Considering Meatless Mondays?

It seems to be the hot new thing...going meatless one day a week. Coincidentally, since it's Lent for many people, the notion has received rave reviews from nutritionists and weight-loss coaches.

Why go meatless? According to http://www.meatlessmondays.com/, going meatless once a week may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also help reduce your carbon footprint and save precious resources like fresh water and fossil fuel.

It could, in theory, help you in many areas. That is based, of course, upon your eating healthy alternatives, not fried, greasy, cheesy ones. Eggs, legumes, nuts, seeds and vegetables are all good alternatives.

If you wonder what you would have for dinner on a meatless night, how about red beans and rice? Or black bean and jack cheese burritos? Or maybe a protein-packed egg dish, like Eggs Pipérade?

Whether you want to ditch meat one night a week or not, consider giving this recipe a try. It is delicious, quick and easy!

Eggs Pipérade

Pipérade originally comes from the Basque region of France, which influenced modern Creole cooking. This egg version resembles a frittata and highlights pipérade’s quintessential combination of onion, tomato and bell pepper. This recipe comes from myrecipes.com.

Serves 4



1 teaspoon olive oil

3/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped

3/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes or until bell peppers begin to soften and garlic becomes fragrant.

Add thyme, salt, ground red pepper and tomatoes to the pan. Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook 7 minutes or until bell peppers are tender.

Uncover and cook 1 minute or until liquid almost evaporates. Gently stir in lightly beaten eggs, cover, and cook 3 minutes or until set.

Serves garnished with parsley. Cut into wedges and enjoy.

Nutritional Information:

Amount per Serving


Calories: 134

Calories from Fat: 62

Total Fat: 6.8g

Saturated Fat: 1.8g

Cholesterol: 10.7g

Sodium: 476mg

Total Carbohydrates: 10.7g

Dietary Fiber: 1.4g

Protein: 8.1g