cooking4carnivores

I hate to brag, but a fellow food blogger just awarded me the

Oh How Lovely Award

How exciting is that? Well, maybe not that exciting to you, but it is to me. I came from one of my favorite food blogs, BrannyBoilsOver. She, like me, is a vegetarian who manages to cook dinner for her non-vegetarian husband. Lucky for her, she lives with more of an omnivore than a carnivore. Anyway, her blog is great and you should all check it out. Part of this award is that I am supposed to pass it on. I thought I would share it with a couple of other bloggers who deal with mixed diet families. As such, I would like to give this award to IvysFeast. She is a meat eater who is married to a vegetarian. She even has a book coming out soon with great pictures and recipes for families like ours out there. I also want to give this award to TheChubbyVegetarian. He is a fantastic vegetarian cook here in Memphis. His website had lots of unique vegetarian recipes, but at home he has to incorporate some meat. For example, he make make fabulous seitan tacos for himself and then fish tacos for his family. So, congrats on the award. And for those of you out there who are looking for more resources / sites like mine please check these guys out. Isn't it nice to know we aren't alone?

Here's an idea that is as regreshing as watermelon on a hot summer day - the no go gala from MIFA. For those of you not from Memphis, MIFA stands for the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association. They do all kinds of great things in my area, like delivering meals to seniors in need, providing housing for families in crisis, and helping at-risk teens obtain job skills.

For over 22 years now MIFA has been "hosting" a no go gala. As you can see from their website this event is very successful. This gala is for both people tired of attending fundraising dinners and fancy functions and for those of you who only dream of going to such events (like me). Instead of spending lots of dough getting all gussied up (something the carnivore is never too interested in), MIFA encourage their "guests" to not attend the event, but rather to make a donation to support their life-changing programs. Isn't that a great idea?

This years theme is "Cooking up a Change: Recipes for a Night In." What's great about this is that whether you donate or not (but you really should) you can download your own "cookbook" of recipes of local chefs. These culinary creations contain ideas from appetizers to desserts and everything in between. You can even add to their online catalog of recipes if you want. In either case, it is a great cause and a great way to give back!

Being vegetarian is a choice. One that I made over a decade ago. However, I do not try to convert people to my beliefs. I mean, I married a carnivore. Just as he has never tried to make me eat meat, I would never dream of forcing vegetarianism on him. However, I came across an interesting article the other day about how much we could all help the Earth if we all went vegetarian just for one day. Check out the link here -

http://www.alternet.org/water/134650

As you can see the from the article (and the debate in the comments at the end) having a vegetarian day can help conserve water, reduce the use of fossil fuels, and cut greenhouse emissions.

So, while it may not be a lifestyle choice, if you can work in a vegetarian day - or even a meal - every now and then you too can help the planet. You can at least give it a try for Earth Week. And, it doesn't have to be hard.

Start your day with a slice of banana bread and a few pieces of fruit or maybe a fried egg and an english muffin. Have a hunk of artisan bread with pesto tortellini or vegetable soup for lunch. Then enjoy cheese enchiladas or a veggie pizza for dinner. Even my carnivore can get on board with that (well, maybe he would get a cheese pizza, but you get the point)!

A recent government study reported that at least 367,000 children in the United States is a vegetarian. Other surveys suggest the rate could be four to six times that among older teens who have more control over what they eat than young children do. Check out this link for more information -

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28543713/

Some of these kids are in vegetarian homes, others are not. Do you have one of these children in your home? What was your family's response? Have you learned to still eat together? Numerous studies have shown the various benefits of the family sharing at least one meal together a day. Take a look around this site and find at least one meal you can make for your whole family, even your vegetarian kid.

So, you may have seen this in the news recently, but it worth thinking about again. Can your blended family compromise for at least a couple of meals a day? Check out the story of New York Times writer Mark Bittman who is vegan before dinner -

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/vegan-before-dinnertime/

He eats a healthy vegan diet all day - then all bets are off at dinner. In the end, he lost a lot of weight and improved his overall health, not to mention helped the environment. The main point here, though, is he did not have to fully become a vegetarian/vegan. He compromised.

Think of ways your family can at least have a vegan or vegetarian breakfast to start (this is the easiest meal in my opinion). Check out some of my marvelous main dishes that can please both you and your carnivore friends for dinner. In no time you will have helped your family's health and the planet. You can do this! And, don't forget to check out Bittman's book (see my Amazon sore for details) for even more info on how he did this.