What a difference a day makes. Sunday positively felt like fall, with gray skies and rain off and on most of the day. Other than taking the dog for a long walk and a swim, we didn’t leave the house. I didn’t even do any gardening, because everything was just too drippy. 
But today was sunny and warm, and my energy level was through the roof. I made the most of it after work by getting busy in the kitchen.

First I made basil-arugula pesto (with walnuts, garlic, olive oil, salt and a little Parmesan).

Then I made hummus. Since I hate cleaning the food processor, whenever I make pesto or puree greens, I make hummus (or another bean spread) right after. Any pesto taste in the hummus is minimal. So I get two tasty concoctions, but only have to clean the processor parts (including that nasty blade) once!

Then I cooked up a small pot of sprouted bean medley…

…and some amaranth (totally random…I stood in front of the jars of grains in my pantry and pretty much said “Eeeny, meeny, miney, moe”).

And then I shelled enough peas (fresh from the garden) to give me an actual green thumb.

I’d marinated a steak in lime juice and salt (we had some limes that needed to get used up, stat!), which Jeff grilled up along with a head of escarole, cut in half, brushed with a little olive oil (on the cut side) then sprinkled with salt and pepper.
This week’s menu is a little meat-heavy for dinners, what with my at-home labs for my Molecular Gastronomy class…and a few other items (including a pork loin roast) I’d pulled out of the freezer before I knew what was on the lab agenda. Thus the cooking frenzy of veggies, beans and grains. Must have balance in the food universe!
Speaking of which, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) came out today with their “Meat Eaters Guide to Climate Change + Health.” Here’s a quick list of the highlights.
  • Eat less meat and dairy.
  • Eat “greener” meat when you do eat it.
  • Eat more plants.
  • Waste less meat.
  • Eat lower-fat dairy products.
I don’t necessarily agree with the last point, but I’ve long been on-board with the rest. I don’t believe that eating meat is a problem. What is a problem is eating too much meat and dairy, especially factory-farmed meat and dairy, and not eating enough vegetables. And wasting food is just bad all around (not that you should eat more than you need in order to avoid waste…just try to buy what you need, and no more).