UK’s Climate chief Lord Stern of Brentford: Give up meat to save the planet

Meat-lovers beware, you may just be causing the demise of the planet.

According to British economist and top global warming guru Lord Stern of Brentford, going veggie is the new way to go green.

Sure, riding your bike to work and cutting carbon emissions works, too, but it turns out meat production is more to blame for climate change than the transportation industry.

The best way to save the plant is to give up meat, former World Bank chief economist Lord Stern told UK’s The Times

via UK’s Climate chief Lord Stern of Brentford: Give up meat to save the planet – New York Daily News.

10 ?’s to Ask: When Ordering Vegetarian – Earth911.com

If you aren’t vegetarian or vegan (and sometimes even if you are), ordering a veg-based meal at a restaurant can be downright intimidating. If you order the wrong thing, you may end up sending your meal back and contributing to the 34 million tons of food that is wasted in the U.S. each year.

To make matters even tougher, animal products could be hiding in one of many nooks and crannies in your meal – from beef stock-based sauces to bread glazed with egg.

So, what’s a novice vegan to do? Don’t fret, hungry greenie. Earth911 has you covered. Whether you’ve recently adopted a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle or you simply want to give it a try for a night, here are 10 questions to ask your server before choosing a veg-based meal

via 10 ?’s to Ask: When Ordering Vegetarian – Earth911.com.

Genesis Vegetarian Health Food Restaurant

Tucked away in a non-descript corner (a few doors away from Killiney Road Kopitiam) of Boat Quay is Genesis Vegetarian Health Food Restaurant. What’s great about this restaurant is that it takes great effort to ensure that everything on its menu is genuinely healthy.  Forget those vegetarian restaurants which compensate for taste by using inordinate amounts of seasoning or deep and shallow frying techniques to make their food tasty, Genesis uses fresh produce, some of them organic, and clean cooking techniques to keep customers coming back for more.  The combination of clean food, great taste, and the good value offered by the restaurant is what makes this my favourite place for healthy food, and why I pay Genesis a visit every week, if not more.

Genesis serves a range of local and Asian favourites, as well as western dishes like pastas, lasagna and wraps.  The dish that I very often crave for is their Steamed Dumplings, served with a ‘chilli’ sauce.  Each delicately wrapped parcel is bursting with veggie goodness and goes perfectly with the “chilli sauce” made with red peppers, garlic and ginger served at the side…stopping at one plate is virtually impossible!

My other personal favourites include the 7-Layer Haystack, which is a wonderful mix of nutty brown rice, raw vegetables, creamy beans and a dairy-free creamy dressing (made from cashew nuts and soy), as well as the Fish Head Noodles which includes the most delightful and light broth served atop fresh crunchy vegetables and organic brown rice noodles.  My girlfriend swears by the Mexi Wrap, which I also love, featuring chunks of “chicken-like” morsels lovingly smothered in rich tomato sauce.

If you are looking for a sweet way to end your meal without the unnecessary calories, then be sure to try the homemade desserts at Genesis.  Special mention goes out especially to the Apple Pie which features crisp apple slices nestled within a crust made out of a various nuts an grains, dairy-free.  Definitely a healthy treat which even the most hard-core dessert-lovers can enjoy!

1, Lorong Telok Tel:64387118

Website: http://genesishealthfood.blogspot.com/

Opening Hours:

Mondays to Thursdays 8am – 8pm

Fridays and Sundays 8am – 3pm

Closed on Saturdays and Public Holidays

Genesis Vegetarian Health Food Restaurant is a vegetarian restaurant serving completely vegetarian meals and food items with no animal products.

Tasty Vegan Food? Cupcakes Show It Can Be Done

Many people equate a vegan diet with deprivation, thinking that recipes prepared without eggs, butter, meat or other animal products are certain to be tasteless and boring.

But the reputation of vegan eating got a much-needed public-relations lift this summer from an unlikely place — the Food Network’s popular new show “Cupcake Wars.”

via Tasty Vegan Food? Cupcakes Show It Can Be Done – NYTimes.com.

Live Longer on a Low Carb Plant Diet

If you want to live longer, you are better off on a low carb diet which is vegetable based, rather than one whose proteins are sourced from animals, according to a study involving 129,716 men and women published this week in the medical journal Annals of Internal Medicine. The researchers found lower overall mortality rates and lower death rates from cancer and cardiovascular disease among the low carb veggie people.

The researchers, from Simmons College, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, and National University of Singapore, Singapore, used data from the Nurses’ Health study of 85,168 females aged 34 to 59 years and 44,548 males aged 40 to 75.

via Low Carb Plant Sourced Diet Better Than Animal Sourced One.

Is Singapore ready for a plant-based food day?

One type of day that has gained a small amount of popularity on various continents, including Asia, is a weekly day in which people go meat-free. Although the idea isn’t entirely new, it received renewed attention in 2009, when the city government of Ghent, Belgium urged its citizens to make Thursday the day every week to find alternatives to meat. Since then, cities as far apart as Sao Paulo, Brazil and San Francisco, USA have taken similar steps, not to mention here in Singapore where NUS adopted Thursdays as meatless days. Late last month, the City Council of Washington, DC passed a ceremonial resolution calling for residents to “abstain from animal products on Mondays”

Read more at The Online Citizen.

Wok Roasted Bell Peppers with Linguine, Basil and Feta

If I’ve been inspired to use my wok practically everyday this week, blame it on the latest addition to my library – Grace Young’s award-winning “The Breath of a Wok”. Filled with lovely photographs, recipes and culinary lore, this book has renewed my appreciation for the humble but mighty wok. Today, I’ve adapted Grace’s recipe for Slow Stir-Fried Red Peppers by combining them with some linguine, basil and crumbled feta – a light and healthy east-meets-west pasta that’s ideal for a casual weeknight dinner.

If slow stir-frying sounds sounds like a strange concept, consider the actual cooking time for these bell peppers – 8 to 10 minutes tops – practically an eternity in the world of wok flash-frying. Still, what I love most about this usual method is that it imbues the peppers with a subtle roasted flavor while enhancing their sweetness and natural crunch.

When Grace made these bell peppers, she started them on high heat for 2 minutes before adjusting the temperature to medium-low. On my wok burner, these settings were too high and not surprisingly, the peppers got really burnt. At one point I was frantically stir-frying with the heat turned off. During my next attempt, I started the peppers on high for 30 seconds before dialing down to low and voilà – they turned out beautifully. It’s highly important then to experiment with the heat levels on your particular stove to get the peppers nicely browned. Also be sure to use extra-light olive oil instead of regular olive oil – it’s higher smoke point makes it more suitable for stir-frying. For an interesting twist, you can also try this slow stir-fry method on fresh shiitake mushrooms with a dash of oyster sauce.

WOK ROASTED BELL PEPPERS WITH LINGUINE, BASIL AND FETA

2-3 tablespoons extra-light olive oil
2 large bell peppers, cut into 1 inch squares
Pinch of sugar
Pinch of salt
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 red onion, diced
3 servings of linguine, cooked and drained, just slightly al dente
Fresh ground pepper
1 handful fresh basil, cut into a chiffonade
1 cup crumbled feta

1. Heat a 14-inch wok until hot but not smoking. Swirl in 1 tablespoon of oil, add peppers and stir-fry 30 seconds to 1 minute. Make sure peppers are constantly turned.

2. Continuing stir-frying for 8-10 minutes while adjusting heat between medium and low as peppers start to brown. Add more oil if needed. When peppers begin to wrinkle, turn the heat up to medium and stir-fry 1 minute more. Add sugar and salt. Remove peppers from wok and set aside.

3. Heat the same wok on medium and swirl in the last tablespoon of oil. Add garlic, onions and stir-fry until fragrant. Add cooked linguine and roasted peppers. Stir-fry until all ingredients are mixed and heated through. Turn off heat. Season with black pepper and serve immediately. Garnished with the basil and feta on top.

Serves 3.