A Week of Meatless Meals

nothing to do with this post, except that this brownie is also meatless 

As much as I'm sometimes ashamed to admit it, I love eating meat. There's simply no comparison to a juicy steak or succulent pulled pork. Crispy bacon? Please don't ask me to give it up. I've dabbled in vegetarianism, giving up meat for a few months here and there, typically during Lent, or after I've watched some awful documentary that makes me want to free all the caged chickens and never eat pork again. I love animals, but I love cheeseburgers, too. What's a girl to do? 

I try to have meatless meals on the menu several times a week. It makes me feel like less of a hypocrite, and I also get that smug feeling vegetarians must have all the time knowing that they're doing wonders for the world. I've read that becoming a vegetarian is the single best way you can help the environment, so that's always in the back of my mind when I'm planning our meals for the week. 

Grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti --alllllll the pasta-- are fast and easy meatless options. Brent doesn't like macaroni and cheese (I KNOW) and I'm trying to reduce the fact that we used to go through multiple loaves of bread in one week, so I've been branching out from our old stand-bys. I've compiled a few of our favorites that I'm making on the reg that are really easy to pull together for a satisfying meatless meal.

There are no actual recipes; I've given an overview of how I make these, but the best part about all these meals is that they are so easily tailored to your taste buds. Modify to your picky eaters or what you have on hand. They're the perfect example of why meal prepping is so key; prep the staples like sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, and bell peppers ahead of time and these come together really easily. 

Quiche

Quiche is so delicious and easy that I can't believe it hasn't been a staple all my adult life. My go-to is spinach and mushrooms. I sautee some garlic and onions until translucent, then add the mushrooms and spinach until cooked down. Make it easy on yourself and use store-bought pie crust; make sure to blind bake it so you don't have a soggy bottom. To blind bake, poke holes in it with a fork and bake for 8-12 minutes at 425, until just browned. Cool, prepare your filling, and then bake your quiche for 45-55 minutes at 325. 

Sweet Potato Hash

We're big into breakfast for dinner here, in case you couldn't tell. For this, I roast two medium sweet potatoes with salt, pepper and olive oil for 12-15 minutes at 425. While that's going, I'll sautee garlic and onions in olive oil and add some bell peppers. I add the roasted sweet potatoes to the pan, a few shakes of red pepper flakes, and the hash is done. I like over-easy eggs with this, but Brent prefers scrambled. Either way, this is a really easy and tasty meal.

Curry

I don't even know if what I'm about to describe is technically curry, since I'm not an Indian food expert, but that's how it was described on Pinterest, so that's what I call it. I roast sweet potatoes, and while that's going I get a bunch of veg going in a pot over the stove. My go-to's like garlic and onions along with some peas and garbanzo beans. Then I add a can of coconut milk and a bunch of spices like fresh ginger, cayenne pepper, cumin and curry powder. I let that simmer for 5-10 minutes then add the roasted sweet potatoes. Brent was hesitant the first time I made this, but he ended up really liking it, which made me happy because I did too. 

Soup

I almost always make soup in the slow-cooker, but it's one of those meals that can come together in like a half hour if you're in a pinch. Soup is always better the next day, though, after the flavors have time to mesh for awhile, so whether you do it in the slow-cooker or on the stove, this is a good one to meal prep ahead of time. It's also a great way to clean out your fridge; throw whatever veg you have in the pot and call it a day. I do at least a 32oz package of veg stock for Brent and me, since I like having leftover soup. Season it up with whatever spices or fresh herbs you have on hand. Add cheese tortellini or a variety of canned beans to make it even heartier. 

Gyros

This has become a recent go-to for us, but Brent had a bad experience with chickpeas that I hope he gets over soon because Greek night is one of my faves. Roast a bunch of veg with some olive oil, salt and pepper: bell peppers, tomatoes, red onions, artichoke hearts. On a separate tray, roast the chickpeas. I season mine with salt and cayenne pepper and roast them for 10-12 minutes at 350; they don't need the high high heat of the roasted veg. Serve on pitas with feta and kalamata olives. Top with tzatziki sauce and this meal will become one of your favorites, too.