Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Recipe 63 - Can we say moo instead of 'cheese'?

This.. is a cow.

:)  You must wonder how I'm so smart to know this?  Not only is she a beautiful girl, but, she's a dairy cow.
WONDERFUL RIGHT!?!

Back that train up, you know you're not getting away with that.
Let's talk about dairy cows.

Taken from the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary's post on May 2010 and better words than I could use to convince you:

For a seemingly innocent glass of milk, chunk of cheese, container of yogurt, cheap hamburger, and white veal, female cows are forced to be mothers. That is, they are constantly impregnated so they will produce milk. (I bet you thought, like I used to, that they just naturally provide a never-ending supply!)

There are many problems with this, but I’ll mention just a few:

-Why should any female, human or non-human, be forced to be a baby-making machine? This is feminism 101!
-Once the mother cow gives birth, her baby is stolen from her. Could you imagine if this were done to a cat after birthing kittens or a dog after birthing puppies? Mother cows bellow for days looking for their babies.
-To add insult to injury, mother cows are then “hooked up” and milked. It’s cold and painful, not warm and nurturing as it would be if she were able to be with her young.
-Female cows endure this cycle for years until they are finally turned into cheap hamburger.

A few words about the stolen babies:

-Female calves never feel the warmth and love of their mothers as they are kept in a separate area, first raised on formula and then fed some sort of cheap feed until they are “ready” to be added to the baby-making/milk-producing system.
-Male calves are sent to veal farms where they are kept tethered in cramped, filthy, cold crates, and fed an anemic diet. Could you imagine this being done to a kitten or puppy? And all for the sake of “succulent white veal.”

Humans do not need to consume dairy to be healthy. It actually makes us less healthy because the saturated fat clogs our arteries, and the acidic nature of its protein aggravates osteoporosis. Calcium can be found in many plant foods such as sesame seeds, leafy greens, and fortified juices and cereals. Contrary to popular opinion, protein can be found in all plant foods, but especially in beans, nuts, seeds, tofu, tempeh, and seitan.

Finally, we are the only species that drinks the milk from another species! I think we would find it bizarre if a giraffe drank the milk of a rhinoceros or a zebra drank the milk of a pig. Cows’ milk is meant for baby cows, not us! We have our mothers’ milk for a while and then that should be it. So, if you do consume dairy or eat hamburger or veal, please keep this alert in mind and perhaps choose to honor mother cows by not eating those things.



Ok... so now that you know that, know that cows who have been rescued need your help..  maybe you could sponsor a cow? (what a cool Christmas gift for an animal lover!)  Check that out here!  (I told you - you've got the turkey down, we're moving on to cows, chickens, piggies, ducks, lambs, etc.. and even if the recipe I'm making might not even make sense for the animal..) But hey,  let's get the word out!

However, this weekends recipe DOES make sense for the dairy cow.
Why?

What's this?

Ah, a CHEESE plate.

Yours truly is going to try her hand at a vegan cheese plate.  Now, mine not may look as good as that but wow - it's gonna be a challenge well worth that cheese plate any-day!

Let's do some numbers.
On my listie is:
Herbed Cashew Cheese - Famed to taste similar to Boursin
Macadamia Nut Cheese - Similar to a softer cheddar style cheese
Almond Cheese - Soft, firm and fluffy - similar to the taste of ricotta
We'll follow this up with a setup of crackers, fruit and veggies, .. and who the crap am I going to serve this to?  My cats?   Hrm... anyone wanna come to my house this weekend?

Oh, numbers:
Boursin                                   Clarabelles Cashew Cheese
  2 tbs                                                  2 tbs
Calories - 120                                       66
Total Fat -  12                                       4.8               
Cholesterol - 30                                      0         
Sodium -   180                                     290
Total Carbs - 1                                      12
Fiber - 0                                                 6
Protein -  2                                             0                         
WW Pts - 3                                            2



Soft Cheddar                          Mrs O'Leary's Cow's Macadamia Cheese
   2 tbs                                                2 tbs
Calories - 80                                        72
Total Fat -  8.5                                      6.8    
Cholesterol -                                         0
Sodium -   150                                      0.6          
Total Carbs - 1                                     1.4                        
Fiber - 0                                               0.8    
Protein -  2                                           1.0   
WW Pts -  2                                           2  

Ricotta                                   Flossie and Elmers Almond Cheese
2 tbs                                                       2 tbs
Calories -   428                                       50
Total Fat -  32                                           1
Cholesterol - 125                                      0
Sodium -   207                                        190
Total Carbs - 7                                        3.0
Fiber -  0                                                 1.0
Protein -  28                                            7.0
WW Pts - 12                                             1



So, why do you THINK Mrs O'Leary's cow burned down Chicago?

She was a milker.

Don't abuse your cows, and tune in this weekend.. I'll be cheesin' it up.. probably alone.  Maybe I should get some wine?
Nothin' says the holidays like a plate of cheese and a glass of wine!  (Especially when you decorate your cheese tray to look like a tree.. Hmmm).

Keep it here!

Music enjoyed while blogging:
The Dole Whip Station - Subsonic Radio

Current Motivation:
High Ho.

Current Craving:
Rice and Beans.  

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