Meat Free Mondays: 7 Fantastic Mashed Potato Recipes

Man has is been a while since we had a Meat Free Monday post. Meat Free Mondays are still one of my favorite days of the week and they have been made so much easier thanks to Blue Apron who usually sends us at least one vegetarian meal a week. These may not be your Grandma's mashed potatoes, but they are all really yummy and a great way to switch up a common and expected part of dinner. Believe it or not, but some of these are quite healthy too!

Smoked Salmon Mashed Potatoes

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How could these not be healthy (and tasty)? They have smoked salmon for protein and omega-3's, plus they look like the biggest party in my mouth ever.

Garlic Purple Mashed Potatoes

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If you have never had purple mashed potatoes, I would highly recommend it. First off, they taste just like the regular kind and second, they are ridiculously good for you. Purple potatoes have the same amounts of antioxidants as blueberries. Boom.

Green Mashed Potatoes

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Since we are on the subject of colorful potatoes, let's talk about these green guys. No, the potatoes are not green, but yes, they are both healthy and green. These use spinach to get that great color and extra health benefits.

Coconut Oil Mashed Potatoes

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These mashed potatoes are pretty traditional, but with one little spin- they use coconut oil instead of butter. That means you are getting healthier fats, fewer calories, and all the benefits of coconut oil in one.

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

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These mashed potatoes have anti-inflammatory benefits since they use cauliflower as one of the main ingredients. Garlic powder also make things sound like one of the best spins on the traditional mashed potato ever. 

Kale Mashed Potatoes

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Let's just agree now, these look like one of the best uses for kale. The kale makes the potato healthier and the potato sounds like a heavenly match for the kale. Win, win.

Cauliflower Mash

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This mash potato recipe is missing one key ingredient that you may never know by tasting them. That's right, this mashed potato uses cauliflower as a substitute for it's starchy buddy. I am seriously dying to know if these can fool all those potato loving 4-year old's in the world

Meat Free Mondays: Vegetarian Thankgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of year but it can also be one of the hardest for a vegetarian. Food comes by the tons over Thanksgiving, but very little of it is meat-free. That is where some tasty meat-free dishes that will please everyone come in quite handy! These yummy dishes are sure to be great sides, and one or two have been known to steal the spotlight all together. Sorry gravy, maybe next time.

Brussel Leaf and Baby Spinach Saute

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Love for Brussel Sprouts, check. Love for spinach, check. Love for yummy things that are also health, big check. This Brussel and Spinach Saute not only sounds amazing, it looks absolutely incredible as well. The green color of the, well, greens, mixed with the light brown almonds makes me want to jump into my laptop and eat it all right now. Must Thanksgiving be two days away?

Stuffed Kabocha Squash with Quinoa and Chickpeas

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This one seems to be a bit more work that your usual quinoa or potato side, but it also looks to be more than worth it... Really, this guy is worth the work for the pictures of your beautiful table alone. The fact that it is a healthy and vegetarian friendly option just makes it all the better.

Cranberry Sauce

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Who says cranberry sauce is for the turkey alone? This lady has made a cranberry sauce that can be eaten as a side dish on it's own. This stuff is filled with fresh ginger, frozen cranberries, and cloves. Yes, yes, and yes!

Roasted Squash Toss

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Mmm, nothing says fall like acorn squash and Thankgiving. Combine these to fall staples with this incredible looking acorn squash and veggie medley. Sure, it looks great, but really, all I want to do is eat it!

Meat Free Mondays: Twice Baked Pumpkin Potatoes

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I am so excited to be trying this recipe out. Don't these potatoes look like the best side item ever? They are so perfect for fall and this recipe serves 8! It is also an extremely inexpensive option since you are only really needing a few inexpensive vegetables and some canned pumpkin.

To add a bit in the flavor category, try making this with real pumpkin instead. One cup canned pumpkin equals about one small to medium pumpkin. Baking pumpkin is also ridiculously easy. If you are not sure about how to bake it, check out the how-to I made last year here. I just get the regular pumpkins that are sold in the grocery at this time of year, but if you want a bit more pumpkin info, here is a list of pumpkin types and what they are cooked with. Really, when it comes to pumpkins for cooking, as long as you do not get one meant for carving, you are set.

If you have taken a look at this recipe yet, you may be shocked that I am recommending it because of the crazy high amounts of butter. Butter is one of those things we all try to eat less of. The way I would recommend dancing around this massive butter overload is by using olive oil instead. Olive oil is a great butter replacement that is easier for our bodies to break down since there are no double carbon-carbon bonds. It also has a bit more nutrients than your usual butters. Here is a great conversion table for replacing butter with olive oil.

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This grilled corn and herb butter also looks incredible. Just to make you drool a bit more ;)  

Meat Free Mondays: Things to Make on the Grill

There are some parts of summer that are most everyone's favorites. One of those is grilling. If you have seen the most recent Food Network Magazine, you have seen how big grilling is right now, especially when it comes to veggies! Side note: anyone who likes corn on the cob will love July's issue of Food Network Magazine- there are about a million must-eat corn on the cob recipes inside that delicious magazine's pages.

Simple Grilled Veggies

Portobello Burgers

Berkeley Veggie Burger

Grilled Corn on the Cobb

Very Berry Bread Pudding

Grilled Peaches