Cultured Meat: Maybe Humane, but is it Natural?

Recently I've been obsessed with reading Kathy Freston's articles. For those of you who don't know who she is, Kath Freston is a New York Times best-selling author who writes about healthful and conscious eating. She's gained popularity through appearances on Ellen, Rhe View, Good Morning America, and most note-worthy on Oprah to help Oprah and her staff go vegan for one week.

Browsing through some of her articles on The Huffington Post, I cam across Kathy's article on Humane Meat. Knowing she is a committed vegan, I was beyond curious about what Humane Meat is. No it's not meat from a postcard-worthy farm, instead it's meat from a science lab. That's right: meat cultured from animal cells. Because I severely lack the information on this topic, I'm going to encourage you to read the article for yourself and form your own opinions on it:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-freston/humane-meat_b_895224.html

Bottom Line: Whether or not you eat meat, I think it's important that we're all conscious eaters. Conscious not only about the treatment of animals, but the treatment of workers, impact on the environment, safety of our food, and both short-term and long-term health effects. 

--Kelli

11/2 Hearty Vegetarian Chili

The one night we did dress up

Walking to a friend's apartment Saturday night was like walking in a snow globe -- a very wet snow globe. Leaving my Halloween costume behind and focusing on not getting frostbite walking, my friends and I were drenched by the time we got to our destination. Snow here in Boston is strange. In Denver, when it snows you get a nice dusting of snow on your clothes and hair, but you don't get soaked through like you do here. Despite having water gush out of my shoe every time I stepped, I was in a ridiculously good mood. Everything about that day was just fantastic! Crepe place for lunch, F1 racing in the afternoon, hot apple cider at a friend's apartment, and goofing around and chilling with everyone at another apartment until late.

I don't know exactly where this is in MA, but it's so beautiful! I couldn't find a good one on the Boston Globe's website of Boston

Part of my love for fall snow is it reminds me of being little. Every year it would snow on Halloween. Take a look at my photo album and you'll notice that all my costumes were based around being able to wear layers and snow boots. One year I tried to fight it and just wore my Tinkerbell costume out trick-or-treating. I ended up with red arms and destroyed slippers.Probably should have taken my mom's advice to wear boots and a coat even if it wasn't authentic Tinkerbell-ware. So this is my warning to anyone I see on a daily basis: if it is snowing out, there's a very high chance I will be in an annoyingly good mood. So, if snow makes you cranky, I'd stay away from me. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Silk makes Mint Chocolate Soy Milk!! It's going on my shopping list

Although the cold weather means no more shorts or skirts, it also means soups, baked goods, tea, coffee, peppermint, fuzzy blankets, hockey season, and spending more time inside with everyone. I've been working with a female athlete specialist (thanks to my knee) and have been looking more closely at my nutrient intake. Although nothing to worry about, I could benefit from a little more protein. Trying to figure out my protein options, I came across a bag of green lentils on sale. I put them in my shopping basket, bought them, brought them home, then realized I had absolutely no clue what to do with them.

After seeing that my friend made homemade cornbread and because it's officially sweater weather, I decided to finally tackle vegetarian chili. Having not grown up in a spice-loving household, I was nervous about making chili from scratch, especially vegetarian chili since there's no chicken broth to add flavor. My worries were for nothing: this chili is SO delicious! Although not "traditional chili taste" (which I think is largely due to using white beans instead of black or red kidney), it still has the hint of heat and depth of flavor that I look for in chili. This recipe is jam-packed with minerals and vitamins from the vegetables, protein from the beans and lentils, and flavor from the spices. The recipe that inspired mine used maple syrup to sweeten things up. I didn't feel like going out an buying syrup so I used honey instead and it turned out great! I'd love to hear if anyone tries it with maple syrup, or has a favorite chili recipe that uses maple syrup.

Lentil Chili
Inspired by Honest Fare's recipe

Ingredients:

1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes

1 cup green lentils

1 can white beans

1 chopped zucchini

1 chopped yellow squash

½ large sweet green pepper, diced

1 chopped carrot

Olive oil

1 large clove diced garlic

1 ¾ tsp salt

Black pepper

½ tsp cinnamon powder

1 ½ tsp cumin

1 ½ chili powder

Dash cayenne pepper

2 T honey

What to do:

1. Bring 1 ½ cup water to a boil. Add in 1 cup washed green lentils. Cover and simmer for 20min.

2. While lentils are cooking, chop all vegetables

3. Remove lentils and place in small bowl

4. Sauté garlic, pepper, squash, and zucchini in 3 tablespoons of olive oil in very large pot over medium-high heat

5. Add beans, cinnamon, black pepper, cumin, chili powder, and 1 tsp salt. Sauté uncovered until veggies are tender

6. Add whole can of tomatoes – along with their juice!! – carrots, and honey. Bring to a simmer and decrease heat to low. Stir in pinch of cayenne pepper and the rest of the salt. Cover and continue cooking on low until carrots are soft.

7. Partially uncover and continue cooking so chili thickens. There’s no real rule for how long to let the chili cook. Basically, the longer it cooks, the deeper the flavor. I let mine cook for 6 hours and it was amazing!

My friend and I ate our chili with Trader Joe's whole wheat tortillas that I crisped in the oven because I needed to use them up before they went bad, but I'm dying to try this with Post Punk's cornbread recipe -- be on the look for it in the coming month! I've been bringing this chili to work for lunch and, like a good chili should, it tastes better each day.

One more warning: Alli and I are a little obsessed with Christmas. Actually, a lot obsessed. On TV Saturday was ABC family's 25 Days of Christmas promotion. See where I'm going with this? Alli has already started listening to Christmas music. Although I haven't gone that far yet, I have started a bookmark for Christmas recipes. All I'm saying is you have about 3 weeks before we start going holiday-season crazy. You've been warned.

Our stockings freshman year

One of my favorite Jack Johnson songs. I heard this for the first time about two summers ago at Mile High Music Festival. Whenever I have the apartment to myself this and Etta James are my go-to music choices.

--Kelli

Pumpkin Take-Over Continues: Pumpkin Pancakes for One

Drizzle of honey makes them perfect for a sunny fall day

I'm apologizing in advance. I know my SMG professor would knock off major points for starting a discussion with an apology, but I felt the need to do it. I am going to be talking about another pumpkin recipe. I know. I promise I do eat more than just pumpkin, which you'll see the other 11 months of the year, but bare with me one more week, that's all I'm asking.

Aren't these so festive?! My roommate made them for a bakesale -- I was the designated sprinkler. I didn't get to try them, but they completely sold out so I'm guessing they were good.

Before going any further, I have to mention my weekend. I went with two friends and saw Boy & Bear at the Great Scott. This venue is awesome! So small and intimate, it felt like I was seeing a group of friends performing rather than going to a "show." Although we got there a bit late, the songs we were there for were incredible. The lead singer's voice had such warmth and depth, that when combined with folk instruments like a banjo and acoustic guitar, I couldn't help but feel goofy with happiness and comfort. Please download some of their stuff!

Okay, on to the food! My Monday was beyond insane. No classes, yet I left the apartment at 8:45am and didn't get home until 8:45pm -- exactly 12 hours later (okay I had a 30min break where I came home to make lunch, so not a true 12 hours). Although my feet killed and all I wanted was my Victoria's Secret Boyfriend sweatpants, I was in a stupidly good mood all day. Everything just seemed so wonderful. I was that annoying person walking around with my iPod, smiling and tapping my hand to the beat of the music.

During the 30 minutes between the gym and physical therapy, I was able to come home and make a quick lunch (more like lunch part 1, with part 2 three hours later). Because it was 11:30, I wasn't in the mood for "real" food, but I had already had my puffins and peanut butter breakfast earlier in the morning. Sifting through the fridge I realized I still had a container with canned pumpkin in it. Knowing I wanted something pumpkin-tasting but not entirely sure what that something was, I checked up on my usual blogs, one of which being Chocolate Covered Katie. Katie specializes in healthier desserts. How could you not love a blog that promotes both chocolate any time of the day and sneaking in vitamins, minerals, and protein? After reading her post, I clicked on her Recipe Page mainly out of habit. Well, I like to think the food gods guided my clicking because in front of me was a picture of her Banana Pancakes for One. As much as I love my oatmeal and cereal, I adore pancakes. And pancakes for early lunch? Perfection. I altered her recipe by subbing in pumpkin for the banana, but I'm excited to try the banana ones soon!

Besides now having a single-serving pancake recipe that fills me up in my mental recipe list, I also gained the most wonderful knowledge: honey and pumpkin are meant for each other. Seriously. Have some pumpkin bread? Put honey on it.
P.S. The recipe itself if vegan, just swap agave for the honey and you're all set!

Pumpkin Pancakes for One
Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie's Recipe

Ingredients:
1/3 cup flour (I used all purpose, but I'm planing on trying oat flour, I'll let you know how it goes)
1/2 tsp baking powder
Dash of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup almond milk (or any milk you prefer)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree

Mix the dry ingredients together. I like to do this in a large measuring bowl to save on dishes.

In a separate bowl, combine the three liquid ingredients. Once combined, add in the dry mix to the liquid mixture. Stir to get rid of any flour lumps that may remain.
Heat a skillet and make your pancakes!

Make your day better and make these pancakes! And don't forget to finish them off with a drizzle of honey!

I also made mini pumpkin loaves, but for some reason the middles exploded ALL over my oven

Half-way to Halloween weekend!!

--Kelli

Finally our first review! Life Alive: Approved for All Eaters

 Step off the sidewalk in Central Square in Cambridge, and enter into an earthy paradise where the workers are friendly and love their jobs, the sauces are all made in-house, the fruits and vegetables are fresh and packed with nutrients, the grains are perfectly cooked, and the smoothies are creamy enough to substitute as meals themselves. Life Alive is an organic restaurant where all the menu items are vegetarian and most are vegan. THIS ISN’T RABBIT FOOD! If I told my friends that I was taking them to a vegetarian restaurant, the majority of them would begin picturing what they call “rabbit food,” meaning bland, textureless, boring dishes that could only fill up a tiny rabbit-sized stomach. The food at Life Alive is the exact opposite of this. I promise you: Live Alive does not sacrifice flavor.

With my parents in town and the feeling of fighting away a cold, I knew I wanted to take them somewhere different than what they can find at home, but healthy enough to give my immune system the boost it needed. Because it was unseasonably warm last night, we sat outside, but Life Alive also has seating on the main floor and in the basement. The main floor is bright and screams nature, while the basement has a very chill atmosphere; I’ve been told they have live music down there from time-to-time. 

How it works: after deciding on what you want, go up an order from the cashier. They will give you a number to put on your table (if you’re dining in) and they’ll bring it to your table when it’s ready. You can also get your food to go, which a LOT of people were doing last night.

So what about the food? My “usual” is copied from my friend who first introduced me to Life Alive: The Rebel. The Rebel (besides having a killer name) is packed with protein-rich quinoa (one of the few plant-based complete protein sources), short grain brown rice (I LOVE the texture of short grain brown rice, it’s chewier than long-grain in a VERY good way), bright orange steamed carrots, dark-leafy greens that embody “healthfulness”, broccoli, hijiki, beats, and tofu. This warm bowl of deliciousness is then tossed in sweet, very low fat Sesame Ginger and Ginger Nama Shoyu sauces. I usually have a hard time finishing my plate, but I have never not finished this meal. Yes, it’s big. But it leaves you feeling full and healthy, rather than full and weighed down. 

The Rebel

My parents got the Adventurer and added avocado to it. My dad, a lover of salt, even commented that his meal had so much flavor that he wasn't tempted to add salt to it. Trust me this is an accomplishment. Both parents also mentioned how satisfying their meals were – neither missed not having meat.

I’ve also tried their Chai Alive “Smoothie.” I put smoothie in quotes because it was more like a milkshake (or a frappe for you New Englanders) than a smoothie. Four simple ingredients: Chai, banana, vegan ice cream, and almond milk. It tastes like a perfectly made chai latte on a creamy high. My friend got the Elvis Alive with peanut butter, cocoa, banana, ice cream, and rice milk. Needless to say he was in taste heaven for hours after. 

Omnivore, vegetarian, or vegan. Doesn’t matter which you are. Just go here.

Click for Life Alive's website 

I couldn't get him to look at the camera. . .

--Kelli