If you’ve been following Hannah’s awesome 12 eco-resolutions, you know that reducing your meat intake is first on the list. For reasons as to why this move is needed, you can refer to these books. I recognize some people can’t go fully-vegetarian for health reasons (celiac or similar conditions), but most of us can afford to cut back. It’s just a matter of re-shaping our habits and noting that this lifestyle doesn’t have to be an all or nothing endeavor. I’m personally working on vegetarian-till-dinner. Hannah offers a variety of methods that will still cause a big impact.
For me, I think convenience is a large reason as to why I still eat meat. Today (writing this post on Sunday), I ate a bagel and fruit for breakfast, leftover vegetarian Indian food for lunch and want to throw together something quick and easy for dinner. I’ve been cleaning, playing with my kids, and doing schoolwork, plus I’m heading out for a Covid-friendly walk with Hannah. I am tired. Pulling out some chicken and baking it in the oven is effortless and requires little planning. Paired with some Misfits veggies, that’s our dinner. Not proud, but I think many people can relate to this situation.
I also never know what to make and look for recipes that will both fill my tummy (no one wants to go to bed hungry) and taste delicious. So I’ve been looking to these cookbooks. If you’re like me, and don’t know where to start, I really recommend them. The authors offer lots of easy suggestions with reasonable ingredients (I’m not someone who’s going to use xantham gum or nutritional yeast) and the recipes are do-able. (Mayim’s cookbook is vegan but you can easily swap real cheese if that’s your preference.) Even my carnivore husband enjoys the dishes we’ve tried. I especially like the veggie burgers, any soup, anything Mexican, falafel and potpies.
I bought this book on a whim because it was on sale for $7 at Gibson’s. It’s no frills but I love it
So here’s my challenge – maybe you borrow one of these books from the library and try some of the recipes. Swap your meat dinners for three of these recipes each week. You won’t like all of them and that’s ok! Maybe M,W,F are new vegetarian dinners and T, TH are the go-tos that you can cook in your sleep. Worst case, there are always PBJ sandwiches for dinner. Happy cooking!
– Rachel
PS See any must-try books missing from my list? Let us know in the comments!