Meatless Monday: Steaks

Hello my fine friends of blog land.  First let me get a woo hoo for TGFA (the great fundraising auction) with this mornings report a total of 26, 432 dollars was raised for Susan – take that cancer!!

The blog world is truly amazing and inspiring.  For those of you not familiar with TGFA – it was an online blogger bake sale/auction to help raise money for a fellow blogger (Susan) that has been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.  This just goes to show that the blog world in awesome and true friends are made!

Second order of business……

Happy Birthday to my beautiful mama 🙂

Third order of business……..

Congratulation to Mama Pea!  Her wonderful book is released today, my copy was pre-ordered from Amazon and arriving soon.  I can’t wait.  She is such an inspiring person.  Not to mention her blog is just awesome.  She has a wonderful sense of humor, go over and check it out, and buy the book!! 

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I would like to talk briefly about something that some people may consider a controversial subject.  However, I want to express that I am in no way trying to influence anyone on this subject.  I am solely expressing MY view on it, and how I feel about the whole debate.

That would be the great meat debate.  I have read several books on the workings of the meat industry.  Of course the books are informative and a little scary.  I have always felt that things that happen in today’s society are related to what we consume in our diets.  For example, I have often commented to friends and family that I feel young girls go through puberty so early now, and that pre-term labor is so high now because of substances that are pumped into meats consumed today.  I worked several years at a middle school where we have girls in the fifth (yes 5th) grade that are getting menstrual cycles!  Hello….my friends and I didn’t get that until Jr. High School!  Also I can remember my early adult years where ladies would be praying to go into labor because their due dates are upon them or past.  Now it is very common to have pre-term labor.  Many of my friends (including myself) have had to take medication daily upon their 30+ weeks to keep them from going into labor.  It is very scary as an expectant mother to take medicine 3-4 times daily at 32 weeks so your baby remains in your body, only to still deliver nearly 4 weeks early.  So I believe that it is due to substances that we put into our bodies.  Keep in mind that this is my opinion, I do not expect all to agree!

I have been thinking a lot lately about incorporating more vegetarian meals into our diet.  Not because I want to label our diets, or because I think that going vegetarian would be cool.  I do not judge people by their food/diet choices, and I believe in eating according to your preferences no matter what they are as long as it is healthy.  My husband is an avid hunter and fisherman.  I am completely okay with eating the meat/seafood that he brings home.  I know that it is clean, natural, and healthy.  Unfortunately that meat does not last us through an entire year.  We often run out of meat and have to purchase it for a few months at the grocery. 

My main reason for incorporating some veggie meals is to cut back on meats that have to be purchased at grocery stores.  Many of you know what happens with that meat.  I truly believe that we are consuming many things that we shouldn’t when we eat the commercial meat.  Because of MY belief, I would like to cut out as much of that type of meat as I can.   

I decided to serve up a meatless meal for dinner last night.  Those of you that have been reading the blog for awhile, or the ones that know me personally, you know that the hubster is a meat eater.  I mean a big meat eater.  As in meat at every meal!  For those of you that know me, well you know that I do eat meat, but I am perfectly satisfied with meatless meals as well. 

      

So of course the hubster is skeptical when I inform him that I want to include some meatless meals into our weekly menus.  I think I may have even had a slight frown thrown my way with that report.  Oh well, I cook once.  You eat or you don’t eat!

At least that’s my motto for the hubster.  Now to get the kids to follow that……

So back to the point.  Last night was one of Helen, Naturally’s first meatless meals for the family.  I have often posted about a vegetarian meals but usually I was the only one eating it!

Eggplant Steaks w/ Tomato-Pesto sauce

• 1 large eggplant
• olive oil
• steak seasoning
• diced tomatoes
• pesto
• oregano
• onion & garlic powder
• stevia

1. For the sauce: place diced tomatoes in sauce pan.  Add 1T onion powder, 1T oregano, 1 packet stevia, 1/2t garlic powder to the pan and stir.  Mash with a potato masher to crush the tomatoes slightly, cook until thickened.  Add pesto to the sauce and stir to combine.
2. For the steaks: slice eggplant into thick rounds.  Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with steak seasoning on both sides.  Grill until tender.
3. Place the steak on serving platter and top with the sauce.

Super easy, delicious meal.  The hubster approved.  He was pleased with how it turned out, and with the fact that he did get “full” on the meal.  I served the steaks with a side of pasta tossed with pesto, and a wonderful salad. 

I was very excited that the meal had good reviews.  It was a starting point to show the hubster that eating meat free dishes can be tasty.  If you have a skeptical “meatless” eater like mine, I urge you to try this dish.  Don’t like eggplant.  No problem, sub with Portobello, zucchini, squash, any type of veggie that can be sliced thick and grilled.

Now,  I just may be able to make that venison lasts through the year 🙂