Meatless Mondays

Meatless Monday did not just come about from a vegetarian crave. In fact, it was implemented by the government during World War I to ration meat for the country. "Wheatless Wednesdays" were also recommended. 
Today, our meat consumption has grown drastically since that era, and we need to embrace Meatless Mondays for many reasons. First, just one day per week, encouraging most Americans to switch to plant protein would reduce our carbon footprint greatly. All of the expensive water, food, and land resources that our country uses to raise meat would decrease. Second, we would be forced to try new foods and would likely increase the amount of plants in our diets. This would dramatically decrease the fat (especially saturated fat) content of our meals, as well as adding important phytonutrients and antioxidants to our bodies. And third, we would save money! Plant-based proteins are cheaper than meat because they do not require nearly as many resources to grow. 
We all could go to sleep on Monday with a full belly, a fatter wallet, and a healthier planet. What a wonderful world it would be!

FTR members joined together to embrace this delicious and nutritious initiative and created some protein (and other nutrient)-packed plant foods! We used foods bursting with fiber, magnesium, potassium, iron, and calcium.


We all enjoyed our herbivore feast! Here is what we made:

Roasted veggie Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 onion

1 sweet potato

1 handful brussel sprouts, halved

½ head broccoli (or 2 cups of broccoli crowns)

1 bag mixed lettuce or spinach

½ cup pumpkin seeds

½ cup sunflower seeds

1 tomato, sliced

½ cucumber, diced

Dressing:

3 tbsp tahini

juice of 1 lemon

1/3-1/4 cup warm water

1 teaspoon turmeric

2 cloves garlic

½ teaspoon salt and pepper, each

sesame seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425.

Chop the onion, sweet potato, and broccoli into equal-sized chunks and place in large bowl.

Drizzle about 2 tbsp olive oil over the veggies and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add a dash of red pepper flakes and 1 tsp cumin. Mix to coat veggies.

Spread veggies evenly on a baking sheet and bake at 425 for 20-30 minutes.

Mix all dressing ingredients in a small bowl.

Build the salad, starting with lettuce/spinach, top with roasted vegetables and pour dressing over. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds.

Asian Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

Salad:

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped red cabbage

1 cup shelled and cooked edamame

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 avocado, chopped

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1 cup diced cucumber

Dressing:

1/4 cup lite soy sauce or tamari sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped green onion

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1/4 teaspoon grated ginger

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Add water, quinoa, and salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.

Place the quinoa in a large bowl and add the cabbage, edamame, red pepper, carrots, and cucumber. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, green onions, cilantro, sesame seeds, ginger, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.

Pour the dressing over the quinoa salad and stir to combine

Beet burgers

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

3/4 cup cooked quinoa

1/2 large red onion, finely diced (~3/4 cup)

1 cup finely chopped mushrooms (shitake, baby bella or white button)

Salt & Pepper

1 15-ounce can black beans, well rinsed and drained

1 cup finely grated raw beet

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder (or sub extra cumin)

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

~1/2 cup raw walnuts, crushed or ground into a loose meal

Instructions

Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add some nonstick spray or a bit of olive oil. Once hot add the onion and sauté, seasoning with a pinch each salt and pepper.

When the onions are soft – about 5 minutes – turn up the heat to medium and add the mushrooms. Season with another pinch of salt and pepper and cook until the mushrooms and onions are slightly browned and fragrant – about 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and add black beans and mash. You’re looking for a rough mash, so you can leave a bit of texture if you want.

Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and add the quinoa, beets, spices and stir. For even more flavor, add a shake of vegan worcestershire or A-1 sauce (optional).

Lastly, add the walnut meal a little at a time until the mixture is able enough to form into patties. Set in the fridge to chill while your oven preheats to 375 degrees F (skip this step if cooking on the stovetop or grill - see notes).

Coat a baking sheet with nonstick spray or olive oil. Form mixture into roughly 8-9 patties.

Arrange burgers on a baking sheet and brush or spray the tops with olive oil. Bake at 375 for a total of 30-45 minutes, gently flipping at the halfway mark. Cook longer to dry them out even more and achieve more crisp, but it’s not necessary.

Serve on small buns or atop mixed greens with desired toppings.

Borrowed from the Cookie and Kate

Chickpea burgers

Ingredients:

1 19-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed

4 scallions, trimmed and sliced

1 egg

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or ½ tablespoon dried

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 6- ½-inch whole-wheat pitas, halved and warmed, if desired

Tahini sauce

½ cup low-fat plain yogurt

2 tablespoons tahini, (see Ingredient note)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

⅓ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

Place chickpeas, scallions, egg, flour, oregano, cumin and salt in a food processor. Pulse, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides, until a coarse mixture forms that holds together when pressed. (The mixture will be moist.) Form into 4 patties.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties and cook until golden and beginning to crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip and cook until golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes more.

To prepare sauce & serve: Meanwhile, combine yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, parsley and salt in a medium bowl. Warm pitas, if desired. Divide the patties among the pita halves and serve with the sauce.

Lentil and sweet potato tacos:

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:


Homemade taco seasoning (or buy packet)
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp oregano (optional)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh black pepper
1 tsp corn starch (optional) 

1.5 cups brown or green lentils, cooked

·       1 onion, chopped

·       1 sweet potato, shredded

·       1 zucchini, shredded and water squeezed out (optional)

·       3 cloves garlic, minced

·       1/2 cups vegetable broth or water

·       2 tbsp tomato paste

Directions:

Combine taco seasoning spices together in a bowl. Grate the sweet potato with a cheese grater and place in a bowl.

Dice onion. Heat a medium pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add onion and garlic to pan and cook for about 4 minutes, or until onions begin to turn clear. Add the shredded sweet potato and cook about 5 minutes.

Add the lentils. Sprinkle with seasoning and stir. Add water to help distribute the seasoning.

Asian Baked Tofu

Serves 4

Ingredients:

16 oz extra firm tofu, cut into thin 1” slabs

2 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp rice vinegar

3 tsp maple syrup

1 tsp sriracha sauce

pinch of garlic powder

pinch of onion powder

pinch of sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

In a shallow dish, whisk together all ingredients (minus the tofu).

Drench each piece of tofu in the sauce ingredients then lay flat on the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping each piece of tofu midway through.