A Meatless Recipe

In the past week or so I've come around to the idea of cutting back on our meat consumption. My husband has pretty emphatically told me in the past that he is a carnivore - there must be meat in every meal. Nevertheless, I started thinking maybe I could twist his arm once a week, or even once a month!

Last week I made "spaghetti and meatballs" using sausage and spaghetti squash. My husband isn't a big fan of squash (while I love all squash) but he really liked this unique recipe. His biggest problem with squash is the texture, and spaghetti squash isn't really your typical squash.

Since he commandeered my Italian sausage I decided to try my recipe again as a totally meat-free meal.

First I cut up a portabella mushroom into long strips and set them marinating in the fridge. I marinated them in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning, and powdered garlic. I also chopped up the stems into smaller pieces - no reason to let them go to waste!

I sautéed some chopped red bell pepper and then added in coarsely chopped red kale and a ton of chopped garlic. I stirred in some hot cooked spaghetti squash and removed from the heat so that the kale wouldn't cook itself into non-existence.


Then I sautéed my portabellas. Not too long - you want to keep them meaty! I served these over my "spaghetti" and it was delicious!


My husband was slightly less enthused than me. He gave me that look and said "You know I need meat." But does he? Do we really need meat with every meal?


He still loved it, and I'm so happy with the way he's come around to mushrooms since we first started dating. I'm also pretty sure he didn't wither away, but he does claim they didn't fill him up. I don't want dinner to be a war, and it got me thinking that I can easily cut down on our meat consumption by cutting down on my meat consumption. I can eat meatless meals (like this one) and still cut up a sausage for my husband's meal.


I can also use half the meat I normally would and beef a meal up with mushrooms or beans or other protein substitutes, with both of us eating meat but half of what we normally would. This will be both easier on our budget, and more environmentally sustainable!


Wish me luck ;)