Meatless Mondays, who does it and what is your fave meal?

[Alison]

Ive never used the chard leaves I thought it was the stalk you ate? I might try them in my next salad for work.

They're best cooked separately as the stalks take longer to cook than the leaves. Apart from using it as spinach I too use it in lasagnes and bakes and one of my favourites is chard pesto. I've posted the recipe before but it's truly lovely. You sauté the chopped stems in butter and garlic, add chopped leaves until they wilt. Add pine nuts and grated Parmesan and blitz with a stick blender. Really very good.

[Bal]

I'm not veggie but can happily live without it OH on the other hand " needs" his meat. I have occasionally managed to slip him a vegetarian dinner but it's not easy. As there are only the two of us it's just not practical to cook two separate meals. So we do have meat almost every day. I only buy meat that I know has been well reared. It is more expensive but we just eat smaller portions of it.

[KevinM67]

Cracking thread - thanks for starting it.

I really want to go more veggie, and I know it's a feeble excuse - but between work and kids, we struggle to plan our meals ahead.

I might venture over to the 'recipes' thread for a bit of inspiration.

[Alison]

Cracking thread - thanks for starting it.

I really want to go more veggie, and I know it's a feeble excuse - but between work and kids, we struggle to plan our meals ahead.

I might venture over to the 'recipes' thread for a bit of inspiration.

One of the main reasons I plan all of our meals for the week is BECAUSE I'm so busy and don't have time to think about it on a daily basis. Knowing what I'm doing in advance means I've got the right things ready and don't waste stuff. Knew we were going to be in work late tonight so cooked it up last night ready for tea today. Had a lovely bean chilli with home grown bolotti beans, marrow, peppers, chillies, onion, garlic and tomatoes. Loads for the freezer too .

[KevinM67]

One of the main reasons I plan all of our meals for the week is BECAUSE I'm so busy and don't have time to think about it on a daily basis. Knowing what I'm doing in advance means I've got the right things ready and don't waste stuff. Knew we were going to be in work late tonight so cooked it up last night ready for tea today. Had a lovely bean chilli with home grown bolotti beans, marrow, peppers, chillies, onion, garlic and tomatoes. Loads for the freezer too .

Alison - my partner and I discuss doing what you do nearly every night, however, despite making the odd meal that lasts over a couple of days, we really are rubbish at planning. Maybe less talking and more doing is in order.

Anyway, this thread has inspired me to make some chickpea burgers for dinner tomorrow - a favourite of mine when I stayed in Greece in a former life.

[Alison]

Ooo, chickpea burgers, not had them in ages. Maybe one for next week

[sparrow100]

One of the main reasons I plan all of our meals for the week is BECAUSE I'm so busy and don't have time to think about it on a daily basis. Knowing what I'm doing in advance means I've got the right things ready and don't waste stuff. Knew we were going to be in work late tonight so cooked it up last night ready for tea today. Had a lovely bean chilli with home grown bolotti beans, marrow, peppers, chillies, onion, garlic and tomatoes. Loads for the freezer too .

I plan ours too. Makes it so much easier when there's a lot to think about.

Tonight was warm bulgar wheat salad + halloumi, baked squash slices and globe artichokes. Yum!

[Thelma Sanders]

Cooked Spanokopita here, to use up some chard did some wedges and salad to go with it.

[Lisasbolt]

I do find it hard to plan meals, i am so fussy, will eat anything but i need to fancy it.
So i tend to go around the garden and look in the fridge to see what needs to be used up and then make a meal out of that. If i am being lazy there are always the leftovers in the freezer or fried eggs

[4390evans]

Yeah we are busy too, we usually have 3 manic hours in the house before bed, I hardly ever stay up late. So we make sure we have that one main meal on a night time, my bf mick had a meatless monday yesterday he was full but he said he felt unsatisfied
On weekends when the kids are in and im at work its a free for all, they eat what ever they want till I get in. Daddy is usually the best daddy in the world at weekends due to ice cream, peanut butter ans marsh mellow dinners

[Bacchus]

I'm not a veggie but could quite happily reduce my meat intake to nearly nothing. I think a little bit now and again is good for you and you don't have to worry quie so much about vitamin B-12, iron, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids etc.

I completely understand oily fish is very good for you but I'm not a huge fan - unless it's really really fresh.

But to keep on thread - I'm always on the lookout for a good veggie meal idea (prefebably one that involves chillies)

[4390evans]

Leek, Onion and Potato Soup - English - Recipes - from Delia Online

This is amazing!

[sparrow100]

Bacchus, these are fantastic:

Hugh's Pinto Bean Chilli | Nessa's Family Kitchen

and the aubergine and green bean curry in this:
Hold the steak: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's vegetable recipes | Life and style | The Guardian

[Alison]

Hugh's Pinto Bean Chilli | Nessa's Family Kitchen

That's the recipe we had last night with a bit of random tweaking on which veggies we added. Still haven't used up all the dried beans from 2014 (it was a bumper year) so making room for this years crop . It's from the HFW Veg book which is excellent. Another favourite is a pasta soufflé thing from the same book which is meant to be done with spinach but is equally good with chard or courgettes.