A meat-free meal could be better than you think

October 07, 2009

October 1 marked world vegetarian day, but even if you're a hard-core carnivore it can be fun to craft a meat-free meal.

Use this month as an excuse to browse through some classic vegetarian cook books and pick out something you've never tried before - like chickpea curry or a portabella mushroom sandwich. You could even try to make a meat-free version of your favorite dish, such as lasagna with carrots and broccoli, or vegetarian chili with tofu.

In addition to cutting a lot of the fat from your meal, vegetarian dishes also tend to be cheaper to make.

Here's some food for thought - many people are unaware that meat-free meals are easier on the environment. According to savvyvegetarian.com, vegetables and grains need much less land and water than animals, so if enough people reduce the amount of meat that they eat, the earth could provide more food as a whole.

You don't have to give up meat all together, but utilizing vegetarian options like hummus, tofu or avocado spread on your sandwich every now and then can also make your noon-time meal a little more exciting. If you tend to order a burger or steak when you go to restaurants, branch out and try one of the vegetarian options, they might surprise you.