Remember, remember...this chilli recipe

Remember, Remember the 5^th of November…..

Happy fireworks night / bonfire night / Guy Fawkes night…..? to you all.  What do we call it these days?  And what are we really celebrating?  Do you know the full story of the gunpowder plot to blow up the House of Lords back in 1605…..?  Here are a couple of wiki links with more info if you want to learn a little bit more about where/why this Nov 5^th tradition exists:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes_Night

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonfire_Night

And when you’ve read these and made our chilli recipe (as below), and once the bonfire is out – you can take a quiz and see how much you remember about the origins of bonfire night here:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/how-well-do-you-know-what-happened-during-the-gunpowder-plot-a6721096.html

 

In the UK I know we celebrate by wearing all the winter clothes we actually own, going to the local park/recreation ground in the freezing cold, at night time, in the dark.  We get as close as possible to a mega huge bonfire built and lit especially for this night, and we hold our heads back and watch numerous fireworks bang, crack, pop and fizzle overhead until our toes and fingers are frozen, our nose is numb and our necks ache from the tilt.  We still make the noises though, the “oooooohs” and “ahhhhhhs” each time a big and beautiful twinkly firework goes off, because they really are so pretty!  If we are not lucky enough to get to a local organised display we congregate with other family members and friends into whoever’s garden is the largest, all bringing a homemade effigy of Guy Fawkes (or more recently we bring a balloon faced, charity shop suit, stuffed with paper and dressed as a rubbish celeb, or tv character – or is that just us?) to throw onto the lit bonfire that the men build.  The men also set off the fireworks bought from the supermarket, or fallen off the back of a lorry including Catherine wheels that never light properly and scare the life out of me)!  The kids get sparklers and we of course all write our names with them and try to take photos. 

We all drink a few warming brandies, or mulled ciders to keep warm, then feast on hotdogs and of course jacket potatoes and CHILLI.

 

No surprise then, that today as it’s the 5^th November and Thursday blog day, we are sharing (no not fireworks but…) a fantastic healthy chilli recipe.  This one we made with Quorn mince so it’s vegetarian too.  And with this one, there is the extra addition of tortilla chips backed in – yep, we are spoiling you, but think this will go down a treat in plastic bowls in the garden for the kids, or for a few of you huddled round the dining table when you get in from watching the local firework display.

 

VEGGIE CHILLI BAKE:

(serves 6 – or in reality 4-5 depending on portion size and what you eat it with!)

INGREDIENTS:

2 cloves garlic

½ a medium onion

A good large handful of mushrooms (approx. 6?)

1 large red pepper

1 medium red chilli

Handful of pitted black olives

350g Quorn mince (or if you’re not doing the veggie version use beef mince for the best flavour)

1 can chilli beans in chilli sauce

500g passata (we used a carton but you can make your own if you wish)

2 teaspoons of marmite (or more if you love it!)

4 teaspoons of gravy granules (beef or veg flavour)

1 LARGE packet of salted tortilla chips

Grated cheddar cheese (to top)

Soured cream (to serve)

Hot chilli powder and chilli flakes (as much as you like – add to your own taste/temperature)

METHOD:

• Use a large pan - heat some oil in the bottom 
• Add the garlic / onion / fresh chilli and fry  off slightly 
• Then add the mushrooms / red pepper and fry off all until soft 
• Add the mince, followed by chilli beans, passata  and olives
  
• After a few minutes (once the mince is nicely cooking through) stir in the marmite, gravy granules and extra chilli powder and flakes (to taste) 
  
• Simmer the flavours together for about 15-20mins, adding water as required so it doesn’t fry out (you will need to add more to the quorn mince as this really soaks up liquids like a sponge – you could also have some tinned tomatoes to hand should you need to top up the mixture without it getting too watery 
• Layer the chilli and tortilla chips in an oven proof bowl, with the final top layer being the chips
  
• Cover this with grated cheese and bake until the top is golden brown and bubbling! 
• Serve with soured cream, and maybe some guacamole and extra uncooked tortilla chips. Careful – it’s HOT !
  

Give it a go and let me know how you enjoy it, or please do let me know your homemade chilli recipes as I’d love to try some other ideas too.

Have a great and a SAFE bonfire night – remember to follow the fireworks code!   

Here are the safety rules from the London Fire Brigade:

Firework safety code

• Only buy fireworks marked with the British Standard Kitemark BS7114 
• Don't drink alcohol if setting off fireworks 
• Keep fireworks in a closed box and always follow the instructions carefully when using them 
• Light them at arms length using a taper and stand well back 
• Never go back to them once they are lit. Even if a firework hasn't gone off, it could still explode 
• Never throw fireworks and never put them in your pocket 
• Respect your neighbours – don’t let off fireworks late at night and remember there are laws to follow 
• Take care with sparklers – never give them to children under five. Even when they have gone out they are still hot so put sparklers in a bucket of water after use 
• Keep your pets indoors throughout the evening

Bonfire safety

• Build your bonfire well clear of buildings, garden sheds, fences and hedges 
• Never use flammable liquids to start a bonfire and never burn dangerous items such as aerosol cans, paint tins, foam furniture or batteries 
• Don’t leave bonfires unattended. An adult should supervise it until it has burnt out. If it has to be left, damp it down with plenty of water 
• Always keep a bucket of water or a hosepipe nearby in case of fire

http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/BonfiresAndFireworks.asp

For more info please see www.nitakothari.com or email me info@nitakothari.com

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**Please remember this is nutritional advice ONLY (as is all other information contained in this blog, the website and social media related to it) None of the info or advice is intended to override any recommendation from your GP or health professional**

"We're going veggie"

“We’re going veggie”  Were the words uttered from the boyfriends lips last week.  He watched this speech via a friends link on good old Facebook and instantly decided this is the way forward and we are to no longer eat meat.

I’m ok with that.  Been following the Meat Free Mondays ideal for a while now and to be honest I rarely have the time, money or energy to cook a good cut of meat most days.  If and when I do eat any meaty products, they are low grade processed versions of what might once have been a perfectly healthy animal (ie bacon sarnies, toasted ham and cheese, chicken fried rice ??)  Meat is often my go to convenience food and as such I’ve always seen it as a bit naughty/no good anyway.  As I say though, this is due to the rubbish processed versions of the red (and white) stuff I’ve been eating – let me make it clear I’m not slating a good honest farmer, butcher, chef or steak!

Anyway, back to the veggies – as I established the “rules” of this new found vegetarianism and how he wants us to embark on this eating plan I’ve discovered - to my relief - we are not talking about buying vegetarian shoes, we are not cutting out fish and we will still eat eggs, cheese, milk and all dairy products.  (He loves an omelette and a milkshake, I love fish and seafood so that’s agreed).  We will then be following a pescatarian diet:

PESCATARIAN =

“A vegetarian who also eats fish or other seafood. From the latin word for fish: piscis. Also known as a fishetarian”  EG “I'm going pescatarian, since I really like lobster and it's so hard to find protein in vegetables”. (Urbandictionary.com)

“Pescetarianism /ˌpɛskəˈtɛriənɪzm/ (also spelled pescatarianism)[1] is the practice of following a diet that includes fish or other seafood, but not the flesh of other animals. Most pescatarians maintain a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet with the addition of fish and shellfish”. (Wikipedia.org)

“A person who does not eat meat but does eat fish: no red meat my family are pescatarians” (Oxford dictionary)

“Someone who eats fish but not meat” (Cambridge dictionary)

So for my part, I am happy doing this and looking at things from a health and nutrition point of view I can see the benefits and compensate for any pitfalls.

Benefits of a pescatarian diet include:

Health Benefits: 

• Reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, obesity, diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure and some types of cancer (esp bowel and colon).

Benefits to the environment:

(stats from www.vrg.org – the vegetarian resource group 

• 1lb of beef requires 2,500 mgalons of water to produce – so water saving
• Deforestation (in the US) is a major side effect of creating land to house livestock – so saving trees and forests
• The animals raised for slaughter in the US create 130 times the excrement of the entire human population (annually) – so saving on clean up
• Grains fed to livestock in the US could instead feed 60million humans dying of starvation – so benefiting nourishment and hunger

Animal Cruelty:

• “If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian” – the famous quote from Paul McCartney says it all really, along with the watching of Earthlings and Vegucated (links below)

Disadvantages of a pescatarian diet include:

• Alternative research shows that eating too much fish can increase your risk of exposure to pollutants and mercury.  Fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel, plus some white fish contain low level pollutants that could actually increase your risk of cancer, diabetes and thyroid diseases
• Sardines and herring for example also have low mercury levels, yellowfin tuna for example has high mercury levels, therefore should be limited in our diets
• Iron consumption – heam iron (more easily digestible and used in the body) comes from meat, whereas plant based diets, while sourcing iron from dark green leafy veg, sources iron that is less easily absorbed, processed and used in the body – sometimes leading to iron deficiency disorders such as anaemia
• Lack of protein – this doesn’t seem so much of an issue anymore as following a vegetarian or pescatarian diet still allows access to beans, pulses, vegetables and fish that can carry protein we require.  Also on our western diet (especially in the UK) we tend to eat more than enough protein without even realising it – its not something our diets are lacking.

In recent internet searching, Ive also found out mortality rates are 34% lower in pescatarians than those on a diet including meat, plus fish can raise HDL levels! So overall it seems the health benefits at least, outweigh the disadvantages or pitfalls of this eating plan.  The pescatarian diet to me, seems similar to a Mediterranean one – and that is promoted as one of the healthiest diets to follow.  It’s also similar to a Nordic or Japanese diet – who knew these had something in common!

I did worry slightly about getting enough iron and vitamins/minerals in our diet that would be missing by cutting out meat, but realised these alternative sources:

• Iron can be found also in eggs / pulses / dried fruit / dark green and leafy veg / wholemeal breads / seafood and fortified dairy and cereals 
• B12 can be gained from eating milk / cheese and dairy products / soya / marmite! 
• Omega 3 comes from the fish – oily fish, plus flaxseed (linseed) / tofu (soya) / walnuts and other nuts and seeds  
• Zinc can also be found in fish and seafood….plus there are many sea vegetables we can buy easily at the supermarket these days too providing zinc, iron, iodine etc

Maybe following this diet can be the start of the transition to vegetarianism, and then perhaps going vegan?  Who knows, but I am looking forward to feeling healthier, losing a little weight, cutting down (out) on the processed foods and salt, and hopefully while achieving this, we will also be doing something good for the planet and our resources…..? 

BUT

You see, after watching the speech he has been urging me to watch Earthings (you can view here: http://earthlings.com/?page_id=32). A while back I watched Vegucated (you can watch this  here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19qSsUI79Ro) These films make me feel guilty for eating any meats and meat based products.  Therefore this change in diet plus watching where our foods are coming from I think are 2 great steps in the right direction to me feeling good about myself – I get a feeling that I’m doing the right thing and should therefore somehow be congratulated for this - I don’t think this is the right attitude?

Now here’s the other thing – I can’t figure out whether we really are helping the planet or not.  I feel awful thinking of the horrible ways in which animals are mistreated and slaughtered for our dinners, so not eating meat rids me of that guilt, however what about the breeders and butchers and farmers and jobs and livelihoods that would be lost if we all stopped eating meat?  How am I really helping the planet – are pigs and cows and chickens a dwindling species?  And what about the fish – are they a sustainable food source these days?  Is overfishing detrimental to our oceans? These are the questions I’m asking and the details I really want to learn about.  Regards the fishing/fish I have come across a few good websites that I thought I’d share:

Greenpeace: http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/oceans/what-we-are-doing/sustainable-seafood/sustainable-seafood-frequently-asked-questions

Marine Conservation Society: http://www.fishonline.org/fishfinder?min=1&max=2&fish=&eat=1

Sustainable Food Trust: http://sustainablefoodtrust.org/articles/ending-overfishing/?gclid=Cj0KEQjw8-GtBRCMl7m54PzgjNQBEiQAIZckvx0NePS-PxywEE009dhKdz2U0fGtyZr_k5e8rg2IffsaArmM8P8HAQ

 
Other than this as I have so many questions, I’m inviting any feedback,  

and recommendations  of articles, books, websites, studies, documentary and scientific evidence in relation to this please.  I want to figure out the REAL benefits of a meat free diet – benefits to the planet and to others, not just to my health and so I’m not just doing this to rid me of my guilt of eating fluffy cute things.  I don’t want to trawl the internet finding inappropriate or not sufficiently researched articles, or misinformation – I want to see evidence of the good not eating meat can produce – I will be grateful for your help in finding this information.

You can post to our facebook page, twitter, or comment here

I would also welcome any further suggestions  from people who have recently turned vegetarian/pescatarian on how they still balance their vitamin and mineral intake without supplements.  PLUS any good, healthy, vegetarian TASTY recipes I can make in a flash that the boyfriend will actually eat.  Currently his version of vegetarianism/pescatarianism follows the “eat exactly the same only vegetarian versions” diet– ie he bought the entire range of Quorn products and some cheese pizzas!  I don’t think this is helping much health wise.  I want to make some nutritious meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Also considering he doesn’t much like cheese (apart from edam) or vegetables (apart from peppers and tomatoes) and flatly refuses to eat fruit (unless its perhaps blueberries or something just as sweet mixed with ice cream and sugar!) I need some ideas on how to get around that too!

Again please share via facebook, twitter, or comment here.

So this week after sharing what I’ve learned so far, it’s basically over to you guys – Do get in touch with any RECIPES and information/recommendations.  In return I will keep you updated on how this pans out…  It could be hilarious, it could be very tedious or it might indeed not last too long.  It would be great to hear from anyone else who has recently taken the leap so you can let me know how you’re getting on too – benefits you are feeling, things you miss, what’s difficult, what’s easy etc….? Whatever happens, of course my plan is to stick to it longer than the boyfriend - I will not cave first, and realistically I am hoping we really will come out the other side eating a lot healthier, learning some new recipes, cooking together, growing our own veggies, learning more about the planet and our resources, more about animals and farming techniques and we won’t go back to meat again.

Please feel free to share your stories, info, tips and recommendations via facebook/twitter/blogger/google+

You can also send me recipes and pics of tasty veggies dishes on Instagram/pinterest

And as always, you can email info@nitakothari.com

Thanks all,

 www.nitakothari.com

**Please remember this is nutritional advice ONLY (as is all other information and advice contained in this blog and the websites and social media related to it) – none of the info or advice is intended to override any recommendation from your GP or health professional**