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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, November 24, 2008

LIVING GREEN
Go Green Challenge

By Mary Kaye Ritz
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Nutritionist Tandis Bishop chatted with Meat Club advisers Jack Belli of Punahou, center, and Palani Williams of Kamehameha, right, after they made some healthy meal choices for their lunch plates at Down to Earth.

Photos by BRUCE ASATO | The Honolulu Advertiser

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GREEN REASONS TO GO VEGGIE

  • It reduces global warming. According to a 2006 United Nations report, raising animals for food generates more greenhouse gases than all the cars and trucks in the world combined.

  • The livestock industry generates 64 percent of the ammonia released into the Earth's atmosphere (contributing to acid rain), and 65 percent of human-related nitrous oxide.

  • It can lower greenhouse gas emissions faster than shifts away from the fossil fuel burning technologies that emit carbon dioxide.

  • Livestock farming can lead to overgrazing, causing soil erosion, desertification and deforestation.

    Source: Down to Earth

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    Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

    Meat Club advisers Jack Belli from Punahou, left, and Palani Williams of Kamehameha checked out a refrigerator full of meat alternatives at Down to Earth.

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    Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

    Nutritionist Tandis Bishop offered a healthier alternative to regular mayonnaise to Meat Club advisers Jack Belli from Punahou, center, and Palani Williams of Kamehameha, with his 3-year-old son, Musashi, at Down to Earth. Belli and Williams agreed to go vegetarian for a week.

    BRUCE ASATO | The Honolulu Advertiser

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    Editor's note: In our regular feature, we test O'ahu folks' abilities to green up their lives. We've taken on the local-only diet, zero trash and now, asking two avowed carnivores to give up their flesh-eating ways for a week, all for the good of the planet.

    Palani Williams scanned the menu in front of him, a meal plan for the coming week.

    He grew bewildered to see that he would be giving up not only fish, fowl and meat — these, he was prepared for — but mayonnaise.

    "Mayonnaise?" he asked nutritionist Tandis Bishop. "What's wrong with mayonnaise?"

    "It's got eggs in it," Bishop informed him, ruefully.

    It was a cold, hard truth for Williams, who with Jack Belli had agreed to go vegetarian as a way to green up their lives for an entire week. Adding to the challenge was that Williams, of Kamehameha, and Belli, of Punahou, head up their schools' meat clubs — philanthropic groups that celebrate community service work with a big barbecue afterward. A glee club for carnivores, as it were.

    AND THEY'RE OFF

    The week began with a briefing at Down to Earth, where staff nutritionist Bishop walked the pair through information on why going vegetarian is a sound ecological choice. She also explained where to find nutrients in plant matter for a balanced diet.

    She led them down the aisles of the King Street natural foods store, where the pair stopped at the refrigerated case long enough to mock the "mock" meat.

    "Veat balls?" said Williams with a laugh, checking out the veggie-meat alternative.

    "I can't remember the last time I bought tofu," Belli said.

    Yet just a few minutes later during lunch on the house, they managed to pack it away, anyway.

    Belli piled his plate high with mock chicken nuggets, stuffed shells, eggplant parmigiana.

    Williams went for the macaroni and cheese, and scalloped potatoes with Thai soup, with mock chicken salad on the side.

    When lunch was over, not a dot of food remained on their plates — and Williams even nibbled the pesto pizza leftovers of a tablemate.

    Both agreed textured soy protein didn't compete with the real stuff, but the breading of the mock chicken nuggets got a thumbs up from Belli. And Williams' son, Musashi, kept saying, "Daddy! More, please."

    AS WEEK PROGRESSES

    The rest of the workweek zipped past quickly for Williams, an art teacher at Kamehameha. He led himself out of the path of temptation.

    "I didn't go to dining hall during the week," Williams said. "My wife would pack a lunch of leftovers, which wasn't too bad."

    When Saturday arrived, however, Williams came face-to-face with a massive shoyu chicken luncheon he was committed to attending.

    "That was the hardest day," said Williams, adding, "of course it smelled really delicious."

    He made do with salad and vinaigrette-dressed pasta.

    For someone who would only agree to the challenge if it did not fall on Thanksgiving week, Williams performed admirably. He not only avoided meat for a week, but went totally vegan — no egg or dairy products at all.

    Williams succeeded with help from his wife, who filled him up with soy products — miso soup, tofu burgers and tofu-tomato salad — and supported him by eating meatless, but. ...

    "You can only do tofu so many ways," he said.

    Belli, the Punahou teacher who's on sabbatical this semester, didn't fare so well. There was one little slip when he was getting his wife's dinner. (She wasn't going meatless.)

    "I was cutting roast beef and gravy, and cut a portion for the cat," said Belli. "On my finger was just that little bit of gravy."

    Yep, you guessed it: He licked his finger.

    "Oh, wow," Belli said, making a low rumble. "You get a lot of satisfaction from meat."

    His diet was filled with plenty of starch, cheese and beans, as well as fruit and granola.

    "I had a lot of baked potatoes, pancakes, Taco Bell," Belli said. "Before I knew it, it was the weekend and I was almost done. ... And I didn't do any Veat."

    BACK, IN THE FLESH

    Still, the week went well, Belli admitted. He ate bigger portions: "For a week, you can do anything. I just think back to my wrestling days. And it's better than those people on TV, who eat bugs."

    The competitive side of Williams made a whooping sound when he heard about Belli's tiny slip.

    "I knew it! Yay! I win," he gloated. "Anytime it's Kamehameha vs. Punahou. ..."

    Since the two friends have competed in the wrestling realm, Williams drew on that motivation — and the health benefits.

    "My ultimate goal is to live longer to be there with my kids," Williams said. "The go-green is a nice, happy aspect of it."

    • • •

    Scrambled Tofu

  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil

  • 1 block firm tofu, drained

  • 1 Tbsp. soy sauce

  • 1/4 tsp. turmeric

  • 1/2 tsp. spike

  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

  • Pinch of black pepper

  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast.

    Heat oil in a pan over moderate heat.

    Crumble or mash tofu into pan.

    Stir in soy sauce, turmeric, spike, garlic powder and pepper.

    Cook for 5 minutes.

    Remove from heat and stir in nutritional yeast.

    Szechuan Stirfry with Veat

  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil

  • 1 pkg. Veat Bites

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 Tbsp. ginger, grated

  • 2 cup broccoli

  • 1 carrot, sliced

  • 1 cup water chestnuts

  • 2 Tbsp. soy sauce

  • 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

  • 1 Tbsp. honey

  • 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

  • 1 pinch of crushed red pepper

    Thaw out veat bites by placing package in a bowl of hot water. This won't take more than 5 minutes.

    Dissolve soy sauce, vinegar and honey together in a small bowl.

    Heat oil in a large saucepan and add veat bites. Mix in the garlic, ginger and red pepper. Toss on medium heat for 2-3 minutes.

    Add broccoli and carrots. Toss for another minute before adding the snow peas and water chestnuts. Pour in soy sauce mixture and cover. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes.

    Turn off heat, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve.

    Teriyaki Tofu

    Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. Firm tofu

  • Olive oil or your favorite oil

    1. Drain tofu well and break into bite-sized pieces. Add a little olive oil or your favorite oil and toss.

    2. Put on a baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Cook until tofu turns light golden brown. While tofu is baking, make the teriyaki sauce.

    Sauce:

  • 1 C. shoyu or tamari

  • 1/2 C. water

  • 1/2 C. honey, raw sugar, or sweetener of your choice

  • 1/2 tsp. Garlic powder or granules

  • 1 Tbsp. Fresh grated ginger

  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. Tapioca powder or cornstarch

  • 1/4 C. water (mix with tapioca to make paste)

  • 2 Tbsp. Brown sesame seeds, toasted

  • 1/4 C. chopped green onion

    Heat first 5 ingredients on medium heat until they simmer. Thicken with tapioca paste

    When it starts to thicken, turn off heat. Put baked tofu in a nice dish and cover with teriyaki sauce. Sprinkle on the toasted sesame seeds, which can be toasted in a deep frying pan. Sprinkle on the green onions for garnish.

    Mock Chicken Tofu

  • 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil

  • 1 block firm tofu

  • 2 Tbsp. soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos

  • 1 tsp. Spike seasoning salt

  • 1/3 cup nutritional yeast

  • black pepper to taste

    Drain tofu and press in paper towel to remove excess water. Set aside.

    Heat the oil in a frying pan on med-high heat. Add the tofu by breaking it into bite-sized pieces. Fry the tofu until golden brown on each side for 2 to 3 minutes.

    Add the soy sauce (or Liquid Aminos) and Spike.

    Turn off the heat and add the nutritional yeast and black pepper to taste. Stir until all the tofu is coated with yeast.

    Sources of Plant-Based Protein

    Legumes: Garbanzo beans, Kidney beans, Lentils, Lima beans, Navy beans, Soybeans, Split peas

    Grains: Barley, Brown rice, Buckwheat, Millet, Oatmeal, Rye, Wheat germ, Wheat, hard red, Wild rice

    Vegetables: Artichokes, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Green peas, Green pepper, Kale, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Mustard green, Onions, Potatoes, Spinach, Tomatoes, Turnip greens, Watercress, Yams, Zucchini

    Fruits: Apple, Banana, Cantaloupe, Grape, Grapefruit, Honeydew melon, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, Strawberry, Tangerine, Watermelon

    Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, Cashews, Filberts, Hemp Seeds, Peanuts, Pumpkin seeds, Sesame seeds, Sunflower seeds, Walnuts (black).

    Downloads:

    1 Week Sample Menu

    Scrambled Tofu Recipe

    Szechuan Stirfry with Veat Recipe

    Teriyaki Tofu Recipe

    Mock Chicken Tofu Recipe

    Sources of Plant-Based Protein

    Source: Tandis Bishop, nutritionist, Down to Earth

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