Don’t let the name fool you, this book is not just for vegetarians. For our health and our environment all of us should be eating less meat and this is easier for some than others. Meatless All Day aims at helping anyone out there trying to incorporate more vegetarian food into their diet with lots of flavorful recipes.While some of the recipes are vegan even more can be adapted and most of them are perfect for a kosher lifestyle as well.Dina gives tips on how to make your meatless meal more robust/meaty so that even the meat lovers won’t notice. Give it a shot, we have three recipes to start with that Dina is sharing, read on.
When and why did you become a vegetarian?
I’m actually not a vegetarian; however, most of the meals I eat are meatless. I love cooking and eating vegetarian for many reasons. Among them, I try to eat healthfully and am passionate about designing meals around gorgeous, fresh fruits and vegetables. Plus, I absolutely love beans and lentils and global cuisine (and so many amazing dishes worldwide are vegetarian). Furthermore, meatless cooking is super-convenient, in that I don’t need to constantly run out to the store for fresh meat or fish. It’s also extremely economical. Finally, I feel good that I’m doing my small part towards the health of the planet.
Does your whole family eat meatless all the time?
No, my family sometimes eats meat or fish. But, like me, most of the meals they eat are vegetarian. Even though my kids are the sons of a cookbook author, their favorite meals are quesadillas, pizza, macaroni and cheese, PB&J, and pasta. My husband tries to watch his cholesterol and eats black bean soup or chili for lunch nearly every day.
What is your earliest memory of cooking?
It’s a toss-up between my creating a chocolate banana smoothie recipe for a school newsletter in the fifth grade and my ransacking my childhood home’s pantry for any sweet ingredients I could find to make peanut butter or thumbprint cookies. I remember being frustrated by the bitter taste of a hunk of baking chocolate—I’d thought it would be as sweet as a candy bar!
Do you cook with your kids now?
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Absolutely—whenever they’re up for it! I’m always trying to get them excited about food and to encourage healthy habits in the kitchen. A few of the recipes I make with them include Green Smoothies (a kale, frozen mango, and apple juice smoothie); chunky applesauce; brownies; banana bread; and quesadillas. Nothing too complicated—my boys are only 4 ½ and 6. But I can’t wait until they get older and can accomplish more complicated tasks.
Here’s the recipe for my Green Smoothie (it’s not from my book, so it is a bonus for you).
What is your favorite recipe in the book – can you share it with us?
Truly, each recipe is like a baby. So it’s difficult to choose. Though, if I had to highlight one, I might say the Beet Wellington with Pinot Noir Sauce. It’s a play on Beef Wellington. My version includes roasted beets, mushrooms, and goat cheese—in a shell of puff pastry. Here’s the recipe and you can see it pictured above.
For someone who is meatless averse, which recipe do you recommend starting with?
I would recommend the Whole Wheat Spaghetti with White Bean Balls. The White Bean Balls are more delicious than true meatballs—truly! Your family won’t be able to tell they’re vegetarian. I’m getting hungry just thinking about that recipe! And it’s very easy and healthful!
Most Jewish holidays are traditionally a very meat heavy time, do you have any recommendations of how to limit the meat?
So true—brisket is a mainstay for my extended family. I would go for the Seaweed-Crusted Tofu with Remoulade Sauce.
Recipe reprinted with permission from Meatless All Day published by The Taunton Press in 2014. Photography by © 2014 by Kate Sears
We eat chicken and red meat about 3 -4 times a week. It use to be a lot more. Started to cut back on Red meat to chicken and now getting involved into meatless meals. It’s hard when you are not raised that way.
After recently moving out of the NY metropolitan area due to a job relocation we are now an hour from any kosher store. Though we never ate a lot of meat now it is virtually none. I need to find good tasting alternatives.
We usually it it once or twice a week.
We eat vegetarian all week. Meat only Friday night and Shabbat lunch.
a few times a week
I eat meat a few nights a week, but would like to reduce.
3-4 times a week.
I am trying to eat healthier meals.
I only eat meatless and would love to win this cookbook!
I eat meat usually 3 times per week, sometimes more, sometimes less.
We mainly have chicken over meat, i would say 2-3 nights a week plus once a week fish. I love healthy cooking and am always looking for more vegetable recipes. would love to have this cookbook.
We usually eat meat 2-3 times a week
i don’t eat red meat, so we eat a tremendous amount of chicken and i am always looking for new and different side dishes. my daughters love vegetables so this will be the perfect cookbook to share with them.
thank you
I hardly ever eat meat any more; we eat more beans, fruits and vegies!!
We eat meat at least twice a week.
Never
I eat meat and/or seafood several times during the week. It could be beef, chicken or some type of fish.
Usually just on Shabbos. And Sometimes during the week if there are left overs.
3 times a week…
We eat chicken just about every night for dinner. We eat red meat only once in a while.
We eat meat, mostly chicken, 3-4 times a week including Shabbat. My 12 year old daughter avoids all animal products now, and we both avoid dairy, so we are always looking for healthful, protein rich alternatives!
I am reviewing the Rainbow Salad Recipe. It is flavorful, beautiful and delicious. It is also mayo-free. Since one of my daughters is on a perpetual diet this salad is a real winner!
We are meatless all day at home. We do eat fish and we don’t put the burden on other families when we eat at their house.
We eat a meatless dinner 2 or 3 times a week, and eat dairy for our Shabbos lunch meal. So I guess we have a fleishig dinner 3 or 4 times a week. On weekdays, lunch is always vegan or dairy.
would like to try having “meatless Mondays”
We eat meat about 3x a week. Fish at least once a week, the rest are dairy meals.
We keep our house fleishig-free! We do eat fish, but mostly on Shabbos, along with the occasional last-minute canned tuna rescue and of course the all-time fave of lox – doesn’t have to be just on bagels.
I only eat red meat on Shabbos but I do eat a lot of chicken and fish.
I love your site, very inspiring!
Very rarely–perhaps 1-2 times per month? Only when we eat out.
we eat meat or chicken about twice a week max.
once every 2 weeks or so.
Few
A times a week!
Good question, I count chicken.
A former vegetarian who prefers veggie meals 1-2x a week max for meat.
More often than my family wants to! They all prefer milchig. But my dishwasher is fleishig and my repertoire of healthy vegetarian dishes is limited. Which is why I’d love to win a copy of this cookbook!
We eat chicken or meat most nights, since my husband is allergic to cheese. I’m always looking for meatless recipes.
I’ve been vegan, vegetarian, and now pescetarian for the last 10 years or so. One of my favorite cookbooks is “Olive Trees and Honey,” vegetarian Jewish recipes. I’m really excited to hear about this book; thank you for the giveaway!
Meatless at least twice a week.
we usually eat chicken once in while we have meat for holidays and special occasions
We’ve been adding more vegetarian meals consistently. Looking for new ideas, this book sounds wonderful!!!
I eat meat approximately 2X per month.
Never! Vegetarian my whole life 🙂
I eat meat 2-3 times a week but I want to make more meatless meals!
At least twice a week.
I rarely eat meat these days although i love it. My health has not been the greatest and the kosher butcher is about 40 minutes drive for me…so i have been eating mostly milchig or if/when i get to Costco i do purchase some Empire chicken parts.
3 dinners and one lunch a week.
We eat meat on Shabbat
Does chicken count?
If so, I’d say our week is split half and half…if not, once or twice a week.