One of the greatest factors in agricultural greenhouse gas emissions is food waste. All food production, no matter what it might be, results in greenhouse gas emissions. So wasted food means that there are greenhouse gasses being produced and thrown up in the air for no reason at all. Every wasted jellybean, head of lettuce, or pork chop that winds up in the landfill instead of on our dinner plate or consumed at snack time is needlessly warming our world.
So in answer to that, and also because I just hate the idea of waste in the first place, I came up with what I call refrigerator soup. I wind up making this soup about once a week as a way of clearing out the refrigerator of items that need to be used up soon.
one cup green lentils four cups water one onion, chopped one or two cloves garlic, minced one tsp oregano 1/2 tsp thyme a pinch or two of other herbs, such as marjoram, basil, and sage salt and pepper to taste
I then go through the refrigerator and add to the soup anything that needs to be used up and might taste good in a lentil soup. There is the half of a turnip in the crisper, the three or four radishes in there as well, There is a quarter cup of leftover rice, some leftover tomato sauce. The soup is called refrigerator soup, but I also go through my kitchen counter as well. The potato and tomato that have been hanging around for a few days? They get diced cup and tossed in, too.
Toss everything in a big pot, bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 40 minutes, and you have refrigerator soup. The great thing about this recipe is that each time you create a unique one-of-a kind soup. Serve with good bread.
Black Beans and Rice
This is a sure win. Even folks who think that they have to have meat for dinner love these beans. And they're easy to make.
one cup dried black beans
two Tbs molasses
four to six cloves garlic
one tsp dried oregano
one tsp dried basle
one to two tsp Worcestershire sauce (optional or vegetarian)
one bay leaf
one half to one cup rice
one fourth to one full tsp salt
hot sauce such as Tabasco
Rinse the beans, place in a pot, and generously cover with cold water. Place all other ingredients in the pot (except for the rice). Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Simmer for two hours or until beans are soft. Meanwhile cook the rice. When the beans are done, remove the garlic, smash with a spoon and return to the pot. If you want a thicker sauce, you can remove about a half cup of the beans, smash them and return them to the pot. Serve the beans over the rice. Garnish with hot sauce.
(Almost) Vegan Sloppy Joes
This is from Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Caulwell B. Esselstyne Jr. M.D. From its title, you can pretty well guess that it is a book about heart health; so with this recipe you can lower your carbon footprint and eat a healthier diet. The recipe is really easy and the sloppy joes really tasty.
three and one half cups water
one large onion, chopped
one bell pepper
one TBS chili powder
one and one half cups dried lentils
one 15 oz. can crushed or diced tomatoes
one TBS low-sodium tamari or liquid aminos (optional)
two TBS yellow mustard
one TBS brown sugar
one TBS rice wine vinegar
one TBS Worcestershire sauce (If you use vegan sauce, the dish is totally vegan. If you use regular sauce the dish is almost vegan.)
one bunch cilantro, chopped
black pepper to taste
Place the water in a large pot, bring to a boil. Add onion and pepper, lower heat and cook for about five minutes, until onions are soft.
Add the other ingredients and mix well. Raise heat. After lentils come to a boil, cover, lower heat and simmer until lentils are cooked but not too soft, about 40 minutes. Serve with hamburger buns, just like regular sloppy joes.