Wow. Just the first two graphs of this New York Times story are pretty shocking.

"Sometimes, government inspectors responsible for examining slaughterhouse cattle for mad cow disease and other ills are so short-staffed that they find themselves peering down from catwalks at hundreds of animals at once, looking for such telltale signs as droopy ears, stumbling gait and facial paralysis.

The ranks of inspectors are so thin that slaughterhouse workers often figure out when ''surprise'' visits are about to take place, and make sure they are on their best behavior."

NPR's Terry Gross had this interesting segment today. She interviewed Michael Specter, a New Yorker science writer, on the subject of the carbon footprint of food. They discussed the complexity of determining the footprint, which is based on a variety of factors such as how far the food is transported, the manner in which it's transported, what chemicals and fertilizers are used to help the food grow, whether artificial heating is needed for it to grow, etc.

Would you like to see a measure of your food's carbon footprint along with its calorie count before you make a purchases?

I tried a new dish today and was pleased with the results. It's an African Sweet Potato Stew with Red Beans. The recipe comes from Cooking Light.

A note: The recipe calls for you to cook most of the ingredients for 8 hours, something I didn't notice until around 6pm when I started cooking. After worrying over this for awhile, I read further in the recipe (I have a real problem with reading directions thoroughly) and realized the cooking was supposed to be done in a slow cooker, which I don't have. So I took a chance and made it instead in a pot on the stove over low heat, at a simmer, stirring occasionally and tasting to see when the vegetables were tender. It took about an hour, I'd say. I'm not sure if it would have turned out better had I used the slow cooker.

2 teaspoons olive oil
1-1/2 cups chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato (about 1-1/2 pounds)
1-1/2 cup cooked small red beans
1-1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained (I couldn't find these in the supermarket so I substituted hot sauce)
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons dry-roasted peanuts
6 lime wedges

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender
Place onion mixture in a 5-quart electric slow cooker. Add sweet potato and next 10 ingredients (through chiles). Cover and cook on low 8 hours or until vegetables are tender.
Spoon 1 cup cooking liquid into a small bowl. Add peanut butter, stir well with a whisk. Stir peanut butter mixture into stew. Top with peanuts; swerve with lime wedges.

Yields: 6 servings
calories: 308, fat 8.8 g

Fewer food safety issues to worry yourself with.

143 Million Pounds of Beef Recalled

I think this article on incompatible eaters speaks for itself.
I should point out that it includes the second reference I've come across to meat eaters smelling bad... weird.

I finally chose a cookbook! It's called Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmon.
I tried two good recipes from it over the weekend which Helen requested I share here on the blog.

The first is called All-American Pot Pie. It's basically chicken pot pie without the chicken.

1 tablespoon butter
8 cups any combination of the following vegetables: corn kernels, 1/2-inch cubes of carrot, chopped red bell pepper, chopped zucchini, spinach leaves (firmly packed), sliced onions and 1/2-inch cubes of potato (I also put broccoli in, which was good)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1-1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons unbleached white flour
2 cups warmed milk
1 pinch fresh or dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
4 to 5 tablespoons ice water

1. Make the filling: In a 12 or 14 inch, preferably non-stick skillet, heat the 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add all of the vegetables and saute them for 5 minutes stirring often. Add the garlic and saute for 5 minutes more stirring. Sprinkle the 3 tablespoons flour over the vegetables and stir the mixture over the heat for 2 minutes. Add the warmed milk slowly, stirring all the while to avoid lumps. Stir in thyme. Bring the sauce toa simmer, and cook the mixture, stirring, until the sauce thickens. Continue to cook the vegetables until they become tender (especially the carrot and potato) adding a bit more milk if the sauce becomes too thick. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and plenty of fresh pepper. Transfer the mixture to a 9 or 10 inch casserole or deep pie dish. (At this point you can cover the dish and chill it for up to 2 days, if you'd like to bake it later)

2. To make the dough in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, put the 1-1/2 cups flour and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt into the processor. Add the cold butter. Run the machine in spurts until the butter is in bits no bigger than pea-size. Add 4 tablespoons ice water and run the machine in spurts again, just enough to bring the dough together. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead the dough, adding a bit of flour or water if necessary until the dough is soft, moist and somewhat smooth. Do this fast, handling the dough as little as possible. Form the dough into a flattened ball.
To make the dough by hand, combine the 1-1/2 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and cold butter into a large bowl. With a pastry cutter or fork, cut the butter into the flour until the pieces of butter are no larger than peas. Add 4 tablespoons ice water and stir briefly, just enough to incorporate the water. Add a touch more water or flour if necessary to make a soft and moist dough. Turn the dough onto a clean work surface and with the palm of your hand, smear the dough away from you about a handful at a time. Scrape up the enough and form it into a flattened ball. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll the dough into a circle slightly large in diameter than the casserole or pie dish. Place the circle of dough over the casserole and pinch the dough along the rim so that it clings to the rim of the dish. Cut four 1-inch long slits in the dough and place the pie in the oven. Bake it for about 20 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the crust golden.

Serves 4


Thai Tofu with Red Curry Sauce over Coconut-Scallion Rice
(I'm not sure why they call the sauce "red" since it was really green)

10 dried kaffir lime leaves (available in Asian markets) or 1-1/2 teaspoons grated lime rind
1-1/4 cups (10 ounces) coconut milk
2-3/4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups jasmine, basmati or regular long grain white rice
1 bunch cilantro, coarsley chopped (you'll need 2/3 cups for the sauce and 2 tablespoons for garnish)
2 large garlic cloves, cut in half
1/4 cup dry-roasted unsalted peanuts
1 tablespoon Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce or 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup canola or corn oil
3 tablespoons hot chile sauce or 2 tablespoons chile paste
1 16-ounce package firm tofu, patted dry and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 bunch broccoli, cut into small pieces (about 4 cups)
1 cup minced scallions, both green and white parts

1. Soak the kaffir lime leaves in 1 quart very hot water for 30 minutes
2. While the leaves soak, bring the coconut milk, 2-1/4 cups of the water and the 1 tablespoon salt to a boil, then add the rice. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Let the rice cook, covered for 25 minutes.
3. Drain the lime leaves and with a very sharp knife, chop them into pea-sized pieces. In a food processor or blender, combine the lime leaves (or lime rind), 2/3 cup chopped cilantro, the garlic cloves, and the peanuts. Run the machine in spurts until the lime leaves are pulverized, pushing them down with a rubber spatula if necessary. Slowly, with the machine running, add the fish sauce (or 1/2 teaspoon salt) and 3 tablespoons of the oil, then add the chile sauce or paste. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl.
4. Into a wok or non-stick skillet, over high heat, pour the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add the tofu and cook until the pieces form a golden crust on the bottom. Then turn them with a spatula, and let the tofu form more golden crust on the other side. Transfer the tofu to a plate.
5. Into the same wok or skillet, put the broccoli and the remaining 1/2 cup water. Cover and steam the broccoli for 2 minutes. Stir in the lime peanut paste and cook, stirring, for one minute more. Add the tofu and toss.
6. Stir the scallions into the rice. Mound the rice on plates and spoon the tofu and sauce around it. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro and serve.

Serves 4