Be an ethical omnivore

Since deciding to ditch vegetarianism, I’ve been eating the majority of my meat at home. That way, I know where it comes from. I try to purchase from the farmer’s market whenever possible, and will only pick up organic stuff at the store, carefully reading packages to deem what is worthy of consumption.

As far as eating out goes, I generally choose vegetarian still unless I know the state of the meat the establishment is using. Quality, ethically farmed meat is a selling point in these parts, so in general it’s very easy to tell what I should and should not be ordering. I’ve asked a couple of places that I tend to haunt regularly about items on the menu, and about half of them end up being a-ok for ordering whatever I want.

I admit I have cheated a couple of times. I just could not pass up tri-tip tacos at the Mexican place by my parents house, and I did not even ASK about the meat in that (probably didn’t really want to know). I am not perfect, and probably never will be 100% successful in the goal, but at least I am trying.

What else can I do? Any ideas from anyone else out there? I am currently considering going in on a quarter of grass-fed beef with some folks, though I don’t eat beef all that often and I’m not sure it would be worth it.

Pork chops and roasted veggies, mostly roots, all fresh from Sunday’s market and all bathed in garlic and thyme. Delightful, though fell short of the magical chops we had late last summer. I’m convinced that salt marinading and Pan frying the pork chops is the only way to go.

I was so tempted to cheat today. But I didn’t. Cheese pizza and coffee.

Christian brought home a beautiful chicken and we did it up right – stewart style: Perfect Roast Chicken. Which was actually pretty simple. A lemon (the not so local part), garlic cloves, fresh herbs, butter, salt, and pepper. Served with carrots and parsnips on the side. It turned out so moist and savory. Yummy.

I burst into tears the other day when boyfriend was criticizing the contents of my fridge. Blah Blah Blah nothing to eat around here….

Since then he’s been more supportive of this, even suggesting veggie phad thai instead of his usual insistence on chicken. I wonder how long this will last. Asian food tends to be my biggest cheat with this because of ordering family style, he can’t eat meat unless I’m willing to share it and most of the time I figure that if its just every week or two it’s ok.

lots of cheating in the last few days…

Phrase borrowed and credited to Amie Cheese Whiz S. Man, I am behind the times. Locavore was the 2007 Word of the Year for the Oxford American Dictionary.

Set up for another good week of local voring. I was so excited to share the farmers market with Christian this morning. Highlights were the halibut, for sure, and we got there just in time for the last of the chicken stock from my favorite farm-fresh butcher booth. The most beautiful bouquet of flowers I have ever had, sun flowers and fire orange dahlias, a one pound onion, and the new weird vegetable I have forgotten the name of – it looks like a sea monster, but its supposed to taste like cabbage.

Tomorrow I’m going to bake a peach crisp with plumbs and mega-giant blackberries. Next week I’ve gotta take my camera.

The farmers market here in Ballard is un-frickin-believable. Like a dream come true. I have worked toward this goal for a long time, but for the first time it feels within reach! The displays and colors alone are breath-taking. Not only is there beautiful produce and drop dead gorgeous flower bouquets, but rolled-in butcher counters with local farm raised meets and dairy and eggs. And of course lots of beautiful cuts of fresh fish.

I bought 6 oysters caught yesterday off the east coast of the sound and we ate them on the half shell as soon as I got them home. YUM! I found almost all the ingredients for Italian Wedding Soup for our first of a new tradition – Soup Sundays. Turned out wonderfully! I spent most the afternoon in the kitchen. Froze a bunch of blueberries, which I hope to keep stocking up for the winter. The peaches are so good right now, I would love to learn how to do some canning. I baked a quiche with really good cheddar, spinach, wild mushrooms (my favorite booth), broccoli, and ham. Froze some extra filling for next time. And dinner for the rest of the week is planned – marinaded pork chops served with braised red cabbage with apples and lime, potatos au gratin with ham served with grilled radicchio, okra and eggplant curry, tacos with three colored beans, and brats with corn on the cobb.

Next week I have got to take advantage of the fruit harvest and bake up something sweet.

I’ve found lots of good resources and recipe inspiration. The market has a What’s Fresh page. A great blog Eat Local Northweat. Sustainable Ballard and Vancouver’s 100 Mile Diet site.

We went out to our favorite middle eastern restaurant last night and it turns out that there is not a single vegetarian entree on the menu. There are veggie appatizers and sides, but but but… The entres come with the greatest mezza plate and that’s not available any other way.

I may have to find a middle eastern restaurant that uses organic meat, because I am unable to resist lamb schwarma.

Pepperoni is going to be my downfall with this one. I often eat cheese or veggie pizza, but I crave the pepperoni. I think it may be the only meat that I crave.