Meatless Monday ~ Vegetarian Variations of Italian Dishes
Eggplant Parmigiana ~ Jamie Oliver
Way back, I kicked off a Meatless trip around the world starting in Ethiopia and featuring classic dishes with a vegetarian twist. With the American Thanksgiving, a weeks holiday, and a cookbook giveaway thrown in the mix, the trip around the world took the back-burner for a while, but today it is back in full force!
In the past I have shared my Italian heritage, and because of this many of my comfort foods include dishes from Italy. I know I am not alone in my love for this type of cuisine, it is popular all over North America and many other areas as well.
There are actually quite a few meatless dishes popular in Italy as well, both using veggies, and with fish or seafood. Today for Meatless Monday I thought we’d share some delicious veggie options from the different regions of Italy, hopefully they will inspire you to join in with the Meatless Monday movement and go meat-free one day a week!
Rice Stuffed Tomatoes ~ Le Delicieux
Zucchini Boats ~ Home Cooking in Montana
Caprese Panini ~ Amazing Sandwiches
Vegan Meatballs & Spaghetti ~ Work Life Joy
Gluten-Free Vegetarian Lasagna ~ Gluten Free Goddess
Seitan Scallopini with Lemon-Olive Sauce ~ Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
Meatless Monday ~ Simple Vegetarian Pasta Dishes
Roasted Tomato, Olive, and Lemon Linguine ~ Daily Unadventures in Cooking
Dinner time in my home is usually quite chaotic, despite my best efforts. I feed a total of six people every night, my own little family, and my parents who are living with us. It is tough to please everyone and keep costs relatively low, so I often opt for a quick and simple pasta dish to fill everyone up and keep tastebuds happy.
Although we are not gluten-free around here, I try to limit how much gluten we consume when possible. Instead of white pasta or whole wheat (which my kids refuse to eat) I buy Rizopia brown rice pasta, it is a bit more expensive than white pasta, but I usually stock up when it’s on sale!
I have served this pasta to many different people, and the verdict is always the same – it takes exactly like white pasta, and often times people think it’s homemade! The trick with this pasta is to separate it right away and stir it quite a bit for the first few minutes to break it up, it is very starchy. My other recommendation is to rinse the pasta, which I would never do with regular pasta. (It also gets pretty mushy when it’s leftover and I’d love if anyone had a tip to avoid this).
For this weeks Meatless Monday recipe round up, I thought I would share some tasty vegetarian pasta dishes that can feed a crowd. I picked ones that I make variations of regularly, some have dairy and some are dairy-free. Many “cheesy” type pasta recipes that are healthy feature Nutritional Yeast, and I have learned the hard way that I have a severe sensitivity to it and am a bit concerned my kids may too, so I don’t cook with it. But I would recommend substituting the cheese with Nutritional Yeast if you can eat it, as it is extremely delicious.
Enjoy!
(Note: This is not a sponsored post!)
Orecchiette with Mushrooms ~ Girls Gone Child
Parsley Pesto with Sundried Tomatoes ~ Elana’s Pantry
Baked Ziti w/ Spinach ~ Skinny Taste
Cacio e pepe ~ We Are Never Full
Spinach Kale Pesto ~ Cooking On The Weekends
Meatless Monday ~ Canadian Thanksgiving Edition
Roasted Acorn Squash w/ Wild Rice Stuffing ~ Chow
I’ve mentioned before that Autumn is my favorite season. I love the change of every season, but I enjoy it even more when it involves bright Red Maple leaves falling from trees, cozy cardigans, and warm soups and pot pies.
Right around the time the leaves are beginning to fall rapidly, in Canada we celebrate Thanksgiving. Much earlier than in America, our Thanksgiving lands on the second Monday of October.
Having a Meatless Monday will be tricky for those who look forward to a turkey every year, but today I am including some yummy vegetarian recipes that will work as side dishes or mains.
Enjoy planning your veggie-filled Thanksgiving!
Herb & Spice Roasted Veggies w/ Red Wine & Gravy ~ Picky Cook
Vegetarian Stuffing & Gravy ~ Girls Gone Child
Cranberry Sauce ~ Easy Vegan Meals
High Protein Garlic Mashed Potatoes ~ Oh She Glows
Carmalized Onion Gravy w/ Roasted Snap Peas & Green Beans ~ Sweet Beet & Green Bean
Meatless Monday ~ Sweet Potato Love
Easy Sweet Potato & Chickpea Spread ~ She Let Them Eat Cake
I LOVE sweet potatoes. They are versatile and it is super easy to sneak them into other foods to kick up the nutritional content a notch . They are jampacked with goodies such as vitamin C, manganese, copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron.
Not only are they healthy, but they can add creaminess and richness to a dish that might only come from somewhere in the dairy family otherwise. Often times I will roast a sweet potato or two, mash them, and add them to a variety of dishes including – risotto for creaminess, soups and stews as a thickener, pot pies, pastas, etc… The possibilities are endless.
Last weeks Meatless Monday post featured a variety of Autumn-Inspired dishes, and this week I plan to keep the momentum going with the sweet potato. Though I use it year round, it definitely seems like appropriate timing to feature it, with the Canadian Thanksgiving just around the corner.
Below (and above) is a round-up of my favourite dishes made using sweet potato as its star ingredient!
Sweet Potatoes Mash ~ Healthy Happy Life
Cauliflower Sweet Potato Latkes ~ The Family Dinner
Sweet Potato Stacks ~ Smorgasbite
Sweet Potato Salad ~ Exclusively Food
Vegan Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchiladas ~ Choosing Raw
Meatless Monday Round-Up ~ Quick & Kid-Friendly Recipes
Healthy Homemade Fish Sticks ~ How Sweet Eats
I try to be on top of things early in the morning and at least have an idea of what I want to prepare for dinner. It is often a struggle even attempting to plan a meal, as like many kids, mine are quite picky. They will eat just about anything with meat in it, so vegetarian dishes, particularly anything with beans is a challenge to get them to eat.
There are a few standards I have up my sleeve that they will usually eat. They are mostly spin-offs of classic dishes like Sloppy Joes, and Macaroni & Cheese.
As long as I keep, as my youngest says, “that black stuff” (eg. parsley, basil, etc.,) out of the dish, they will make a solid effort!
Below (& above) is a round-up of my favourite quick and kid-friendly meatless dishes.
Garden Veggie Frittata ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
Mac & Cheese ~ Vegan Yum Yum
Lentil Sloppy Joes ~ Meatless Mama
Fresh Tomato & Basil Pasta ~ Cooking In Montana
Quinoa Crust Pizza ~ Tasty Eats At Home
Conscious Links ~ Tips For Using Coconut Oil, Meatless Monday, & More!
10 Amazing uses for coconut oil! ~ Well & Good NYC
Meatless Monday: Summer vegetarian pasta recipes ~ BlissTree
Some tips on how to get Yoga class during the hot & humid summer months ~ Fit Sugar
On being a conscious parent for the second time ~ Conscious Moms
Learn about the health benefits of Turmeric ~ Whole Living
