The Part-time Vegetarian
Becoming a "part-time" vegetarian is easier than you think. While you can still eat meat, you can eat vegetarian meals throughout the week. One simple way is to order vegetarian entrees at restaurants. This will give you new ideas for making meatless dishes at home.
Becoming a part-time vegetarian comes with a slew of benefits. It often costs less to prepare meatless dishes, it helps the environment when we eat more plant-based meals, and then there's the health advantage.

Besides reducing the saturated fat content of your diet, a meatless day or two each week, has other benefits,vegetarian diet are lower in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. They also tend to include more of the beneficial nutrients found in plant foods, like vitamin A and C, potassium, fiber, and phytonutrients like beta-carotene and lycopene.

There's never been a better time to eat meatless meals, whether you do it part time or all the time. Today's supermarkets have many healthful and creative options, including meatless convenience Items you can keep in your freezer for those action-packed weeknights.

Here are seven more meatless dishes to appeal even to the chronically carnivorous:

Beans make great meat replacements, probably because they're super-satisfying with high amounts of protein and fiber. You might not notice the meat's missing when you dine on chili bursting with beans. A bean burrito makes a fine meal, and vegetable stew can be quite filling when you add beans.

Veggie pot pie, featuring potatoes, peas, mushrooms and any other vegetables with a vegetarian gravy and a vegetarian pie crust (if desired).

Mexican dishes featuring beans and veggies instead of beef and chicken: burritos, nachos, enchiladas, etc.

Stir-fry up some Chinese entrées with veggies and tofu, and serve atop rice or noodles.

Stuff bell peppers with a mixture of rice with spices and vegetables. Add vegetarian sausage, tofu, or beans to make the dish more satisfying.

Layer your lasagna with veggies, not meat. Lasagna has so much going for it (sauce, cheese, noodles, spices, etc.) that you won't miss the meat. You can do the same with other pasta dishes, too. Macaroni & cheese doesn't need meat to pass muster. Neither does fettuccine Alfredo, nor cheese tortellini with pesto or marinara sauce.

Substitute hearty vegetables that have substantial texture and a rich, satisfying flavor (like eggplant, spinach, portabella mushrooms, zucchini) for the meat in your favorite dishes. Thick slices of broiled eggplant can replace chicken in eggplant parmesan, and spinach can stand in for ground beef in lasagna. Tofu can take the place of beef in chili. A grilled portabella mushroom served on a bun can even take the place of a burger.


Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
Journal as: 1/4 cup "starchy foods and legumes with fat" + 1/2 cup "vegetables with 1 teaspoon fat maximum"
15-ounce can chickpeas (or garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed1 cucumber, unpeeled and finely chopped1 cup grape tomatoes, halved1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil4 ounces fresh mozzarella, finely diced or cubed1 tablespoon olive oil2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar1/4 teaspoon salt
Add chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, garlic, parsley, basil, and mozzarella to medium serving bowl.
Drizzle olive oil, vinegar, and salt over the top, and toss all ingredients well to combine.
Cover bowl and refrigerate at least 1 hour to let flavors blend.
Yield: 6 side servings
Per serving: 153 calories, 9 g protein, 15 g carbohydrate, 6.5 g fat, 2.5 g saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 2.5 g fiber, 197 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 38%.