A man loves the meat in his youth that he cannot endure in his age.
~ William Shakespeare
Ah the first Friday in Lent. And that means basically don’t overeat and don’t eat meat. Which are two really good pieces of advice for any day of the year, actually. Ok, I confess. Although I am trying to get back to my 80% raw eating lifestyle [I refuse to call it a diet], it is only 80%. The rest of the time, I eat organic, lovingly-treated meat. And potatoes.
So today’s edition of the Top Five Friday is all about what to make when you need, or want, a meatless dinner. You can also check out some of the salads I posted. Or even the Oysters from last week.
Not really the spirit of the fast, is it? Well, at least it meets the letter of the law! I’m not really sure why fish makes the grade [note to self: google that]; I always thought it had something to do with blood in the meat. But then when I gutted a fish for the first time, I discovered, much to my chagrin, that fish have blood too! Ewwww! Anyway, this recipe from the queen of butter, Paula Deen, is pretty awesome for any day of the week, but it makes a Lenten Friday a little easier to bear. Especially for the non-Catholic friends of ours who bear the brunt of our meatless grumpiness.
Two of my favorite veggies: spinach and mushrooms come together in one amazing and fabulous looking entrée. And yes, it’s raw. I love Susan Powers’ recipes ~ she makes living the raw food lifestyle look, well ~ stylish! And the food truly is raw-mazing. Not to mention really, really good for you. I saw these tarts and went straight to Whittingham’s to buy the little stainless steel molds. Totally worth it!
I love my salmon. Especially when it’s wild caught in Alaska. I’m surprised at how many people don’t know that farm-raised fish is not the healthiest way to get your Omega-3s. They swim around in little [or big] pools. Which, yes, may get cleaned. But still. How would you feel is you had to swim around in your own…yeah. Now you understand!
Now that we've got cleared up ~ this is a super yummy recipe that I’ve made for dinner countless times: both for just myself and for dinner guests. Always a winner. And in the summer, I’ve substituted basil for the cilantro. You can also use dill. Just take out the soy sauce.
Tofu is not my friend. And probably not yours either. Process anything is not good for you. I have given in before, but generally I stay away from soy products. Another post for another time! So I forgo the veggie crumbles in this recipe and put in red wine, green peppers and regular diced tomatoes. And my shredded Daiya “cheese” of course.
Pan-Seared Scallops
I stopped ordering scallops in restaurants because they were always overdone and just plain wrong. So there’s no recipe to link to because mine is the best and the simplest ~ IMHO. Buy scallops. Rinse. Melt butter in pan. Put scallops in. Salt and pepper to taste. Watch very closely, turning with tongs every so often until lightly golden. DO NOT OVERCOOK.
Make pesto out of fresh basil or spinach. Serve the scallops on a bed of pesto. Voila! A little bit of heaven!
Happy Friday!
Oremus pro invicem,
~ Mikaela
What are your favorite meatless dishes?
3 comments:
Kasha Vaniskas. Although traditionally the buckwheat groats are cooked in chicken stock, they don't have to be. This dish is buckwheat groats sauteed in onions, cooked, and mixed with bowtie noodles.
Sounds yummy! Will have to try that. Thanks for sharing!
variation on scallops, chop fresh cilantro fine. slice sea scallops crosswise into 1/2" slices (don't cut bay scallops). toss scallops in chopped cilantro. then saute. (I'm lazy too. I chop a bunch of cilantro in mini food processor, freeze in a plastic dish/freezer bag & chip off when needed.) Drusilla
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