Have you joined the Meat Free Monday brigade yet?
Meat Free Monday was launched in 2009 by Paul, Mary and Stella McCartney as a way of raising awareness of the environmental impact eating meat has on the environment.
One day a week, on Monday, they encourage us to eat meat free for breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything in between.
Why go meat free?
Meat Free Monday Helps the environment
Sorry to break it to you, steak lovers, but it's an inescapable fact that meat isn't good for the environment. The livestock sector is one of the biggest contributors to our most detrimental environmental problems - it's responsible for an estimated 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Meat Free Monday is healthy
Your diet is one of the easiest ways you can ensure you stay healthy. Fuelling the body with a variety of foods, including lots of fruit, vegetables and grains, enables it to function at its best.
Several studies from organisations such as The World Cancer Research Fun recommend cutting down on meat to improve overall health. Meat Free Monday is a great way to do this.
Meat Free Monday recipes
1. Meat Free Monday Salad
Before I discovered Deryn's blog, Running On Real Food, I was convinced salads meant one thing and one thing only: boring.
How wrong I was! Deryn's sensational selection of salad recipes not only look amazing, but taste incredible too. These really are salads with a difference.
One of my personal favourites is her Roasted Brussel Sprouts With Maple Balsamic Glaze. Whether you love brussels or hate them, you should seriously give this a go - you'll never look at them the same way again!
2. Vegan curry recipe
No list of Meat Free Monday recipes would be complete without the Nation's favourite dish - curry.
Half Baked Harvest's Coconut Quinoa & Lentil Curry is a wonderfully warming dish full of all the flavours you crave.
If you LOVE curry, take a look at our National Curry Week recipes roundup for even more edible inspiration.
3. Chilli with a difference
There are some Meat Free Monday recipes that are so glaringly obviously meat-free. This Buffalo Chickpea Chili from The First Mess certainly isn't one of them.
If you're worried about packing in the protein on your Meat Free Monday's, beans are the way to go, and Laura's recipe is full of them.
Cook up a batch of her chili today, freeze what you don't eat, and save it for later.
4. Meat Free Monday approved pizza
Who doesn't love a pizza? This Monday, skip your usual pepperoni and opt for something more environmentally (and animal) friendly instead.
Sprouted Kitchen's Corn and Goat's Cheese Pizza is a great one to try. It's surprisingly nutritious and sure to satisfy your taste buds.
5. Vegan burgers (these are the best!)
Of course, burgers just had to be on our list of Meat Free Monday recipes. Looking at them, you'd easily be mistaken for thinking they were the real deal!
Blissful Basil did an amazing job of not only the aesthetics of these burgers, but she also nailed the taste and texture. Why not make Meat Free Monday burger night and knock up Ashley's Vegan Lentil-Mushroom Meatball Sliders today?
6. Meat Free Monday tofu recipe
Terrified of tofu? You won't be after you've given Keepin' It Kind's Thai Peanut Tofu & Sweet Potato Bowl a go!
Tofu can have a tendency to be somewhat bland, but the addition of peanut butter, maple syrup, lime, ginger and a few other spices make this bowl anything but.
Bonus - it looks glorious!
7. Vegan lasagne recipe
You may think lasagne wouldn't be much good without the meat, but Simple Veganista's Ultimate Vegetable Lasagne recipe is here to prove you wrong.
Luscious layers of indulgent, creamy goodness, sandwiched between pasta sheets and a range of vibrant vegetables make this a Meat Free Monday crowd pleaser you can't go far wrong with.
8. Meat Free Monday mushroom wellington
Beef Wellington - probably one of the meatiest dishes the great British menu has to offer...but does it have to be?
Nancy at Deliciously From Scratch has completely revamped this classic dish to make it Meat Free Monday. Her Mushroom Wellington is incredibly rich and earthy - you may even prefer it to the real deal!
9. Gorgeously colourful pasta salad
If you want to impress your co-workers, guests or even just yourself, 101 Cookbook's All-The-Tomatoes & Pasta Salad is the Meat Free Monday recipe for you.
It's not only beautiful, but full of all the good kind of tasty stuff too. This truly is tomatoes like you've never seen them before.
10. Meat Free Monday's answer to cheese & ham
"But, what about my beloved cheese & ham sarnie?" I hear you say. Fret not, Naturally Ella has a wonderful wrap that will knock your shop-bought favourite out of the park.
Her Apple Wrap with Cheese and Mustard Hummus is as good as it sounds. Fully of crunchy, raw veg and silky smooth sauce, it's a decadent lunch treat that you can whip up in no time.
Have you tried Meat Free Monday yet? Share your experiences with us in the comments below.
Hi you previously had a recipe for sweet potato,spinach & goat cheese parcels on your site which was fab - so yummy - but i didnt print it out & now its disappeared.... disaster... can you share it again please
Hi Lucy, We're currently updating some of our content, hence the disappearance! I've copied the recipe below for you... You need: 500g sweet potato - peeled and cubed 1 red onion - sliced roughly 3 cloves of garlic - peeled and halved 1 sweet pepper - diced finely 4 - 5 Chestnut mushrooms - diced finely 150g spinach 200g goats cheese 500g puff pastry 3tbsp olive oil 1 egg beaten Instructions: Pre-heat the oven to 200°C or 180°C Fan or Gas Mark 6. Add the sweet potato, onion, garlic and a tablespoon of oil to a roasting tray. Place in the oven for 25 - 30 mins until soft. On a low heat fry off the sweet pepper and mushrooms and set aside. Wilt the spinach with some water in a pan, drain off any excess water and chop roughly. Remove the sweet potato, onion and garlic mix from the oven and mash in a large mixing bowl. Add the spinach, peppers and mushrooms to the bowl and crumble in the goats cheese, mix thoroughly and season to taste. Roll out the puff pastry, using a small saucer as a template cut out discs. Beat the egg to use as a glaze and to seal the edges of the parcels. Place a large tablespoon of the mix into the centre of the pastry, brush the egg round the edge, fold and pinch to make the parcels. Glaze the whole outside of the parcel with the egg wash. Bake in the oven for around 25 - 30 mins until golden brown.