Meatless Monday movement

Mandy Trass, Rotorua

“This is called ‘not chicken loaf’ and I have managed to convince a few dedicated meat eaters that it really is meat! It’s super yummy, the kids love it and it’s quite healthy too."

Not chicken loaf

1 diced onion
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 dessertspoon Vegemite
4 well-beaten eggs
2 cups cottage cheese
2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon mixed herbs

Step 1 Fry onion in oil then add soy sauce and Vegemite.

Step 2 Mix in all other ingredients and bake in a loaf tin lined with baking paper for 1 hour at 160°C.

Step 3 Can be sliced and made into not-sausage rolls with puff pastry. It freezes well too. Enjoy!”

Jacinta O'Brien, Auckland

“Here’s a recipe for Meatless Mondays. I love this, it’s so easy to make and tastes delicious, I have it once a week when asparagus is in season."

Asparagus and lemon spaghetti

Time to make: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

2 bunches asparagus
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
300g spaghetti
1 large lemon
2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted
parmesan for garnish

Step 1 Snap the woody bits off the asparagus and slice them into 2-4 lengthways, depending on how thick they are. Place in a roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil then season well with the salt, pepper and chilli flakes. Roast at 190°C in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Step 2 Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pot of salted water then drain well. Remove asparagus from the oven. Squeeze the lemon over the asparagus, add the spaghetti and sprinkle on the pine nuts. Liberally grate some parmesan over it all and mix.

Step 3 Serve with a drizzle of good olive oil or chilli oil, plus some more parmesan and cracked pepper.”

Clare Plug, Napier

“Really enjoying the magazine and have taken a teensy leaf from Diane Emerson’s most generous idea [see Green Ideas issue 4] – I have ordered a subscription for the waiting room at the doctors where I work!

We tried out the lentil tagine last Monday and really enjoyed it (pictured). We do have a good proportion of vegetarian meals already but plan to make them a feature on Mondays from now on!

But while the tagine recipe was great I did think some families may not be up for trying out new recipes on a Monday night? For me after the first day back at work I’d probably want to go for something simple and familiar rather than trying a completely new recipe. Also low-cost ideas that don’t involve special extra ingredients.

So with that in mind I’ve attached some of my simple ideas for Meatless Mondays! They’re not recipes as such. I keep lists like this tucked in the kitchen to help me come up with a meal on those days/nights my mind is blank or I’m tired.”

Introducing family gently ideas…

• Pizza – with toppings such as mushrooms, haloumi, pineapple, baked beans.
• Burgers – vege patties like falafel, carrot and nut, lentil or just egg and cheese, plus the usual salad and pickles or chutney in the buns.
• Nachos – with chilli beans or baked beans plus the usual toppings.

Simple traditional ideas…

• Omelette with salad and chips (eg. spicy oven wedges).
• Macaroni cheese/vege mornay or combination of the two.
• Microwave or oven-baked potatoes with an assortment of toppings for family to choose from (eg. baked beans, nuts, tomato sauce, fresh herbs, grated cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese…
• Pasta with pesto (and green beans or zucchini and/or potato cubes boiled in pasta water).
• Soup (eg. vege and lentil, tomato with grated veges, corn chowder etc) with pancakes to follow – a favourite in our house.

International ideas…

• Gado Gado (Indonesian) assorted steamed veges plus salad served with peanut sauce (homemade is easy or concentrate blocks are available at Asian grocers) with sliced hard-boiled eggs.
• Chow mein with stir-fried veges, Asian sauce, some peanut butter, noodles (can use packets of instant noodles) topped with toasted sesame seeds or with sliced omelette or egg.
• Indian dhal (orange lentils cook in 15-20 minutes) or simple vege curry (pumpkin/potato/cauli etc) served with assorted simple side dishes like cashew or peanuts, chutney, sliced tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, sliced fresh fruit with lemon juice and coconut, microwaved poppadoms or naan bread.

Take the next Green Ideas small step

Ever wanted to take a plastic diet? Modern life is full of disposable items made from plastic, which last thousands of years once thrown away whether that’s in landfill or in our oceans and soil. So our next small steps challenge for you is to take a plastic diet. Remember to tell us your tips for cutting plastic out of your life by emailing [email protected] – we’ll print a selection of your letters in the next magazine.