Hello and welcome (back) to the Planet Forward blog for our inaugural ‘best of Meatless Monday recipes’ for 2011. We took the Meatless Monday pledge to support the elimination of meat consumption one day per week in favour of plant-based foods to improve personal health and the long-term health of our planet.  Every Monday we feature a new vegan or vegetarian recipe and we will continue that tradition in 2012.  Today, we are highlighting our 3 most popular Meatless Monday recipes from 2011. 

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers Image Credit: sweetspot.ca/SweetFit

1st place goes to Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers.  This Meatless Monday recipe came to us from Sweetfit and features the wonderful sweet bell pepper.  You’d be surprised what some brown rice, black beans and tomatoes can do to dress up the perfect companion, a bell pepper.  The cheese can be substituted with your favourite vegan alternative if preferred.  It’s a fairly simple recipe to prepare and was by far the most popular Meatless Monday recipe we shared in 2011.

2nd place is the well-deserved Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie recipe from Food Network star Aida Mollencamp. From potatoes to carrots to mushrooms to celery, this recipe is packed full with yummy fresh ingredients.  Again, this is another vegetarian reinvention of a classic family favourite, with the ever-popular mashed potato still a star ingredient.

Our 3rd most popular Meatless Monday recipe in 2011 was for Stuffed Pasta Shells.  Another delicious recipe that’s sure to please even the finicky taste buds of your kids.  This delectable Italian dish is easy to make with a preparation time of only 20 minutes before it’s ready for the oven.
 
And an honourable mention to Meatless Monday with Kung Pao Tofu, a delicious vegan variation on a popular Chinese dish.  This recipe was from myveganplanet.com which is a great resource for all of our vegan readers. 

And that’s our ‘best of 2011’ list of Meatless Monday recipes.  We encourage you to visit the Meatless Monday website and join the collective plight to reduce meat consumption one day per week benefitting both you and the sustainability of the planet.  Stay tuned for the tasty vegetarian recipes we will be serving up in 2011.