Meat as a Condiment
There are certain parts of the world, called Blue Zones, where the residents live exceptionally long and healthy lives. In all of these Blue Zones, people consume a semi-vegetarian diet. We know that people who consume less meat, tend to be healthier, and while it may not be realistic, necessary, or preferable to completely eliminate meat, focusing on a more vegetable-forward diet is a great place to start!
To enjoy the flavor of meat without eliminating it entirely, I like to think of meat as a condiment. I like to use a small amount of highly-flavored meats, bacon or spicy sausage, or use less meat in a dish and replace some of the protein with beans or nuts. Instead of just chicken on a salad, I’ll use half chicken with half spiced chickpeas. Adding just a few slices of bacon or pancetta to a pasta dish, imparts huge flavor. Not only is reducing meat good for us, we tend to save money when substituting plant-based protein, and it’s good for the environment.
I recently made a veggie-packed flatbread using the dough from this recipe: Grandma Style Pizza. We had just 3 pieces of bacon in the fridge, so I diced it up and topped the dough along with asparagus, peas, fennel, and spinach. It was a huge hit! Try making your own veggie flatbread with meat as a condiment and tell us what you come up with in the comments!
3 things I’m loving this week:
Seemore Sausages - Seemore is a woman-owned company, they use humanely-raised meat, and the sausages are insanely delicious. While not exactly meat as a condiment, these sausages contain 35% vegetables, so it’s a step in the veg forward direction!
Vegan Slow Cooker Red Beans & Rice This is my favorite Red Beans & Rice recipe, and it’s vegan! It’s slow cooker-friendly and the miso and soy sauce really amp up the savory flavor. We do, sometimes, add a small amount of andouille sausage to this recipe. Obviously, the recipe is no longer vegan, but we’re able to use a smaller amount than would normally be required to impart the flavor and fat that’s expected from this dish.
How Exercise Enhances Aging Brains - Dance, bike, swim, run, walk, do whatever it takes to keep moving! This article discusses how important it is to find sustainable and fun sources of movement.