Meatless Monday Recap

OK, I'm so incredibly slow on this. But what's a day or two when I'm already weeks late?

Monday was my first Meatless Monday. I registered to participate a few weeks ago, but then life got in the way. I ate meatless other days of the week, just not Monday (and "Meatless Thursday" just doesn't sound quate as good).

But I finally remembered and planned it correctly so that Monday there was no meat for dinner. And that meant noodles (what my oldest son calls pasta) which is really popular in the house, especially with Bubby. For dinner, I made a new version of ziti. I'd always made it the way everyone does: ziti, sauce, ricotta, shredded mozzarella and grated parmesan. But then I read this recipe from Ari at Baking and Books. The ricotta is replaced with sour cream for a moister, more flavorful dish. And it uses sharp provolone, which is a fantastic cheese. The original recipe calls for fresh mozzarella on top, which would be great, but I didn't have any on hand, so I just used the regular mozzarella.

So here's my approximation of what I made the other night:

16 oz. pasta
6 fl oz of pasta sauce (I would recommend using a little more)
1/2 cup sour cream (again, I'd used more, but this is what I had in the fridge)
5 slices sharp provolone
1 cup shredded mozzarella

1. Boil the pasta according to the package instructions, aiming for a more al dente pasta, rather than a softer pasta. Drain when cooked. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spread a couple tablespoons of sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Toss the cooked, drained pasta with the rest of the sauce.
3. Dump half of the sauce-covered pasta in the baking dish. Drop the sour cream in dollops over the pasta. Add a layer of the sliced provolone and then a layer of 1/2 cup of the shredded mozzarella.
4. Pour the rest of the pasta on top of the cheese and sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella over the top.
5. Bake in the oven until warm and cheese melts, about 30 minutes.

Overall, I think this was a great success and I'll try it again, only with more sour cream and sauce and with the fresh mozzarella.

Conincidentally, I finished a Meatless Monday related book this week too. "The Face on Your Plate: The Truth about Food" by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson is a 200 page argument for veganism (or at least, vegetarianism). I didn't really think I was going to life this book when I began it because I thought it was going to intolerantly preachy. And while the author is pretty black and white about food choices, he is more openminded than I expected. The book makes the three basic arguments for veganism: human health, animal rights and environmental health. There are some internal logic issues, for example, the author spends a significant portion of the book telling us that animals are living beings that do not want to be killed, but then he dismisses the position of a person that advocates eating meat because it is impossible ofr use to know what an animal wants.

Out of the three arguments for not eating meat, the impact of animal products on the environment is the most persuasive to me personally. I understand the animal rights arguments and my purchases of meat in the future will change to reflect animals that have had lives and deaths that are as humane as possible. And with my background in nutrition, I know the health arguments for and against the consumption of meat. But it's hard to argue against the information that raising animals take more of the earth's resources. I spent years as a vegetarian, but the meat eater that lives in my house would never go for that on a full-time basis. But I'll definitely be planning more meatless meals (not just Mondays) and I'll be working to make sure that the meat we do eat is as humane as possible.