mirgraphy

I’ve been meaning to post on Mondays about Meatless Monday for a while, but so far a number of Mondays managed to slip by without a post.

The Meatless Monday campaign was and still is a non for profit  initiative of The Monday Campaigns, in association with the Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health. The goal was to help meat consumption by 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of the planet.

Why Monday, aside from the fact it’s the only day that starts with the letter M?

For most Americans the week begins on Monday. On Monday we move from the freedom of the weekend back to the structure of work or school. We set our intentions for the next six days. We plan ahead and evaluate progress.

From an early age we internalize this rhythm. And studies suggest we are more likely to maintain behaviors begun on Monday throughout the week. That makes Monday the perfect day to make a change for your health and the health of our planet.

Monday is the call to action built in to every calendar each week. And if this Monday passes you by, next week is another chance to go meatless!

So much for Monday blues! Who would have thought starting anything on Monday is a great idea? Certainly not me! On a personal note, I have been cutting my meat intake due to the presence of a non meat eater in my life. That being said, I do believe that we all can afford to eat less meat. In general, our eating habit demands meat to be presence in any meal in order for it to be deemed satisfying. Whether this be McDonalds or sausage roll, it did bother me to realise how much meat I consume on a daily basis. I’m not sure I can turn completely vegetarian, but that’s another blog post for another time.

In the meantime, there’s this rather delicious recipe for Okonomiyaki from the amazing 101 Cookbooks that I need to share.

Ingredients

2 cups cabbage, finely shredded
1 cup leeks, well washed and chopped 
2/3 cup plain flour
a couple pinches of fine grain sea salt
2 eggs, beaten
1+ tablespoon olive oil

Garnish: toasted slivered almonds, chives/ herbs

Combine the cabbage, leeks, flour, and salt in a bowl. Toss until everything is coated with a dusting of flour. Stir in the eggs and mix until everything is evenly coated.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add a generous splash of olive oil. Scoop the cabbage mixture into the pan, and using a metal spatula press it into a round pancake shape, flat as you can get it. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the bottom is golden. To flip the okonomiyaki, slide it out of the skillet onto a plate. Place another plate on top and flip both (together) over. If you need a bit more oil in your skillet, add it now, before sliding the okonomiyaki back into the skillet. Again press down a bit with a spatula and cook until golden on this side – another 3 -5 minutes.

When you are finished cooking, sprinkle with toasted almonds and chives, and slide it onto a cutting board to cut into wedges. 

I like the overall taste, but find it a little dry. For added sauce taste add some Japanese mayo and Tonkatsu sauce as well as shredded seaweed. Itadakimasu…