Vegetarian eating is an effective and positive way to help animals, go green and adapt a healthier lifestyle. For some, it’s a way of living, for others it’s a part-time endeavor in which folks participate in Meatless Mondays –a once-a-week movement launched in 2003 in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. As a way to “help save the planet” and place the environment in the forefront, Meatless Mondays have become popular around the globe, with many organizations and communities supporting Meatless Monday programs in their schools, hospitals, work places and restaurants. Organizations such as Washington, D.C.-based The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the largest nonprofit organization advocating animal rights in the world, does much to support us in our efforts to make meatless meal choices, which, of course, makes a difference not only for animals, but for our environment, as well. In addition to using an excess of land and water, researchers report that the raising of animals destined for our dinner plates produce more greenhouse gas emissions than are generated by either industry or transportation. The HSUS staffers and friends make going meatless on Mondays deliciously simple by sharing some of their favorite recipes, a few of which you’ll find here. In addition to Meatless Monday, any of them would make fine eating on Earth Day, celebrated on April 22 since its founding in 1970. For more information on the work of The HSUS, including how to get a free copy of their Guide to Meat-Free Meals, visit http://www.humanesociety.org.
Sue Ade is a syndicated food writer with broad experience and interest in the culinary arts. She has worked and resided in the Lowcountry of South Carolina since 1985 and may be reached at kitchenade@yahoo.com.
