Meatless Monday

Have you heard of  the new “Meatless Monday” trend? An NPR  segment this morning reported on the movement to encourage people to go vegetarian one day a week.

According to “Meatless Monday” founder Sid Lerner, the goal is to “…help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”

On the other side of the pond (in England), long-time vegetarian Sir Paul McCartney is advocating “Meat-Free Monday.”  So it appears the movement is going global.

One question people often ask is, “Well, what goes in that big space on the plate where the meat used to be?”  Here’s yet another instance where Google is our friend.  Just type any combo of veggies, grains, beans etc.  into the search (whatever you happen to have on hand), followed by the word “recipe,” and see the results.  Endless possibilities!

Here are some of my favorite local eateries offering vegetarian dishes:

• Grilla Bites, 196 Cohasset Rd. (behind Golden Valley Bank, near Esplanade) – I love their veggie loaf with mashed potatoes, and always a good selection of great soups.
• Upper Crust, 130 Main St. – In addition to killer pastries, there are interesting sandwiches, grain/veggie salad combos (you can combine and pay by weight) and good coffee & tea.
• Crepe Cafe, 995 Nord Ave. – I’ve only been here once, but my “Greek” crepe was very tasty, and the owner is a super friendly guy who didn’t mind when I practiced my very basic French with him.
• Cafe Flo, 365 E. 6th St. – Fun & funky, this has long been one of my Chico favorites.  New-ish owners have made some nice improvements, especially to the back patio.  They like to buy fresh from local farmers & often have live music and even the occasional puppet show.
• Priya, 2754 Esplanade – Conveniently located just down the street from my office!  We love their buffet.  Best Indian food north of Yuba City.
• Thai Basil, 121 Broadway – This places gets my “Mmmmmmm” award, hands down.  I have yet to try a dish I didn’t like!  Don’t be afraid of Thai food–it’s not necessarily “too” spicy–you can request “mild.”
• Chico Natural Foods, 818 Main St. – If you’re on the run and in the downtown area, CNF has a fridge full of interesting, tasty and nutritious sandwiches, salads and marinated tofu (come one, try it!).

As my boys grew up hearing from me:  “Your body needs green things!”