7 Delicious Ways to Go Vegetarian for Earth Day—and the Rest of This Week

This year’s Earth Day theme is “Planet vs. Plastic” and while we strongly encourage you to reduce the number of single-use plastics in your life (say, by investing in a cool reusable water bottle), that’s certainly not the only thing that you can do to combat climate change.

It’s widely known that cutting down on your meat consumption also helps—so we’ve gone ahead and put a few of our favourite vegetarian and plant-based recipes all in one place for you. You may try them in celebration of Earth Day, but we bet you’ll go back to them again and again. They’re that delicious.

Monday: Cheesy Chipotle Quinoa Bake

This might just be the perfect comfort-food dish. Made with quinoa, beans, corn and aged cheddar, it’s hot and cheesy—but not overly indulgent. In other words: you can go back for seconds without feeling too stuffed. That said, recipe developer Bri Beaudoin swears the leftovers taste just as good. Bonus: it’s all cooked in one pot for easy cleanup.

Tuesday: Broccolini and Snap Pea Salad with Tahini-Soy Dressing

Salads can sometimes be a little one-note, but that’s not the case with this recipe from Gather: A Dirty Apron Cookbook by chef David Robertson. Broccolini (which is more tender than broccoli) and snap peas provide just the right amount of bite while the tahini-soy dressing adds a creamy, nutty flavour you won’t be able to get enough of.

Wednesday: Mushroom Bolognese on Spaghetti Squash

We’ll be honest: this recipe from Tracey Kusiewicz is nothing like a traditional bolognese—it’s missing both meat and noodles. But it’s so good, you’ll hardly notice. Made with portobello mushrooms, dried porcini mushrooms and oven-roasted tomatoes, the sauce is packed with umami flavour. Don’t forget to finish it off with a sprinkling of homemade vegan “cheese” (a mix of cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and salt).

Thursday: Mushroom, Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Pizza

This might be an unpopular opinion… but I think vegetarian pizzas are way more delicious than their meat-topped counterparts. If you don’t already agree with me, try this recipe from Lisa Ahier. It features both a red sauce and a pesto, sweet caramelized onions, earthy mushrooms and tangy goat cheese. No matter how you slice it, this pizza is tasty.

Friday: Roasted Cauliflower with Romesco Sauce

Celebrate reaching the end of the work week with this visually stunning dish from former WL Foodie of the Year and current Michelin-starred chef, J-C Poirier. Despite being the main ingredient, the cauliflower is simply seasoned with just olive oil, salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Roasting it whole is one of the things that makes this dish so impressive; the smoky romesco sauce and fresh herb salad help, too.

Saturday: BBQ Pulled Jackfruit Sandwich

This pulled jackfruit sandwich from Lawren Moneta looks messy, but packing up this bad boy for a picnic is actually super clean and easy. All the components can be made in advance for easy transport and then assembled whenever (and wherever!) you choose. So what are you waiting for? Use Earth Day and this vegetarian recipe as an excuse to dine al fresco at your local beach or park.

Sunday: Plant Protein Bowl with Almond-Butter Sauce

Eating your veggies is easy when they taste this good. Brian and Christina Skinner of Frankie We Salute You!, a plant-based restaurant in Kelowna, B.C., packed a ton of flavour and protein into this bowl. Start with a base of quinoa, tofu, tempeh and hemp seeds and then garnish to your heart’s content. The chefs recommend sliced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, cabbage and pickled vegetables, but the sky’s the limit.