The Meatless Monday campaign is an effort to get people to give up meat one day a week, for their health and the health of the planet. Click here to go to their website and read all about it.
This week I’ve got some great reader suggestions for simple meatless meals.
1) Tom says he’s mostly vegan and for people new to vegetarianism he suggests pasta meals as an easy option. One of his favorites is Trader Joe’s rice noodles, sliced olives, cut small tomatoes, and minced onion. Sprinkle with vegan cheese and olive oil for a simple vegan meal. I agree with Tom that pasta is one of the easiest ways to make a meal so delicious you won’t miss the meat.
2) Carla says her family eats meatless most days of the week even though they’re not vegetarians. Most of their meatless meals revolve around legumes and grains in some form with added green and yellow vegetables. It’s hearty and sustaining food, on top of being delicious.
3) Castal says one of her favorite meatless meals is a big pot of veggie and bean chili with a cast iron skillet of corn bread, served with either cheese or sour cream. Or just plain, because it’s tasty as is. Castal says they eat meatless several times a week in order to use up their CSA box of fruits and vegetables. That’s true in our house as well. We’re eating less meat since we’ve been getting the CSA delivery.
4) Emily says Manicotti with Three Cheeses is a favorite at their house. Here’s the simple (5 ingredients!) recipe: 12 manicotti shells, 4 cups shredded mozzarella, 8 oz. soft cream cheese with onion and chives, 3 cups marinara sauce, and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Cook manicotti according to package instructions. Grease a baking dish. Mix 3 cups of the mozzarella with the cream cheese, stuff the manicotti and place it in the baking dish. Top with marinara sauce, sprinkle with remaining mozarella, and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Sprinkle with parmesan and bake 10 more minutes. I’m going to make that on the next cold day, it sounds like great comfort food. And I can tell you right now it’s going to be a favorite at our house as well.
5) And finally, Catherine at Vegan Good Life offers this recipe for portabella with vegan gravy. Scroll down the page for the recipe. She also brings up a great point: olive oil, shallots, and spices like rosemary and thyme do wonders for vegetables. I agree. Roasted with olive oil and spices is my favorite way to make veggies.
Thanks readers for all your great ideas!
What are your favorite meatless meals? Please share them in the Comments section and I’ll include them in the next Meatless Mondays recipes post. And click here if you want to check out previous Meatless Monday recipes.
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