Meatless Monday recipes

It's about time for some Meatless Monday recipe ideas!

Meatless Monday is a nonprofit initiative aimed at encouraging people to cut out meat one day a week for the sake of their health and the environment. Click here to find out all about it. My husband and I have been going meatless several times a week for awhile now, and it's no sacrifice whatsoever. The key to eating meatless is fresh produce and delicious recipes.

These two simple recipes have become staples in our household lately. They're both super-satisfying as a side dish or a main course, and they also go well together.

GREEK SALAD

Leafy greens of any kind - we like arugula or spinach best (does that make us elitists?)
one small chopped tomato or several cherry tomatoes sliced in half
one half chopped cucumber
one half small red onion, thinly sliced and chopped
crumbled feta
10 kalamata olives, pitted and sliced in half
Newman's Own Family Recipe Italian (you can use any Italian dressing or mix your own)
ground pepper

Mix and toss lightly with dressing. Go easy with the feta and kalamata olives in relation to the rest of the ingredients.


3 BEAN SALAD

One 16-oz can or 2 cups dried cooked kidney beans
One 16-oz can or 2 cups dried cooked garbanzo beans
2 cups cooked green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 small red onion, chopped
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
chopped fresh or dried thyme
ground pepper

Mix first four ingredients in bowl, then mix dressing in separate bowl and toss well with beans and onion. Let sit in refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Last night my husband made the Greek Salad himself in about 5 minutes. He says it's the only way he likes cucumbers. If you're not convinced that eating more fruit and vegetables is good for your health, check out this article about how a low-carb diet might help you lose weight but is bad for you in the long run. Apparently we can't hear it too often, because according to this article, most Americans still don't eat nearly enough fresh produce.

Do you have any easy meatless recipes you'd like to share? Please let us know in the Comments section and I'll include them in the next Meatless Monday recipes post. And click here if you want to look through previous Meatless Monday recipes.

Meatless Monday meets CSA

Mondays are all about food on this blog. I either post a photo of our CSA delivery, or I share meatless recipes suggested by readers.

Due to my work schedule, we're not receiving a CSA delivery this week. But I did an interview last November with the owner of our CSA, and it was published on the Meatless Monday site. I thought I'd run it again in case you missed it.

Click here to read the interview with Terri Wahl, owner of Auntie Em's restaurant in Eagle Rock and creator of the most fabulous CSA I can imagine. The interview is all about how it's easy to go meatless when you have fresh, local, and organic produce to make delicious meals.

If you're a member of a CSA, please tell us about it in the Comments section. It's so interesting how different it can be depending on where you live. One of my readers got a delivery that included chicken and milk recently, along with fresh blueberries and greens. Another reader joined a CSA that includes a nice touch at harvest time: a ride to a pumpkin patch to pick their own pumpkins plus spiced apple cider back at the farm. I'd love to hear about more of your delivery experiences. It's so nice to know that we're all learning more about where our food is coming from! And check out Local Harvest if you want to find a CSA near you.

Meatless Monday recipes

Meatless Monday is a nonprofit initiative aimed at encouraging people to give up meat one day a week. Going meatless, even just on Mondays, is better for your health and better for the environment. If you need inspiration, go to the Meatless Monday website for all kinds of great recipes.

I also like to bring you my readers' suggestions whenever I can. Here are two ideas for easy meatless meals:

First, Alea at Premeditated Leftovers suggested Swiss Chard and Garbanzo Bean Soup from the blog Dandelionheart. Alea says it's her favorite kind of recipe because it's flexible and it comes together fast. That's my favorite kind too, plus it sounds delicious. As a matter of fact, I've got some swiss chard I need to use up and this is a healthier recipe than the Guadalajaran Swiss Chard Quesadillas I was planning on. I'll let you know if I try it tonight.

Coupon Challenged says that even though her kids are true carnivores, they've been eating meatless meals at least once a week for years. Some of their favorites are guacamole or potato tacos, and veggie lasagna and veggie soups in the winter. I'm a big fan of vegetarian tacos, and when you have delicious ingredients like guacamole or potatoes, or beans, tomatoes, cheese, and salsa, why would you even want the meat?

Thanks for those great ideas! Readers, what are your favorite easy meatless meals? Please leave your recipes in the Comments section and I'll include them in the next Meatless Monday recipes post.

Meatless Monday recipes: Puttanesca sauce

It's been over a year since we've been going meatless on Monday, and I have barely made a dent in the delicious meatless recipes I've gotten on the Meatless Monday website and from my readers. Going meatless just one day a week is great for your health and the environment. And as an added bonus, it will probably save you money as well.

This week, I thought I'd tell you about one of our favorite staples. It's easy and uses only a few ingredients that you can keep in the pantry. My husband loves this dish, and often cooks it himself.

PUTTANESCA SAUCE

olive oil (optional)
1 large can tomatoes
pitted and chopped kalamata olives
capers
3 or 4 cloves of garlic

In a large pan, saute tomatoes in a little bit of olive oil in their own juice. You can use chopped tomatoes, or if they're whole you'll want to chop them so they don't take as long to cook down. The olive oil is good for you, but optional. Cook on medium heat for 15-2o minutes, stirring occasionally. Put garlic through a presser and add to the tomatoes and continue cooking. When the sauce starts to thicken, add about 1/3 of a small jar of capers and about half a can or jar of pitted and chopped kalamata olives and cook another 10 minutes or so. Trader Joe's sells pitted kalamata olives, which saves a lot of time. Although you can also be pitting them while the sauce is cooking.

The key is to cook long enough for the sauce to thicken and get flavorful. You have to keep an eye on it to stir occasionally, but there isn't much danger of it burning if you keep the heat on medium.

Serve over any kind of pasta or polenta and a side salad. Our favorite with this sauce is angel hair pasta.

The name "puttanesca" comes from the root "puta" which is Italian for prostitute. The dish got it's name because it's cheap and easy. It traditionally includes anchovies, but this is my vegetarian version I've been cooking for almost 20 years.

Do you go meatless on Mondays? Please share your favorite simple meatless meals and I'll include them as part of the next Meatless Mondays post. Click here to check out all the previous meatless monday recipe posts.

It's Meatless Monday

Check out my Meatless Monday post over at The Non-Consumer Advocate!

Katy is hosting a Food Stamp Challenge this month, and my post is all about how meatless meals can save you money. Going meatless on Monday will not only help you meet the challenge, it will cut your grocery bill year-round.

The bonus is that it's great for your health and better for the environment. Find out more at Meatless Monday.

Have you pledged to go meatless on Mondays? Are you doing the Food Stamp Challenge? Let us know how you're doing and feel free to leave your tips and advice in the Comments section.

Meatless Monday Recipes: Mexican edition

Meatless Monday is a nonprofit initiative aimed at encouraging people to go meatless one day a week, for their health and the health of the planet. If you haven't heard about it, click here to find out more about the campaign. If you pledge to go meatless on Mondays, you'll receive a weekly email packed with delicious recipes.

That's the secret of going meatless: having lots of terrific vegetarian alternatives. The criteria for the recipes I post here are that they be quick, easy, and delicious. Most of the time, since they're meatless, they're healthy and frugal as well. I think that's a win/win/win/win/win. Wow.

My readers came through again with some super ideas that I can't wait to try.

First, Betsy from Married with Luggage says these black bean quesadillas, which are part of the Omega diet plan for healthy hearts, are delicious. Saute one small diced onion, one grated carrot, and 1/2 cup chopped purple cabbage in a small amount of canola oil for 3 minutes. Add 2 cups cooked spinach, 3 T chopped cilantro, 1 can of drained black beans, salt to taste, 1/2 tsp. cumin, and 1/2 tsp. chili powder and cook until the spinach is wilted. Heat tortillas until crisp, add filling to each, top with 1 T cheese, and fold over. Serve with salsa.

Next, Alea from Premeditated Leftovers suggests Addictive Sweet Potato Burritos. Visit her blog to get the details. I really can't wait to try this delicious combination of sweet potatoes, beans, spices, and cheese.

Around our house, we always like to have the ingredients on hand for an impromptu taco or burrito meal. Just combine any or all of the following for a quick and tasty option: corn or flour tortillas, black or refried beans, salsa, cilantro, cheddar or swiss cheese, avocado or guacamole, peppers, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and sour cream.

Thanks for your Mexican-inspired ideas! Readers, please share your favorite meatless recipes in the Comments section, and I'll include them in the next Meatless Monday recipes post. And click here to check out previous Meatless Monday installments for other terrific reader suggestions.

Meatless Monday: Broccoli/Potato Soup

Meatless Monday is a nonprofit initiative that encourages people to go meatless one day a week. It's good for the environment, good for your health, and good for your wallet: a perfect win/win/win.

Here's just one statistic about the impact of going meatless: if everyone went vegetarian for just ONE DAY, the United States would save 100 billion gallons of water. If you can't wrap your head around that number, it's enough to supply all the homes in New England for four months.

Click here to find out more about the Meatless Monday campaign. When you pledge to go meatless on Mondays, you'll receive a weekly email full of delicious recipes. To me, that's the heart of going without meat: having so many delicious alternatives that you don't feel deprived.

Today I want to share an easy new recipe I got from a good friend. I've been making it a lot lately, because it's so simple and delicious. Plus, it only uses a few ingredients.

BROCCOLI/POTATO SOUP

2 leeks
1 lb. peeled and cubed potatoes
1 lb. broccoli florets
2 16 oz. cans broth
2 tsp. dill
salt and pepper

Slice leeks and saute in olive oil until translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add potatoes and saute a few more minutes. Add broccoli, dill, and broth, and season with salt and lots of black pepper.

Cook in a pressure cooker for 6 minutes, or in a regular pot on medium high for about 25 minutes, until broccoli is soft and falling apart. Puree in a blender or with an immersion mixer until smooth, but not too long or the potato will become gluey. Add broth or water as needed for consistency.

Delicious as a first course or with fresh bread as a light dinner.

This soup reminds me of something they would serve at the elegant French restaurant in our neighborhood. It's perfect any time of year.

Please share your favorite meatless recipes in the Comments section, and I'll include them in the next Meatless Monday recipes post. And click here to check out previous Meatless Monday installments for lots of fantastic reader suggestions.

Meatless Monday Recipes

It's Monday, time to share readers' favorite meatless recipes.

Meatless Monday is a nonprofit organization that encourages people to eat less meat, for their own health and the health of the planet. According to their website, "Going meatless once a week may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also help reduce your carbon footprint and save fresh resources like fresh water and fossil fuel."

Click here to learn more about the movement, and if you sign up to go meatless on Mondays, they'll send you a weekly email packed with delicious meatless recipes.

And now for some reader suggestions:

Frugal Gravy like canned beans, diced tomatoes, corn, spices and Mexican hot sauce on Navajo tortillas. That's a super-easy suggestion that you can whip up in no time.

Simple in France recommends crepes filled with spinach and mushrooms, quinoa salad with apples, carrots and raisins, or sourdough pancakes. All great ideas! I think I'll try a simple crepe recipe and post about it here.

Ellen at Within My Means loves potato bars, and suggests mixing it up by doing sweet potatoes instead of regular ones. That's right up my alley, because I LOVE sweet potatoes. I usually eat the dark orange ones, which I think are actually yams.

I also got a couple of great ideas for using up greens on my CSA post last week that are definitely meatless, like this recipe for Spaghetti and Greens from Laura at Thinner and Wiser. Laura says they eat a lot of greens and it's one of their favorites.

And Magdalena offers this simple soup that she made for Easter: Take 4 cups of broth and heat to simmering. Add 3 cups of any kind of chopped green and simmer about 3 minutes. Have ready a cup of freshly grated parmesan or other hard cheese, a Tablespoon of flour, and one egg, all blended together with a fork. Turn up the heat under the broth, and as it comes to boiling, stir in the cheese/egg mixture. It will separate into little flakes, like egg drop soup. Add 1/4 cup chives or other mild leafy herb, fresh ground pepper and a pinch of salt. Serve immediately with good homebaked bread. Magdalena says it makes an excellent lunch or first course. That sounds delicious!

Thanks readers for all your terrific ideas! If YOU have a simple meatless recipe you'd like to share, please tell us about it in the Comments section and I'll include it in the next Meatless Monday post. And click here if you want to peruse the recipes in previous posts.

Meatless Monday Recipes

Meatless Monday is a nonprofit organization that's committed to encouraging people to give up meat one day a week, for their health and the health of the planet. Click here to find out what it's all about. If you sign up to participate in Meatless Monday, you'll receive a weekly email packed with recipes that might make you consider going meatless even more often. It's a lot easier to eat less meat when you know how to cook easy and delicious vegetarian meals.

I've got some great reader recipes for you today:

First, Amanda from Sweet Madeline recommends this pizza dough recipe from The Pioneer Woman. Amanda says they eat a veggie pizza at least once a week with either Follow Your Heart or Daiya (faux cheese), and it's an easy recipe that always garners compliments. That sounds like a great vegan alternative.

Next, "gteamhj" says she's rediscovered the joys of canned beans with a dinner of red rice, black beans, red pepper, cilantro, and hot pepper sauce on corn and flour tortillas. I second the excellence of beans, canned or dried. I love just about any of them.

Alea from Premeditated Leftovers suggests a baked potato bar for Meatless Monday. She tops hers with leftover cooked vegetables. She also shares this pasta recipe for an easy lunch to serve with a salad. Alea says the recipe is very flexible, and she likes to change the veggies depending on what's in season.

Beth at Saving Money While Eating Clean says one of her favorite meatless meals is lentil soup and she offers this recipe. I agree that lentil soup is a delicious and inexpensive meal, and it's also easy to make.

And finally, Frugal Kiwi believes there are a world of vegetarian options available, and one of her faves is Sweet Corn Chickpea Fritters, which is gluten-free since it uses chickpea flour instead of wheat flour. I know some of you will be happy about that option. Yum.

Thanks readers for all your terrific ideas! Pretty soon we won't be eating meat at all, since I'm collecting so many great meatless recipes. If YOU have an easy meatless recipe you'd like to share, please tell us about it in the Comments section and I'll include it in the next Meatless Monday recipe post.

Meatless Monday recipes

The following is a reprint of a previously published post, my very first "Meatless Mondays recipes," where I offer our favorite easy meatless meals.

A few months ago, I signed up for Meatless Mondays. You can read all about the worldwide movement by clicking here. Why go meatless? According to the website, "Going meatless once a week may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also help reduce your carbon footprint and save precious resources like fresh water and fossil fuel."

That sounds like a great win/win to me, and when you add in the fact that you'll probably save money too, the whole Meatless Monday idea becomes a win/win/win... what Katy over at The Non-Consumer Advocate calls a trifecta.

For me, signing up was absolutely no sacrifice. To give you an idea of how much it has changed our lifestyle, I don't think I've ever mentioned it to my husband. That's because we already go meatless several nights a week. We don't even think of it as "going meatless" because it's just the way we already eat.

In fact, it's almost incomprehensible to me that people would have trouble coming up with ideas for meatless meals. Forgive me if I'm repeating myself, but I will never forget something I saw on the news during the riots in Los Angeles in 1992, after the infamous Rodney King verdict. A woman was being interviewed in a supermarket where they'd run out of meat. And she said, "What am I supposed to feed my kids, beans on toast?" The fact that she had no other ideas boggled my mind.

If you sign up for Meatless Mondays, you get an email every Monday with related news of the week, plus some great recipes. But I thought I'd offer up some of our favorite meals, everyday stuff we enjoy that's quick and easy and delicious. And this is still leaving out tons of things we eat regularly, like veggie burgers, main dish salads, and stir frys.

1. Pizza- My husband's specialty, he usually adds mushrooms, but the possibilities are endless.
2. Pasta- His other specialty, again the possibilities are endless. One favorite is a version of puttanesca: cooked tomatoes, garlic, capers, and kalamata olives.
3. Soup- I love to make soup. Some of our favorites are lentil, vegetable, carrot, tomato, and minestrone. All vegetarian.
4. Tofu/Spinach- This is an easy staple we love. Saute tofu, spinach, and garlic in olive oil next to each other in a large pan. Drizzle with a mixture of soy sauce and hot chili oil.
5. Egg scramble- One of our favorites is "Mexican" style with onions and cheese, served with salsa, guacamole, and black beans. A tortilla on the side is great, but it's also good with toast if you don't have it.
6. Risotto- We love it with tomatoes, basil, garlic, and mushrooms, but you can make risotto with almost anything. Get creative. Mastering risotto will make you feel like you're eating in a gourmet restaurant. I'll do a post on my method soon.
7. Stuffed potato- Top a baked potato with a stir-fry of your favorite veggies.
8. Burritos or wraps- Again, the possibilities are endless. Wrap your favorite cheese and vegetables or start with beans and add cheese, avocado, peppers, and salsa.
9. Vegetable curry. Click here for my crockpot recipe.
10. Mjederah lentils. Click here to try this super-easy meal.

Those are just a few of the dinners we eat regularly. I think the key is to get away from the whole concept that you're trying to "replace" meat. Don't worry too much about not getting enough protein, especially if you're only doing this once or twice a week. And if you add more lentils, beans, chickpeas, and grains to your diet, you probably won't have to worry at all about a protein deficit.

What are your favorite meatless recipes? Please share them in the Comments section.

Meatless Monday recipes

It's Monday, time to share readers' favorite meatless recipes.

Meatless Monday is a nonprofit initiative whose aim is to get people to give up meat one day a week, for their own health and the health of the planet. Click here to find out more about it. If you pledge to go meatless on Mondays, you'll get a weekly email packed with recipes and news in the world of food.

It's easy to go meatless when you know how to cook easy and delicious meatless meals. And who doesn't like macaroni and cheese?

Today's first reader suggestion is from Catherine at The Vegan Good Life, who offers this vegan spin on the old favorite. I'm going to have to try this one, because I can't imagine mac & cheese without cheese!

Catherine also shares this Lentil Shepherd's Pie as the "ultimate comfort food on a cold blustery night." I'm sure we've got a few more of those before spring is here, and I have been loving lentil recipes lately, not to mention anything with potatoes.

And this Winter Vegetable Pot Pie comes from Emily via Good Housekeeping. Emily says it's super tasty and while it uses chicken broth, you could easily substitute vegetable broth. This recipe highlights some of my favorite winter root vegetables like sweet potatoes, and it's topped with a biscuit.

All of these sound so delicious that I'm going to try to make them all this week. Can you see how it's easy for us to go meatless nearly every night these days, between the gorgeous produce in our CSA delivery and these amazing recipes? Seriously, who needs meat?

Thanks readers for all of your fantastic suggestions! If you have a favorite meatless meal, please tell us about it in the Comments section and I'll share it in the next Meatless Mondays post.

Meatless Monday recipe: Vegetable Pie

Meatless Monday is a nonprofit initiative whose aim is to encourage people to go meatless one day a week, for their health and the health of the environment. Click here to find out all about it and to pledge to go meatless on Mondays. When you sign up, you'll receive a weekly email of delicious meatless recipes.

Today I'm going to share one of my favorite winter meatless meals. It comes from the Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen, and when you're looking for vegetarian comfort food, this recipe fits the bill. I recently made it for a friend's birthday with our fresh CSA vegetables, and it was even more delicious than the original recipe.

Old Country Pie

serves 4

1 unbaked 9- or 10-inch pie crust
1 Tbsp. butter or oil
1 1/2 cups minced onion
1 tsp. caraway seeds
1 tsp. salt
1/2 lb. mushroom, chopped or sliced
1 1/2 cups shredded cabbage
1 medium stalk broccoli, chopped
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
2 tsp. dill
lots of black pepper
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup cottage cheese (lowfat ok)
2 eggs
2 medium scallions, finely minced
optional: 3/4 cup sour cream or yogurt; paprika

1) Prepare pie crust. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Melt butter (or heat oil) in a medium-sized skillet. Add onion, caraway, and salt, and saute over medium heat until the onions begin to brown (10 to 15 minutes).
3) Add mushrooms, cabbage, broccoli, carrot, and dill, and saute until everything is just tender- about 8 more minutes.
4) Stir in black pepper, garlic, and flour, and cook, stirring, for just a few minutes more. Remove from heat.
5) Beat together cottage cheese and eggs. Add this to the saute along with the scallions and mix well.
6) Spread into the unbaked crust and, if desired, top with a layer of sour cream or yogurt. Sprinkle with paprika, and bake for 40 minutes or until set. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

This last time I used what I had from the CSA, so I left out the mushrooms and cabbage, and used 3 carrots, 2 stalks of broccoli, and about half a bunch of kale. The colors were gorgeous and the flavor was fantastic. I covered the top with a light layer of sour cream and sprinkled with paprika. I think you could use just about any vegetables you like, but don't leave out the caraway seeds or the dill, they're what give the dish its distinctive taste.

What are your favorite meatless comfort foods? Please leave your ideas in the Comments section and I'll include them in the next Meatless Monday post.

Meatless Monday Recipes

It's Meatless Monday, and I've got some great reader recipes to share with you!

Meatless Monday is a nonprofit initiative whose aim is to encourage people to go meatless one day a week, for their health and the health of the planet. Click here to visit their website and find out all about it. If you pledge to go meatless on Mondays, you'll get an email packed with delicious meatless recipes that will make it easier than ever to give up meat as often as you like.

We generally eat meatless several times a week, especially since we've been getting the delicious produce in our CSA deliveries. I confess I never really cooked meat that much in the first place. But these recipes make it even easier by having so many tasty options to choose from.

Here are some reader favorites for easy meatless meals:

1. Alea at Premeditated Leftovers enjoys this broccoli with penne dish, which is easily modified with whatever vegetables you have on hand. She usually adds extra veggies like carrots and snow peas, and replaces the hot pepper flakes with chopped peppers and/or onions.

2. Julia at Color Me Green suggests hearty one-pot dishes with beans, whole grains, sauteed greens or roasted winter root vegetables, plus cheese and salsa or hot sauce for flavor.

3. Carmen at Life Blessons offers one of her favorite winter meals, sweet potato and black bean chili. She says it's easy to make and she loves the unexpected flavors of the recipe.

4. Diane at Tomato Soup Cake says they eat meatless quite a bit and one of their current favorites is this black bean soup.

5. Cate from Budget Confessions loves black bean soup and black bean salsa wraps (recipes on her blog), pizza, soups, and rice and beans with seasonings.

What great suggestions this week! I can't wait to try all of them. I'll have to start cooking more. I recently started making black beans in the crockpot and not only are they delicious, they're so versatile: beans for burritos or a side dish, soup, chili, and Katy's black bean burgers. It's a good thing we like black beans!

Thanks for all your suggestions! Readers, please send in your favorite easy meatless recipes and I'll include them in the next Meatless Monday post in two weeks.

Meatless Monday news plus "manly man" recipe

Meatless Monday is a nonprofit initiative to encourage people to go without meat one day a week, to improve their health and the health of the planet. Click here to find out more and to sign up to receive a weekly email packed with terrific meatless recipes.

The movement had a big year in 2009 with more awareness and a lot more people backing the cause. Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food announced on Oprah that the most effective thing people can do to cut their carbon footprint is to go meatless one day a week. Al Gore lists Meatless Monday as one of the top 12 things you can do for a better world on his blog Climate Crisis. And Paul McCartney went before the European Parliament in December and encouraged all European cities to adopt a meatless day.

I like the movement because it's idealistic but practical. It doesn't ask people to give up meat entirely or demonize them if they still enjoy a steak. It's all about incremental steps, because a lot of people taking small steps adds up.

In my opinion, the best way to encourage people to go meatless is to give them all kinds of meatless options. Foods they love and crave. Things they eat because they love the taste, not because it's good for them or they think they're "doing the right thing."

That's why I love the meatless recipes that are included in the weekly email I receive from the Meatless Monday campaign. I wanted to share one with you because I made it recently and my husband loved it so much he not only ate the leftovers for breakfast, he asked if we could have it every week. I don't want to stereotype men, but a lot of women tell me they could go meatless more often, but their husband insists on meat in all his meals.

My husband isn't exactly what I would call macho, but he definitely qualifies as male. Click here for the recipe for "Cheesy Broccoli Frittata" that he loved so much. I think the key is the potatoes and cheese, which are hearty and what I would call comfort food. I plan on using this recipe freely with all kinds of substitutions. For example, instead of the Jarlsberg cheese it calls for, I used bits of all the cheese we had that needed to be used up, including some "vegan cheese" that was okay but not as tasty as regular cheese. This frittata would work with almost any leftover vegetables as long as you have eggs, cheese, and potatoes. Oh, and it's really easy.

What are your favorite simple meatless meals? Please share them in the Comments section and I'll include them in my next Meatless Monday recipes post.

Meatless Monday: Risotto

Meatless Monday is a nonprofit initiative that encourages people to cut out meat one day a week, for their health and the health of the planet. It's easy for us to do because we were already going meatless several days a week, and it's been even easier since we started getting CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) delivery. Click here to find out more about Meatless Monday and sign up for their weekly email, which is filled with delicious meatless recipes.

I think the best way to incorporate meatless meals into your schedule is to have delicious options that you love and crave. That way you're not focused on the "giving up" part, as in the meat. You don't miss it because you love the meal. Think about your favorite pasta dish: I'll bet it doesn't have meat. And I'll bet you don't care one bit.

One of our favorite meals, meatless or otherwise, is risotto. My mother learned how to make it years ago from an Italian friend and she taught me the method. I think this recipe is as good as (or better!) than any I've had a restaurant, and it's one of my husband's absolute favorite dinners. So I thought I'd tell you how I make it, instead of just providing the recipe. It's not hard, but there is a method that needs to be closely followed.

First, get out your favorite large saute pan and saute your vegetables in olive oil. The options are endless, but our favorite is garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes, and basil. Saute the garlic and mushrooms first, add the fresh tomatoes for a few minutes, and then the fresh basil last. Put the vegetables aside. Asparagus and mushrooms are another great combination.

In the same pan, without rinsing, add more olive oil and the arborio rice. I use the brand in the photo, which is available at World Market, but I hear you can get arborio rice in almost any supermarket these days. However, I don't know if it is all the same quality. This brand is very good and the best I've found.

I never measure any of this, but let's say you add about a cup of the arborio rice to a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Saute for a few minutes or until the rice starts to become translucent. DO NOT let the rice burn or even get browned. If it starts getting brown, it's time to add the liquid.

All of this should be done over medium heat. That's probably the most important thing I can tell you. If the heat is too high, the risotto will cook too fast and be hard in the middle and if the heat is too low it will be mushy.

When the rice is translucent but not brown, add about a cup or two of liquid. I usually alternate between broth and white wine. The quality of your broth is going to make a big difference in how the risotto comes out, so make sure it's flavorful. The quality of the wine probably doesn't matter that much, you don't want to spend a fortune on wine for cooking. We generally use any kind of white wine that's not too sweet.

This is where you'll want to put on some music, maybe opera to get you in the mood, and stay by the stove. You can set the table, make a salad, etc. but do not leave the kitchen. You must keep your eye on this, like a protective mother. You need to always be adding liquid, but there should never be too much. As it cooks and evaporates, you'll add another cup or so of broth or wine. If you don't have broth or wine, water will do, but I don't think I would try it with only water. It will be difficult to get a richness of flavor.

After about 20-30 minutes, you'll notice the consistency of the rice change and it is near ready. Cook until the last of the liquid is absorbed and add 1/2 cup milk or cream. Cook a few more minutes until it is creamy and then add back the vegetables for another few minutes.

Serve with freshly grated parmesan and a green salad.

There are a couple of great bonuses to this meal, on top of being meatless: it all cooks in one pan so there's less clean up, and it's a frugal option as long as you don't use expensive, out of season vegetables.

Do you make risotto at home? What are your favorite vegetables to cook in risotto? Please share your thoughts in the Comments section.

Meatless Mondays recipes

I pledged to go meatless on Mondays about six months ago, and it has been so easy we've barely noticed it. We generally eat vegetarian meals several nights a week anyway, so it hasn't been any sacrifice for us. But what HAS changed is that I'm getting so many great recipe ideas from the Meatless Monday website, and from my readers! And that makes it easier than ever, and a lot more fun!

If you haven't heard of Meatless Monday, click here to find out more about it. It's a non-profit initiative to encourage people to give up meat one day a week for their health and the health of the planet. If you sign up, you'll receive a weekly email packed with delicious recipes. I can't find the time to make all the ones I've saved!

Here are this week's reader suggestions:

1) Kate from Creating A Life I Love says this recipe is simple and satisfying: scoop fresh cooked Basmati rice into individual bowls, squeeze half a lime over the rice plus soy sauce and sliced avocado. Serve with steamed or stir-fried veggies and a green salad, and you have a quick and healthy meal.

2) Julie adds to the rice theme with this suggestion: brown rice topped with stir-fried onions, broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, sugar snap peas and Trader Joe's veggie birds' nests on the side. She says she was busy and let the onions cook so long they carmelized and it was heavenly.

I love carmelized onions. They're such a great addition to any veggie stir fry. Julie's recipe is almost exactly like my old college standby, except for the addition of the Trader Joe's birds' nests. I can't wait to try them. Julie says they're in the frozen foods section.

On the rice theme, this recipe for vegetable curry is one of our staples. It's a crockpot dish, and for me it's comfort food over rice. Plus curry is SO good for you.

Readers, please share your favorite super-simple meatless meals in the Comments section and I'll include them in the next Meatless Monday post in two weeks. Next Monday I'll have a CSA delivery photo and post for you and we'll be back on our regular schedule.

Have you signed up for Meatless Mondays yet? Click here to check out previous meatless monday recipes posts.

Meatless Monday recipes

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.

Meatless Mondays Q&A

This is a special edition of Meatless Mondays, because today the Meatless Monday website includes a Q&A interview I did with Terri Wahl, the founder of our CSA delivery service. You can check out the Meatless Mondays website here, and my interview with Terri here.

I'm such a big supporter of the concept of Meatless Mondays, that after I'd been writing about it for awhile on my blog and sharing meatless recipes, the editor of the website emailed to thank me. After a few exchanges back and forth, he invited me to submit a Q&A with someone in the world of food. They are a nonprofit corporation, and I was not paid for any of this, I just believe in the cause.

There's also a link to my pumpkin bread recipe this week in the recipe section.

Have you pledged to go meatless on Mondays? What are some of your favorite meatless meals? Please share them and I'll include your ideas in my next Meatless Mondays post.

Meatless Monday recipes

Every Monday, I write about food. I didn't plan it that way, but first we started getting a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) delivery of fresh organic produce back in May, and I started taking photos and telling you about what we got. Then, I signed up for Meatless Mondays in June and I'm so supportive of their cause I started writing about it. And I got such good feedback on the meatless recipes I posted, I decided to make it a regular feature by using reader's suggestions.

There are SO MANY delicious vegetarian recipes these days that it gets easier and easier to go meatless. We go meatless several times a week in our house. There are just so many things we love to eat that don't include meat.

If you haven't heard of Meatless Mondays, click here to read all about it. It's a nonprofit initiative that aims to encourage people to go meatless on Mondays, for their health and the health of the planet. If you go to their site and pledge to go meatless, they'll send you a weekly email that's filled with delicious recipes, along with news in the world of food. I already have a backlog of recipes I can't wait to try, and several have quickly become staples.

Meatless Mondays has gotten a lot of press lately because the Baltimore school system was inspired to go meatless on Mondays and the news covered it. Not everyone thinks that teaching children to eat less meat is a good thing, some people will PROTECT THEIR RIGHT TO EAT STEAK at all costs. Click here to see Glenn Beck's take on the subject, which is either insane, farfetched, unhinged, wrongheaded, bizarrely self-centered, hilarious, or all of the above. Sorry to offend any GB fans, but I have a hard time believing anyone who watches him for anything more than entertainment value would be reading my blog. It's unclear who's trying to take his steak away: Al Gore? Paul McCartney? Obama?

Now for some recipes:

Ellen from Within My Means shares this recipe for Squash Casserole, which looks easy and doesn't use a lot of ingredients. One thing it does use is Cream of Mushroom soup, so if you don't like the canned version, I thought I'd share this recipe from Alea at Premeditated Leftovers for a homemade version (which has got to be healthier!)

This easy-sounding recipe for Italian Spinach Pie comes from Reader's Digest. I haven't tried it yet, but I will as soon as I get spinach and leeks in the same CSA delivery. According to RD, you should eat plenty of spinach to keep your heart in tip-top shape with vitamins A and C and folate. Also, when I make it I'll add a pinch of nutmeg which is delicious in any spinach recipe.

And one of my old standbys: Arugula/mushroom salad. I think this recipe was on the back of a bag of arugula at Trader Joe's and I made it and loved it. Now I make it all the time, sometimes for lunch, sometimes for dinner as a side, or as a main dish if I'm really feeling starved for greens. Saute garlic and mushrooms or a shallot and mushrooms in olive oil, and pour it over the arugula. It should wilt the greens a bit. Add salt, toasted pine nuts, balsamic vinegar, and a little crumbled feta or goat cheese.

What do you think about going meatless? To me, it's a win/win/win: healthy, green, and frugal. I love that. Please share your favorite meatless meals in the Comments section, and I'll use them in the next Meatless Mondays post.

More Meatless Monday recipes

The Meatless Monday movement is spreading! The Baltimore school system has gotten some great press this week for their efforts to help their students make healthier choices. You can read about it here.

Choosing a meatless diet, even one day a week, is better for your health and better for the planet. Click here to visit the Meatless Mondays website and find out why. You can also check out their fabulous recipes and the latest news in the world of food. If you pledge to go meatless on Mondays, you'll receive a weekly email packed with recipes and suggestions that will make it easy (and delicious!)

I've got some great reader suggestions to share with you this week:

1. MaddyG from Mad on a Gray Sea reminded me of one of my old favorites, The Moosewood Cookbook. Her family loves their recipe for "Zuccanoes." Slice a few zucchinis in half and scoop out the insides. Then mix the innards with cooked rice, an egg, sauteed onion, garlic, and worcestershire sauce, sprinkle a little cheese on top and bake until tender. MaddyG says it's like a little zucchini souffle, and it's totally easy and fun.

2. Leigh from Compact by Design offers up this primer for making crepes by NY Times food writer Mark Bittman. I can't wait to try those!

3. Ellen at Within My Means shares one of her favorites from childhood, a tapioca cheese souffle. It looks easy and delicious and we will definitely be trying this one soon. We are a cheese-loving household. Click here for the easy recipe: only six ingredients!

4. Wildermiss blogs about her outdoor adventures at A Mountain Top High. She suggests a general vegetarian eating tip: if a recipe calls for white meat substitute white beans, and if it calls for red meat substitute dark beans (kidney beans, black beans, etc.)

Tonight we'll be enjoying a vegetarian curry using up some of last week's CSA vegetables. I usually make it with cauliflower, onions, potatoes, carrots, and green beans, but today's version is potatoes, leeks, and green beans. I'll add some frozen peas at the end. The vegetables are coated with one can of light coconut milk, 2 tablespoons of Patak hot curry paste, and a couple of teaspoons of curry powder. We'll eat it with basmati rice. I can't wait- I love curry!

Happy meatless eating everyone. Please share your favorite meatless meal ideas so I can post them next time. And click here to check out previous posts filled with delicious meatless recipes.