Please welcome today’s guest poster, Sara.

Hi there!  I’m a food blogger over at From Blah to Ta-Daa, and a virtual pal of Allie’s. When she invited me to guest post for Meatless Mondays, this recipe was the first to pop into my head. I’ve had it sitting in my recipe box for two years now, but every time I considered making it, I got shied away by the oddball list of ingredients. Sweet potatoes with yellow mustard? And soy sauce? And taco spices? Ummmmm … Maybe next time. But I finally bucked up to make this and see what all the 5-star fuss was about.

And, honestly, I kinda love it. The flavor combo is unexpected and different, but I love the sweet potato and black bean filling. Who knew that sweet potatoes would be fantastic in burritos? Adding cheese is definitely a must (it adds a melty and creamy texture that makes these burritos really tasty), so if you don’t do cow cheese, I highly recommend tossing in some Daiya instead. I normally skip cheese on everything, but these were definitely more delicious with a bit melted into the filling.  Read more…

Halloween is my personal favorite holiday, so after I’ve carved myself a pretty sweet jack-o-lantern (shown above, and my carving is done with the aid of a template, not because I’ve got skillz) there’s nothing better than roasting the pumpkin seeds. I’ve been doing this since I was a kid, and since I’m a little old to go trick-or-treating anymore, this has to take the place of candy. Well, except for the candy that won’t get taken by the trick-or-treaters that come to my door. (I may or may not buy way more candy than I’ll give out every year. What? I may be an adult, but I still love my Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.)

Anyway, here are four ways to roast your seeds this year. Which will you choose?  Read more…

I know what you’re thinking: Eventually, Meatless Monday is going to feature a recipe for vegetarian steak. It’ll go like this- Take a plate out of the cupboard, salt to taste, enjoy! Because any dish is vegetarian if you just omit the meat.

But I think chili is one meal where you can get away with the reductionist approach because your protein is already accounted for in the beans, so taking away whatever meat you might have been throwing in doesn’t leave it nutritionally bereft. Read more…

As soon as we start to get a chill in the air, I become a comfort food addict, and nothing hits the spot for me quite like a big bowl of noodle soup. This is one of my favorite quick meals. You can use single serving packets of noodles if you’re making a meal for one (I like Thai Kitchen Lemongrass & Chili), or make a batch of rice noodles and use vegetable broth if you want more servings and less packaging.

The secret to turning this simple soup into a meal is to add fresh, frozen, or canned veggies to dress up the noodles and broth. It’s a great way to use up appropriate leftovers. Sometimes when I’m making dinner, I chop up some extra veggies to save for soup for my lunch the next day.

Add adzuki beans, lentils, or TVP for protein. It’s such a filling and satisfying meal, that you won’t even miss the meat.

To add variety, I also mix and match ingredients like:

• Fresh basil
• Fresh cilantro
• Mushrooms
• Lentils
• Green peppers
• Jalapenos
• Onion
• Fresh lime
• Spinach
• Bean sprouts
• Grated radish
• Fresh ginger
• Sriracha sauce
• Crushed red pepper
• Julienne cut string beans
• Bok choy
• Shredded cabbage

Before my book came out, I had a lot more time on my hands.  I enjoyed putting together elaborate meals and thought nothing of hand chopping nuts to make nutloaf for a Meatless Monday meal.

Now shopping for, making, and cleaning up after meals feels like a major time suck. I want quick recipes that employ most of the necessary food groups, don’t dirty every dish in the cupboard, and allow me to get back to writing as soon as possible.  Big heaping plates of nacho loaded up with great stuff have become my favorite go-to meal when I’m in a time crunch.

I used to make a really good layered Mexican casserole all the time.  Nachos are basically the same ingredients, but take a fraction of the time to make.

Things you might want to include:

• Cheese – I usually use cheddar, but a mix of cheddar and jack is also great. Swap in low-fat cheese if you’re looking to cut calories or, if you want to go completely vegan, try Daiya Cheese, which is dairy-free but still melts and stretches like regular cheese.
• Beans – Black beans, kidney beans and cannellini beans are my favorites.  Vegetarian refried beans are good too.
• Onions
• Jalapenos
• Olives
• TVP
• Corn
• Spinach (fresh or VERY well-drained frozen)
• Salsa (after cooking)
• Guacamole (after cooking)
• Sour cream (after cooking)
• Cilantro or shredded lettuce (after cooking)

Looking for a hearty, healthy soup that’s a snap to make and gets a whoooole lotta veggies into you? Look no further!  Read more…

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregorbug79/4396644196/

Ah, good old lasagna. I don’t know about you, but I love making lasagna when the weather turns cooler — it’s so hearty and warm and comforting. This vegetarian recipe is one of the best I’ve tried, and you can alter the veggies that go into it however you like! Read more…

Potato pizza!

Alright, so this Meatless Mondays deal is usually going to feature something that most people don’t already have in their dinnertime rotation, stuff with lentils and tofu and lots of veggies that you dedicated carnivores might not already have in your repertoire. But last night, I made some pizzas, and doggone if I didn’t notice that they were meatless.

Crazy, huh? Pizza is vegetarian! Well, it is right up until the part when you’re deciding what to top it with. You could go with pepperoni (And I’ll be honest: You can’t beat pepperoni.) Or, since you’re already on the cusp of a meatless meal anyway, skip the meat! POW! MEATLESS MONDAY!

Oh, but I’m not leaving it there. Read more…

This recipe is so easy, it’s almost embarrassing. It’s a perfect dinner to whip up after a busy day, and there are so many ways to tweak it to your liking! Read more…

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaundicedferret/4729228334/sizes/m/in/photostream/

Welcome to a new feature on The Greenists: Meatless Mondays! Starting today, we’ll share one of our favorite vegetarian dishes every Monday with our dear readers, not only because everyone loves a good recipe, but also because forgoing meat even one day out of the week can make a huge green impact. We’ve written before about how much less taxing a vegetarian diet is on the environment than a carnivorous one. Around these parts, we don’t judge others for eating meat — plenty of us still eat it, myself included — but we do encourage you to think about where your meat comes from and cut down on eating it as much as your comfort level allows.

So without further ado, here’s our first Meatless Mondays recipe. It’s one of my favorite things to make at home — it’s an easy, hearty, stick-to-your-ribs kind of dinner, perfect for when you’re craving comfort food. Read more…