If you’re an observant Jew, you are probably very well aware that “the 9 days” are coming. For those who aren’t familiar, the 9 days of mourning are a period of time in the summer when Jews mourn the destruction of the temple in various ways – one of which is not eating meat.
I personally have a really difficult time of it, as chicken is my supper pretty much every night. I don’t touch fish, and diets and pasta don’t go well together. So I figured I would gather together a few of the recipes I will be making for the 9 days. If I need them, I am sure some of you do as well!
So whether you are a Jew looking for “9 days” ideas, or you’re simply looking to cut down on your meat consumption, check out the following 9 delicious recipes!
1) Mini Quinoa Pizza: I came up with this idea during the 9 days last year, and it’s one of my favorites! It’s gluten free, so it’s extra awesome for non-gluten folks! It’s basically everything you love about pizza…but so much healthier!
2) Spinach and Chickpea Veggie Burgers: These fun veggie burgers are totally different and easy enough to make – one of my favorites!
3) Roasted Vegetable Chickpea Salad: This is one of my all-time favorite meatless meals. It takes just minutes to prepare, yet it’s seriously delicious. Serve it over brown-rice for a healthy and complete meal!
4) Spaghetti Cheese and Spinach Pie: This fun supper dish is so yummy, your family will not notice that it’s crammed full of veggies and not actually that bad for them!
5) Grilled Vegetable and Pesto Panini: Raise your hand if you love grilled cheese! Me too. This delicious take on grilled cheese will definitely make you feel like you’re having something far less typical and boring.
6) Vegetarian Black Bean Burgers: Good old fashioned veggie burgers are always a great meatless option, and this black bean variety is a fabulous option.
7) Healthy Cottage Cheese Pancakes: Breakfast for dinner? Why not? These pancakes actually contain protein, and are surprisingly not-bad for you! (Chocolate variety here.)
8) Healthy Quiche Cups: One of the first ever posts on this blog, and still one of my favorites. If quiche crust is too unhealthy for you, try this clever version! (Guess what I use instead of a crust?)
9) Black Bean, Corn and Mango Quinoa Salad: Quinoa has protein, and so do the beans in this quinoa salad! This simple and delicious salad screams “summer!”
Your spinach spaghetti pie caught my eye when it first went live, and I still need to try it!
What a great collection of ideas. Thank you
Great ideas – I’ve pinned those quinoa pizzas to try! They sound delicious!!
What I love about your veggie burgers is that one only has to fry them; every other one I come across says to fry then finish in the oven, which I never want to do since I think that sucks out the moisture. Thanks for sharing!
My dad’s a vegetarian and it gets really hard for my mom and I to keep coming up with meal ideas for him. These all sound great! He’ll especially love the black bean burgers – can’t wait to try them out!
Thanks for this list, Miriam. I’m always looking to incorporate more vegetarian meals into my diet.
As a vegetarian for five years who only recently started eating meat (I’m living in Latin America for the summer and then Spain for the fall, so vegetarianism wouldn’t really fly) I love this list! Can’t wait to try #1 🙂