KINGSTON – Cooking really is my happy place. When everything else goes wrong, I can still churn a truly beautiful cake, a fragrant loaf of homemade bread or a pot of hearty soup. I love the tangibility of cooking. And the adventure. For a good part of last year, I went to bed reading Susan Musgrave’s A Taste of Haida Gwaii. And I am constantly trying, tampering with and creating new dishes in my kitchen.

So it’s not really a great surprise that half of my resolutions for 2017 have to do with food. Drink more water! Eat less sugar! And this: EAT VEGAN — AT LEAST ONE FULL DAY PER WEEK!

There is serious evidence that a plant-based diet is not only better for our health, it is also markedly better for the planet. Eating less meat is the fastest, easiest and cheapest way to reduce your carbon footprint. In fact, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the single greatest thing you can do to save the planet is stop eating meat.

Here are a few of the top reasons for eating less meat and moving towards a plant-based diet:

•A plant-based diet saves the planet’s water. It takes a staggering 15,145 litres of water to produce one kilogram of beef as opposed to 214 litres to produce one kilogram of tomatoes. By even the most conservative estimates, the water footprint per gram of protein for beef is six times larger than for beans, peas and lentils (The Guardian, Jan. 10, 2013).

• Simply reducing meat consumption to that within accepted health guidelines could cut global food-related greenhouse gas emissions by nearly a third by 2050, while widespread adoption of a vegetarian diet would bring down emissions by 63 per cent and global adoption of a vegan diet would reduce emissions by 70 per cent (The Guardian, March 21, 2016).

• Eating less meat reduces the risk of certain cancers as well as reducing the risk of heart disease, E. coli infection, and type 2 diabetes. It may also lower the risk of obesity and Alzheimer’s disease. It will also reduce your exposure to hormones and antibiotics.

• Eating a plant-based diet is significantly less expensive and puts money back in your pocket immediately.

• Eating a plant-based diet is not just kinder to animals but is also a human rights issue because factory farms and abattoirs that exist to meet the demand for cheap meat are not just horrifying places for the animals, they are also a living hell for the labourers — often immigrants — who are poorly paid and almost always working in dangerous, disgusting conditions.

• Eating more pulses (beans, peas and lentils) is a great place to start when cutting back on animal protein. Pulses are an excellent source of protein, have significant anti-inflammatory properties and are rich in folic acid, magnesium, potassium, B vitamins, complex carbohydrates and soluble fibre. And unlike raising livestock, pulse crops actually help decrease greenhouse gases, increase soil health and use less water.

Canada just happens to be the world’s largest exporter of lentils and one of the world’s largest producers of pulses. Buying Canadian pulses helps Canada’s agricultural economy.

This lentil dish makes a fast, easy, incredibly inexpensive and surprisingly tasty weeknight dinner. When you combine a pulse with a grain, such as rice or wheat, you form a complete protein. Serve this along with a green salad, with a batch of vegan chocolate chip cookies for dessert and help save the planet!

Lindy Mechefske is the author of Sir John’s Table and A Taste of Wintergreen. You can find her blogging about her adventures in the kitchen at lindymechefske.com.

LENTILS AND RICE

2 tbsp olive oil

2 medium brown onions, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup dried lentils, rinsed (I used Canadian green lentils)

1 cup long grain white rice (you can use brown but the cooking time will be approximately double)

4 cups water or organic vegetarian stock

½ tsp salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 tsp cumin

Green onions, lemon juice, and soya sauce or tamari to finish

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, saute the onion in olive oil over medium-high heat until the onion starts to brown. Add the garlic and cook for another 4-5 minutes or until the onion is quite brown.

Add the lentils and rice to the pan and stir briefly; add the water and salt. Return the heat to high.

When the liquid comes to a boil, reduce heat to simmer on low. Add the cumin and black pepper.

Continue to cook on low heat until all the liquid is absorbed (~ 20-25 minutes).

Taste to correct seasonings, add a tablespoon or two of lemon juice. Top with green onion and serve with tamari or soy sauce.

VEGAN SALTED CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

(adapted from Ovenly by Erin Patinkin and Agatha Kulaga)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon fine salt

1 ¼ cups dark chocolate chips

½ cup (110 grams) packed light or dark brown sugar

¼ cup white sugar

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon sunflower or similar oil

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon water

Coarse-grained sea salt or flaky sea salt

In a medium bowl, stir together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips.

In a large bowl, whisk the sugars briskly with the sunflower oil and water until smooth.

Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined.

Cover the dough with a lid or with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 6 hours to 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Remove dough from the refrigerator and shape into 2-inch balls. Press very lightly with a fork and sprinkle with a smidge of sea salt.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until just golden. Don’t overbake. Transfer to a wire tray and allow to cool.