Meat Free Monday: Recipes and Resources

by Jenni in


This weekend definitely ran away with us a bit. My well-worked plan was to have a Meat Free Monday post all about our favorite juicing recipes that we found during this three day juice cleanse has been postponed a few days. Life got in the way and this weekend quickly turned into the Murphy's law of events. Everything from ill family who we are taking care of to broken appliances used for juicing, to my mouse suddenly breaking has happened. We are still on the juice cleanse, but have not been able to be as strict as we needed to be. The cleanse will be done on Tuesday evening, so I am looking forward to a (more brief) overview of our likes, dislikes, energy levels, and results.

That said, this week's MFM is something that falls into the same vein of last week's health and fitness resources. I have found that the interest is my biggest resource for so many things in life. Shopping online, for one, has completely changed my world. I cannot even count the number of things I have bought or not bought because of reviews. Searching for the perfect thing has turned into an hour search rather than days. The same can be said for recipes.

There are some wonderful cooking websites and recipes out there in the internet abyss from sites that specialize in food only or a type of cooking, to sites that have a broad variety and cooking is just one of them. Below are three of the sites that I use most for recipe finding. Some are great for party hosting, some are great for using what you already have, and some are hidden treasures you will love!

MeatFreeMondays.com

Of course this would be first on a MFM post, it is a wonderful site for all vegetarian dishes with lots of flavor and variation. One of my favorite parts of this site is the weekly recipe. If you have taken the Meat Free Mondays pledge, this is a wonderful asset. There are tons of recipes and a yummy, weekly options for the easy, cut and paste cooker. This is also a great resource if you have recently become a vegetarian. You will find no braised pork or chicken confit temptations here!

Skinnytaste.com

This site, as the name implies, is wonderful for those watching their weight or wanting to eating healthier. Every recipe shows weight watchers points and has all the nutritional content listed. I love this! It makes my life so much easier to just know what I am cooking rather than figuring all the ingredients separately, then adding it together. SkinnyTaste does have non-vegetarian recipes, but they also have some great vegan and vegetarian options mixed in. There are so many recipes here, I am sure you will find one to love.

MarthaStewart.com

I love this site. It is not something I use as a day-to-day cooking resource, but is wonderful if I want to prepare a special meal or need something for a party. There are so many recipe to choose from here, some have meat but there are a lot that do not. This site is up there as one of my favs because of its searching ability. You can choose if you are cooking for a party and want appetizers, a dinner party with a five course meal, holiday themes, or vegetarian. It is wonderful for pinpointing that perfect meal in very little time! Do not let the "Martha Stewart" name scare you if your are not a big cooker. There are plenty of easy recipes here with great tips and reviews. I have not have one that is too hard to make or turns out terrible!


Meat Free Monday: Mushroom and Walnut Thanksgiving Stuffing

by Jenni in


Walnut and Mushroom Stuffing

Thanksgiving week is here! The holidays are really upon us and if you are like me, you are searching the internets for some great holiday eats. This walnut and mushroom stuffing is something I made last year and has become a tradition since. It is easy, quick, and great for the vegetarians in the family. Plus, Not the knock your socks off calorie count that we are use to are use to around the holidays!

Servings: 8    Prep time: 30 minutes    Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus some for baking dish

2 medium yellow onions, chopped

3 stalks, 1 heaping cup celery, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

5 oz. bella mushrooms, chopped

5 oz. Portobello mushrooms, chopped

2 tablespoons sage, chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine, Sauvignon Blanc

1 cup walnuts, chopped

6 cups bread, chopped into 3/4 to 1 inch pieces and toasted or left out overnight

1 1/4 cups vegetable broth

2 large eggs, beaten

Set oven to 400 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in pan. Combine chopped onion and celery in pan over medium/high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent- 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside in bowl. Combined 1 tablespoon olive oil, chopped mushrooms, sage, and salt and pepper over medium/high heat and cook until browned- about 5 minutes. Add in the 1/2 cup white wine and cook until wine is almost evaporated. Add mushrooms to vegetable bowl and mix in walnuts and bread. Move to oiled baking dish and mix in the broth. Make sure not to add too much broth, the bread should only be moistened. Add salt and pepper to taste. Beat eggs and combine well with stuffing.

Bake, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes or until top is golden brown.