of reasons my personal eating paradigm has been shifting lately. Part of it is due to my ongoing education in nutrition, and interesting trends in this field of research. But I've also made an empirical observation: At this time in my life, I function better with more animal protein. I feel stronger and more grounded.

There are plenty of other reasons I'll be making a conscious effort to increase the variety of meat in my diet this year. Here are 12 of them:

1) I'm aware that my "natural aversion" to red meat is psychological, and not so different from other disordered eating habits that I had as a teen. These included an obsession with "low fat" products, and discarding the yolks from my eggs.

2) Meat is nutritious. Ruminant animal meat provides absorbable quantities of nutrients that are not easily obtained from plants. All animals contain a different spectrum of nutrients, so variety is always positive. Plus, women who are menstruating need more iron, which is best obtained from red meat.

3) Meat aids in healing the digestive tract, and may even help me overcome my gluten intolerance. You're going to need links to believe this one, I know. (The jury is still out on whether or not this is really possible.)

Many long-time vegetarians actually develop digestive probelms due to a low stomach acid. Regular meat consumption encourages the production of gastric acid and activates the enzyme pepsin, which we need to break down ALL proteins, not just meat.

4) I'm a proponent of culinary diversity. If the only meat I were offered were my mom's steak, I'd still turn it down. But since there are millions are dishes that include meat of all types, prepared in a variety of exciting ways, I can't pass them up any longer. I'll continue to eat vegetables with enthusiasm. But a little meat here and there will add new flavors and textures to my repertoire, and new sensations to my palate. I'm really excited about this.

5) I want to have more options when eating out. I don't do gluten for physiological reasons, which is limiting--and annoying--in restaurants. I can't afford to cut an entire food group out of my menu choices anymore.

6) I hate being a picky eater. A large part of my job is negotiating vegetables into peoples' diets--They come up with all kinds of excuses not to eat them. My dad is a perfect example: When his plate comes within 6 inches of a mushroom or tomato he squirms and makes a puckered face like a 4-year old child.

I don't want to be like that. A grown woman doesn't behave that way, particularly a grown woman who travels to countries where food is food, and if you don't eat what's in front of you, you die. (However, I will continue wince and squirm when I see people "cook" food in the microwave...)

7) I will still eat far less meat than the average American. 

8) Buying ethically-raised meat changes the trends in livestock farming practices as a whole. 

9) Supporting local cattle farmers is better than supporting international GMO soy.

10) I am a proud member of something called the Food Chain. I know where I stand.

11) Plants are highly evolved beings. Have you ever considered that? Are you conscious of what kind of lives your vegetables lived prior to being ingested? Did they get full sunlight outdoors, or were they gased into fruition in a hothouse? Were they picked before they had blossomed into adulthood? I'm serious about this--What about preserving the dignity of plants?

12) Last but not least, I'm going to South America this year. I want to be able to enjoy a friggen steak.

Have you recovered from vegetarianism? Thinking of making the transition? Your comments are welcome and appreciated!

"There's never a good time to start..."

New Year's resolutions have always bugged me, mainly because January 1st seems like such an arbitrary day to start anything. (I strongly dislike the modern Roman calendar.) I also dislike resolutions because, like fad diets, they rarely stick.

But if this is the one day each year that everyone decides to get healthy, so be it. Maybe their livers are aching from the celebrations of the night before. Or the holiday parties are over and their weight gain has finally reached its peak. Or, they have simply run out of acceptable excuses.

Ah, excuses. What have they done for us lately?

We make excuses to buy us time. We make excuses because we're uncomfortable with change. We make excuses because we're afraid to fail.

Excuses are what keep us from obtaining the things we want. Excuses keep us from acheiving our goals. Excuses keep us from being happy and fulfilled.

So here we are, this January 1st, 2012. Everybody is motivated to succeed, and that's fantastic. But if I can make just one health suggestion, it is this: Don't make resolutions with an all-or-nothing mentality.

If you are too strict with yourself in anything that you do, "mistakes" will quickly turn into excuses to fall back into your old habits. This is especially true when it involves making major changes to your lifestyle. Take it day by day. No matter what happens, you are not a failure. 

A principle that I like to remind my clients of when making big changes in their diet, is that our bodies reflect what we eat 80% of the time. Don't aim for perfection because you won't get there, and it doesn't matter anyway.

Allow for a few hiccups. Embrace them. As my yoga instructors have reminded me, "We are already perfect on the inside."

I'd also like to propose that our long-term health reflects how we treat our bodies 10 months out of the year, not just one or two. Our culture is particularly short-sighted, and that doesn't help.

Taking care of yourself one month and ignorning your needs the next won't do you any good. Nor will eating well and exercising five days out of the week, only to binge on alcohol every weekend. Crash dieting and cutting yourself short on sleep are essentially ignoring your body's needs.

So while there is never a "good" time to start caring for your body, there is really no "bad" time to start either. If you fall down, get back up, and realize that there is no moral judgement attached to food or weight, or the majority of things that normally cause you to stress, for that matter. 

Have a happy, healthy 2012!

Gluten-free holiday crackers

I've been posting a lot of sweet recipes lately, and let's face it--Most edible gifts tend to be full of sugar. I say go ahead and have a bite of whatever sweet treat you fancy this week: The holidays are about celebrating and letting go.

But at a certain point you findyourself up to your ears in cookies, candies, and cakes. It's not only dangerous--it's monotonous. If you're like most people, a pile of well-intended home-made sweets is forming in a corner of your house somewhere. This hasn't happened to me this year because most people realize that I'm gluten intolerant and therefore can't eat whatever they're baking.

However, I've managed to have my fill regardless. The past month of recipe-testing has reminded me of something that I already knew about myself: I can only take so much sugar before I start to go batsh*t crazy. (On that note, sugar and alcohol don't mix, people...Watch out.)

Christmas isn't even here yet, and I'm already sick of sweets. I knew I would be, and I'm probably not alone.

 That's why I came up with this savory take on gingerbread men. I mean, why not? I think these crackers are just as festive as their cookie cousins. There's even an intentional sprinkling of red and green in the dough, from herbs and sun-dried tomatoes.

 You could serve them as an hors d'oevres at a party with a variety of cheeses and dips. The little man pictured above is wearing sun-dried tomato pesto and dandelion-walnut pesto. Such a cute little drinking buddy. Off to fetch a glass of Chianti. 'Tis the season...Ciao!

Gluten-Free Holiday Crackers

3/4 cup chickpea flour

½ cup brown rice flour

½ cup almond meal

½ cup tapioca flour

2 tablespoons flax meal

2 tablespoons onion powder

2 tablespoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons dried herbs of your choice

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon fresh pepper

Zest of one lemon

3 tablespoons olive oil (can sub part with pesto)

About ¼ cup warm water

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.


• First, combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.


• Add in the olive oil, then gradually stir in the warm water as needed, until a soft but malleable ball of dough is formed. Let it sit a few minutes.


• On a sheet of parchment or wax paper, roll out half of the dough with a rolling pin. Aim for about 1/4” in thickness, and try to be as consistent as you can.


• Using holiday cut-outs, create your cracker shapes, reserving the excess dough to roll out more. You can use any shape you like--Christmas trees or santa hats are nice too. A star of David for Hannukah, even.


• Bake the crackers at 350 degrees for the first 5 minutes, then reduce to 300 for another 5 minutes. Remove when the edges are just beginning to turn golden—The crackers will crispen up more once they have cooled.

All-Natural Peppermint Patties

Just in time for the holidays: A healthier take on cool winter classic. They're vegan and gluten-free, too. Even if you don't like York peppermint patties, if you like chocolate and mint you'll appreciate these.

There are only five ingredients in the entire recipe (Compare with the York label below). Yes, there's a fair amount of sugar in them, but no corn syrup or hard-to-pronounce ingredients.

Actually, the primary ingredient in them is coconut (a superfood)--but you won't taste it since the peppermint oil overpowers it. If you don't have access to coconut oil you can use real butter, and substitute heavy cream for the coconut milk.

Peppermint Patties

Equipment and supplies: double boiler, parchment paper

2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar, sifted

2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 teaspoons peppermint oil

2 tablespoons coconut milk

8oz dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon coconut oil

• Warm the coconut oil the double boiler. Remove from heat and stir in the pepperment extract.


• Cream the oil with the powdered sugar, either by hand or with a stand mixer.


• Add in the coconut milk and cream until the mixture is a consistent paste. It should be smooth but moldable, like play dough.


• Lay a sheet of parchment paper-lined baking sheet on a counter top. Mold balls with your fingers into whatever size you like. Flatten them into discs and place them on the parchment sheet.


• Put the parchment sheet in the refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes.


• Once the patties are cold, warm an additional tablespoon of coconut oil in the double boiler, and turn the heat off. Add in the chocolate, stirring until it’s smooth.


• Allow the chocolate to cool, to about body temperature (tempering range is 88 – 90 degrees Fahrenheit.)


• Dunk the patties individually in the chocolate with a fork, then drain the excess chocolate and place them back on the parchment sheet.


• Return the parchment sheet to the refrigerator and chill.

Chocolate-dipped orangettes

Chocolate and orange were never one of my favorite combinations. I just didn't think they went well together. Now I realize that it was probably because my only exposure to the orange-chocolate combination as a kid was one of those nasty artificially-flavored Terry's Chocolate Oranges made by Kraft--Nothing to get excited about.

So why did I attempt to make these orangettes, then? Just look at the photo--They're gorgeous! I'm such a sucker for pretty desserts. Even if I have no desire to eat them, I just like to display them. And somebody must like chocolate and orange together.

After tasting these, I realized that that somebody was me. The texture and flavor of these little sticklets is truly divine. They take some time to prepare, but the process is really simple: Slice and blanch the orange peels, candy them, dry them, then dip them in chocolate.

If you like the idea of candied fruit, you must visit Sicily. They candy just about everything there. I love admiring the hundreds of different preserved creations in the windows of pasticcerie. They're so perfect-looking that I have trouble believing they are genuine. (Yes, those are olives in the upper-right hand corner of the photo--They are fruit, too!  And the the yellow spotted things are cactus pears.)

 

Chocolate-Dipped Orangettes

Equipment: double boiler, wire cooling rack

6 large organic oranges

4 ½ cups sugar

1 ½ cups water

8 oz good quality dark chocolate

• Cut tops and bottoms off of the orange and score the orange into quarters, cutting down only into the peel and not into the fruit. Peel the skin and pith of the orange in large pieces, use the orange for another recipe. Cut the peel into strips about 1/4-inch wide.


• Put the orange peel in a large saucepan with cold water to cover, bring to a boil over high heat. Then pour off the water. Repeat 1 or 2 more times depending up how assertive you want the orange peels to be. (The point it to remove the bitterness—This depends greatly on the variety of orange, and on personal preference, so be sure to taste.) Remove the orange peels from the pan.


• Whisk the sugar with 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8 to 9 minutes (If you took the sugar's temperature with a candy thermometer it would be at the soft thread stage, 230 to 234 degrees F.)


• Add the peels and simmer gently, reducing heat to retain a simmer. Cook until the peels get translucent, about 45 minutes. Resist the urge to stir the peels or you may introduce sugar crystals into the syrup. If necessary, swirl the pan to move the peels around.


• Drain the peels, (save the syrup for another recipe or for flavoring tea.) Leave the peels to dry on a rack overnight.


• Using a double boiler, melt the chocolate to 88 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Dip the peels into the chocolate and lay them to dry again on the wire rack, or on a sheet of parchment paper.