No Meat, No Problem
Today is The Great American Meat Out, a day which is celebrated across the globe to encourage people to give veganism a try and educates the public on the benefits of eliminating animal products from their lives. While I am not a vegan, nor am I a vegetarian myself, I do try to work in meatless meals a few times a week. Why? For a few reasons:
- I believe making a couple of my weekly meals meatless because fruit and vegetables tend to be lower in fat, cholesterol, and calories than meat.
- Eliminating meat from a few meals each week helps to cut my grocery bill down. Let’s face it, meat is one of the most expensive items in the grocery store.
To celebrate The Great American Meat Out, I’ve collected some recipes that can be prepared as vegetarian or vegan–however you prefer. In case you’re not yet familiar with the difference, vegetarian means no meat is used in the recipe. Vegan means no animal products of any kind (this includes dairy, eggs, and honey) are used in the recipe.
Fruits & Veggies–More Matters has a Rolly Veggie Cannelloni that is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Lasagna noodles are wrapped around chopped spinach, grated carrots, and ricotta cheese. A savory tomato sauce is spooned over the cannelloni and they are baked for 30 minutes. To make this recipe into a vegan version, substitute seasoned tofu for the ricotta and mozzarella cheeses.
Courtesy of Fruits & Veggies–More Matters
Spaghetti Squash with Chickpeas and Kale is a dish packed with goodness. Roasted spaghetti squash is combined with sautéed shallots, chickpeas, and kale in olive oil, garlic, rosemary, chili flakes, sun dried tomatoes, salt, and pepper,
Courtesy of Love and Lemons
Enchilada Stuffed Grilled Portobello Mushrooms are perfect for the Mexican food fan. These meaty mushrooms are very filling, especially when combined with the black beans and corn. Enchilada sauce is drizzled on top of each mushroom and you can top each with shredded Monterey jack cheese or seasoned tofu to make the recipe vegan.
Courtesy of Sweet Peas and Saffron
If you like something with an Asian flare, you’ll love this Rainbow Vegetarian Pad Thai with Peanuts and Basil. For the Pad Thai you’ll use brown rice noodles, zucchini, red bell pepper, onion, carrots, peanuts, oil, egg (or arrowroot powder to keep it vegan), and fresh herbs like cilantro, basil, and green onions. For the sauce you’ll need fish sauce (or a vegan fish sauce substitute), brown sugar, vegetable broth, white vinegar, soy sauce, and chili paste. You’re going to spiralize the veggies and cook everything in a stir fry pan, adding the peanuts at the very end.
Courtesy of Pinch of Yum
I hope you’ll add these and other meatless recipes to your menu lineup. I’m back next week with some recipes in celebration of National Spinach Day.
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