Meatless Monday feast: Going vegetarian with these delicious vegetarian recipes

Hi! I’m Lisa and I’m trying to make going vegetarian easy for you 🙂 I don’t really know where meatless Monday began, but it’s pretty popular online and seems to speak to non vegetarians as well! So today, I want to show you what a delicious and nutritious day in my life can look like. I’ll be regrouping some of the best vegetarian recipes from my blog heartysoulandkitchen, to curate a perfect day filled with flavorful meals from breakfast to dinner, with a tasty savoury snack in between.

Zero waste, sustainable and nutritious : A vegetarian breakfast omelette

My initial desire to be more sustainable in the kitchen rather stemmed from a need to stay on a budget. It physically hurts me when I have to throw out food, so I’ve taken the habit to look online for how I can use parts of food usually considered as scraps.

For this particular recipe, I woke up one morning with a busy day ahead and not a lot of options for breakfast. I wanted something more nutritious and filling than just eggs and so I took a look in my fridge. I had some fennel and I thought why not? Last summer, I had already added the stalks and small leafs to a pesto and it was absolutely delicious! I then added only the leafs of some carrots I had bought at the market last weekend as I had plans of using the carrots for another recipe. I went online and read about how full of nutrients and delicious they were, so I put together this quick and delicious omelet by adding fresh chili to it for a nice kick!

This simple recipe really motivated me to stay creative and pushing myself to be even more zero waste in the kitchen! The layers of flavor and taste are absolutely amazing, and by using my chef Motokichi Yukimura inspired technique to cook the omelet, you will end up with a soft, fluffy and perfectly cooked omelet. Find my recipe here!

A crispy high-protein vegetarian lunch : Quinoa fritters with a zesty lime tahini sauce

At the end of 2023, I encountered some health problems and was advised to complement my way towards health by a change of diet. My doctor strongly suggested I tried out a dairy-free, gluten free, low glycemic index diet, and that I ate proteins such as fish and meat. Unfortunately, I’m a vegetarian that occasionally eats meat when it’s local, conscious about animal suffering and antibiotic free. As it tends to be quite expensive and I’m usually on a budget, I am pretty much full-time vegetarian.

I really had to adapt to this new diet, as I planned on following it for two months. The hardest part for me was to stop dairy, as I am a big big fan of cheese. Let’s face it, I felt quite miserable in the beginning haha… But what I was feeling was actually difficulty of being forced out of my comfort zone. I felt unstabilized and didn’t know what to cook that would be fun, fulfilling and savoury. I love lentil stew, I love bowls of rice with tofu, vegetables and seaweed, but sometimes I was really craving something that felt crunchy and a bit like fast food. 

So this is how this dish came to be! By using chickpea flour to easily add protein and avoid gluten, these crispy quinoa patties combine white and black quinoa for an extra crunch. The dipping sauce is absolutely delicious and creamy and really fills that void of craving dairy product. It’s so easy to make ahead, very nutritious, low glycemic indec friendly and perfect for beginners! Get my recipe here.

A quick savoury vegan afternoon snack : Sweet potato kinpira

This quick snack can be eaten as is or can be used as a filling for a spring roll, sushi or on top of a  steamed rice bowl! It’s vegan, gluten-free, dairy free and low glycemic friendly and so quick to make! In my usual weekly routine, I will pre cut the sweet potato into thin vertical slices and store it in water so this recipe can ben ready even faster! This weekly routine really helps me not getting discouraged to quickly cook something up instead of grabbing something unhealthy to eat. It’s all about setting up systems that work for and around your life! So, try this traditional Japanese dish with a twist here.

A comforting and on a budget vegetarian dinner : No carb vegetarian eggplant and ricotta lasagna

This is a recipe that became one of my staple dishes when I was really broke and absolutely obsessed with ricotta. It is based on my homemade tomato sauce using canned tomatoes, as tomatoes in my country tend to be very mealy! It’s also very easy, comforting and cheap to make. Layer deliciously roasted eggplant slices, creamy ricotta cheese and deeply flavoured tomato sauce for a hearty no carb vegetarian lasagna to impress yourself, your friends and your family! Find my recipe here.

Why go vegetarian, even occasionally?

Going vegetarian, even occasionally, is beneficial for you and the planet (although, I don’t blindly agree to that statement as being sustainably vegetarian implies cooking with seasonal products, limiting imported goods and avoiding ready made vegetarian products such as the “fake nuggets” you see in the store). 

But sustainability aside, I believe that overall, you tend to get “forced” to get creative in the kitchen when you go vegetarian, and that going vegetarian is a fun pathway to a diverse culinary experience! You are out of your comfort zone and it can be difficult to understand how to add deep flavours to dishes. When I went fully vegetarian at 15, I wasn’t eating properly and felt lost in the kitchen. I’ve always loved to cook but wasn’t sure where to go from there. It’s also important to note that, as I went vegetarian almost 10 years ago, it was much less widespread and the recipes online could be a bit bland. As time went by, I learned so much through videos, articles and by going to a dietitian that helped me understand how to get all the nutrients I needed in my new vegetarian diet. And the thing is, it’s very easy to get a very rich and nutritious vegetarian diet that is actually lower in saturated fats and cholesterol.

But my main point would be that going vegetarian is extremely budget friendly.  Especially in the current economy, going for vegetarian dishes containing plant-based proteins like beans, lentils and tofu can really make a difference in your monthly budget!

So, embrace the wholesome flavors of the recipes above and try out a meatless Monday (or any day for that matter)! I hope you find the same kind of joy in cooking that I do with my recipes, and let me know down below if they left you feeling satisfied and nourished! Happy cooking🧡