Today I decided it was time to go meat-free for a week. It wasn’t unprompted, I was encouraged by the wonderful Helen Lear who is helping Meat Free Week become a ‘thing’. And so it should be!
Here’s why:
+ Meat Free Week is dedicated to reducing meat consumption. With an average consumption of 111.5kg per person per year, Australians are the third biggest meat eaters in the world (per capita). The world average is 41.9kg per person per year.
+ Our increasing demand for meat has resulted in the intensive farming of animals, commonly referred to as factory farming. It is considered the number one cause of animal cruelty in the world today.
+ Eating too much meat is bad for your health and is linked to Bowel Cancer, Type 2 Diabetes and Heart Disease.
+ Meat production also places pressure on the environment and the predicted consumption rates are not sustainable.
Read more here.
So that’s why tonight, with the beautiful produce delivered to me by the lovely Talia from the Local Harvest Collective I made purple basil and cashew pesto.
Ingredients
Purple basil – a handful of leaves
Raw cashews – a handful
Olive oil – 2 or 3 glugs
Garlic – 1 clove (or 2 if you have a cold)
A sprinkle of cheese or whatever dairy you have on hand, if you’re into that sort of thing
Salt and pepper if you like
How to do it
Blend, jar and refrigerate for use on beautiful pasta, yummy bread or whatever tickles your fancy. Tip for the young player – keep it chunky, just pulse a few times, for full effect of flavours.
Hope you like it.
Alena Turley is an Australian mentor for mothers. Founder of the pioneering blog, the Soul Mama Hub, her wellbeing membership offers a powerful pathway for mothers ready to go from over-extended, stuck in the daily grind, to empowered, inspired and energised so they can become the CHANGEMAKERS they dream of being.