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Lunch-N-Learn 10: Salad Variety & Food Ethics
by Jeff Livorsi
Our tenth Lunch-n-Learn grouped multiple salads with an interesting discussion on food ethics; what we eat and why we eat it.
Tim put together three fantastic salads with make-your-own BLTs, while we discussed food and watched a video on toxins that affect animals and the environment.
As always, we purchased most of the ingredients from the Andersonville Farmer’s Market. This week we had double the credit, so we had double the ingredients to work with. Plus, Tim’s parents provided tomatoes and zucchini from their garden as well.
Learn: Food Ethics
Tim spent much of the summer in the U.P. of Michigan, working, reading, and training for Climate Ride. Long rides and picturesque settings offered plenty of time to reflect on the state of the environment and the choices we make in our diets. The last week in Michigan, after a supper club meat fest celebrating he and Kris’ respective birthdays with a ginormous slab of prime rib, he dropped meat from his diet and went vegetarian. (If you’re gonna go out, go out with a bang!)
There were two books that helped Tim in his decision:
- Cold, Clear, and Deadly by Melvin J. Visser
- Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, And Wear Cows by Melanie Joy
Tim mentioned that he spends a lot of his Michigan time on the patio reading and looking at Lake Superior. His love for Lake Superior is what led him originally to read Cold, Clear, and Deadly. Though he had consistently eaten a vegetarian-friendly diet for several years, after reading both books and watching a video from author Melvin J. Visser, Tim decided to officially change his lifestyle.
The video dives into how pesticides and toxins get into Lake Superior and affect the global food chain. Lake Superior has the highest amount of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP) in all of the great lakes. The fish, starting at smelt on the low end of the food chain, carry high levels of toxins, and the levels only increase as you go up the chain. Once you get to game fish like trout and salmon, the POP levels are hazardous enough to be categorized as toxic waste.
Here is the video that began our discussion.
Lunch: Market Salads and BLT’s
The irony was not lost on Tim that his co-workers purchased copious amounts of bacon on the day he was to discuss going vegetarian. Two incredible loaves of bread from the market made for some excellent sandwich fixings.
Zucchini, Garbanzo Bean, and Roasted Corn Salad
This is a simple recipe that makes a large salad. Perfect for the 9-10 folks we have every week at the Mightybytes lunch table.
Ingredients:
- 1 large zucchini (or 2-3 small)
- 1 can garbanzo beans
- 2 ears sweet corn
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- ½ onion, diced.
- ¼ cup parsley, chopped
- 1 Tbsp chopped oregano
- ½ tsp chili garlic sauce
- 2-3 Tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Goat Cheese
If the zucchini is small, you don’t need to peel it but if the skin is tough you should. Peel and chop the zucchini to ¼” dice. Place in a large bowl.
Remove the corn from its ears with a knife and place in a lightly oiled frying pan. Cook until browned but not burnt. Let cool and add to bowl.
Drain and rinse beans. Add to bowl.
Dice tomatoes and onion.
Place the parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, chili-garlic sauce, and balsamic vinegar in a food processor. Turn it on and add the oil in a steady stream. Depending on the size of your vegetables you may need more than ¼ cup of oil.
Toss dressing with vegetables and add crumbled goat cheese on top (or don’t if you want to keep this vegan).
Golden Watermelon Arugula Salad
We found awesome golden watermelons at the market this week, perfect for this simple salad.
Ingredients:
- Golden Watermelon
- Arugula
- Balsamic vinegar
- Olive oil
- Feta Cheese
Chop the melon into bite-sized pieces or get the flesh from its shell using a melon baller (the latter is more work but looks better). Finely chop the arugula. Toss the two together and drizzle with vinegar and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Top with crumbled feta.
Caprese Salad
Tim also prepared a standard caprese salad with heirloom tomatoes, a 15-year aged balsamic vinegar, fresh buffalo mozzarella, and chopped basil. He said he also typically puts orange zest on his caprese, which makes a world of difference, but in the interest of being a locavore he refrained.
Pear Ginger Maple Pie
Our friend Shannon whipped up the most amazing pie from pears and maple syrup purchased at the market, the perfect meal-capper.
Ingredients:
- 1 recipe dough for pate brisee pie crust (or use frozen crust)
- 6 cups of peeled and roughly chopped pears (use Bosc or Bartlett)
- 1 ½ tablespoons of cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 cup of packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon of lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons of chopped candied ginger (or 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger)
Oatmeal Crumb Topping
Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup of flour
- 1/2 cups of old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1/3 cup of cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- Roll out pie dough and place in a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie dish and place in the freezer to set.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Place the chopped pears in a large bowl with the cornstarch, candied ginger, brown sugar, maple syrup, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Toss well.
- Place the pear mixture into the chilled, crust lined pie dish and smooth the top of the fruit. Place the pie into the center oven rack and bake for 45 minutes. (Put a baking sheet on the rack under the pie to catch any drippings.) After 30 minutes, line the edges of the pie with foil or a pie protector to prevent them from burning.
- While baking take all the Oatmeal Crumb Topping ingredients and place them in a bowl. Use your hands and mix the ingredients until large crumbs form. Refrigerate until use.
- After 45 minutes reduce heat to 375F. Remove the pie and carefully place the crumb topping over the pie, covering all the fruit. Bake for another 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least one hour. Serve.
This recipe came from Simplyrecipes.com.
Final Thoughts
How often do you consider the choices you make regarding your diet? Choosing to stop eating meat entirely is not an easy decision for most people. For those of you who have chosen a vegetarian diet, has the decision left you personally fulfilled?
Please stop by again next week for a new learning session and another locally sourced meal.
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