Hello and happy Friday! I’m excited for this Labor Day weekend–E has Monday off of work and we have a whole lot of nothing planned. Eep. Anyways, while I’m working on my first environmental research-y post for next week, I thought I’d pop in to share some recipes we’ve been loving lately!
I plan to write extensively on the topic of eating meat and its environmental impact in the future, but it’s common knowledge by now that the meat industry has a huge carbon footprint and is extremely water- and land-intensive. The way that most animals are currently raised, and the quantities in which meat is currently consumed, are not sustainable for our planet.
Do We Eat Meat?
While I’m not vegan, or even vegetarian, E and I do eat a mostly vegetarian diet. I would estimate that we buy meat once or twice a month on average. We’re on a grocery budget, and drastically cutting our meat consumption has helped us stick to our budget while still eating high-quality, organic, and (when possible) local foods.
When it comes to cutting the environmental impact of your diet, I encourage everyone to take one small step at a time in the right direction, instead of making huge changes that aren’t sustainable for you. Since we rarely eat meat nowadays, my current goal is to make one vegan dinner per week. Just to reduce our environmental footprint a little bit more. If you eat meat every night, a good goal would be to celebrate Meatless Mondays!
Our Favorite Meat-Free Dinner Recipes
On that note, I thought I’d share ten of our favorite quick and easy meat-free recipes lately. They’re all gluten-free, too. Lastly, feel free to drop your own recommendations in the comments below!
Cheesy Quinoa Bakes – Southern In-Law. Kristy must think I’m a bit nuts for how much I’m obsessed with these. If you try them, you’ll see why, though!
Golden Red Lentil Dal – Oh She Glows. Lately, we’ve been making huge batches of this and eating it for days afterwards. The ingredients list looks long, however, it’s largely spices and comes together in a cinch.
Mini Sweet Potato & Feta Frittatas – Southern In-Law. I had to include this one as it’s E’s absolute favorite recipe from SIL. We substitute goat cheese for feta as it’s easier on my lactose intolerance!
Soothing Red Lentil Soup – Nourishing Meals. This is pretty much the most comforting, fall-ish dish you could imagine. I promise that you won’t notice the kale 😉
Vegetable & Rice Casserole – 24 Carrot Life. A healthy casserole that tastes like the ultimate, indulgent comfort food meal? Count me in.
Sweet Potato Cashew Curry – My Pink & Green Life. Yup, that’s my old blog! We still make this one a lot.
Fiesta Salad – Southern In-Law. This recipe is ridiculously easy to throw together and the flavor combination is so unique!
The Big Vegan Bowl – Oh She Glows. It’s basically a big bowl o’ healthy, but tastes much better than that.
Spinach & Ricotta Quinoa Quiches – Southern In-Law. I don’t think I’ll ever be tired of egg bake recipes. The ricotta/cottage cheese makes this one deliciously creamy.
Cheesy Mushroom Quinoa Casserole – The Iron You. You can’t go wrong with cheese, can you?
What are your favorite meat-free dinner recipes? And what’s the best thing you’ve eaten this week, meat-free or not?