I love Meatless Monday. Don’t get me wrong, I am a carnivore all the way, but I love a good plant based meal. Joe and I hopped on this bandwagon when we moved in together, so we are going on about two years of no meat on Monday’s- and I don’t think we’ve cheated once!

What I like most about it is that it forces me to get creative. My foodservice classes in undergrad instilled in me how essential variety is to a menu. Never a same veggie two days in a row; red sauce pasta is not aesthetically pleasing along side cooked carrots (red… orange, YUCK), and protein sources should be staggered. Yes, this is something that I actually studied. That being said, I don’t let myself get too comfortable with one dish every Monday. Black beans, chickpeas, tofu- the list of options just keeps going.

To be honest, Joe probably wouldn’t even notice if I served the same thing every week- but I would. Whatever.

I’d encourage everyone to give Meatless Monday a try- Yes, even my biggest meat head friends *cough, my brother in law, cough* Not only will the flavor of your dishes vary, they nutrients will too- Hello, fiber!

Not sure where to start? Give this recipe a try:

Now, again back to my menu planning knowledge- I would recommend pairing this with a little grain- try some rice (brown would be fab) or soba noodles.

Another plus for this recipe? It cooks up SO quickly. Honestly, the rice or noodles will take the longest.

Enjoy!