Today has been a baking day. Euan and I like the idea of 'Pie Day Friday'. I have bought a new cook book.
I like Hairy Bikers and I like pies. Euan read this to me last night as his 'Reading Book'. Inspired by my new book I made a large batch of wholemeal pastry. We have had some recent debates in this house about us consuming too much red meat. In the past I spent about eight years as a Vegetarian, but during pregnancy craved 'Bones and heart!' I know it isn't nice but anyone who has experienced pregnancy cravings knows their is no reasoning with them, so I went with it and chewed on 'Spare rib bones' and did eat braised lambs hearts! I felt a bit like Hannibal Lecter. I never went back to vegetarianism. If I keep my head in the sand I am fine eating meat but if I educate myself with online sites and worse videos, the meat industry horrifies me. I try to be a conscious consumer. I am not sure if I will be vegetarian again or not, but eating less meat has to be good. Euan's argument is, I quote him 'It is ok to eat animals that we don't know personally'. Obviously he thinks farms are like 'Old Macdonalds' farm with happy critters running around living a blissful life in sunny fields. Todays baking in preparation for our first Pie Day Friday, was an old favourite from my veggie student days. Wholemeal Vegetable Pasties. They are like the good old 'Cornish Pasty' with a filling of root vegetables, onion and beans. They sure are tasty and filling.
I made about eight hefty pasties. The vegetables cook sealed in the pastry case and the flavours are delicious.
I had enough pastry left to make a pastry case that I will do something with tomorrow and also I made some 'Cheese Straws'. My Dad is very partial to a cheese straw. I will save him some.
I think all this talk of vegetarianism has unnerved a certain seven year old. I found a 'silent protest' on my bed. Somebody has asked his big brother for spellings and left me a couple of 'Post it' notes:
The first reads 'I want to be an Omnivore'.
Then just to clarify the second reads 'I don't want to be a vegetarian'. Shame as I have made a huge 'Nut Roast' in place of a joint of meat for the weekend!
Pie Friday sounds like a wondeful idea! If only I got home before 5:00 on Friday and I wasn't the only one there to cook for....Alas. That book looks hysterical! I might see if I can find that anywhere around here just so I can flip through it to see what its pages hold. Your veggie pasties look very yummy indeed. What seasonings do you you add? Maybe Evan would be up to having a mainly veggie diet with the exception of one or two days a week. Those could be his "meat treat" days! :) See what the boys think.
ReplyDelete~Lacey
Hiya Lacey - Meat Treat Day is a good idea... Euan also suggested Taco Tuesday and then said 'What is a Taco anyway?' It is a great book, The Hairy Bikers are popular TV cooks/chefs over here. Pies are good to make and freeze then you just have to heat them up after a busy day at work. For the Vegetable Pasties I just seasoned with salt and pepper...the cooking really brings out the flavour of the vegetables.
ReplyDeleteWow, "What is a taco anyway?" Lol. Tacos are something I've grown up with and I guess I had never considered that some people don't know what they are! I never considered Europe though. Perhaps you should make tacos sometime for him! Pinto beans make a good meat replacement! Bryon and I have tacos/burritos (basically the same thing in my opinion) every Monday so I'm pretty experienced here ;) Thanks for the pie and pasty tips too!
ReplyDelete~Lacey
Funny you should mention pie making. My mom was a famous pie maker and I've been gearing up to make one.. I even bought a new rolling pin at the store yesterday. New fangled.. it's got a teflon roller! Your pasties look yummy! I'm with the boys.. meat makes a meal for me.
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The pie looks delicious. Pie-day Friday sounds good pity Fridays aren't on Tuesday when I'm off work. Pie day Tuesday doesn't have the same ring lol.
ReplyDeleteI've been veggie since I was 14 so over 26 years, but I don't enforce my beliefs on the family, although I didn't cook meat. I recently changed my stance on that though and will now cook meat if I know it is ethically sourced - organic, free range etc. This makes it so expensive that really I only cook it maybe once a fortnight. 20 year old and myself don't eat meat, the rest of the family do but obviously only occasionally as they don't cook! Agree totally that too much meat is consumed by humans hence my thoughts above and luckily the family agree. Besides I'm a pretty good cook and my veggie meals always get gobbled up :)
Those pasties look very lovely, pie day Friday is a great idea, yum!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on that one Lucy! I firmly bury my head in sand and cover my ears. I hate the meat industry but I also get really bad anaemia if I don't eat red meat so it's a total catch 22 situation. I've tried all the iron supplements but without the meat I still end up blacking out and feeling awful so I avoid all the stuff that tells me too much information. That way I can live with myself!
Those little notes did make me giggle Lucy. Those pasties look seriously yummy. Joanna xx
ReplyDeletePie Friday sounds like a great idea to me! I love the look of your pasties :)
ReplyDeleteThe post-it notes have had me chuckling....bless him!
Your son's notes were so cute! I'm a meat eater but I don't *have* to have it in every meal. Although I do a lot of the time.
ReplyDeleteJust be careful with eating a lot of pastry because it's not exactly low calorie and I knpw you were trying to eat better :) Maybe pies with a potato topping would be a good alternative.
Trying to achieve the same thing here, but am doing a very softl, softly approach. Ie, cook a meat meal, and then I have an alternative for the meat, and on occasions the children have asked if next time they can have what I am having! Completely agree that we eat way too much meat. The other thing I am trying to do is bulk out meat meals with extra vegetables, rather than adding more meat, as appetites in this house are exploding at the moment!
ReplyDeleteLove the notes!
Very cute. :D But vegetarian is a wonderful way to cook. I love vegetarian foods... Perhaps if you make it and not tell them it's vegetarian, they might eat it... and they'll most probably love it. :D
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