Awesome Baked Tofu

While I was stumbling about on the internet last night, I found a recipe for Baked Tofu (you can find the original recipe here). I didn't have all the ingredients that they called for, so I improvised--with success! Even Tom liked it, and that's weird--he doesn't like Tofu (or so he claims). Anyway, below is the recipe that I used. Enjoy!

Stacie's Awesome Baked Tofu

1 pound firm tofu
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup vegetable broth

1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon onion granules
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon parsley
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

(or use whatever spices you've got on hand!)

Cut the tofu into 1/4″ slices and wrap in paper towels. Place a weight on top for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a shallow bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and the 11 herbs and spices and mix well. Dip the tofu slices in the veggie broth and then in the breadcrumbs mixture, coat well on both sides, place the coated pieces on a oiled baking pan.

Bake for 12-15 minutes on each side.

Serve with a dipping sauce like soy sauce, or just use ketchup. :) Mmmmm. For sides I served corn on the cob and cucumbers with oil and vinegar.

A Pescatarian Eats a Ripton Chicken

Those poor chickens.

The ones that died before the rain, that is. The others got a stay of execution...for a time.

I'm talking about Chicken Murder Death Day, of course.



Last weekend, it was slaughter time at the Ripton Farm that we've all grown so used to reading about. We were slated to kill 35 chickens, but the rain made us stop before we could get past 18.

And, yes, I'm a Pescatarian....I haven't touched poultry or red meat since March. Truly! Except for this one time.

My values around meat-eating are not of the traditional sort. I eschew any meat that comes from factory farms (and that's most of the meat you eat, b's and g's) or any meat that goes through traditional or kosher slaughter houses. Since labeling does not go so far as to say something like: "This chicken hatched from it's egg on March 18, 2008. It was given 8 hours of free range time in a grassy meadow every day; it was given feed that contains only healthy ingredients (no forced cannibalism); the cage environment was humane, and the slaughter was as un-traumatic as possible," I won't buy it.

Allow me to be more clear--my problems with the meat industry are many, and that's were most of my objections to eating meat are. Add that with my firm conviction (and the conviction of many nutritionists as well) that eating meat is not necessary for a healthy diet, I chose to eat mostly plants, grains, vegetables, fruit, dairy and fish. (And, yes, I know that fish feel pain).

However, I will make exceptions.

One annual exception is the Chicken Murder Death Day. We all participate in the slaughter of the chicken, from plucking the poor innocents from their coop (they're normally running all over the yard, but they need to stay where they can't find food for 24 hours before the slaughter) to storing the carcass in ice water.

Below is a photo montage of a chicken killing: (the photos below may be kinda gross to some people. It's my opinion that if you can't stomach it, you should probably consider yourself a hypocrite if you eat chicken, but that's just me. Seriously, though, don't look if you've got a weak stomach for dead things.).

In the first photo, you can see my friend slitting the throat of the chicken, while keeping her hand around the chicken's head (the chicken goes to sleep if it's in the dark). In the next, the dead chicken is dunked into hot water to loosen the feathers which are then plucked; in the third, my other friend eviscerates the chicken carcass.

Although I do feel moderately bad for taking the life of a chicken just to eat it, I do enjoy this yearly event. I feel that the chickens on the farm lived a much better and healthier life than most factory farm chickens, and that as a result, I'm eating much healthier meat.

What do all of you think? Are factory farms fine for the animals? Should we all aim to eat "happy" meat? What are your guidelines around eating in general?

Between the Athiests and Everyone Else

I had an interesting conversation with a friend this past weekend, which is the reason for writing this blog. They had some misunderstandings about my religious opinions that I imagine are quite common to people who don't ask questions, so I decided to clarify.

I'm an agnostic. That means that although I don't believe in the existince of a god--I don't rule out that possibility altogether. Sometimes I label myself as an athiest, because more people seem to know the term, but I am technically not. Basically, my motto is that I don't know the answer! Although I've tried many religions, none have felt quite right for the same reason--I couldn't get around the idea that, for me, an omnipotent being just felt to be a falsehood. I couldn't pray or create a ritual for a deity that I felt did not exist. A god does not exist, in my opinion. It does not seem true to me. But, hey, it might be true.

A lot of people confuse Atheisim and Agnosticism. An atheist denies even the possibility of a higher power, while an agnostic keeps that possibility open in his or her eyes.

To me, the lack of a God or gods and the lack of heaven and an afterlife makes life all the more valuable and precious. Consider: if there is no reconnection with your loved ones in heaven, you need to enjoy what you've got right now. If there is no Devil making things right by torturing your enemies, you've either got to make things right in this lifetime, or let things go. If there is no one coming out of a Lotus flower to make the world make sense, seems like it's up to us. Makes sense to me.

However, that does not mean that I feel that people with religious values are stupid or wrong. In all honesty, I feel a little jealous that they have a happy and close-knit community to go to every Sunday or Saturday or Flying Spaghetti Monster Day. I will not judge someone on their religious beliefs. I do not sneer as I drive by churches or temples or mosques or prayer circles. Do I, however, sleep in on Saturdays and Sundays? You bet.

I feel that everyone's opinion is important, and since there is absolutely no way to know who is right and who is wrong, it would be ignorant of me to condemn others for their beliefs.

Religion, in my opinion, can serve great good. (It can, also, serve great evil). However, in most of my experiences, I've noticed that the people who have become a member of a religious organization or have adopted religious beliefs have been able to make positive changes for themselves. For example, one of my uncles and his family have recently entered into a church that has taught them to be more loving and accepting of others, and to be happier as a family. I am proud of him for making that decision and for the positive steps that he and his family has taken.

I truly believe that all people with all beliefs serve a purpose in this world, and that they are all necessary. Perhaps my job as an atheist is to serve an an antidote to people who live too frequently in their religious vision--to bring them back to earth a little. Perhaps the people who are religious are to show me that there are possibilities that I haven't considered.

I don't want to be seen as a person who hates Christians or Jewish people or Muslims or any religion for the mere fact of their religion. I am not a bigot--my mind is open to possibilities. Just because my opinion is different than the majority of people in this country, does not mean that I hate them or feel uncomfortable around them. I feel that people who truly feel a calling to the ministry or to the priesthood should do so! People should follow their hearts, because that's where their truth is.

My agnostic beliefs are not about hate, or about the denial of the happiness and good that a religious following can bring. It's about being open to possibilities. It's about letting go of the idea that I can be right about religion. It's about accepting that a higher power might be beyond my ability to understand. It's about being who I am.