Eating a little less meat

Chicks and Vegetarian Night by Lajuana

Try to cut down on how MUCH meat you use in each dish: if you usually use 4 chicken breasts for a casserole, use 2 instead. If you usually cook 1 lb. of hamburger for tacos, use half and freeze the other half for next time. Because you’re taking out half the meat, add in more of something else, like beans or cracked wheat in your taco meat or broccoli in your casserole. Here are some easy things to add to Italian, Mexican, Asian, or any kind of dish you’re making (to add to a little meat, or to entirely substitute the meat):

Tofu
Beans (kidney, black, white, pinto)
Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) I love them so much they get their own category
Lentils, split peas
Quinoa (complete protein!!)
Rice (brown or white), barley, Bulgar wheat, cracked wheat
Vegetables: zucchini, squash, broccoli, potatoes, spinach, mushrooms, carrots, olives, etc.
Fake meat products: veggie burgers, “chik” nuggets, veggie dogs, veggie Italian sausage, etc.

While cutting down on the amount of meat you use, also try to make at least one dinner a week that is entirely vegetarian. Think of your own favorite recipes and how you could leave out the meat. Breakfast for dinner is a favorite at my house; I make a breakfast casserole with mushrooms instead of sausage. Make (or buy) a pizza with no meat. Rather than having pasta with meat sauce, sauté some zucchini and/or spinach with some garlic to have in your sauce. Or toast some pine nuts (with garlic of course!) in butter or olive oil and toss it with your pasta. Add some sage or basil to be more exotic. Have bean tacos (mash the beans a little) rather than meat. Try to always have a side dish that you know they like when you’re trying a new meal, so they will get enough food without “starving.”

There is a website called meatlessmonday.com : It is sometimes a little more fancy than I like,but has some good ideas.

Some of our favorite dinners, or ideas for online recipe search:
Tortilla black bean casserole
Flautas/taquitos —potato, cheese, or bean
Quiche with broccoli or spinach
Lentil stews or soups
Vegetable soup with garbanzos
Bean soups
Falafel
Black bean burgers or chick pea burgers
Zuchini soup, carrot soup, cheesy potato soup etc.
Sweet potato coconut soup
Quinoa salad (make it Asian, Mexican, Italian, however you like)
Pasta salad
Gnocchi (boiled then sauteed with garlic)
Ravioli with butter sage sauce
Vegetable curry (potatoes, peas, carrots, cauliflower, onions)
Vegetables masala (Indian)
Breakfast for dinner: German pancakes, nut pancakes, pumpkin pancakes, cinnamon pancakes, waffles, omelettes, breakfast casserole.


Side dishes/appetizers that will help you fight the temptation to add meat:
Mexican: Guacamole with chips, Spanish rice, jalapeno poppers

Asian: Vegetable egg rolls (easy to make homemade—just sauté cole slaw mix with a little garlic and/or ginger, onions,softened rice noodles etc., add a little tofu if you like, then wrap it all in egg roll wrappers--sold in produce section of most grocery stores). We learned that egg rolls are an American invention, but they are definitely yummy! Vegetable potstickers—hard to find and I’ve never tried to make my own (let me know if you find a good recipe), or fried wontons.

Indian: Naan, garlic naan, yogurt drinks or dips

Breakfast: hash browns, toast/bagel/English muffin, eggs

Italian: caprese salad, mozzarella sticks (“fried” cheese), John likes falafel with his pasta--fried shaped like meatballs.

Anything: Green salad, steamed veggies, fruit, potatoes in any form (scalloped is our favorite), sweet potatoes, any kind of yummy bread—-toast with cheese for a special treat, or breadsticks, or rolls.

The quinoa salad I made at Tami's was just the Trader Joe's mix (in the freezer section) with a little dressing in it, topped with toasted almonds. You could make your own, just follow package instructions for cooking the quinoa then add whatever vegetables you like, with whatever dressing you like. Quinoa is a very good source of complete protein, I put it in a lot of my soups, add it to beans for tacos, and cook it with our rice whenever we're having it with a vegetarian meal. Most of the time, the kids (and John) don't even notice it.

The soup was just basic vegetable soup--sautee onions, celery, and carrots, add garlic for a minute, add the veggie stock, chickpeas/garbanzo beans, tomatoes, (usually I add potatoes and a little quinoa at this point, but I was afraid it would take too long to cook). Simmer for a few minutes (maybe 15 if you have potatoes and/or quinoa) then add pasta and simmer until done. Add some chopped spinach (chop small so kids can't avoid it). Serve with parmesan cheese for extra deliciousness.

Feel free to post your own ideas and recipes in the comments, I'm always looking for more ideas!