The Green Parent

Moni: Although I had always been a rather reluctant meat eater as a child growing up in Vienna, Austria, I was never really able to eliminate meat from my diet, even as a rebellious teenager. I just did not find any support in “sausage country” for my weird tastes. When I met my husband after moving to the States, he immediately inspired me to give up red meat. He had been a vegetarian growing up in Argentina (beef country!) but had never found the right partner to support his vegetarianism. When we got together it just clicked for both of us on many levels. We immediately stopped eating red meat, ditched poultry one month later, and when I found out I was pregnant three months later we eliminated seafood, fearing all the mercury could harm our unborn son. All in all we turned vegetarian 18 years ago and although our vegetarianism has gone through different incarnations – ovo-lacto, vegan, raw vegan and others, we never once considered going back.

TGP: What does “green” mean to you?

Moni:Doing everything in my power to help the planet survive Us. “In my power” does not mean running out and buying every new gadget that is pitched, but rather making intelligent decisions every time I buy something – questions like “Do I really need this?”, “What will this product look like in ten years?”, and “Will it still be here in one hundred years?”
Lately certain green habits have gone mainstream – only two years ago I felt like a lonely nut using my own shopping bags – now, everyone seems to have them. In Europe free plastic bags with every purchase were banned thirty years ago. It is so good to see how willingly people embrace change, when they finally make the connection.
Recycling is not only an option but mandatory in many communities now, and with Whole Foods so many more people are willing to step into a health food store – the same people, who I could not convince to accompany me to one, a couple of years ago.
The vegetarian diet is the anchor of everything “green” for me, since it is so easy to do and such a large part of my budget – I have complete control over it. I hate the completely erroneous perception that you have to be able to afford being a vegetarian. This is the very inspiration for my blog, Vegetarian On The Cheap. For me eating nutritious food is the basis for our health, and not coincidentally, the health of our planet.

TGP: Is your son a vegetarian?

Moni: Yes, indeed he is, and quite an outspoken one at that. He has never eaten meat and has survived public school, summer camps, and sleep overs with no problem.
He has never felt deprived and has embraced different forms of vegetarianism. I remember two summers ago when he was attending a very intensive theater program in New York City and we were experimenting with raw veganism at the time – not only did he have the immense energy needed for the long day and his commute, but he actually introduced that way of eating to some of his fellow students.

TGP: What is your favorite vegetarian meal?

Moni: Hard question – there are so many! I am a very experimental cook – some may even call me just plain “mental” because I have no trouble cooking something I have never made before, one hour prior to 20 guests arriving at the house. I have a lot of fun in my kitchen and am completely intuitive – changing ingredients, quantities and cooking times, ruthlessly and without any fear. My current favorite recipe is something I whipped together one hour before we were due at a wine tasting. The theme was Italian Wines and I was in charge of making a pasta dish for 16 diehard meat eaters.
I had bought a lot of pasta, but had no idea what to do about the sauce, so I looked into the fridge, found some tofu, and with a devilish grin on my face proceeded to make a vegan-tofu based Alfredo sauce that had the meat-eater-crowd run for seconds and thirds. People almost twisted my arm for the recipe, and when they found out that they had just eaten a zero cholesterol Alfredo sauce, jaws literally dropped. Here is my recipe: Change at will – experiment with different herbs or leave them out completely, you can add wilted leafy greens after the blending to give it more of a nutritional punch. Spinach, kale and rainbow chard work particularly well.

Simple pasta “Alfredo”

1 pound pasta – any shape, any kind from 20 cents to $2.69 depending on type
½ onion – minced $0.50
1 head of garlic or more if you dare – not a typo ( I actually used three heads cooking for about 16 people) $1.00
¼ cup olive oil $.75
1 tablespoon coconut oil $0.10
1 bunch fresh herbs – whatever you have on hand $1.99 – you may omit these
1 pound silken tofu $1.99 -
salt & pepper

1. Brown onion in coconut oil. Peel and grate garlic.I use a regular cheese grater for this.

2. Add garlic to onion and brown – make sure nothing sticks. Keep moving things around, add a bit of olive oil, if necessary. Lower heat if garlic starts sticking.

3. When the garlic is roasted – chop the herbs finely and add to the onions and garlic. Add salt to taste. Then turn off the heat and let the onion, garlic mixture cool.

4. When the mixture is cool, add to a blender together with the silken tofu and the olive oil. Blend on high for a minute and return to pan.

5. Heat over medium heat until the garlic sauce is warm. At this point you could add several cup of wilted greens. Taste, add more salt if necessary and add ground pepper.
Mix in a big bowl with cooked pasta and serve.

Yield: Pasta for four, as a main dish, with a side salad perhaps.
Cost: Depending on the pasta used: from $ 6.53 to $ 9.02 approximately.
You may use any kind of tofu – since you will blend it anyway – but silken makes for the creamiest sauce – also if you are making this for kids you may want to omit the herbs or use just a touch of dried instead of fresh.