FUSF Green

Mediterranean Lentil Soup

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 medium carrots, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

1 lg. red onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons Italian seasoning (see below)

2 cups lentils, washed

11 cups water

1/2 cup tamari

2 cups tomato sauce

pepper to taste

1. In 6-quart stockpot, saute the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and seasoning in the oil over medium heat for 5 minutes.

2. Add rinsed lentils and 8 cups of the water and cook until lentils soften, approximately 20 minutes. Add the remaining 3 cups of water and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

3. Add tamari and tomato sauce and cook for 10 minutes more. Season with pepper.

Italian Seasoning

2 teaspoons each of dried basil, dried marjoram, and dried oregano, plus 1 teaspoon of dried sage.

This recipe is a variation of the soup found in You Won’t Believe It’s Vegan!, by Lacey Sher and Gail Doherty.

Eggplant Parmesan

1 large eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 pieces of whole grain bread, toasted and made into breadcrumbs
2-3 tbsp. soy parmesan (or ground almonds)
fresh basil leaves, chopped or torn
olive oil spray

Tomato Sauce:

1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsp. tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste

"Cheese" Sauce:

1/2 cup extra-firm silken tofu
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsp. cashew butter or tahini
1 tsp. onion powder
1 1/2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1/8 tsp. white pepper
2 tsp. corn starch

Salt the eggplant slices and put them in a colander to drain.

Prepare the tomato sauce by sautéing the onion in a non-stick saucepan until it becomes translucent (you may use a little water if you like). Add the garlic and sauté for one more minute. Add the remaining tomato sauce ingredients, and cook for 15-20 minutes.

Prepare the cheese sauce: Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until completely smooth. Blend again right before using to make sure that the ingredients haven't separated.

Rinse the eggplant slices and pat them dry with paper towels. Spray a baking sheet lightly with olive oil and place the slices on it (you may have to do this in two batches). Spray the tops lightly and place under the broiler. Watch carefully, and remove when the slices start to brown, about 3 minutes.

Assemble the casserole: Preheat the oven to 350. Spray or wipe an 8x8-inch non-metal baking dish with a small bit of olive oil. Place half of the eggplant slices on the bottom of the dish, edges overlapping. Sprinkle with half the breadcrumbs. Spoon half the tomato sauce and pour half the cheese sauce over the breadcrumbs and sprinkle lightly with soy parmesan. Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients (reserving some bread crumbs for on top, as mentioned above). Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes, until slightly browned on top. Sprinkle with fresh basil just before serving. Serves 4.

One Farm. More Pollution Than Houston, TX

9.24.2008 8:35 AM

Report Details Pollution from Factory Farms

By Dan Shapley

NOTE: In the sentence beginning, "A single farm...", the figure should read "1.6 MILLION tons of manure..."

Factory farms can produce more raw waste than large U.S. cities, threatening not only water quality but air quality, both the number of factory farms and animals fed in confined feeding lots has more than tripled in 20 years, and yet the Environmental Protection Agency is trying to roll back already weak pollution regulations.

That's the gist of a new Government Accountability Report on factory farming out today, and the interpretation the Democratic Senators who requested it.

There were 12,000 concentrated animal feeding operations -- CAFOs, or more simply "factory farms" -- holding 890 million animals in the United States in 2002, up from 3,600 farms raising 257 million animals in 1982.

A single farm, raising 140,000 head of cattle, can produce 1.6 tons of manure every year, more than is produced by Houston, Texas.

This waste can infiltrate nearby streams, rivers and lakes, contaminating it with bacteria or excessive nutrients that could render the water unswimmable, undrinkable and inhospitable to wildlife. The waste releases gases to the air -- including ammonia, hydrogen suflide and fine dust -- that can cause respiratory illness or other health problems.

Yet, the report concludes, the EPA lacks data it needs to effectively regulate these farms, even as it has proposed lifting pollution reporting requirements for air pollutants from factory farms and proposed limiting its authority to penalize factory farm water polluters.

“This GAO study confirms that the Bush Administration’s plan to exempt industrial sized animal feeding operations from emissions reporting requirements is nothing more than a favor to Big Agribusiness at the expense of the public health and communities living near these facilities,” said Rep. John Dingell, one of the senators that requested the GAO study.

In May, the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production concluded a two-year study that detailed how cheap feed had led Americans to eat more meat than any other nation on Earth. It urged new regulations to rein in the growth of factory farms, lest they sap fresh water, pollute the environment, continue contributing to global warming (livestock is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions).

The recent spate of E. coli-tainted beef health scares can also be traced to concentrated animal feeding, an unnatural corn-based diet and the factory slaughtering process.

For concerned consumers, look for grass-fed, free-range meats, cut down on meat consumption and seek out local farmers that can assure you about the safety of their practices.

Faithful Have New Food for Thought

Believers Carry Over Their Values as They Remodel Their Diets

By G. Jeffrey Macdonald
Religion News Service
Saturday, September 6, 2008; Page B09
When Marilyn Lorenz of Alma, Mich., talks about living out her Catholic faith in daily life, she starts by describing what's in her refrigerator.

The produce is grown on nearby farms, and the milk is organic and hormone-free. Meat comes from a local farmer who lets his animals graze freely and doesn't use antibiotics.

"Packing animals in factory farms, I think, is against God's wishes," says Lorenz, who changed her shopping and eating habits after a speaker at her parish broached the issues last year. "It isn't something my faith could ever support."

In bringing faith to bear anew on diet, Lorenz is among a growing movement of believers from various traditions who are exploring how to better reflect their moral values in the ways they eat. A few examples:

· In Pennsylvania, the Laurelville Mennonite Church Center's annual conference on sustainable farming was just for farmers when it started five years ago but this year attracted non-farmers from more than 40 Mennonite congregations in five states.

· Three congregations in Clemson, S.C., teamed up for the first time this summer to host dinners featuring local foods, host workshops on eco-friendly eating and launch "Upstate Locavores," a regional group to promote local food sourcing.

· Methodists in North Carolina, Congregationalists in Massachusetts and Catholics in Michigan have in the past year started organic gardens on church property in part to encourage consumption of foods grown without pesticides or chemically based fertilizers.

· In June, Conservative Jewish lay leaders and rabbis proposed guidelines for ensuring high ethical standards in kosher food production under a new label, the "Hekhsher Tzedek."

Thinking of diet in religious terms is, of course, hardly new. Jews and Muslims have long followed kosher and halal codes, respectively, in order to maintain purity. Although Christians generally haven't required year-round dietary codes, fasting and abstaining have traditionally been important in certain seasons, such as Lent.

For many congregations, today's initiatives are tackling new terrain. The faithful discuss how God might want them to eat in light of new research on health, working conditions in food supply chains and environmental crises.

In the process, they're learning new ways to model the values they profess -- and to tread lightly when seeking converts.

Consider, for instance, the challenge facing James Patterson, pastor of Institute Church of the Nazarene in Institute, W.Va., who now believes that he's accountable to God for both the spiritual and physical health of his predominantly African American congregation, where one in four parishioners suffers from either diabetes or high blood pressure.

Meeting Minutes, September 15th

I. Cleaning Products

We are no longer using Melaleuca Products. Because of a donation in cleaning products, FUSF will be all set through December. Sue G. has said that there should be money in the cleaning budget to purchase products after that. The committee will need to decide at a later date which products should be ordered.

II. Newsletter Article

Donna M. will write a piece for the next newsletter, focusing on water consumption and including Committee's accomplishments within the past year.

III. FUSF Audit

Ray A. will head a subcommittee that will focus on reducing energy consumption of FUSF office space. Audit - by committee members - will take place this Sunday, September 21st, at 8:30 a.m.

After audit, members will determine what actions need to be taken.

Saturday, November 1st, is set date for "barn-raising" community event. Public and FUSF community will be invited to learn how to weatherize a home in order to save energy by participating in an all-day weatherization/repair session at FUSF. (Marian S. will take care of PR.)

Ray A. and Ted M. will speak with Alec Danz this Sunday to get him on board with the project.

IV. One Sky Event

Ted M. mentioned that One Sky is looking to get every town to participate in a "green job" on September 27th. What could we do?????

V. Council of Committees

Donna M. is not able to represent the Green Committee this coming Sunday, the 21st. Ray A. said he might be able to attend in her place. Donna will forward information.

VI. First of Month Plate Collection

The Board has decided to donate the first collection of every month to a worthy organization. Each committee is asked to come up with suggestions. Green Committee members should connect via e-mail to discuss possible environmental organizations of interest.

VII. Global Warming Cafe

Sunday, October 19th, 1-ish.

Mass Climate Action to discuss the Low Carbon Diet. Open to public.

VIII. F.A.C.T. Meeting

This Wednesday, 7 pm, in the FUSF Sanctuary.

Sunflower Cherry Oatmeal Bars

1 c. rolled oats

1 c. whole spelt or whole wheat flour

1/2 c. packed natural brown sugar

1/4 tspn. sea salt

1/4 tspn. baking soda

1/4 tspn. ground cinnamon

1/4 c. sunflower seeds

1/4 c. dried cherries

1/2 c. expeller pressed canola oil

5 tblpns. orange juice, divided

1/2 c. fruit-sweetened black cherry preserves

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine oats, flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, sunflower seeds, and cherries in large bowl. Add oil and 3 tablespoons orange juice, mixing well until all ingredients are fully combined. Reserve a half cup and press the rest into a lightly oiled 8x8 baking pan. Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons juice with cherry preserves and spread evenly over the oat mixture in the pan. Sprinkle reserved oat mixture over the top and press down lightly with fingers. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Cool in the pan on a wire rack, then cut into bars or squares. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator.

Found at www.wholefoodsmarket.com

Quinoa Salad

Mix, in amounts to your liking.

Cooked quinoa (about 2 cups)

black beans

corn

sliced avocado

cilantro

chopped onions

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Serve on a bed of fresh lettuce or spinach leaves.

Edamame Salad

Mix together, in amounts to your liking.

avocado, chopped

red pepper, chopped

corn

edamame

small red onion, chopped

black olives, chopped

cilantro

lime juice

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Mexican Shepherd's Pie

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 c. onion, finely chopped

1 c. vegetable stock

12 oz. soy ground meat alternative

1 pkg. taco seasoning

1 1/2 c. frozen mixed vegetables, thawed and drained

2 c. mashed potatoes

1 1/2 c. shredded vegan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until softened. Add stock and cook for 3 more minutes. Add soy meat alternative and taco seasoning. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes or until heated through.

Add vegetables and stir well. Cook for 5 minutes or until heated through. Transfer to prepared casserole dish. Top with mashed potatoes, spreading evenly. Sprinkle vegan cheese on top.

Bake in oven for 25 minutes or until potatoes and cheese form a soft crust on top.

Eggplant Hummus

Found at www.epicurious.com  and composed by Jimmy Bradley.

1 lg. eggplant (about 1 1/4 lbs.)

3 tblspns. olive oil, divided

1/2 c. drained, canned garbanzo bean (chickpeas)

1 1/2 tblspns. fresh lemon juice

2 tspns. (generous) tahini paste (sesame seed paste)

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tspns. chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut eggplant in half lengthwise, then score flesh in crisscross pattern at 1-inch intervals, 1/2 inch deep. Rub cut sides with 1 1/2 tblspns. oil; sprinkle with salt. Place eggplant on rimmed baking sheet, cut side down. Bake until tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Cool slightly, then scoop flesh into processor (discard skins). Add garbanzo beans, remaining oil, lemon juice, tahini, and garlic. Puree until mixture is almost smooth. Transfer to bowl; stir in parsley. Season hummus with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with raw veggies or pita chips.