When I tell people that my family has adopted vegetarian habits, I am met with a list of reasons why the notion is pure silliness. However, it is proven that we can still meet out dietary needs because, vegetables, grains, products made from them and proper supplements, can meet the sum total of a more balanced diet that being omnivorous.
Now, we did not become vegetarian because we think cows are too cute to eat. I actually believe that humans were meant to eat meat but the onset of commercial meat processing has made the products too dangerous. For one, the FDA cannot keep up with inspecting facilities at regular intervals and even if a facility passes (1,6), your food goes through several more hands and shipping facilities where it can be mishandled.
However, that is not what it is most disturbing to me. Animals being housed in dirty facilities, some never see the light of day, and fed copious amounts hormones to make them grow faster; antibiotics to help ward off disease from being housed with too many other animals, living in excrement and possibly dead animals; and, food that is not intended to meet their dietary needs but only fatten them up and increase the profit of their handlers.
If that is not enough to turn your stomach, slaughtering facilities can potentially mishandle the meat, and thus lead to contamination (4), but additives are used to treat the meat to kill off biological contaminates and increase the shelf life of the product (5). This is an obvious problem because the antibiotics that the animals creates "super bugs." Processed meat is then often treated with ammonium products to kill of contaminates which can cause further mutation and potentially create "indestructible bugs" that even modern medicine does not have the means to treat (2,3). So, you can be dead from eating tainted meat before you even knew what hit you.
This is not to say that there are not "safe" meats. Proper handling of the meat once you get it home is key and the closer you are to the source the better off you are. Animals raised in a "cage-free" or "free-range" environment are healthier than their cage counterparts and, thus, yield better products. Even though food produced this way comes at a cost, it is worth the benefits that you will receive. In my case, in order to get grass-fed beef, I could pick it up froze at my local natural food store or order it through my local co-op. It takes a bit of leg work and networking, but the health of your family is worth it because you should be more involved with you food than just selecting this week's "special."
Either way, I digress because obviously there are potential risks from any food that we eat. That is why I try to get as much local, organic produce and local, free-range meats that I can and wash it/prepare it correctly! So, back to quinoa (KEEN-wa). It is a grain-like seed that is related to spinach and beets which is very high in protein (14 grams per serving) and other essential nutrients. I won't lie, the first time I made it I thought it was gross because it has taste like bland cornmeal but it can be transformed into so much more and these patties are a prime example. This is an excellent source of protein and amino acids that your body needs.
Form quarter cup patties and set on a large cookie sheet lined with plastic wrap. Cool for 1 to 12 hours. Fry in a pan on each side for 2-5 minutes or until crispy brown. Be gentle with the patties and try not to mess with them too much because they call fall apart easily. I served topped with veggie cheese and marinara sauce. You can also add veggies such as chopped spinach or shredded carrots!
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1). Chasseignaux, Elise, Pascale Gérault, Marie-Thérèse Toquin, Gilles Salvat, Pierre Colin, and Gwennola Ermel. "Ecology of Listeria Monocytogenes in the Environment of Raw Poultry Meat and Raw Pork Meat Processing Plants." FEMS Microbiology Letters 210.2 (2002)
2). Hoiby, N., T. Bjarnsholt, M. Givskov, S. Molin, and O. Ciofu. "Antibiotic Resistance of Bacterial Biofilms (Review)." INternational Journal of Antimicrobial Agents 35.10 (2010): 322-32. Epub.
3). Olson, Merle E., Howard Ceri, Douglas W. Morck, Andre G. Buret, and Ronald R. Read. "Biofilm Bacteria: Formation and Comparative Susceptibility to Antibiotics." Canadian Journal of Veterinarian Research 66.2 (2002): 86-92. Print.
4). Patterson, John T. "Hygiene in Meat Processing Plants: Hot-water Washing of Carcases." Record of Agricultural Research 18 (1970): 85-87. Print.
5). Quintavalla, Stefania, and Loredana Vicini. "Antimicrobial Food Packaging in Meat Industry." Meat Science 62.3 (2002): 373-80. Print.
6). Stull, Donald D., Michael J. Broadway, and David Craig Griffith. Any Way You Cut It: Meat Processing and Small-town America. Lawrence, Kan.: University of Kansas, 1995. Print.
If that is not enough to turn your stomach, slaughtering facilities can potentially mishandle the meat, and thus lead to contamination (4), but additives are used to treat the meat to kill off biological contaminates and increase the shelf life of the product (5). This is an obvious problem because the antibiotics that the animals creates "super bugs." Processed meat is then often treated with ammonium products to kill of contaminates which can cause further mutation and potentially create "indestructible bugs" that even modern medicine does not have the means to treat (2,3). So, you can be dead from eating tainted meat before you even knew what hit you.
This is not to say that there are not "safe" meats. Proper handling of the meat once you get it home is key and the closer you are to the source the better off you are. Animals raised in a "cage-free" or "free-range" environment are healthier than their cage counterparts and, thus, yield better products. Even though food produced this way comes at a cost, it is worth the benefits that you will receive. In my case, in order to get grass-fed beef, I could pick it up froze at my local natural food store or order it through my local co-op. It takes a bit of leg work and networking, but the health of your family is worth it because you should be more involved with you food than just selecting this week's "special."
Either way, I digress because obviously there are potential risks from any food that we eat. That is why I try to get as much local, organic produce and local, free-range meats that I can and wash it/prepare it correctly! So, back to quinoa (KEEN-wa). It is a grain-like seed that is related to spinach and beets which is very high in protein (14 grams per serving) and other essential nutrients. I won't lie, the first time I made it I thought it was gross because it has taste like bland cornmeal but it can be transformed into so much more and these patties are a prime example. This is an excellent source of protein and amino acids that your body needs.
- 1c dried quinoa
- 1 1/2c vegetable broth/water
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 1/2 bunch of green onion, chopped
- 1/2c corn meal
- 1 egg
- 1 TB nutritional yeast
- salt and pepper to taste
Form quarter cup patties and set on a large cookie sheet lined with plastic wrap. Cool for 1 to 12 hours. Fry in a pan on each side for 2-5 minutes or until crispy brown. Be gentle with the patties and try not to mess with them too much because they call fall apart easily. I served topped with veggie cheese and marinara sauce. You can also add veggies such as chopped spinach or shredded carrots!
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| Clockwise starting back left: Quinoa pattie, raw carrot "noodle," pureed cauliflower, and raw sugar snap peas. |
1). Chasseignaux, Elise, Pascale Gérault, Marie-Thérèse Toquin, Gilles Salvat, Pierre Colin, and Gwennola Ermel. "Ecology of Listeria Monocytogenes in the Environment of Raw Poultry Meat and Raw Pork Meat Processing Plants." FEMS Microbiology Letters 210.2 (2002)
2). Hoiby, N., T. Bjarnsholt, M. Givskov, S. Molin, and O. Ciofu. "Antibiotic Resistance of Bacterial Biofilms (Review)." INternational Journal of Antimicrobial Agents 35.10 (2010): 322-32. Epub.
3). Olson, Merle E., Howard Ceri, Douglas W. Morck, Andre G. Buret, and Ronald R. Read. "Biofilm Bacteria: Formation and Comparative Susceptibility to Antibiotics." Canadian Journal of Veterinarian Research 66.2 (2002): 86-92. Print.
4). Patterson, John T. "Hygiene in Meat Processing Plants: Hot-water Washing of Carcases." Record of Agricultural Research 18 (1970): 85-87. Print.
5). Quintavalla, Stefania, and Loredana Vicini. "Antimicrobial Food Packaging in Meat Industry." Meat Science 62.3 (2002): 373-80. Print.
6). Stull, Donald D., Michael J. Broadway, and David Craig Griffith. Any Way You Cut It: Meat Processing and Small-town America. Lawrence, Kan.: University of Kansas, 1995. Print.
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