Be Flexible during World Vegetarian Month

October is Vegetarian Awareness Month.

Have you ever thought about giving up meat? If you're not interested in going vegetarian, have you ever considered flexitarianism?

While about 3 percent of American adults are vegetarian, about 10 percent are mostly vegetarian (occasionally indulging in poultry or fish).

One in four Americans follows a "flexitarian" diet, according to the American Dietetic Association, meaning they eat meatless meals at least four days a week.


Nutrition and health experts have been urging flexitarian diets for years. Meat-free meals tend to be higher in fiber and other nutrients and lower in saturated fat, experts say.

My boyfriend and I are flexitarians. I eat no meat, but I occasionally eat fish or seafood. He eats vegetarian food at home and often bypasses meat at restaurants, but he still loves a good steak (and pretty much every other kind of meat) on occasion. We find our flexitarian lifestyle helps us save money and work plenty of healthy beans, vegetables and whole grains into our meals.

You probably eat some meatless meals already: omelets, toast, cereal or oatmeal for breakfast; a salad or tomato soup and grilled cheese for lunch; a bean burrito, cheese pizza, or vegetable stir-fries for supper.

Think about your food budget. What's the most expensive part of any meal?

It's usually the meat, right? Save big bucks by cutting out meat just once a week!
Here are some easy ways to leave out the meat and boost your veggie intake:

• In casseroles, stews, soups, and chili, substitute cooked legumes (like beans and lentils) for the meat. Try kidney beans in chili or stew, red lentils in spaghetti sauce or stuffed cabbage rolls, or refried beans in burritos, tacos, and enchiladas.
  
  Experiment with different kinds of beans. Don't like kidney beans? Try sweet and silky black beans, nutty and chewy chickpeas or even smooth and mild cannellini beans.
  
  
• In stir-fry dishes, use firm tofu, tempeh, cooked beans, nuts, and sesame seeds in place of meat, poultry, or seafood. Firm tofu and tempeh can even be cubed and skewered as kebobs for grilling. Try scrambled tofu for breakfast. Marinated tofu, sliced thin, makes a delicious sandwich.
  
  Tofu is bland on its own. Pair it with your favorite sauce and you'll be sure to like it. Try baking or broiling slices or dicing it and throwing it in with stirfries, stews or soups. Tofu acts like a sponge when it comes in contact with oil. The good news is that you can just use a bit of nonstick cooking spray and a hot pan to achieve a nice, crispy coating on your tofu. (Add sauce after it's cooked!)
  
  Tempeh has a strong, nutty taste. It melds well with spicy and pungent sauces. Try crumbling it in pesto pasta, tossing it in spicy peanut sauce, substituting it in tacos or slathering it in barbecue sauce.
  
  
• Prepare pasta sauces, pizza toppings, soups, stews, and other mixed dishes as you always do. However skip the meat and add more chopped vegetables.
  
  Think beyond limp canned mushrooms and black olives. Add fresh or thawed frozen spinach, strips of red or yellow peppers, bits of zucchini, chopped artichoke hearts, even bits of chopped and steamed broccoli.
  
  
• Meat "analogs" are soy protein products that mimic different types of meat. Try vegetarian patties, bacon, and sausages at breakfast, pepperoni on pizza, burgers, "chicken" nuggets and patties—even barbecued ribs! Textured soy protein is often sold in a granular form. This works perfect in casseroles, soups, stews, lasagna, chili, enchiladas, and other mixed dishes.

So what do you say? Will you (or do you already) give up meat for a meal--or two or three--this week?


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