Zucchini Enchiladas

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Bountiful-Garden-Zucchini-Enchiladas/Detail.aspx?prop31=1

I made these vegetarian enchiladas for dinner a few nights ago. I was a little skeptical to say the least. We are meat eaters. We love tacos and enchiladas. In fact, I make excellent enchiladas but I am trying new things. As I mentioned in a previous post, I am cutting back on our meat intake. So I made these with slight variations. I added a spicy seasoning mix because chili powder alone doesn't have quite enough kick for us. I also made an extra half batch of the cheese sauce because as is it would not cover the enchiladas very well. I used low fat milk and low fat cheese.
These were AMAZING!!! We all loved them. Samantha even asked for seconds which rarely happens. Jeff said he would definitely eat them again which is great:) What I found really interesting, though, was that I expected to still be hungry afterwards. And after I eat traditional enchiladas I always feel like I've eaten too much. Instead, I felt perfectly satisfied! And I only ate one enchilada so it was a great feeling. I will certainly be making these again!

Vegetarian Meals

So reading over some religious literature, I have decided to cut back our meat intake. The simplest way to do this, I think, is to serve two vegetarian meals per week. We don't eat an enormous amount of meat and I usually use small amounts of it in my cooking. Our tacos usually have more beans and veggies than meat, for example. However, we do eat it at every meal except breakfast. I still think that meat is better left for occasional and minimal consumption. We need animal protein but it does not need to be the cornerstone of every meal.
I did try out a lentil and rice dish from Lebanon a week or two ago...it did not turn out well because the rice and the lentils, although the recipe said to cook them together, did not cook at the same rate...It was a fiasco but I am willing to try again.
I found a recipe for zucchini enchiladas that I am going to make soon and if it turns out I will post the recipe and a review.

Slowly Going Green

Over the past few years the world has been going green. I am a part of the triple R generation: Reduce Reuse Recycle so I have been slightly Eco friendly my entire life. I never littered...I sometimes recycled...But that's about it. I had resisted the Eco movement for a time because a lot of it is based on junk science (i.e. Global Warming) and certain politicians' goals to control more and more aspects of our lives. I don't want to be a part of Green Peace and I am not a vegetarian or a member of PETA.
I guess I finally realized that my resistance was based on stereotypes...they may be based in truth but that is not a very good reason to not "go green". So I carry reusable grocery bags and I recycle as much as possible, I shop at my local farmer's market and I use Eco friendly cleaning products... This is my journey towards a greener lifestyle and a greater respect for our planet...but don't expect any rants on the evils of SUVs or the horror of the slaughter houses...It is just my belief that the planet, like our bodies, is a gift. We should treat it well.