meat out day

tomorrow, friday, march 20th is meat out day. being a friday during lent, i am hoping this gives some of my catholic friends an incentive to participate. i have been a vegetarian since new years of 1998. i have just recently started blogging. so, i don't have lots of pics for vegetarian recipes that i cook. as much as i am a fan of recipes with photos(seriously, i consider this if buying cookbooks), i will make an exception this time and give you some of my super easy meatless recipes. i'll focus on the proteins since i am sure that is what people worry about when cutting out meat even if for only a day. just remember us govt standards recommend .37 grams protein per lb you weigh or if moderately active .50 grams. that means only about 65-100 grams for a people weighing between 130-210 lbs. that's not a lot though to gain thru non meat sources if you consider a serving of beans gives you between 20-30 grams of protein depending on the bean.
here are 2 super easy vegetarian recipes:

roasted red pepper hummus

1/2 jar roasted red peppers or approxiamately 2 roasted red peppers
1 16 oz can of chick peas drained
salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic crushed or 1 1/2 tbsp minced
1 freshly squeezed lemon
1/8 cup olive oil
1/3 cup tahini
1 tsp cumin

this recipe can be made with or without tahini(really i promise especially since it has the red peppers you will still enjoy it even without the tahini). now, if you aren't familiar with tahini, it is made from seasame seeds and can usually be found with the middle eastern food. even walmart carries tahini paste.
all you do is mix all the ingredients in a food processor then serve as a dip with either pita bread which is best toasted or veggies.
you can make plain hummus by eliminating the roasted red peppers.

walmart chili (so named cause everything can be purchased at walmart with their generic brands)
1 16 oz can lt red kidney beans drained and rinsed
1 16 oz can dark red kidney beans drained and rinsed
1 16 oz can chili beans drained and rinsed
1 16 oz can southern ranch beans
1 16 oz can of pinto beans drained and rinsed
1 16 oz can of black beans drained and rinsed
1 small can of tomato sauce
1 can of diced green chilis
1 16 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 packet of mild chili seasoning
1 packet of hot chili seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
water

drain and rinse all the beans except the southern ranch beans which you will use the liquid they come in. add all of these to a crockpot. keep the can that the southern ranch beans come in as you will use water to rinse out the remaining seasoning in the can and add that water to the crockpot. add all other cans but repeat the water rinse with the can of tomato sauce. add the chili seasoning packets. stir thoroughly. simmer on low for several hours til the chili has thickened to your liking. i like mine super thick so i generally simmer mine overnight or all day at work. surprisingly, i actually won a chili cook off both in the spiciest and best vegetarian chili with this recipe with just a few dashes of the pampered chef southwestern spice added in. you can also add in veggie crumbles, sliced mushrooms, peppers, or peanuts if you like, and i sometimes do.

also check out these previous posts with vegetarian soup recipes:
red lentil soup
broccoli and brussel sprout soup

check out meatout.org for more info on meatout day and events in your area and even send a meatout e-card to friends and family

here some great vegan and vegetarian blogs i've come across:
groovy vegetarian
11th heaven's homemaking blog
veggie chic

awesome vegetarian sites:
go veg
vegetarian times which is an awesome magazine
vegetarian resource group
veg news magazine

and finally, if you have some great meatless recipes you want to share. please post them in the comments as i would love to try them out.