Kids & Company Blog

4 No-Fail Meatless Monday Recipes to Celebrate World Vegan Month

Celebrated globally, World Vegan Month might not be on your calendar if you’re not vegan. But you and your family don’t have to be dedicated to this lifestyle to participate in and learn about the movement, even if you don’t want to stop eating meat.

World Vegan Month is all about exploring the idea of introducing more plant-based foods into your diet. So many of our families—and families across North America—are “veggie curious.” This means they’re interested in learning more about the benefits of eating more fruit and vegetables, and they’re curious about how to replace much-needed protein if they cut down on meat. They just might not be sure how to incorporate the vegan mindset into their homes—especially when they’ve been so meat-forward for so long.

Vegans make up a small percentage of the world’s population, but the rest of us can see the benefits of this lifestyle. Not only is there a significant benefit to animals, of course, but eating more plants and less meat positively impacts our environment (it decreases greenhouse gas emissions, preserving natural resources, and minimizing pollution associated with animal agriculture), and matters when it comes to sustainability, conservation, and our communities. One study conducted by researchers from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom found that if everyone on Earth moved to a diet that consisted of more fruit and vegetables and less meat, we could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 70 percent (which would reduce global warming and have a huge effect on combating the climate crisis) and save up to 8 million lives by 2050. (Most of us already know a diet high in red meat contributes to obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other health issues.)

There are many ways to incorporate a more vegan mindset into your lifestyle and family meal plans, but one of the simplest—and our most liked—is to initiate “Meatless Monday.” This isn’t a new concept—it’s been around since World War I when it was introduced to reduce consumption and ultimately help the war effort. These days, it’s something millions of people around the world follow this weekly mealtime routine, and experts tout its dozens of benefits. For example, eating a plant-based diet just once a week saves more than 130 gallons of water with each meal, and it reduces your carbon footprint by eight pounds. (And if that doesn’t inspire you, trying Meatless Mondays will save you money on groceries!)

Ready to give it a shot? We picked four of our no-fail vegetable-forward Kidco Kitchen recipes to try for the next month of Mondays.

Sunshine Stew

Follow along with the video here. 

Hip Hawaiian Fillet

Follow along with the video here. 

Bean & Butternut Squash Tagine

Follow along with the video here. 

Oh-La-La Orange Tofu

Follow along with the video here. 

You can find more delicious vegetarian meals your whole family will love (yes, even your pickiest eaters) here. 

Join us for a social media challenge and recreate these recipes at home every Monday during the month of December. Tag us using #KidcoMeatlessMondayChallenge on Instagram.

Posted on: Wednesday November 29th, 2023

Posted by: Kids & Company