These Meatless Monday recipes are designed to make that weekly habit simple, delicious, and realistic. The aim behind Meatless Monday is that we can all make a meaningful change by eating meat-free for one designated day each week.
Meatless Monday is a global movement that encourages people to reduce meat in their diet for their health and the health of the planet. The campaign was started in 2003 by Sid Lerner, the founder of The Monday Campaigns, in association with the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future.
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Meatless Monday Recipes
For those who want to get on board with this cause, or who already cook vegan or vegetarian all year round - this collection of meatless recipes will help inspire you in the kitchen.
Jazz up your Monday evening dining tables with a themed Meatless Monday Dinner Menu. Exploring the flavors and combinations of international cuisines brings more excitement and creativity to the table.
You can create your own weekly signature-themed menus. Each week you come back to the themed menu you can adapt it or add some new complementing side dishes to it for more variety. This keeps it all interesting, fresh, and ever-evolving.
When I ran the kitchens at United World College UWC, Phuket we had a different themed menu every week. We had students of 86 different nationalities enrolled in the school, so the celebration of international cuisines was an opportunity to learn and share from different cultures. Mexican Monday was by far the favorite!
Celebrate Meatless Monday
Rather than highlighting and discussing the negative impact of animal-based diets, I do suggest keeping conversations positive during dinner. Use the opportunity to learn about a new vegetable, herb, nut, seed, or fruit that you would not otherwise have tasted.
For me, eating plant-based is not about missing out. It's an abundant way of eating. It just takes a new perspective and an open mind. Rome was not built in a day.
Meatless Monday or Meat-free Monday is a very positive group, family, or personal initiative to partake in.
Meatless Monday Dinner Recipes
Going meatless for a day does not mean buying fake meat. No cheating here! Let's stay away from the tofurky, beyond burgers, and fake steaks!
Meatless Monday Breakfast Recipes
Here are some of my favorite breakfast recipes - which happen to be all meat-free!
- Oat & Chia Seed Porridge
- Banana Pancakes
- Quinoa Porridge
- Teff Porridge
- Baked Carrot Cake Oats
- Bircher Muesli
- Coconut Chia Seed Pudding
- Homemade Crunchy Granola
Environmental Benefits of Meatless Monday and Plant-Based Eating
Choosing more plant-based meals is one practical way to reduce the environmental impact of the food we eat. Meat and dairy production can place heavy pressure on land, water, biodiversity, and greenhouse gas emissions, so even one meat-free day each week is a simple step in the right direction.
For a deeper look at sustainable diets and how food choices affect the planet, read this helpful guide from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
You can also read my article on the environmental impact of the food we choose to eat.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!