Skip the Meat! You Won't Miss It with These Recipes

Meatless Meals: good for the budget, often the waistline, the environment (some would say), and so many are just tasty.
I started incorporating 2-3 meatless meals a week when I began menu planning.
At first it was to help with the budget, but soon we found several recipes that are plain good, and happen to be meatless.

First I'll share some recipes, then I'll highlight some sites worth visiting to help you make your "meatless meal" stockpile.

Vegetable Quesadillas (don't let the name fool you...it's mostly corn & green pepper, & very tasty)
2 cups small broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup thawed frozen corn kernels
1/4 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup coarsely chopped green chiles
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Four 6" flour tortillas

1. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the broccoli 2 minutes; drain.

2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees; spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

3. In a small nonstick saucepan over medium heat, whisk the milk and flour; cook, stirring frequently, 4-5 minutes. Stir in the corn, bell pepper, chiles, salt and cayenne; remove from heat and stir in the broccoli and cilantro.

4. Spoon the vegetable mixture over the bottom half of the tortillas, leaving a 1/2" border; fold the top half over the vegetables. Place the quesadillas on the baking sheet; bake until hot and bubbling, about 8 minutes. Serve at once.

**When I made it, I changed it a bit. Instead of red pepper we used green. We omitted the green chiles. I also served the broccoli on the side instead. And for extra points, we added in reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese before baking.

Source for Vegetable Quesadillas

Impossibly Easy Southwestern Pie is another favorite of my husband's. Betty Crocker offers the recipe here.

Not all meatless meals mean Mexican cuisine.

There are some obvious, like Pasta with tomato sauce. I'm grateful that everyone in my family loves pasta!


Another that might come to mind is the classic rice & beans.
I love the recipe Bush's Best offers.

Italian Style Rice & Beans
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with Italian herbs
1 can (15.5 oz) Bush’s Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed (or Cannellini)
2/3 cup instant rice
¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning or ½ teaspoon dry basil
Fresh pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in medium saucepan. Cook 3-4 minutes, covered, over medium-high heat. Uncover pan and continue cooking 2-3 minutes, or until rice is tender. Dish is slightly saucy when completely cooked.

So we have some Mexican and Italian dishes.
We've enjoyed all of the above mentioned over here.

What else is super easy to make & meatless?
Breakfast for Dinner!
Is there anyone out there that does not like breakfast for dinner?!
Oh gosh, my boys love it over here.
We'll do scrambled eggs with hash browns, or my personal favorite, Oatmeal Pancakes. Yum yum. And if you actually have leftovers, breakfast for the next day!

There are many good resources out there to help you find some meatless recipes that are fitting for you & your family.
Just to name a few:
Meatless Monday
Eat Better America
All Recipes (just search!)
Even The Mayo Clinic offers many recipes!

So what meatless meals do you enjoy at home?

Has anyone tried the recipes from last week's post?
If so, I hope you're enjoying them, too!