Call it flexitarianism, conscious meat consumption, or low meat eating, lots of people are saving the flesh for special occasions and adopting a veg-centric diet. If you’ve been thinking about going vegetarian or vegan for the planet, but you really like meat and think you’ll miss it, or you’re worried that your nutrition will suffer, or you don’t want to subject your entire family to an extreme change, I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be black and white.

On a personal note, I’ve been eating about 85 percent veg for a few years now and it works for me, my body, my budget, and my beliefs.

Conventional livestock production uses tons of grain, water, and petroleum. It’s extremely inefficient, has huge environmental impacts, and is cruel to animals. For a detailed picture, read the now-classic piece, The Meat Guzzler, by Mark Bittman of the New York Times.

On the other hand, abolishing meat entirely is a bad idea because livestock can be an important part of ecological farming (not to mention it’s a tough sell to a meat-loving public). Pasture-raised meat is better for the environment, animals, and us by far, but requires more land. If we’re going to produce meat more sustainably, we’re going to have to eat a lot less of it. That’s the challenge.

Because drastic lifestyle changes can be overwhelming, humans have a tendency to do nothing until they feel ready to make a leap, but tiny steps can actually make a difference and lead to a complete change in the end, if that’s where you decide you’re headed.

The first step is to change your mindset from thinking of meat as the center of the plate and shift your shopping and cooking habits. It starts at that all-important moment when you’re thinking of what to make for dinner. Train your brain to build the meal around grains, beans, and vegetables, instead of a pork chop. There are many ways to do this and none of them are difficult.

Let’s get started!

1. Take a Class

This story about an eco-conscious, low meat cooking teacher in Portland, Oregon Made me think there must be others all over the country. Check Craigslist and your community message boards.

2. Adopt a Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean Diet has been shown to be healthy for your body. It’s also low in meat, not to mention so delicious.

3. Participate in Meatless Mondays

Started by Johns Hopkin’s Bloomberg School of Public Health, Meatless Mondays have taken the social web by storm. Why not make it Meatless Mondays, Wednesdays and Sundays?

4. Take EcoSalon’s 5 Day Eat Low on the Food Chain Meal Challenge.

On the 6th day, roast a pasture-raised chicken, make a broth, and make it last.

5. Surf the Web

The 10 in 10 Diet is all the way veg, focuses on budget cooking, real, fresh foods, and has great tips for switching your thinking and shopping habits in the form of a funny robot video.

Low Meat is a new site that promises lots of goodies for readers.

6. Buy a Cookbook

There are heaps of cookbooks that are all or mostly veg, yet friendly to meat eaters.

The Flexitarian Table by Peter Berley has adaptable recipes for people that have to feed both vegetarians and carnivores or those, like me, who only want to eat meat once in awhile.

The Flexitarian Diet focuses on health and weight loss with recipes.

The Adaptable Feast by Ivy Manning includes recipes from a variety of traditions that have a “fork in the road” allowing for the accommodation of different diets.

There’s the James Beard Award-winning Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by almost-vegetarian Deborah Madison.

The upcoming book Licking Your Chops by rock star blogger Kim O’Donnel, who was one of the original proponents of Meatless Mondays, promises to be delicious.

7. Do the bulk of your shopping at the farmers’ market or join a CSA.

The easiest way to lower your meat consumption is to start with the freshest seasonal vegetables. The flavors are so vibrant and they are such a pleasure to cook with that it will be easy to make meat an afterthought.

Still on the fence? Here are 9 things you should probably know before becoming a vegetarian.

Up next week in The Green Plate: tips and tricks for shopping the farmers’ market.

This is the latest installment in Vanessa Barrington’s weekly column, The Green Plate, on the environmental, social, and political issues related to what and how we eat.

Each week here at EcoSalon, the editors choose a post from the archives that we think you’ll love. The original post can be found here.

Images: Moe, K.I.T., Martin Kingsley, NatalieMaynor, nblumhardt, Mecookie, gamene and MR+G.

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Yes, it’s true. It’s possible to love both Hank Williams and fancy food made with organic vegetables. When I lived in New York City, I never met so many people who shell out as much cash for dinner at Nobu as they do for Dwight Yoakam concert tickets. Or who stand around in urban honky-tonks wearing designer jeans. There’s no shame in it. But it sometimes results in dissonant combinations – like, in my case, owning both a fuel-efficient Honda and a gas-guzzling ’79 Ford truck (just for kicks).

Lately I’ve been wheeling around in the Honda – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band blasting, of course – making stops in my favorite country music meccas. Late spring is a perfect time to visit Austin, right when the South by Southwest festival crowd has cleared out. But really, any time is a good time to visit the Texas capital, one of the greenest cities in the country and one of the best places to find both mind-blowing Mexican food and brilliant country and alt-country music acts. One of the buzziest shows in Nashville this spring will be Dierks Bentley, playing the Ryman Auditorium in May with Del McCoury’s band members and scruffy alt-country hottie Hayes Carll. Ryman (as a side note, if you haven’t seen the full-scale replica of the Parthenon in Nashville’s Centennial Park, it’s something to check off your life list.) And coming up in St. Louis in June is TwangFest, one of that city’s coolest country-flavored musical happenings.

Even if twang’s not your thang, chances are you’ll end up in one of these burgs soon. And when you do, you must stop off at these excellent, eco-friendly eateries.

Austin: La Condesa

You’d never think crabmeat would belong in guacamole. And you’d never believe crabmeat guacamole would taste better with a tart green apple mixed in. But somehow it does, and it all comes together in one heaping, mouth-watering bowl at La Condesa, a hot, cosmopolitan new Austin Mexican joint. La Condesa gets a two star certification from the Green Restaurant Association, and a stamp on the menu reads: “We use local, organic and humanely harvested ingredients. Because it tastes better.” That means vegetables from Austin area farms and meats from sustainable producers like Niman Ranch.

Last year La Condesa won the Austin CVB’s Cocktail Throwdown with the Enlightened Austin Martini, made with organic watermelon juice, agave nectar and Tito’s Vodka. Have one on your way to a Carrie Underwood concert (she plays the Frank Erwin Center on May 12), or go see the Band of Heathens, who play the legendary downtown blues club Antone’s on May 21.

Nashville: 1808 Grille

In Nashville, you can hit the honky-tonks. And you must stroll around the Country Music Hall of Fame, where you can see Hank Williams’ boots and learn all about Brenda Lee, who sang “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree“. But you might forget that you’re in country music-land altogether if you stay at the Hutton Hotel downtown. It’s a 50 million dollar eco-friendly boutique hotel that opened last spring with green features like a water-saving laundry system, bamboo floors and energy-efficient lights that shut off when you leave the room.

The hotel’s 1808 Grille is worth a stop, even if you don’t stay at the Hutton. The menu is New American in every sense, with trendy dishes like rutabaga lamb pot pie and several global touches, like a vegan soba noodle Pad Thai. Still, it’s hard to beat a solid burger and garlic-parsley fries, or the cod and potato “tater tots.”

St. Louis: Pi and the Atomic Cowboy

Truth be told, St. Louis is not your greenest city. Or your twangiest. In fact, because I grew up just south of there, I know it to be more of a baseball-playin’, beer drinkin’ Mississippi River town where Purina dog food and the evil ag biotech company Monsanto are headquartered. (Though everyone was excited a few years back when several Whole Foods markets moved in.) But you can certainly find some fun things to do there in the summer. Like Twangfest, which runs June 9 – 12. In past years, Twangfest has totally rocked, with sizzling alt-country and folky singer-songwriter acts like Alejandro Escovedo, The Gourds, The Avett Brothers and Slaid Cleaves.

And believe it or not, you can find some green eateries not far from the festival in the Delmar Loop. First, there’s Pi, a trendy chainlet of eco-friendly pizzerias. They’re known for their cornmeal-crust, deep-dish pizzas with fresh veggie toppings and some unusual additions like Amish chicken. Then there’s the Atomic Cowboy, which serves Tex-Mex and burgers and has and outdoor patio and fire pit. It’s about 10 minutes from the festival but well worth the drive, and they serve food until late. They compost all their food scraps and have recently started serving up organic wines and cocktails. You can’t go wrong with a Cowboy Cosmo.

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I’m ashamed to say it, but even though I’m quite the veggie lover, escarole is one leafy green I haven’t eaten. Escarole’s cousin, the bitter curly endive, has made me hesitant to experiment with other members of the chicory family.

It turns out the escarole is not nearly as bitter and much more versatile, so there’s no need to be shy of this frilly-leafed lettuce.

High in calcium, folate, vitamin A and vitamin C, escarole is a good addition to any salad, and, like any leafy green, is low in calories.

But salad is not escarole’s only culinary role; this versatile green can be cooked or steamed and is a popular addition to bean soups or an edible garnish for fish. When cooked, the slightly bitter flavor becomes buttery and sweet.

One of the most common escarole recipes is to use it in bean soup, but there are more exotic variations too, like escarole and pine nuts. You can also go raw with an escarole, fennel and orange salad. Sounds incredible! Of course, you can simply saute it with garlic and olive oil for a very healthy snack.

Greens from the chicory family, of which escarole shares a place with endive and chicory, have a long history dating back to the times of the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. The Roman poet, Ovid, gives this plant a mention. Chicory greens were widely cultivated in England from at least the 1500s and escarole is a favorite green in Sicilian cuisine.

Having conquered my fear of escarole, I’m ready to make it a more common addition in my kitchen. Check back Friday, March 20th for an original escarole recipe by Vanessa Barrington, our chef writer.

Image: umassivevegetable

The post Escarole: It Ain't Your Mama's Endive appeared first on EcoSalon.

The much-maligned Brussels sprout has an undeservedly bad reputation as the vegetable kids love to hate, but I’d like to argue in favor of this tasty and nutritious veggie. As an excellent source of vitamins K and C, this mini cousin-of-a-cabbage deserves another chance.

A small serving of Brussels sprouts provides more than the recommended daily value of the above-mentioned vitamins, as well as significant doses of folate, vitamin A, manganese, fiber and potassium. This humble veggie even contains a powerful phytonutrient that helps clear potentially cancerous substances out of your body.

Now are you willing to give Brussels sprouts another chance?

The easiest way to prepare Brussels sprouts is to cut them in half and give “Ëœem a quick steam (no need to overcook them to a mushy mess!). I personally love them slathered in dairy-free Veganaise. But for those with more refined tastes, try an onion and almond sautee, or golden crusted sprouts sprinkled with Gouda cheese. As you may have already guessed, Brussels sprouts did originate in Belgium (or at least somewhere in northern Europe) and are classified as brassicas, along with close relatives broccoli, cabbage and kale. All brassicas do well in cold weather and are common winter vegetables, and they all have anti-cancer properties as well.

Despite all their health benefits, Brussels sprouts are the 2nd most hated vegetable in all of England. I’d like to rally for some new and positive marketing for the Brussels sprout, because I find them quite delicious. If you’re already a fan or willing to give them a fair shake, check back Friday for an original recipe from Vanessa Barrington, our chef writer.

Image: x-eyed blonde

The post Ecosalon Recipes: Rebranding the Brussels Sprout appeared first on EcoSalon.

It’s not quite a parsnip nor a great white carrot, but the daikon is a mild-flavored radish that wintertime locavores are probably quite familiar with. High in fiber, vitamin C, digestive enzymes and magnesium, daikon’s not a bad addition to your wintertime meals. The name daikon comes from a Japanese word simply meaning “great” or “large root,” and some varieties grow up to 3 feet long!

Although daikon is best known as a root crop, the leaves are also delicious and contain more nutrients per serving than the root. You’ll find twice as much potassium and 10 times as much calcium in the leaves, as well as folic acid and vitamin K. So shop for the freshest daikon you can find and use every part of it.

Common in Asian cuisine, daikon root makes a great addition to soups and veggie broth, and can also be grated into salads. The highly nutritious leaves also make a great soup or salad green.

You may have also come across pickled daikon in your Asian food ventures, and you’ll be delighted to know you can make your own daikon pickles with this easy, overnight recipe. If you enjoy making your own sauerkraut, daikon is a great veggie for it.

Although daikon is most heavily consumed in Japan (the majority of Japan’s cultivated land is used to grow this veggie), it actually originated in the Mediterranean and arrived in Japan by way of China a few thousand years ago. And for those of you who like to indulge in sake, take note: a cupful of grated daikon is said to be a great hangover remedy.

If daikon isn’t part of your regular diet, make it so! Low in calories and rich in nutrients, it’s such a versatile veggie and you might as well give it a try. Check back tomorrow for an original daikon recipe from EcoSalon’s very own chef writer, Vanessa Barrington.

Image: exquisitur

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