Magnificent Zucchini

I found this recipe in The Ultimate Vegetarian Cookbook, by Roz Denny.

I was surprised this week when my wife, along with our oldest daughter, came in bearing unexpected fruits from what I thought was our dormant garden.  Living in the Mojave desert, the summertime sun is just B-R-U-T-A-L.  We stopped getting any yields from our garden a month or so ago.  But rather than tear it all up, I decided to leave the plants in there, and to continue to water them, partly just to see what would happen, and partly due to sheer laziness.  It's too stinking hot out there to do any real work!

Anyway, in comes this zucchini squash the size of my forearm.  (I'm 6ft tall and weigh 200 lbs., down from 216 at the beginning of this year, BTW)  I had no idea the plants would produce in such heat, but there you have it!  The only thing I ever really knew to do with zucchini was to saute it or shred it into a quick bread.  This recipe looked very inviting.  And, WOW was it yummy!

3 cups cooked pasta shells or elbows
a 3-4 lb zucchini
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped (I used a red one)
1 TBS fresh, grated ginger root (I have no idea how to grate it, so I minced it)
2 garlic cloves, crushed ( I used 4 and minced them)
3 TBS sunflower oil (I didn't have any, I used olive oil)
salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 cup pine nuts
cheese, grated to serve (We're on a plant based diet, so I used nutritional yeast for that cheesy flavor)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. cook the pasta according to package instructions, drain and set aside.
2. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.  These can be discarded.  Use a small sharp knife and spoon to scoop out the zucchini flesh.  Chop the flesh roughly.
3. Fry the onion, pepper, garlic and ginger in the oil for 5 minutes, then add the zucchini flesh, tomatoes and seasoning.  Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Add to the pan the pasta, pine nuts and basil.  stir well and set aside.  (I used too small a pan, had to put it all in a giant mixing bowl.)
5. Meanwhile, place the zucchini halves in a roasting pan.  Add a small amount of water in order to create steam.  Drizzle with oil, add salt and a little bit of pepper.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes.  I would suggest doing this at step 3, when everything else starts to cook. If timed correctly, the zucchini should come out of the oven right when you're done mixing all the other ingredients together.  Hey, it's a busy house.  If we can shorten the prep time for any of these dishes, it's a good thing.
6. When the zucchini is finished roasting, remove from oven, discard the water, and fill the shells with the vegetable/pasta mixture.  Re-cover with the foil and return to the oven for 25-30 minutes.
7. If you wish, you can serve this dish topped with grated cheese.  As mentioned above, we enjoy a plant-based diet.  As a substitute, I mixed into the vegetable mixture 2 TBS of nutritional yeast instead.  

Earthlings

I watched this documentary the other day. It has changed my life.



I simply can no longer be a part of a food chain that condones the abuse and downright torturous treatment and slaughter of God's defenseless, innocent creatures.

Whatever your belief system is, whatever your opinions on how the universe was created, or who, if anyone, was behind it all, I believe we all have the same general idea about it. The differences lie in the details that fit one's own version. I personally believe that a Supreme Perfect Being had a hand in creation, that it was "His" idea and doing in the first place that got this whole thing rolling. Where we went from there, or how long it took us to get here is anybody's guess. Insert your own belief system in there, trace your own path, but it's pretty clear to me that we all end up in the same place. We're on this big blue-green marble spinning around in space TOGETHER, and probably for a reason.

I believe that the overwhelming majority of religious and even spiritual belief systems have two central tenets in common: 1) There is something/someone "out there" that is bigger and better than us, and everything is a result of his/her/it's will. 2) We should be excellent to each other.

Even if you believe that the universe and everything in it was created simply by some random, massive, complicated chain of physical and chemical reactions, I don't know of anyone who will disagree with #2.

That's what I'm stuck on after viewing this documentary. I don't see the way we treat animals as "being excellent to them". Now, having my beliefs steeped in Judeo-Christianity, I do believe that humans have been purposely elevated to a higher position. (You may not, and that's fine for you.) I believe that along with our higher status, as well as our right to use the animals, vegetables, and minerals God has put at our disposal, comes a higher level of responsibility to be caretakers. Get it? TO "TAKE CARE". We, as a species, have completely failed in this responsibility. Sure the others are "lesser" species. I do not intend to convey upon them the same rights as humans, but being sentient (they feel pain, they are conscious of their own existence, they are aware) means that they do have some rights, in my book. They have the right to exist, to live (even if it's just to be our food) , but also to be treated with diginity and care.

I don't wish to tell anyone that they should no longer eat meat, or wear leather, or use animal products at all. I can't make you do that. Even if I were in a positon to, I would never mandate you do. What I do respectfully implore you to do is to take a serious evaluation of your principles, of your morality. Ask yourself "Is this right? Is this fair?" I answered "no" on both counts, in case you haven't already figured it out.

From this point forward, when it comes to food and sharing of recipes on this blog, they will mostly be of the vegetarian, even vegan variety. Truthfully, I will probably not go completely vegan myself. I will probably continue to eat meat and consume animal based products like dairy and eggs. I will make sure however, that what I do eat is as cruelty free as possible. There are ways, I've checked. I'll be sharing this with you in later posts. I think that there are many more people out there who would choose to go that route but are reluctant because they don't know how to prepare a lifetime's worth of meals without meat. I've done some checking, and let me tell you, you'd be amazed at what's out there. I must warn you that it will take more thought, planning and effort to cook and eat this way, but I think the end result will be worth it.