The Red, White, and Green

Photo via Flickr: Shavar Ross

Last night’s 82nd annual Academy Awards ceremony was an unmitigated snoozefest, but there was one image that made me and my fellow Oscar-watchers snap to attention: A strikingly svelte Forest Whitaker, who took the stage late in the evening to introduce Sandra Bullock for the Best Actress nomination. While Whitaker has yet to talk about his weight loss, I’m betting that a healthy meatless diet likely played a role. That’s right, folks — the Academy Award winning actor is a vegetarian.

Check out this video he recorded with his adorable daughter a few years back for the animal rights organization PETA:

[Watch video on YouTube]

Inspired by Whitaker? Going vegetarian can be a great way to lose weight, as well as lower your risk for diet-related illnesses like heart disease and diabetes, since research shows that vegetarians are significantly slimmer than meat-eaters. But foregoing meat alone won’t be enough to get you in movie star shape; healthy, balanced meals are still a must. One friend of mine packed on the pounds after switching to a “vegetarian” diet. Only later was it revealed that she was basing her meals around pizza, mac and cheese, and tater tots.

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: Want to know what other celebs owe their red-carpet figures to a vegetarian diet? Click here.

More Meatless Monday posts:
Spring clean your diet: This Blissful Chef eCookbook has arrived!
Your holiday weekend read: The Flexitarian Diet

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Since this was my first time making these, I think I was a little overzealous with the sauce and cheese. (Still delish, though!) The amount in the recipe listed below should be just right.

I’m a big fan of leftovers. It’s one of the best ways to extend your vegetarian eating beyond Meatless Monday, since you can make a big pot or casserole of something yummy one night, and then stretch it out over a couple of dinners or lunches during the week. If I’m having a particularly leisurely weekend (which I did this past one — yippee!), I find that late Sunday afternoon is the perfect time to do this. That way, I can start the workweek fresh, knowing that I already have a healthy, home-cooked dinner waiting for me.

Loyal RWG reader Andrea Duwel sent in this recipe for vegetarian enchiladas, and I thought it was the perfect dish to whip up last night, since I had shopped a little too overzealously for produce at the farmers market the week before and had a bunch of leftover veggies that I needed to get rid of. Below is the combo that Andrea suggested (coincidentally, I had all of these left in the fridge), but you can substitute any other vegetables you like — zucchini, onions, and corn also work nicely.

Farmers Market Enchiladas

Serves 4-6

12 corn tortillas
1 can black beans (You can also use refried — they spread nicely inside the tortilla)
8 oz. Mexican blend shredded cheese
2 cups enchilada sauce (If you’re in a hurry, use a canned version; it’s nice to make it from scratch if you have time, though, since nearly every store-bought version out there uses cottonseed or soybean oil, both of which are likely to be genetically modified)
2 cups washed spinach
2 carrots, shredded
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 chopped bell pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pan, saute veggies on medium-high heat for two minutes, adding the spinach in the last 30 seconds and cooking until leaves are just wilted.

To fill the tortillas: Spread a small spoonful of sauce inside each tortilla; add veggies, black beans, and a sprinkle of cheese. Roll tortilla gently and place seam side down in a casserole dish. Continue with remaining tortillas. Cover tortillas with enchilada sauce, then sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Cover casserole dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then, remove foil and bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is crispy. Garnish with your favorite toppings (guacamole, sour cream, salsa, cilantro, green onions) and serve with Mexican rice.

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: A whopping 40 percent of all food produced in the United States is thrown out. Help fight food waste by discovering creative recipes (including plenty of vegetarian ones) for your leftover ingredients at Lovefoodhatewaste.com.

More Meatless Monday posts:
Spring clean your diet: The Blissful Chef eCookbook has arrived!
Feel like a kid again! Fun Meatless Monday meals

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Love Your Heart Beet Soup: One of 19 amazingly delicious and easy-to-prepare vegan recipes from The Blissful Chef: Cooking With the Seasons - Spring Edition eCookbook

Maybe it was last night’s dinner of chili (OK, plus two chocolate chunk cookies for dessert), or maybe it was the first hint of spring in the air that surfaced this past weekend in Southern California (yes, we have a winter here, too), but I woke up this morning feeling like it might be time for a good spring cleaning. For my body, I mean.

And of course, I’m always looking for new and inspiring ways to incorporate more meatless eating into my diet. Today is Meatless Monday, and I must admit, I’m a bit sick of stick-to-your ribs vegetarian stews and cheesy casseroles — it’s time to lighten things up a bit.

Thankfully, one of the most inspiring meatless eaters I know — Christy Morgan, Los Angeles–based vegan macrobiotic chef to the eco-conscious stars and author of The Blissful Chef blog — has just come out with her first eCookbook, The Blissful Chef: Cooking With the Seasons – Spring Edition.

For those who are new to vegetarian eating, macrobiotic can sound a bit intimidating, but it’s really about creating balance in your body by embracing foods that are in balance with the seasons. So in spring, you eat foods that encourage that fresh, “spring cleaning” spirit — leafy greens like lettuce and kale, and refreshing fruits like grapefruit and and granny smith apple. Sounds a lot like being a locavore, right?

There’s a bit more too it, of course, which Morgan explains in the eCookbook; but the truth is that you don’t need to know any of it to make her healthy and simple-to-prepare recipes. I follow neither a vegan nor macrobiotic diet (not yet, anyway), but all 19 recipes in the book sound amazingly delicious and satisfying: Love Your Heart Beet Soup packs an extra protein punch with the addition of red lentils; Soba Noodles With Basil Pecan Pesto uses white miso for that extra umami oomph; and Apple Pie With Flaky Homemade Crust will indulge my sweet tooth without the addition of refined sugars.

The Blissful Chef: Cooking With the Seasons – Spring Edition is available at a special pre-order discount of $5.99 until the end of today; after that, the price is $7.99 (still a bargain for a season’s worth of recipes — click here to order). I’ll also be giving away one free eCookbook to the commenter of the day. Just tell me your top reason for eating less meat in 2010.

OK, I have to stop writing now — time to run out to the farmers market so I can snap up some fresh veggies and start cooking!

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: Live in Los Angeles? Learn the basics of eating and cooking a plant-based diet at one of Morgan’s upcoming vegetarian cooking classes.

More Meatless Monday posts:
Feel like a kid again! Fun Meatless Monday meals
Meatless Monday: Eat less meat throughout the week

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Tomato soup grilled cheese: Two childhood faves in one (the soup is in the sandwich!). Click on photo for recipe. Photo via Flickr: Maggie Hoffmann

Now, normally I don’t like to associate the word fun with food — of course, the act of eating should involve a certain amount of pleasure — but healthy, real food is delicious enough in its own right that it doesn’t need to be shaped like a Disney character or dyed a fluorescent color to convince someone to eat it.

But once in a while, even I (a broccoli raab-craving health nut) get a nostalgic craving for a little comfort food, a scrumptious — dare I say fun — meal from my childhood. I was reminiscing about this the other day: The Celentano stuffed shells or the Stouffer’s macaroni and cheese I was allowed to have on the rare occasion my parents went out and left me with a babysitter; the peanut butter and jellies my mom packed for my school lunches; and the buttery grilled cheeses that I would devour at The Lunch Box when we lived in Weston, CT.

Guess what all of these meals have in common? They’re vegetarian! So this Meatless Monday, why not revisit one of these old favorites and feel like a kid again? I’m not suggesting you should eat like this every day of the week, but if you use wholesome ingredients, even these meals can be a healthy, meat-free addition to your diet. A few faves to try:

English muffin pizzas. Loved this brilliant suggestion by loyal RWG reader Andrea Duwel, who eats vegetarian the majority of the time (and has the slim figure to prove it). She loves to make these for an easy veg-head snack. For a healthier version, use whole-grain english muffins and top them off with organic tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella, and fresh basil.

Peanut butter and jelly. The PB&J Campaign is working to reduce greenhouse gases by promoting this protein-packed sandwich powerhouse. I say make yours with whole wheat bread, all-natural peanut butter, fruit-juice sweetened jam, and enjoy it guilt-free.

Mac and cheese. Sure, it’s a bit more labor-intensive than a PB&J, but macaroni and cheese made from scratch is arguably one of the world’s best comfort foods. Any time-tested recipe that doesn’t come from a box is top-notch in my book; for a slimmed-down version, try this recipe that uses butternut squash to cut the fat.

Grilled cheese. While we’re on the subject of cheese… Obviously, there’s nothing more delectable than a grilled cheese griddle-fried in butter (like the ones from my Lunch Box past), but I’ve found that making a less artery-clogging open-face version in the broiler is just as tasty: Add sharp cheddar to two pieces of whole-grain bread, top each with a few tomato slices, add a dash of oregano, and pop under a preheated broiler for a couple minutes until the cheese is bubbling and brown at the edges. Don’t forget to serve with a piping hot bowl of tomato soup (or try the recipe in the photo, above).

And the best way to feel like a kid again when you enjoy these Meatless Monday treats: Eat them with your own kids, too!

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: Click here to take the Meatless Monday pledge.

More Meatless Monday posts:
Easily adaptable vegetarian meals
WATCH: Meatless Monday goes to the farmers market

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Middle Eastern kofta, a centuries-old (and delicious) way to stretch those meat dollars; Photo via Flickr: SauceSupreme

This post was originally published on Aug. 17, 2009.

My husband was willing to give Meatless Monday a fair shot when we signed on to the cause last May, and fairly amenable to the cooking experimentation that has ensued. Tofu stir-fry has become a new weekday dinner favorite (who knew my al pastor–craving hubby would find it so satisfying?), and I’ve discovered that eggplant parmigiana never fails to disappoint guests who find themselves dining chez nous on a Monday.

But as much as he’s tried, my husband has a hard time sticking to meatless eating for an entire day — he can’t do beans (no need for further explanation), and he feels sluggish when his diet gets a bit carb-heavy. You, reader, can criticize, but the fact remains that you can’t really force someone to eat a certain way if he doesn’t want to.

So, while I continue to eat meatless on Mondays (I quite like the “whole world gathering together once a week for a cause” spirit of it all), I’ve implemented a different plan for family meals that actually ends up reducing our meat consumption way more than if we both stuck to meatless eating on Monday alone. 

Buy less meat. Americans eat twice as much protein as the rest of the world (and twice as much as the USDA recommends), and a serving of meat has come to approximate nearly half a pound. I’ve found that by reducing that amount just a little — buying, say, two-thirds of a pound of chicken for dinner for the two of us whereas I used to buy an entire pound — I save money (on average, $15 a week), and no one even notices. The trick is to fill up that missing space with a fresh salad, veggies, and a bit more complex carbohydrate — brown rice or quinoa, for example. 

Make meat portions look larger than they are. It sounds silly, but visual perception has a profound effect on appetite and consumption. A Cornell study a few years back found that even nutrition experts given a larger bowl in which to serve themselves ice cream dished up 31 percent more than colleagues given a smaller size bowl. The lesson here? People feel satisfied when they see a portion that appears plentiful. I like to take smaller chicken breasts, pound them into a very thin paillard, and then top them with a mound of crispy salad. It’s more satisfying than serving a regular chicken breast that actually weighs more, but looks half the size.

Stretch out your meat supply. Ever wonder how meatloaf originated? Well for centuries, cultures around the world have been making versions of the dish — Italian meatballs, Middle Eastern kofta, and the classic American ketchup-crusted comfort food — as a way to “fatten up” scarce meat supplies and use up lower quality scraps of meat. A handful of breadcrumbs, some chopped onions, a couple of eggs, a dash of spices, and voilà: You’ve got a hearty meal that no carnivore would complain about.

Little changes like these really add up. Let’s say you, like the average American, consume 200 pounds of meat a year. Trim that number by a quarter — which would work out to a mere 2.3 ounces of meat a day, or two slices of turkey — and the environmental payoff would be notable: You’d reduce your carbon footprint by 950 pounds a year, which would be like not driving your car for a whole two months.

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: This week at the supermarket, try going for the slighter smaller package of meat.

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Note: This was originally published on Nov. 30, 2009. I thought it’d be helpful to re-post, in light of my HuffPost Eco Etiquette column today on how to avoid sneaky sources of BPA.

Now that Meatless Monday has morphed into most-of-the-week meatless for me, soup has become my go-to lunch. It’s easy, it’s cheap, and, paired with a bit of cheese, some Ryvita crackers, and a piece of fruit, keeps me going until dinner. I try to make a big, hot pot of something veggie every Sunday (enough lentil soup for an entire week costs about $3 if you make it from dried beans), but inevitably, my to-do list gets overly ambitious and I find myself hustling by Whole Foods on my Monday morning walk to pick up a couple of canned soups at $1.99 a pop.

That’s still a relatively cheap lunch, but there are two problems with this: a) I’m supposed to be boycotting Whole Foods (I know, I know; I’m now doing the majority of my shopping at farmers markets and Trader Joe’s, but if I’m in a pinch and the choice is between buying organic at Whole Foods or conventional elsewhere, you can bet I’m doing the former); and b) it turns out that a lot of canned food is loaded with toxic chemical BPA.

So I was thrilled to discover Dr. McDougall’s, a fabulous line of vegan soups that come in BPA-free cartons manufactured from Forest Stewardship Council–certified paper. And the best part is, they’re are sold at dozens of conventional grocery stores (read: buh-bye, WF!). I’ve tried the lentil, black bean, and vegetable so far, and I’ve got to say, while they aren’t as soul-satisfying as the home-cooked version, they’re the best packaged soup I’ve ever tasted. The ingredients, too, are darn-near spartan: The lentil soup contains lentils, organic vegetables, organic brown rice, potato starch, and spices.

You can also order the soups by the case online, which will be great backup for me the next time my coconut mung bean soup plans get sidelined.

Do this now: Didn’t go meatless for all your meals this past Monday? Swap out two regular lunches this week for a vegetarian soup.

Related posts:
Consumer Reports finds BPA in 19 name-brand canned foods
BPA alert: How to return your Sigg bottle

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Photo via Flickr: Woodleywonderworks

I now eat vegetarian 75 percent of the time. My husband, while he’s embraced Meatless Monday and definitely reduced the amount of meat in his diet (thanks, in part, to my trick of buying smaller cuts of meat and filling the void with more veggies and complex carbs), isn’t quite ready to eat vegetarian dinners three nights a week. But since we cook almost every night, it’s been a real challenge finding a way to feed us both without having to preparing two separate meals.

My friend Andrea has the same dilemma, and she came up with this brilliant solution: To avoid cooking two meals, she makes dinners where the meat can easily be added, like a vegetarian pasta dish with a few meatballs on the side for him, or a grilled vegetable medley where he’ll throw on a steak and she’ll add a meaty portobello. No muss, no fuss, and either partner can easily cook this way for the other.

Since I mentioned this tip on HuffPost last week, several people have asked for more meal suggestions. (I guess I’m not the only one out there who’s half of a vegetarian/omnivore couple.) You asked for it, you got it! (Toyota?)

Individual pizzas. Buy ready-made personal-sized pizza crusts, and let family members add their own mix of toppings: sliced pepperoni for the meat-eaters, and mixed veggies for you.

Homemade soup. Whip up a big batch of lentil soup, and cook a few sausages on the side that can be sliced and added to individual servings. This works with almost any soup: Make a side of shredded chicken for vegetarian tortilla soup, chunks of pancetta for split pea, or chop up a little smoked kielbasa for a kale and white bean stew.

Chopped salad. Depending on what’s in season, toss together a hearty chopped salad to which you can later add chicken or grilled shrimp. My favorite is based on a recipe from one of my favorite lunch spots in LA, Toast Bakery Cafe (romaine, tomatoes, jicama, corn, garbanzo beans, avocado, and mozzarella). Don’t forget to serve with crusty bread and plenty of butter.

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: For more recipe ideas, check out The Adaptable Feast: Satisfying Meals for the Vegetarians, Vegans, and Omnivores at Your Table (Sasquatch Books, 2009).

More Meatless Monday posts:
WATCH: Meatless Monday goes to the farmers market
5 tips for sticking with Meatless Mondays

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When your Meatless Monday meals start to get a bit predictable, there’s no better place to spark kitchen creativity than your local farmers market. Of course, with nearly 100 certified farmers markets in Los Angeles County every week, I’m never short on inspiration. Check out the Meatless Monday lunch I put together during a recent trip to the grandaddy of all farmers markets, the Hollywood Farmers Market (there’s nothing you can’t find there: heirloom green zebra tomatoes, organic quail eggs, raw milk butter from grass-fed cows, fresh-shucked oysters — yum!).

[Watch video on Vimeo]

Farmers Market Frisée Salad

Serves 2

One small head frisée lettuce, washed and torn into large pieces
2 eggs
½ tablespoon butter
¼ cup candied walnuts
¼ cup goat cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Place frisée in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper until dressing is emulsified. Toss lettuce gently with dressing and divide between two plates. Sprinkle equal amounts of goat cheese and candied walnuts onto each salad.

In the meantime, heat butter in skillet over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, crack both eggs in pan and fry until yolk is just firm but not hard. Place one egg on the center of each salad and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: For more recipe ideas, check out this Monday’s menu on the Meatless Monday website.

More Meatless Monday posts:
5 tips for sticking with Meatless Mondays
Take the Meatless Monday New Year’s pledge!

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So you pledged to “go Meatless Monday” for your New Year’s resolution — that’s great news for your health and the planet, and you’re no doubt rarin’ to go with all of the amazing recipes on the Meatless Monday website. But going meatless — even for just one day a week — isn’t always easy if you’re used to the typical American diet. I’m a lifelong healthy/organic eater who knew how to press tofu long before my Meatless Monday days, but even I’ve run into a number of challenges in my eight MM months so far that could have derailed my efforts if I hadn’t discovered a few clever workarounds. So to help you in your Meatless Monday meal planning for the year ahead, I offer up troubleshooting tips for five fall-off-the-wagon scenarios.

1. I think meat substitutes like tofu dogs and veggie bacon are gross. I agree; I’m of the opinion that the best-tasting and healthiest way to go veg is to stick to foods that are inherently meatless. There are cultures around the globe whose diet is either completely or largely vegetarian, and the staples of those cuisines have evolved over thousands of years, sustaining people’s appetites and nutritional needs all the while. So look to the Italians, with their hearty pasta e fagioli and savory frittatas; the Indians, with their luscious dals and fresh-baked naan; and the Israelis, with their crispy falafel and creamy hummus.

2. I’ve tried going meatless the whole day, but I feel ill/shaky/tired, despite eating balanced vegetarian meals. There are just some people who, no matter how carefully they plan their vegetarian meals, still feel crappy after an entire day of meatless eating. If this is the case for you, then go ahead and have meat at dinner, but swap out another lunch later in the week for a vegetarian one. Voilà! — three meatless meals each week.

3. I’ve got company coming over for dinner, and they are NOT the vegetarian type. While you could use strategy #2 in this scenario, I say why not prepare a fan favorite that they won’t even realize is vegetarian? You could do a homemade pizza margherita with a gorgonzola salad on the side; a pot full of veggie chili and a pile of homemade cornbread; or eggplant parmigiana with white bean crostini as an appetizer.

4. I can’t eat vegetarian because I’m gluten sensitive/allergic to soy/on a low-carb diet. While it’s arguably more difficult to eat meatless if you already have a restricted diet, it’s not impossible. With a little advance planning and the help of resources like the Gluten-Free Goddess, a gorgeous blog with a whole section devoted to GF gastronomy, you’ll soon have a repertoire of vegetarian favorites that you can recycle every Monday (remember, we’re only talking about one day a week here).

5. My husband/wife/partner isn’t into Meatless Mondays, and I don’t have time to prepare two meals. My husband has been supportive of our Meatless Monday dinners, but even he on occasion gets a little sick of fried tofu and rice (the only meatless dinner that really satisfies him) and says he needs a week off. When that happens, we use it as an excuse for a night out and go to a place where I can order veg and he can eat whatever. We do it on the cheap, too: the Kogi truck that’s created a foodie frenzy in Los Angeles, for Korean BBQ tacos (he’ll have the chicken, I’ll have the tofu); Thai Town for homemade noodles (his with pork, mine with veggies); or our favorite Mexican stand at the famous LA Farmers Market (cheese quesadilla for me, oh wait…look who decided that quesadilla looked good, too?).

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: Have you run into any particular challenges in your quest to go meatless? Tell us how you dealt with them by posting in the comments section below.

More Meatless Monday posts:
Meatless Monday: Special diets
Meatless Monday: Think Mediterranean

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I’m often asked by people who want to go green but don’t know where to start what I think is the most important and effective change a person can make. Should I buy a Prius? Eat only organic? Get solar panels for my home? All of those choices are fabulous if you have the resources to make them, but I truly believe that joining the Meatless Monday movement is No. 1. Why? Because it’s a small, subtle change that is eminently doable. And isn’t doable what you want for your New Year’s resolution?

[Watch video on Vimeo]

I took the Meatless Monday pledge in May, and even though the week-to-week change has been barely noticeable, it’s seriously opened my eyes to how profoundly our food choices impact the world around us (even for me, a longtime environmentalist). As Michael Pollan says, eating is a political act.

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: What else? Make Meatless Monday your New Year’s resolution. Happy New Year!

More Meatless Monday posts:
Meatless Monday: Your holiday reading list

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