Meat-Less Mondays (Minestrone alla Romagnola)

During Sara's nap time my usual distraction from doing housework is browsing various food blogs. While poking around I stumbled upon Gwyneth Paltrow's blog Goop. While it seemed a little fabulous for a typical Cape Cod housewife and mother, there was one newsletter that intrigued me Meat-Less Mondays. Although I eat pretty much anything, I feel I eat really healthy. But I have never had the discipline to be vegetarian or vegan. I saw the movie "Food, Inc." and was blown away! While the movie is quite graphic with visions of slaughter houses, it was very eye opening. I will not get on a soap box about eating grass-feed meat and processed food, I think it is unrealistic to be perfect all the time. Having done some reading and personal research into our food and where it comes from, I have become more conscience of what I eat and feed my family. I do not want to be unrealistic, because sometime I just need an Oreo.  I like the idea of Meat-Less Mondays because it was a very realistic way to eat more consciously and try new things. On Mondays or Tuesdays I will be featuring a vegetarian recipe. As much as I have tried, I do not like tofu, so I will promise you tofu free recipes. I am trying to take recipes I already enjoy and make them Meat-Less. If you are interested in the Meat-Less Monday these website are much better at describing the benefits to your health and the planet than I am. There is Meat-Less Mondays U.K. and  Meat-Less Monday U.S.  Both are really informative and have great recipes.

I found in my house that one of the easiest way to do a Meat-Less night is by making soup. It is filling and there are so many vegetarian soup recipes that it is not hard to find one you like. And usually everyone in my family will eats it.

My first feature is Minestrone Soup.  Again my recipe is inspired by Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan. Her recipe for Minestrone alla Romagnola is my favorite minestrone recipe. Her version is made with homemade beef stock, which I have made and it is fantastic, but I made a vegetarian version with homemade veggie stock which was perfect for Meat-Less Mondays. I also varied the measurements and some of the vegetables. For the best flavor follow the steps although it is a bit time consuming. What I have done is followed all of the steps and then if I had to leave for the day I have let it simmer in the crock-pot. The recipe says the use of the crust parmigiano-reggiano scraped clean is optional, but if you can add it I think it really makes the soup. What I will do is freeze the hard crust of my parm and save them for soups and sauces. It is also great in a tomato sauce.

Minestrone alla Romagnola
Printable Recipe

Inspired by Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tbs. butter
1 large sliced onion
2 diced carrots
2 diced celery stalks
2 diced potatoes
1/4 lb green beans trimmed and cut into 1 in pieces
2 small diced zucchini
1 medium diced summer squash
3 cups of shredded cabbage
1 1/2 cups cooked white beans
6 cups of vegetable stock
Optional: 1 crust from a piece of parmigiano-reggiano
2/3 cup canned plum tomatoes in their juices.
salt
grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

1.In a large stock pot heat oil and butter on low and add onions once butter melts. Cook onions until pale gold.
2. Add carrots and cook for about 2-3 minutes, then repeat with celery and potatoes.
3. Add green beans and cook for 2-3 minutes then add zucchini and summer squash. Cook ingredients for a few minutes before adding cabbage. Once cabbage is added cook for another 5 to 6 minutes.
4. Add broth, cheese crust, tomatoes and salt.
5. Lower heat to a simmer and cover, stirring occasionally. Let cook 2 1/2 hours then add beans and cook for another 30 minutes.
6. Before serving remove cheese crust and add cheese and salt to taste. I like to serve it with grated cheese on top, it tastes better the next day!

Beets for people who do not like beets and want to.

I took the plunge. I signed up for the CSA at Coonamessett Farm for the summer. While the thought of meat from the Vineyard, delicious fresh cheese and crisp lettuce is really exciting, I am a little skittish. With all of that comes turnips, rutabagas and beets. I will be giving up a little of the control in my weekly grocery shopping and that is a little terrifying. A beet is a beautiful thing, look at that bright red color. I love veggies, I should really embrace the beet. I think my visions of a beet are the ones you get in a can, not very appetizing. So I confronted my beet phobia in hopes that the beets from the CSA do not end up in the compost pile.
I saw a recipe in Martha Stewarts' Everyday Food that was shredded carrots and beets and I also saw a similar recipe in the Moosewood Restaurant New Classics Cookbook called beautiful beet salad. These recipes both used raw beets. I combined these recipes and came up with my own. I liked the orange juice in Martha's recipe and the ginger in the Moosewood recipe. I added some agave nectar for sweetness. I like agave because it is not too sweet and it is light. If you cannot find it or if it is too expensive you can us a little honey. I would put the honey in the microwave for about 20 seconds to make it a little thinner. A good place to get agave is my favorite spot Trader Joe's, it is a lot less than at the grocery store. It is great on oatmeal and supposedly it doesn't mess with you blood sugar.
Since making this salad I eat it about once a week, I am the only one in my house eating it so it is usually for lunch with some left over chicken on the side. My husband or daughter are still a little weary, but at least the beets will be getting eaten. I can now say that I like beets, next onto the turnips....

Shredded Beet and Carrot Salad with Ginger-Citrus Dressing
Printable Recipe
3 beets

3 small or 2 medium carrots
1 tbs. orange juice
1 tbs. cider vinegar
2 tbs.olive oil
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp. agave nectar (or honey)
salt and pepper to taste

Serves 3-4
1. Wash beets, cut off and trim bulb. Save greens and slice off tough stem. Take your knife and separate central red vain going up greens from the greens. Set aside.
2. Take beet bulbs and shred them though the food processor or grater. Once grated set in a colander and rinse until water runs mostly clear. Let them drain in the sink while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Occasionally run water through beets.
3. Peel carrots and shred them though the food processor or grater. Place in a bowl and set aside.
4. Take the greens and place one on top of the other. Roll them up and slice into ribbons and add to carrots.
5. To make dressing whisk together orange juice, cider vinegar, olive oil, ginger, agave nectar (if using honey microwave for 20 seconds to make thinner) salt and pepper to taste.
6. Add shredded beets to carrot mixture and toss with dressing. Eat immediately.

*To increase servings easily add a bag of spring mix and double the dressing.