Vegetarian Month

October is Vegetarian Month!

For more and more people, vegetarianism is becoming a way of life. It's not just a diet, but a way to preserve our natural resources and respect the lives of animals. If you think vegetarianism might be for you, try it out this month! Even if you don't plan on leading a vegetarian lifestyle, trying non-meat dishes could be a nice break from the norm.

History of Vegetarian Month

Throughout the last few years there has been an uptick in eating green and has become a growing trend throughout the US with vegetarian exclusive restaurants popping up everywhere. This day sprouted from World Vegetarian Day and was established by the North American Society on October 1st, 1977, but this diet goes way back and has been around since before recorded history!

As more people have adopted the herbivore lifestyle restaurants have been experimenting with fast food style options, hot dog food trucks, take home holiday meals with traditional favorites, and a variety of faux meat options to include in their menus. These businesses are doing such a good job replicating the real deal that it’s even grabbing the attention from meat eaters and creating less of a divide between the two diets. People of all ages are flocking to these vegetarian friendly establishments and it’s quickly becoming the new norm to make sure there are at least few vegetarian friendly options on even the most meat heavy menus. National Vegetarian month is a great way to celebrate how far the acceptance of vegetarianism has come and to open the minds of those willing to try something new.

Ways to Celebrate Vegetarian Month

Since the beginning of time, food has brought people together. A great way to celebrate National Vegetarian month is to try out a local vegetarian restaurant with friends and family or try out a vegetarian recipe at home.

Editor's favorite: Walnut taco for a fun Taco Tuesday. Not only are walnuts packed with healthy fats including omega-3 fatty acids, but are also a filling meat alternative.

Walnut Taco Recipe

What you’ll need

• Taco shells
• ½ cups of walnuts
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp cumin
• ½ tsp chili powder
• 1 tbs tamari or soy sauce

Toppings

• Red cabbage
• Lettuce
• Chopped white onion
• Cilantro Cotija cheese (mexican blend or mild cheddar will work too)

Instructions

1. Put walnuts in a food processor and mix until they have a ground beef consistency.
2. Put mixture in bowl and stir in seasonings and tamari (or soy sauce)
3. Fill taco shells with the meaty walnut mixture and add toppings! Enjoy!

How Vegetarian Month Unites People

Vegetarian Month is a great way to bring friends and family together and bond over vegetarian meals and learn more about the lifestyle. Who knows, meat eaters in the group may want to give being vegetarianism a try and see if it works for them!