My husband is a serious carnivore. For him, it’s not a meal unless there’s meat.
The first time I visited his family, I was served steak with a side dish called “cowboy beans”—that is, beans with beef. No salad, no veggies, just meat with a side of meat.
You can imagine his response when I suggested that we extend our Lenten practice year-round and have a vegetarian dinner once a week. I tried telling him how we would save money, the Earth and our health. Because he wasn’t exactly embracing the idea, I had to sneak it in on him.
Our family has now been practicing Meatless Mondays (or another day of the week, depending on when I can get to the grocery store) for several months now, and no one seems to notice. In fact, my last meatless dish – a hearty minestrone soup with spinach and feta triangles – was actually a huge hit.
Dipping a Toe in Vegetarian Waters
The vegetarian lifestyle had always interested me, but I knew I could never give up burgers and chicken entirely. I decided to go meatless at least one day a week when our family made the switch to eating mostly organic. It helped balance out some of the cost of the organic groceries and boost the healthiness of our weekly menu.
When I heard about the movement called Meatless Mondays, I was excited to know that I wasn’t the only one who saw the value of eating some vegetarian meals without embracing the meat-free lifestyle entirely.
The idea of Meatless Monday was initiated during World War I as a way to conserve resources and support the United States military effort. In 2003, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health recreated the campaign as a public health effort. Numerous public health organizations have endorsed the program, as have many celebrities and other public figures.
The program’s website features many recipes and ideas for how to join the Meatless Monday movement.
Better Health, Better World
In my family, we’re enjoying many new dishes that we might never have tried otherwise, and I’m glad that we’re able to adopt a healthier lifestyle while still eating foods we enjoy. According to the program’s website, just one meatless day per week will help limit the risk for cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity, and will promote longevity.
But Meatless Monday is about more than just a better life for my family. It’s about a better life for our planet and all its citizens, both human and animal.
Reducing our meat consumption by 15 percent allows us to reduce our carbon footprint, especially when we use local ingredients. We also preserve the precious resources of water and fossil fuels for generations to come. According to meatlessmonday.com, it takes as much as 2,500 gallons of water to produce a single pound of beef, and about 40 calories of fossil fuels are required to produce one calorie of feedlot beef.
I became acutely aware of the incredible amount of resources used to produce feedlot beef in the United States after reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. It’s a terrific and enlightening read about how food is actually made (it’s not gross, just real), and it made me realize how clueless I was about what it takes to raise, process and transport that pound of ground beef in my fridge.
Pollan estimates that during its short time on a feedlot, a typical steer will consume the equivalent of 35 gallons of petroleum in its life time—nearly a barrel. I’m glad to know that going meatless one day a week is helping my family contribute to a healthier environment and a more sustainable lifestyle.
Now that Meatless Mondays rarely even draw notice or comment in our household, I’m ready to take the next step. I just need enough “Yeah, Mom” recipes to sneak in a Meatless Wednesday or Friday every now and then.
Could you give up meat for one day each week?
Tell us in the comments.
aletha
4:05 pm on Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Whole Wheat Pasta with Kale and Sundried Tomatoes
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 pound kale, thick stems removed and leaves chopped
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added Great Northern or other white beans, drained and rinsed
8 ounces whole wheat pasta
Soak sundried tomatoes in hot water to cover for 15 minutes to soften them, then drain and thinly slice.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil for cooking the pasta. In a separate large, high-sided skillet, bring 3/4 cup water to a simmer. Add onion and cook 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in kale, beans and 3/4 cup water. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook 8 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking 4 to 5 minutes or until most liquid has evaporated, greens are wilted and tender and beans are heated through.
Add pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the package instructions. Add sliced sundried tomatoes 2 minutes before pasta is done. Drain pasta and tomatoes and add to skillet with greens. Stir to combine
Amanda Luevano
4:26 pm on Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Aletha, Thank you for sharing! The recipe sounds wonderful!
catherine greenspon
6:46 pm on Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Tofu burgers. Here is the link.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Toasted-Almond-Tofu-Burgers-101831
Yummmm.
aletha
9:49 am on Wednesday, January 26, 2011
You know sometimes it is nice to have a wonderful dessert after a dinner and this is a good one. But remember to make sure you chill it before eating.
Mexican chocolate tofu pudding Vegan Recipe
3/4 cup sugar
1 pound silken tofu
8 ounces high-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon chili powder, or more to taste
Chocolate shavings (optional)
In a small pot, combine sugar with 3/4 cup water; bring to a boil and cook until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly
Put all ingredients except for chocolate shavings in a blender and purée until completely smooth, stopping machine to scrape down its sides if necessary. Divide among 4 to 6 ramekins and chill for at least 30 minutes. If you like, garnish with chocolate shavings before serving.
Time: 10 minutes, plus 30 minutes of chilling time. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.
BJ Marshall
10:23 am on Thursday, January 27, 2011
Thanks for the recipes, fellow moms! I'm exited to try Aletha's kale recipe. For some strange cosmic nutrition reason, my kids like kale even though they create a Shakespearean drama if I even think about serving peas or green beans! :)
aletha
3:34 pm on Thursday, January 27, 2011
I love Kale, sometimes I will saute garlic in butter and olive oil and then throw the kale in for a lunch, ;let it wilt and then toast some pine nuts and sprinkle on top, you can also take a little bit of goat cheese and add that to it, but that is me and taste add salt and pepper to taste if you need it.
aletha
3:55 pm on Thursday, January 27, 2011
Here is a recipe I love and I make during the fall a lot till the begin of January while they are in season.
Roasted Delicata Squash with Thyme
Halve the squash lengthwise and remove the seeds.
Cut each piece in half again.
Drizzle the squash with olive oil.
Sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt and sugar.
Top with cracked pepper and fresh thyme sprigs.
Bake at 425º for 30 minutes.
These will hold well in a warm oven if they finish before you are ready to serve them. If they look dry, you can “refresh” them with a little drizzle of olive oil. Plate them with the roasted thyme sprigs and it’ll look fancy!
now to make a wonderful meal to finish this off and if you want to continue with the vegan theme you can do this with it add mash potatoes, home made cranberry sauce, and Lemon Pepper Broccolini with it and you have a wonderful supper
aletha
3:58 pm on Thursday, January 27, 2011
Here is another one I love to make on the weekend sometimes on a Saturday, but that is me.
Orange Vegan Stuffed French Toast
*NOTE Bottom of recipe*
6 thick slices French bread or sourdough bread
1/4 cup vegan cream cheese (I like Tofutti brand)
1/2 tsp grated orange zest
1 1/2 tsp orange juice
5 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup soy milk
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp vanilla
vegan margarine for cooking
Preparation:
Cut a pocket horizontally into each slice of the bread, being careful not to cut all the way through and set aside
In a small bowl, combine the vegan cream cheese, orange peel, orange juice, and sugar. Stuff about a tablespoon of this mixture into each bread pocket and use a knife to spread.
In a separate shallow bowl or pie tin, whisk together the soy milk, flour and vanilla. Dip each slice of bread into this mixture and allow to soak for a few seconds on each side.
Heat the vegan margarine over medium heat on a griddle or large pan. Cook each slice of bread for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until lightly golden brown.
Serve with fresh fruit, maple syrup**** or powdered sugar as desired.
Ecobold
5:46 pm on Monday, February 14, 2011
Meatless Monday is a fantastic way to see how easy it is not to eat meat once/week, thank you for spreading the word!