Movement Update

Hi, all and welcome back to Mondays are Meatless. We enjoyed a nice weekend Stateside, catching up with family and meeting the newest member of said clan, who is adorable. Now I'm back for another cycle of weekly recipes and just in the process of planning what great meal ideas to share with you. But first, there have been some great articles about the movement in the past two weeks that I wanted to share with you.

Media outlets in general were full of the great news that, according to a recent poll, over 50% of people polled were aware of the Meatless Monday concept and 27.5% were actively trying to reduce the amount of meat they eat, especially on Mondays. These are great numbers which confirm to us that a great idea doesn't need a huge marketing campaign, word of mouth will take it where it needs to go. The CBS Business Network (bnet) website featured a story on how they did this on a shoestring budget, with only a miniscule staff. Their poll says that 18% of the population are cutting out meat specifically on Mondays. 

Third Age (the biggest and best site for Boomer Women, apparently) featured their own story about the success of the movement, noting that this idea has many historical precedents. "Presidents Wilson, Truman and Roosevelt galvanized the nation with voluntary meatless days during both world wars." The New York Times ran a story showing how the MM is catching on in Aspen, Colardo, which is one of the meat-lovingest places in America. People there were able to sign up one restaurant at a time to make sure they featured a meatless offering every Monday. No big PR campaign, no media blitz... just door to door and face to face.

And finally, Duke University has posted a great little video about their success in promoting this movement across their campus. Take the two minutes to watch this, it's full of great sound bites. For example, the Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S. estimates that just cutting out meat for one day per week for one year saves 300 tonnes of carbon per person. Now don't you feel like you're having an impact? That is huge! 

They also mention how it can have social benefits, too, when people in the same office, family or social group all pull together to motivate each other, share recipes and get involved. This is an opportunity for you to do likewise. You can put it out there on facebook, talk to your friends or just forward the link to the blog to someone you think would be willing to make a change (check out our "sociable" section on the right hand side of the site). Many of you have already done this, sending interested new readers my way and I always appreciate it. Who doesn't want to save 300 tonnes on their carbon footprint? We're all in this together.

To that end, I am featuring another family favourite meatless recipe. This is another one that came home from Christina's immersion program in Trois Pistoles. Her host would always have a big bowl of this around and everybody would add a spoonful to their plates. For a gluten-free alternative, try using rice noodles instead and adjust cooking time accordingly. It is not a low calorie offering, I should warn you, but it's quick and easy and includes broccoli and nuts, so it is packed with some great nutrients. And every time we bring this dish to a social gathering, people ask us for the recipe. What else do you need to know? Delicious, nutritious and favouritious! This one's got it all.