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Chef Antoine Westermann of NYC’s Le Coq Rico Endorses Meatless Monday ›

His mother had 365 different ways of cooking vegetables. Now, Chef Antoine Westermann of Le Coq Rico, shares his family’s culinary wisdom with meatless diners. Opened in New York City in 2016, “Le Coq Rico” translates to “The Bistro of Beautiful Birds” and was created to be a celebration of poultry. His other passions include sustainability and the Slow Food Movement – both of which are closely aligned with Meatless Monday. Now, every Monday for lunch, Westermann features a meatless special on his menu as the Plats du Jour, or dish of the day.

We asked Chef Westermann about his decision to bring Meatless Monday to Le Coq Rico.

No pun intended, but people flock to Le Coq Rico for the poultry dishes. What has the response been to the introduction of Meatless Monday?

Honestly, I thought about what I eat myself. I often eat meals without meat. In fact, if I’m not sure about the quality and origins of the meat available, I leave it, and elect to cook a vegetable dish instead.

Beyond this, I’m simply a vegetable lover. I have my own vegetable and herb garden. I was also raised in a family where vegetables were at the table for every dish.  My mother had more than 365 ways of cooking them, and she inspired me a lot. I could say vegetables are in my culinary roots!

As a chef who specializes in serving poultry, what led you to the decision to introduce Meatless Monday in your restaurant?

Without a doubt, I’m a poultry obsessee and have been forever. However, in my previous culinary life as a 3 Michelin-star chef, I used to work hand-in-hand with my gardeners [growing vegetables]. That was fascinating to me. Later, when I opened a bistro in Paris in 2003, Mon Vieil Ami, I decided to make the concept a tribute to my mother’s vegetable-focused cuisine. As I mentioned, she had so many recipes for vegetables. She could cook a different one every day! The bistro became very popular. So, when I heard about Meatless Monday I was immediately in!

What other ways do you practice sustainability at your restaurants? How does it factor in to how your restaurants are run?

My entire team is very sensitive to sustainability in their daily activities from the kitchen to the floor management. We work with farmers and producers at Union Square Green Market (in New York City) for greens and vegetables. For cheese, we work with Aissa O’Neil of Betty Acres Farm. We have personal relationships with all of our producers. But it’s still a work in progress, we’re always looking for ways to become more sustainable.

Will Meatless Monday be coming to your Paris location? Do you expect the same kind of response as the one you received in New York?

We really want to work with Meatless Monday in Paris! I think it’ll be coming to that menu soon…

When you create a meatless dish, what ingredients are your favorites to work with?

Vegetables are a world unto themselves and I really love to play with all of them. There’s such a diversity of flavor! I love slow cooking them, steaming them, poaching them, and experimenting with ways to highlight and increase their natural flavor. I love giving these flavors a small twist. For instance, steamed carrots served hot with a vinaigrette made with walnut oil and apple vinegar topped with roasted hazelnuts. That’s heaven to me!

We’re excited to share Chef Westermann’s Meatless Monday Plat Du Jour recipe, Seasonal Vegetable Baeckeoffe.  Try it at home on Meatless Monday. Take a photo, post it to social, use #MeatlessMonday and tag us @MeatlessMonday to let us know what you think!

Postmates Celebrates Earth Day with Meatless Monday ›

On Sunday, April 22 we celebrated the 48th annual Earth Day. It turns out educating ourselves while taking action is the best way to impact positive change, for us and future generations. One of the easiest ways to take action and support the efforts of Earth Day is by practicing Meatless Monday. According to the folks organizing Earth Day, “If we want to make a real dent in the world’s carbon footprint and reduce our own personal footprint, we need to eat less meat.”

This Earth Day, we’ve partnered with Postmates to bring Meatless Monday right to your door. Now, taking action to go meatless is literally at your fingertips from the Postmates website or the iOS or Android app. Meatless Monday will go live at Postmates on April 23 across all platforms.

“On the first Monday of each month, Postmates provides meatless catering to employees in both our San Francisco headquarters and our Nashville Customer Service and Operations office. We are excited to amplify our own efforts to institute Meatless Monday by sharing great vegetarian and vegan restaurants with our customers,” said Disney Petit, Civic Labs Manager, Postmates. “We’ll have an Earth Day category live in all Postmates cities this Monday, April 23, to push the spirit of Earth Day forward as we work to reduce our impact on climate change.”

Postmates helps people unlock the best of their cities and their lives, with a reliable on-demand “anything” network. Launched in 2011, Postmates has the largest on-demand delivery fleet in the U.S. of more than 160,000 Postmates operating in more than 50 U.S. metropolitan markets. It provides access to over 250,000 merchants and is headquartered in San Francisco, with 550 employees.

Starting April 23, enjoy the health benefits of a plant-based meal from a Postmates merchant. Order a delicious Pesto Meatball Sandwich from By Chloe or a tangy Super Taco Salad from Veggie Grill or any number of great spots in your city!

Feel good about your choice to go meatless this Monday and every week. By refraining from eating meat one day a week you directly reduce the effects of greenhouse gases, save water, and lessen deforestation and the accelerated loss of rainforests. The more we find out about the strain meat production is putting on the environment, the more significant skipping meat once a week becomes.

Keep the good Earth Day vibes flowing by ordering a meatless meal from Postmates starting April 23, and every Monday moving forward.

Universities Get Inspired Introducing Meatless Monday ›

Heading back to school from spring break? School cafeterias are making some changes for good. Whether it’s about the planet or your diet, Meatless Monday is a simple and easy way your everyday choices make a positive impact. Here’s a roundup of several universities going meatless once a week or once a month.

Pepperdine University –  Malibu, California

Students at Pepperdine are winning by making positive change. Participants in Meatless Monday can win a gift card to a local vegetarian restaurant when they snap a picture of their meatless meal served in the school’s cafeteria, tag it #MeatlessMonday, and post it on Instagram. It’s a delicious way to make a difference.

Eastern Michigan University –  Ypsilanti, Michigan

Kicking off a campaign to bring sustainability practices into the spotlight, Eastern Michigan University included Meatless Monday in a package of efforts, which included Technology Tuesday, Waste Wednesday, and Thirsty Thursday. Spokesperson Eric Robinson says, “Getting people to eat less meat isn’t about convincing everyone in the world to go vegan, but every little bit helps.”

University of Iowa – Iowa City, Iowa

Preparing more vegetarian and vegan options the first Monday of the month is part of the Climate for Change Campaign, launched this spring semester at the University of Iowa. Spokesperson Abigail Simon explains, “The purpose of the initiative is to encourage students to look at the environmental cost of meat.”

Kwatlen Polytechnic University – Surrey, British Columbia

The food service company Sodexo and Kwatlen Polytechnic University joined forces to launch Meatless Monday as part of their “Let’s Be Compassionate” campaign. To educate diners, appealing menu items like wraps, chili, and hummus with pita chips were offered to sample along with information on the preventative health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Florida State University – Tallahassee, Florida

Florida State University got creative on World Water Day. An initiative to become a “bottled water free campus” was an opportunity to educate students on reusable water bottles, coastal conservation, and introduce Meatless Monday. To motivate students to participate, some restaurants on campus offered a dollar off the price of a meatless meal. Organizers of the event were connecting the dots with Meatless Monday and water conservation, recognizing the impact of a simple decision with many positive returns.

Did your school make the list? Meatless Monday is implemented in colleges and universities across the globe and is getting more popular. Students or faculty who are interested in learning more about sustainable, healthy food and how to get your school on board, take a look at our implementation guide and get in touch with us at info@meatlessmonday.com!

Do Your Part on World Health Day by Practicing Meatless Monday ›

World Health Day is April 7 and the main message coming from the World Health Organization is all about universal health coverage. One way to “cover” yourself by preventing a variety of health conditions is to swap out meat for plant-based foods once a week. Part of Meatless Monday’s mission is to help you improve your physical health – and it’s easy!

Research by Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future shows that consuming more plant-based foods can yield a variety of health benefits that can keep you healthy for a long time. The antioxidants found in fruits, vegetables, and legumes are great for maintaining and improving cardiovascular health. Eating plants is a perfect way to help prevent heart disease, which affects people of varying ages and ethnicities around the world.

Cutting down on red meat has also been shown to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. The American Diabetes Association suggests cutting down on red and processed meat because of their higher saturated fat content. Plant-based proteins, on the other hand, contain more healthy fats and fiber. By reducing your intake of red meat, even by just half a serving, you can reduce your risk of diabetes by 15 percent.

It turns out that adding more plant-based foods to your diet can be a great form of preventive health care! Eating more plants will also help you manage your weight – especially if you swap in hummus or chickpeas as a protein source – and avoid eating too much protein.

Plant-based diets are linked to longevity, giving you more quality years to spend with family, friends, and all that life has to offer. By going meatless just once a week, you can add those years to your life. We have some great recipes to try for Meatless Monday, so start building a longer, healthier life today!

Hotdish: Make a Vegetarian Version of the Midwestern Classic for Meatless Monday ›

Midwestern Meatless Monday lovers will be excited to know that we’ll be discussing a dish very dear to their hearts: hotdish. The comfort food staple has been around for decades and is known for its delicious but less-than-healthy reputation. But it’s also known for being one of the most flexible dishes that can be easily transformed into lighter, more nutritious fare. There is just one cardinal rule to keep in mind: Don’t call it a casserole.

The traditional hotdish generally consists of canned soup (such as cream of mushroom), ground beef, frozen or canned vegetables, and a topping of crunchy tater tots. It was designed to feed entire families while sticking to a budget – important during the early 20^th century. A meal similar to hotdish was first mentioned during World War I, when the country was spreading its “Food Will Win the War” campaign to conserve food on the home front so soldiers would have food abroad. This was actually the first Meatless Monday campaign, which was revived in 2003 by Sid Lerner as a public health and environmental initiative.

Today, Meatless Monday is on an even bigger mission – asking people to forego meat once a week as a way to improve their personal health and the health of the planet. While the traditional hotdish recipe calls for meat, it’s very easy to make a great version of hotdish without it. We asked Meatless Monday bloggers to give us their best meatless hotdish recipes.

And yes, some of them might call them casseroles. But they’re hot, they’re dishes, and they combine the great flavors of comfort food with inexpensive ingredients!

Vegetarian Tater Tot Hotdish | Fork in the Kitchen

Sweet Potato Casserole with Black Beans, Kale, and Buckwheat | Happy Kitchen Rocks

Tuscan Quinoa Casserole | My Plate 2 Yours

These vegetarian hotdishes are a great way to wrap up the winter. If you have a go-to meatless hotdish recipe, share it with us on social media and tag #MeatlessMonday!

Meatless Monday Is One of Many Ways to Celebrate World Water Day! ›

Meatless Monday is always excited to bring you great plant-based recipes that are delicious and healthy. But another reason to go meat-free one day a week is for the health of the planet! March 22 is World Water Day, a global day of recognition to spread awareness of ways to preserve the world’s water supply. There are many nature-based solutions that support this worldwide mission, but one thing you and your family can do is practice Meatless Monday!

If you’re wondering what effect Meatless Monday has on the world’s water, consider the following fact: One quarter-pound of beef requires 425 gallons of water to produce. That’s equivalent to 10 bathtubs of water for every quarter-pound hamburger consumed. Animals need water to drink and their feed requires water as well. In the case of beef, cattle need the most water out of all the other livestock raised because of their size. This results in a big water footprint for beef – and a big impact on the environment.

Plants, on the other hand, don’t need as much water. To use soy as an example, it takes about 75 gallons of water to produce a quarter-pound of soy.

Why is water usage such a concern when it comes to the environment? In a world of climate change and a growing population, water can become scarce. Different parts of the world are becoming increasingly unable to keep up with growing demand for water. This is why it’s important to conserve water by using less of it.

Skipping meat one day a week is a great way to do your part to save some water! Even one day a week without meat can make a difference in your own water footprint.

For more information about how Meatless Monday is great for your health and the environment, visit our research page. And on March 22, show your followers that you support World Water Day by sharing our water graphics on social media!

Tap into the Power of Plants with Meatless Monday’s Plant Protein Power! ›

One of the frequent questions posed by people choosing to eat meatless foods on Meatless Monday is “Will they get enough protein?” Indeed, it’s possible to easily get a full day’s protein without eating meat, and plant-based protein is an excellent choice. Meatless Monday is thrilled to announce our Plant Protein Power package, which outlines how easy and healthy it is to choose plant proteins!

With our team of experts at Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, Meatless Monday has put together a run-down of how plants can replace animal-based protein sources and the best plants for the job. Plant protein is filled with nutrients and fiber that help strengthen and repair muscles, even in high-performance athletes. Americans also eat 1 ½ times more protein than they need each day. By switching to plant-based protein, you can also avoid eating too much protein, which can lead to health issues down the road such as osteoporosis, cancer, and kidney stones.

In addition to its health benefits, following a more plant-based diet is also great for the environment! Plant-based food choices can save water, conserve energy, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By cutting down on meat once a week, you can make a difference for the health of the planet.

Plant-based protein sources like grains, beans, and veggies can also cost less than meat, making your Meatless Monday a healthy choice for your wallet!

Plant Protein Power has valuable, research-based and scientifically sound information about incorporating more plant-based foods into diet. When you’re planning a Meatless Monday meal, this is a guide that gives you many healthy and delicious alternatives to meat.

Spread the word on Plant Protein Power this Monday! Download the free package and post our free digital assets, signage, and posters in your school, office, or dining area or on your social media pages. Going plant-based is easy, healthy, and powerful!

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SPOTLIGHT on Meatless Monday Ambassador Sophie Sonnenfeld ›

Meet 15-year-old Sophie Sonnenfeld, a ninth grader from Hopkins School in New Haven, CT. With her classmate Jack Kealey, she accomplished her mission last year to bring Meatless Monday options to her school cafeteria and keep it going.

We caught up with Sophie to find out how she began her successful Meatless Monday campaign.

How did you hear about Meatless Monday?

I heard about Meatless Monday when I was in sixth grade and was reading about the Yale Humane Society’s campaign.

What inspired you to create your own campaign to get your classmates to pledge to do Meatless Monday?

I had never heard of anything like it before that was so simple and effective a way to help protect animals, our planet, and our health. After I worked with the Yale Humane Society collecting pledges on weekends at Yale dining halls, signing up 10 percent of Yale College, and I became more confident and familiar with the campaign elements, I decided to bring it to my K-9 school, The Foote School, and subsequently to my high school, Hopkins School.

How do you communicate to people that Meatless Monday is easy to try and benefits their health and our environment?

When I collect pledges and discuss the movement with classmates, I always provide them with information and facts about the effects of participating. I encourage them to speak with fellow students who also participate passionately in avoiding meat one day a week. I also use materials like giant posters, backpack pins, stickers, flyers, school-wide emails to spread awareness around the schools. To keep Meatless Monday momentum going, I set up a weekly table outside the lunch room to collect pledges.

What type of resistance have you faced when approaching people about doing Meatless Monday? How did you handle it?

The resistance we primarily face is from big football players who are determined and vocal about their meat consumption. I am able to combat this by reminding them it is only one day a week and there are substitutes for protein that are better for our health. Who knows, if they embraced Meatless Monday, they may even win more games!

The Meatless Monday team at The Monday Campaigns is grateful for all your help in spreading the Meatless Monday movement. What ideas do you have to get more people like you to become Meatless Monday ambassadors?

Perhaps do more promotion targeted towards school-aged kids with educational programs that would visit the schools. I also suggest increased social media campaigning and getting celebrities involved.

Now that Meatless Monday is an option at Hopkins School’s cafeteria, Sophie has set her sights on inspiring other schools and restaurants in Connecticut. Watch out for Sophie! She’s passionate and persuasive – great traits to have as a Meatless Monday ambassador!

Hopkins School joins many other schools who participate in Meatless Monday. Last year, 15 New York City public schools jumped on the bandwagon and schools all around the country continue to adopt Meatless Monday to offer healthier choices in their cafeterias each week. If you want to learn more about bringing Meatless Monday to your school, dining hall, office, or organization, contact us for more information.