Recipes from Meatless Monday
Bedford 2020 began to tackle reducing carbon emissions from food consumption by launching “Meatless Mondays” in 2018. We partnered with almost 40 local restaurants and organizations to achieve our goals. Over the course of 12 weeks, 320 households gave up meat for one day a week. While the lifestyle change was minimal, the results were sizable. Collectively, our community reduced our carbon footprint by 22,894.08 kg CO2. That is equivalent to driving 56,113 less miles! This success demonstrated that even small lifestyle changes- especially with widespread participation- have the potential to really benefit our environment.
Bedford 2020 partnered with Johns Hopkins University Center for a Livable Future and the national Meatless Monday organization, headquartered in NYC, to set up and evaluate our community wide campaign. Results of our impact were presented at a Global Climate Summit and at the American Public Health Association annual conference.
Below are some of the tried and true recipes and tips from B2020’s Meatless Monday participants.
Recipes and Notes from the Becker Family
Indian Influenced Lentil Soup
This lentil soup is a favorite in our house and the South Asian influence adds interest to what can sometimes feel like a tired standby. If the forecast is snow and I dread the thought of traipsing to the grocery store, I’ll pull out my heavy cast-iron pot, prepare the ingredients in 30 minutes and let it simmer away. The recipe is forgiving and if dried lentils are a standby in your pantry, can be made without much forethought. I’ve used peeled and cubed apples in lieu of sweet potato and in a pinch; dried ginger can be used as a substitute for fresh.
Note: If ginger is an item used infrequently, purchase a large piece, peel it and place it in the freezer in a zip-lock bag. When needed, pull it out and grate the frozen ginger into your into your recipe. It will provide a more pungent and flavorful alternative than the dried version.
Serve this dish with your favorite crusty bread and a hearty salad and you’ll wish for more snow days! Click here for the Becker’s Indian Influenced Lentil Soup recipe
Spinach Pot Pie
This spinach pie is a riff on an Ina Garten recipe that uses phyllo dough to top it off. It is gorgeous, but really, who has time to mess with phyllo dough on a week day? My version uses either a simple biscuit dough or (even easier) a package of croissant dough.
I’ll often serve this with a simple carrot-ginger or Southwestern pumpkin soup as an appetizer. The colors of these pairings are beautiful and will brighten any table. Click here for the Becker’s Spinach Pot Pie recipe
Becker Bismarck
A Bismarck, also known as a Dutch Baby, is essentially a giant pancake that bakes in the oven and rises like a popover. Traditionally it is served as a breakfast dish, but my boys love it for dinner. If there happens to be any left over, which is a rare occurrence, I slice it like pie and send it off to school the next day in their lunch boxes. The best part is that it can be prepared in one bowl! Click here for the Becker’s Bismarck recipe
Recipes and Notes from the Blachar Family
With three kids, and one who decided to become a vegetarian a few years ago, the Blachar Family has tried out a lot of family-friendly vegetarian recipes. Here are some of their favorites.
Smoky Sweet Potato & Black Bean Casserole
This was a BIG hit in our family. I added 2 teaspoons of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. They ate it with avocado and happily had the leftovers for lunch in a quesadilla.
Click here for the Blachar’s Smoky Sweet Potato & Black Bean Casserole recipe
Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls
This recipe can be served as an appetizer but we usually have it for dinner with some rice and a vegetable.
It can be prepared the night before and then baked the next day.
YUM!
Click here for the Blachar’s Baked Southwestern EggRoll recipe
Notes and Recipe from the Farr Family
Kale Cannellini Stew with Farro
Olivia Farr, co-founder of Bedford 2020 and co-chair of the food and agriculture task force was been inspired to eat vegetarian since we first set out to run this 12 week campaign. Farro is a gluten free grain that gives a heartiness to this stew, and it’s easy to make in the slow cooker.
Click here for Olivia’s recipe for Kale, Cannellini Stew with Farro
The Lucia Sourbis Monday Night Special
Share your Meatless Monday recipes with us on Bedford 2030’s
Facebook and Instagram!
Visit our Eat Less/Better Meat Action Page for more information!