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Meat Free and Magnificent

Mediterranean Tomato Basil Bisque

We all know I am a huge fan of eating meat. There is nothing more satisfying to me than a steak off the grill or a nice juicy hamburger. Oh, who am I kidding. I haven’t met a meat dish I haven’t liked! But, someone told me that October 1st is National Vegetarian Day. So in honor of that, I thought I would take a look at some of the wonderful meat-free recipes you wonderful home cooks have shared on Just A Pinch.

Connie “Kiyu” Guerrero shared her recipe for Three Cheese Stuffed Shells that is super flavorful, delightfully creamy and a wonderful meatless entree. Even the biggest meat lover will eat this one up. “The three different cheeses just makes it so delicious,” says Connie. “… you [will] want to eat more and more of it.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. Delish.

Tasha Kaye has a recipe for Vegan Chili that tickled this chili lovers taste buds. Her chili has all the flavor and heartiness that you look for in a chili, minus the meat. The cumin, garlic, beans and peppers make you think you are enjoying a traditional chili. Trust me, you’ll never even miss the meat in this dish.

I also didn’t miss the meat in Shirley Schiavone’s Roasted Vegetable & Boursin Pie. “[I] made this when my stepson came to visit.” explains Shirley. “It’s a spin off of another recipe.” I just love this fresh approach to a pot pie – and believe me, I’ve eaten a few pot pies in my day! The cheese and veggies are absolutely scrumptious.

And you know what else is tasty? Debbie Thurmond’s Mediterranean Tomato Basil Bisque. To me, this just demands eating a gooey grilled cheese with it. Debbie isn’t “too much of a tomato soup fan [but just] loves this wonderful soup.” I love her addition of buttermilk to the recipe. It adds a wonderfully rich flavor and texture. Perfect for those cooler evenings that are setting in.

Another recipe that would be wonderful for this time of year is Chiara Ferrante’s Creamy Vegan Asparagus Soup. Chiara recommends “[finding] as thick of an almond milk as you can. Otherwise, a non-dairy heavy cream substitute will do.” The thicker the milk, the thicker this soup will turn out. This soup was very creamy, and delicious. I added a healthy amount of the cumin as Chiara suggests, and I was just amazed at how much I enjoyed this vegan “cream” soup.

There really are so many yummy vegetarian recipes out there and I encourage you to check them out. Many of us have done Meatless Monday in the past. This week, I thought we could switch things up. Maybe we can start “Try Something New Tuesday?”