Meat-Free Friday -- Pasta with peas and "bacon"

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photo from Davislifemagazine.com

This was our Easter dinner -- it's my son's favorite!

Ingredients:

1 lb. rotelle pasta

8-9 slices of Morningstar farms veggie bacon strips

3 tblsp olive oil

1 chopped onion

2 tsp bottled minced garlic

2 tblsp fresh thyme

1 package frozen peas

1/2 cup chopped green onions

2 tsp butter

1/2 cup half and half

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1)  Cook pasta and drain.  Reserve 1/2 cup cooking liquid.

2)  Cook "bacon."  Here's what I do:  First put the strips on a microwave-safe plate and microwave on 1/2 power for 5 minutes, then flip the strips and microwave 3 minutes on high.  "Bacon" should be crispy.  Break it up into little pieces.

3)  Heat olive oil in a skillet.  Add onions, garlic, and thyme and saute until onions are soft.  Add in green peas and cook until the peas are warm.  Add green onions and saute for an additional minute or two.  

4)  Add half & half and pasta cooking liquid to the pea mixture and cook for about 2 minutes.  

5)  Add butter, salt, and pepper to pea mixture and cook until butter melts.

6)  Pour pea mixture over pasta and toss.

7)  Add crumbled bacon and parmesan, and toss again

Enjoy!

Eco-friendly Swim Suits

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OK, maybe this is just a cheap attempt at getting more people to look at my blog (it worked for Sports Illustrated).  Or maybe it's proof that we green momsters clean up well....http://www.treehugger.com/slideshows/sustainable-fashion/treehugger-swimsuit-issue-2012-10-sexy-sustainable-fashion-summer-heat/.

Endangered species of the week–the Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)

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I’m a very fortunate person, because I’ve actually had a close encounter with this week’s endangered species, the Maned Wolf.  Maned wolves are beautiful creatures who live in the grassy areas of central south America (parts of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and possibly parts of Peru and Uruguay).  These wolves (people often say look like “foxes on stilts”) are omnivores, hunting at night and eating a diet which includes fruits and berries as well as small animals like rodents, reptiles, and insects.  Because of this diet, the wolves play an important part in their ecosystems, controlling animal populations lower on the food chain and acting as seed dispersers.  One of their primary food sources is the lobeira berry -- this fact caused some difficulty when zookeepers were first trying to raise the wolves in captivity many decades ago.  Zookeepers knew that the wolves were omnivores, but didn’t know about the importance of lobeira berries in their diet.  Until they worked out this puzzle, the wolves often suffered from dietary problems in captivity.

As mentioned on the ARKive website, these solitary wolves live in home ranges of 25 to 50 square km and only come together during the breeding season.  Females reach sexual maturity at one year and can give birth to litters of 1 to 5 pups.  The primary threat to these wolves, as is the case with many other endangered species, is habitat loss.  Scientists and conservation managers are working hard to protect these wolves from loss of their habitat, as well as negative contact with humans and road kills. 

I just read about Rogerio Cunha de Paula, one of the leading biologists working to protect the species.  He is working to protect the Serra da Canastra National Park in Brazil from logging, mining, and conversion of habitat from soil plantations (see the book Wildlife Heroes by Julie Scardina and Jeff Flocken for more info).  Many other people are also working hard to protect the wolves, and that’s how I got my close encounter.  The National Zoo has been involved in maned wolf conservation for over 30 years and is the coordinator of the Species Survival Plan for the maned wolf.  As a volunteer with the zoo, I was an “interpreter” about maned wolves for the public.  One of the keepers at the maned wolf exhibit, my friend Kim, took extra time with me to teach me how truly special these animals are – she shared her knowledge of the wolves with me and gave me an unforgettable look at these fascinating creatures!  What a treat to see these animals close-up, to hear their specific vocalizations, and yes, even to smell their (very strong) scents during mating season.  Based on these encounters, I can say that the world would be a poorer place without the beautiful maned wolf.

Movie review–Coral Reef Adventure

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Today, the kids and I headed down to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History to check out the giant prehistoric snake, the new Nature’s Best photo contest winners, and a new IMAX documentary – Coral Reef Adventure.  As with other IMAX features, this one didn’t disappoint. 

The movie follows the 10-month adventure of two experienced scuba divers/researchers, as they travel worldwide to investigate the decline of coral reefs.  We travel with them from Fiji to Australia to Bali to see both healthy and dying coral reefs.  Liam Neeson’s narration discusses the various threats to coral reefs worldwide, including ocean warming, overfishing, and siltation.  The photography is, as usual, spectacular.  From incredible close-ups showing symbiotic relationships between gobi fish and shrimp (photo from the bbc) , to the usual sphincter-tightening aerial shots for which IMAX is famous, the film consistently shows the beauty of this natural world and emphasizes the importance of conserving these areas.  I really didn’t see too many weak points to the film. Sometimes the photographic techniques are a little heavy-handed, such as the use of flash when photographing healthy reefs, but no flash when photographing dead reefs.

Without being overly pessimistic, the filmmakers discuss the issue of coral reef decline and the possible extinction of most coral reefs within the next 30 years.  Pretty depressing stuff, but the film presents this information in a constructive, educational, and even hopeful manner.   Accompanied by the music of Crosby, Stills, and Nash (including a funny piece of “Our House” as the little shrimp cleaned house for the gobi fish), the film is as entertaining as it is informative.

I highly recommend seeing this documentary when it comes to your nearest IMAX!

Meat-Free Friday -- Onion Quiche

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I've adapted this recipe from Family Circle Magazine (photo from PinkBites.com), and boy was it a hit at my house!

Ingredients:
1 frozen pie crust
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cups chopped onions
5 eggs
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tblsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup shredded swiss cheese

Instructions:
1)  Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2)  Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.  Add onions and cook until browned and soft (stir once in a while), about 30 minutes.
3)  In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, mustard, salt, and nutmeg.  Remove pie crust from freezer, and sprinkle cheese evenly on bottom of crust.  Spread onions on top of the cheese.  Pour egg mixture over cheese and onions.  Bake quiche for 45 minutes or until eggs are set.

Hyenas change diet for Lent

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photo from ScienceDaily

It turns out, during Lent when fewer meat scraps are available for scavenging hyenas, hyenas quickly switch their diets and start eating more donkey.  I just had to post this, because who would've thought hyenas were so flexible in their eating habits.  Additionally, who would've thought someone would come up with a research question that included both hyenas and Lent:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120405075232.htm

Donkeys in Ethiopia are counting down the days to Easter!

Endangered Species of the Week–Puritan Tiger Beetle (Cicindela puritana)

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from U.S. FWS

This week’s endangered species is the Puritan tiger beetle, which was Federally listed as endangered in 1990.  This tiny beetle, measuring just 1/2 inch in length, is found in only two places on Earth:  in Maryland along the Chesapeake Bay and in New England along the Connecticut river.  Puritan tiger beetles are found on beaches and eroding cliffs, where they go through their two year life-cycles.  In June and July,   the adult beetles emerge from their burrows in the sand to mate along the beaches.  Females then move up the cliffs and dig burrows in which to lay their eggs.  The eggs hatch, and then the tiger beetle goes through three larval stages and eventually emerges as an adult.  Thus, eroding cliff faces are critical to survival of this beetle species.

Natural threats to the Puritan tiger beetle include flooding, parasites, and other insect predators.  More critical are the man-made threats – habitat loss due to shoreline development and bluff stabilization.  In the Chesapeake Bay area, conflicts between homeowners and wildlife managers have occurred.  Both sides are working hard to resolve these issues by working on compromises, including offshore segmented breakwaters and special geotextile materials on cliffs, but this is a very controversial issue in the Chesapeake Bay.  Efforts to protect the beetle include scientific studies into the ideal habitat for the beetles, removal of vegetation from habitat sites, translocation of larvae, and propagation of larvae.

So why do we even care about this tiny little beetle whose need for eroding cliff habitat threatens homes in the Chesapeake Bay area?  Scientists often say that these beetles, and other small species like them, act as “canaries in the coalmine” telling us about the health of the entire ecosystem.  As stated on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s website:
“The vast majority of life on earth is made up of plants and invertebrates, like insects. Without these groups, ecosystems would collapse (no plants to eat; no insects to pollinate them). Puritan tiger beetles are a key predator (eats other insects and crustaceans) in its cliff habitat and is, in turn, preyed upon by other insects and birds. And, to the extent that its presence has protected the existence of natural cliffs, it has also protected the habitat of King Fishers, Bank Swallows, and many insect species.”