All caught up, almost. Great item in the digital daily: a menu to save the world and us from disaster, suggesting we all change our ways by 2050. Well, I will have changed by then (no longer living), but the rest of you young folks should pay attention. I saved a 7-day menu and I am going to think about it and follow up, and see if I can find a month-long plan. This will be fun.
The future served up on a plate
Monday
Breakfast: Porridge (made with water) with 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup, topped with nuts and seeds, and one piece of fruit; one cup of tea or coffee with milk. (Note: the milkier you like it, the more you will have to save up your allowance and have, say, one latte a week, or, alternatively, never cook with yoghurt or cheese and treat yourself to one latte a day.)
Lunch: Fennel, avocado, spinach and broccoli salad with feta and mustard and plant-oil dressing with one slice of sourdough bread, plus one plain yoghurt pot with a handful of berries. The report specifies a mix of unsaturated oils – 20% each of olive, rapeseed, soybean, sunflower and peanut – which, unless you are up for making your own (or live in France, where Cauvin makes something almost like that), is impractical in the UK. I have often (but not always) also replaced the palm oil, tallow and lard allowance with plant oil.
Dinner: Roast red cabbage and red lentil dahl with rice.
Snack: Sugar-free rice cakes with nut butter.
Tuesday
Breakfast: Two eggs with two slices wholemeal toast and Marmite (there is no word in the diet about yeast-based spreads, or hot sauce for that matter, so I just went for it); one cup of tea or coffee with milk.
Lunch: Barley or other wholegrain salad with smoked mackerel, seeds (sunflower, pumpkin and chia seeds), radishes, celery, chickpeas, herbs, oil and lemon juice dressing; one piece of fruit.
Dinner: One baked sweet potato with salsa, cavolo nero, avocado, black beans, grated cheese and a dollop of sour cream.
Snack: One handful of roasted chickpeas.
Wednesday
Breakfast: Two slices of wholemeal toast with one sliced banana and honey; one cup of tea or coffee with milk.
Lunch: Spicy miso noodle soup with tofu, radishes, leafy greens and poached egg (that’s your quota for two weeks used up: no eggs for you next week); small pot of plain yoghurt.
Dinner: Steamed veg (kale, broccoli and carrot) with a yoghurt and fresh herb dressing and olive oil, root veg and bean mash.
Snack: Cannellini bean dip with red pepper sticks.
Thursday
Breakfast: Banana, spinach and nut milk smoothie with 1 tbsp nut butter and 1 tbsp maple syrup.
Lunch: Lentil, potato, leek, onion and hamhock soup with two slices of wholemeal bread; one piece of fruit.
Dinner: Courgette, cavolo nero and tomato gratin with breadcrumbs and almonds, and a green salad and polenta on the side.
Snack: One pitta bread with 30g full-fat cream cheese.
Friday
Breakfast: Bran flakes with nuts and small helping of dried fruit; one cup tea or coffee with milk.
Lunch: Cheese and hummus sandwich with lettuce and tomato salad; three oatcakes with honey.
Dinner: Butternut squash, carrot, cauliflower and coconut milk curry with rice.
Snack: Spicy roasted chickpeas.
Saturday
Breakfast: Overnight oats with fresh fruit, seeds and nut milk; one tea or coffee with milk.
Lunch: Salad with tuna, cucumber, avocado, fresh edamame, a handful of cashews and an oil and lemon juice dressing; one piece of fruit.
Dinner: Vegetarian lasagne with butter beans.
Snack: Honey almond popcorn.
Sunday
Breakfast: Porridge with honey or maple syrup and scattering of nuts, one piece of fruit, one cup tea or coffee with milk.
Lunch: One roast chicken leg with roast potatoes, beans, peas, carrots and sprouts; plain Greek yoghurt with mixed berries compote and honey/maple syrup.
Dinner: One-pot kale, tomato and lemon spaghetti with grated parmesan.
Snack: Guacamole with crackers.
The End.
It will take some thinking and learning. Breakfast is a snap - like what i have for breakfast every day, except I have a couple of eggs a week. Lunch isn’t hard, either, but dinner?? I’ll need to think about that and try some recipes. I would welcome any reactions. Do you think it can save the planet?
cavolo nero noun [mass noun] : a dark-leaved variety of kale used in Tuscan cooking. ORIGIN Italian, from cavolo ‘cabbage’ + nero ‘black’.