Meatless Monday

If I can't appeal to your environmental ethos, I'm sure I can make an argument for your waist line. Animal proteins are complete and will provide you will all the necessary nutrients, but they also tend to be high in fat. For example, a 6 ounces steak contains 12 grams of saturated fat and 268 grams of cholesterol. Consuming high-fat animal proteins on a regular basis may lead to increased weight gain as well as increased risk of atherosclerosis, or heart disease. If you've taken Nutrition, Health and Society you know that meat should take up less than a quarter of your plate and its a good idea to obtain protein through complementary foods. When you combine foods such as grains and legumes, your body more readily absorbs the nutrients you need.

You won't catch me waxing poetic about the culinary significance of tofu and I happen to think that products such as seitan are border-line satanic, but I do believe that it is highly possible to develop dishes sans meat that are actually appetizing. Here are some great ways to delete meat from your Monday menu:

Cauliflower Steak

Cauliflower Steak

Photo by Lauren Kaplan

Check out the Bon Appètit version here 

Summer Salad

IMG_3937

Photo by Casey Carr

Find the recipe here

Roasted Red Pepper & Arugula Pizza

DSC_0359

Photo by Lauren Kaplan

Learn how to  make dough here

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

gnocchi plated 4

Photo by Lauren Kaplan

Learn how to make your own hand-crafted gnocchi here

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