What's the easiest switch you can make for the environment? Eat less meat!

Every week we are exploring vegetarian meals for meat eaters. Cooking with seasonal vegetables can seem really limiting at first, but the possibilities are endless. And it is worth it. Just cutting one day of meat eating out of our diet can keep thousands of pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere a year. No seriously, it's that big a deal. Plus, it's a great opportunity to have some new adventures and try new things. Just another way to take care of the planet AND make life a little bit better!


We got a BUNCH of green beans in our co-op box this week, so we have a problem!

I'll be honest, green beans are probably the veggie we eat LEAST at our house. The Boy does not like them, so we mostly avoid them. I don't fight him much, because all I had of them growing up was green bean casserole, which I think is just extremely soggy and gross. But we are growing a bunch in our backyard, and it is time for him to get over his aversion to this wonderful waxy bean!

So I am looking for delicious vegetarian green bean recipes to help us change his mind. I especially think summery things would be good, because when I think green beans, I weirdly only think heavy. These are my favorites I have found so far:

from Kalyn's Kitchen

The ones that look the best to me are green bean summer salads, which mostly seem to tie green beans into pretty classic summer salads. But they look so bright and delicious! One of my favorites is this green bean and tomato salad from Kalyn's Kitchen. Tomato salad is a summer staple at our house, so this is the perfect way to sneak it in.

from Oh My Veggies

I also can't resist this summer green bean salad from Oh My Veggies. No one complains when roasted corn is involved! Throw this out there as a summer dinner (with some bread on the side?) and who will complain?

from A Family Feast

Another summery salad idea? Green beans and chickpeas! I love this salad from A Family Feast. So simple, but don't you just want to try it now? 

from The Lemon Bowl

I love green beans as a throw in- they don't have a super strong flavor, so it makes perfect sense to throw them in with other ideas. I love this roasted carrot and green bean combination from The Lemon Bowl, because spicy carrots is so easy to pull off, so throwing some green beans in makes perfect sense!

from Waitrose

Green Bean soup isn't super common, but I want to try this green bean and potato curry from Waitrose. Lots of ginger and chiles, so you know it will be really fresh and spicy. Doesn't it look so fresh and summery?

from Cook Nourish Bliss

Another fool proof option is always pasta! Cook Nourish Bliss has a pasta skillet that could be a huge hit in your house. I love that it is lemon-y, and it looks pretty light for those summer meals.



Want more vegetarian recipes to try? Awesome! Adding more meatless meals to your diet is such a fun challenge and you can discover so many things you like. Check out this page for all of the Meatless Monday Recipe Round Ups!