Meatless Monday is Back!

Meatless Monday is a non-profit initiative of The Monday Campaigns, in association with the Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health. Our goal is to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.

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.

After a brief hiatus, I am returning to my weekly Meatless Monday post, but on this blog instead of Judi's Mind Over Matter.  It didn't take me long to decide on the following recipe:  Zucchini Garbanzo Tacos With Caramelized Onions at VegWeb.com, submitted by Amber411. Thanks Amber!

I'll be the first to admit that unless I get out a measuring tape that nothing chopped, diced, or sliced will be of equal size even though I try very hard.  I added the spices here so you wouldn't see the varying slices and dices.

I didn't actually try this as a 'taco' but it could have been done easily, just maybe a little messier to eat. (Geez, I obviously had an onion slice trying to escape in this photo.)

A balanced meal of protein, vegetables, a good Vitamin C source (red bell pepper), carbohydrates, and a smidgen of dairy from the sour cream.  I must admit it tasted much, much better than I thought it would.  Here's the recipe:

Zucchini Garbanzo Tacos With Caramelized Onions
Ingredients:
6-8 corn or flour tortillas
3-4 medium zucchini
4 Tbsp olive or canola oil
1 Tbsp Cumin
2 tsp Chili Powder
Salt
Pepper
1 red onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 green or red bell pepper
1 bunch of cilantro
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
3 green onions
1 can Garbanzo beans

Directions:

1. Slice red onion and heat 2 Tbsp of the oil in a sauté or sauce pan. When hot, add onions. Stir until translucent season with salt and pepper. Turn down heat and cover, stir occasionally. (You can tell when they are done if they are soft and sweet. )

2. Quarter the zucchini, dice the bell pepper and mince the garlic. Place in a bowl and add 1Tbsp of oil, cumin, chili powder, and salt to taste. Stir coating all of the vegetables. Let sit for about 10 minutes.

3. In the meantime, drain garbanzo beans and place in separate bowl. Chop cilantro, slice green onions and add to garbanzo beans along with the lemon juice. (You may season with a little salt and pepper depending on your preference or if the beans were stored in a can with added salt.) Toss well.

4. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp of oil in a pan and sauté zucchini and bell pepper until tender.

To serve: Warm tortillas over stove then add zucchini mixture and garbanzo bean mixture. Top with caramelized onions.  May also top with guacamole, salsa, vegan sour cream, soy cheese.

Happy and Healthy Eating!