Wednesday, May 21, 2014

MEATLESS MONDAY

How many remember Wednesday night as “Prince Spaghetti Night”?  Now, nobody is talking about meatless Wednesdays. It’s all about Meatless Mondays.

It was launched in 2003 in the United States and Meatless Mondays is now a global phenomenon. It expanded beyond the US in 2009 to Belgium and then to England. Currently, Meatless Mondays exists in 34 countries around the world.

When trying to reduce costs in your weekly grocery budget, designate one day a week as meatless, you will see savings.

Pasta, beans, vegetables and combinations of any two are of lower cost yet nutritious alternatives to meat consumption. The cost of these items are less than meat as well. 

It was a hard sell to Mother’s Little Helpers. All those vegetables! I learned early on that the less desirable the dinner, the more desirable the dessert had to be in order to get them to eat dinner.

When making chicken cacciatore, I always add more green peppers, onions and mushrooms to the recipe. I know there will be leftover veggies. For a meatless meal, the vegetables served over a plate or bowl of spaghetti are filling and nutritious. Should I mention it “meets” my cook once, eat twice mantra?

For variety, toss cubes of peeled eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, fire-roasted canned tomatoes, onions and garlic with your favorite Italian seasonings to simmer in a pot for a delicious ratatouille. Dinner can be ready in 20 minutes.

SOUND THE BUGLE! Today’s tip: Store leftover vegetables immediately in the freezer. Summer and winter soups are a versatile way to use leftover vegetables for a meatless meal. Corn from the cob, with zucchini, garlic and onions, fresh tomatoes make a light and delicious summer meal. If you need an extender, add pasta or rice to the soup bowl and a roll or slice of bread to round out the meal.
                                                         STUFFED ZUCCHINI
                           

 
BLACK EYE PEA SALAD

 
                    ARTICHOKE AND FIRE ROASTED TOMATOES OVER PASTA

 
RED BEANS AND RICE

 
SPINACH PESTO

 
CREAM OF POTATO AND BROCCOLI SOUP

No comments:

Post a Comment