Walking Away From Beef

I used to think I wasn't much of a beef eater until I stopped eating it in 2008. I was wrong. From going to cookouts and running to a drive-thru before heading home, beef was just as pravalent in my diet as seafood.

Now that the U.S. is dealing with another mad cow crisis (by the way, mad cow is always going on-we just don't hear about it until many people get ill or die) in our meat production, I decided to talk about some delicious alternatives to eating beef.

These burgers don't taste like regular beef and aren't as tough but you will feel better about eating them. I promise if you start eating this way, you will acquire a taste for veggie burgers.

My introduction to veggie burgers was Boca. I hated them (and still do) because of the way they smell and their cardboard on a bun taste. I remember thinking, "See, this is why people don't eat this crap."  I haven't had one since '09, so maybe the recipe has improved but the smell hasn't. Hubby still eats them.

Next, I moved on to Morningstar (which has more vegetarian than vegan products) and enjoyed their black bean patties until I became a vegan.

Then I started eating Annie's vegan patties-very good and they have several varieties.

Now, we enjoy my favorite homemade version.

Some tips:

*Don't give up if you try a brand or recipe that you don't like.  I'm so glad that I didn't allow Boca to be my vision of what a veggie burger is.

*Don't be afraid to top your burger with condiments to get used to the texture and flavor.

*Baby steps are okay. I went from eating beef; to enjoying Morningstar's black bean burgers; to eating Annie's brand; to making my own right at home. You can do it!

Learn more about how factory farms typically operate in the U.S. here.

Have you tried any vegetarian or vegan burgers? What are your favorite brands/recipes? Let's talk about it in the comments.

Want to Be Green? Eliminate Meat

I remember a few years ago "going green" was in.  Celebrities were on E! News talking about their hybrid cars, ditching disposable water bottles for Sigg, and composting their vegetable waste.

One of my Twitter buddies posted an interview with Tia Mowry discussing her life as an eco-friendly mom. 

Anybody else miss Sister, Sister? :-)

(source)

Mowry praised recycling, being mindful of her family's waste, and using earth-friendly laundry detergent as some of the ways she lives "green."  All of those ideas are awesome but I have an easier and very effective way to help our planet. 

Eliminate your consumption of meat-especially red meat.

Here's why.....

"A 2006 United Nation report revealed that the 'livestock sector' generates more greenhouse gas emissions than all the cars, trucks, trains, ships, and planes in the world combined. The livestock sector is one of the largest sources of carbon dioxide and the single largest source of both methane and nitrous oxide emissions. Nitrous oxide is considerably more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. According to the U.N., the meat, egg, and dairy industries account for a staggering 65 percent of nitrous oxide emissions.

To combat climate change, many environmental experts urge people to at least cut back on the amount of animal products they eat. According to Chris Weber, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, not eating red meat and dairy products is the equivalent of not driving 8,100 miles in a car that gets 25 miles to the gallon. (Buying local meat will not have nearly the same effect, he says, because only five percent of food-related emissions come from transportation.)" source

Not ready to completely let go of your burgers yet?

Consider Meatless Mondays and experiment with meatless brands like Morningstar (most of their products are vegetarian not vegan), Gardein and/or Amy's Kitchen to making transitioning to a more compassionate way of eating easier.