Every New Year’s Day for the past few years — and by New Year’s Day, I of course mean, the first day of school — I’ve had the same resolution-y thought: We need to eat less meat in our house. It’s a low-rumbling call year-round, but something about September and the ramped-up schedules and textbook pile-ups on the kitchen counter makes it feel like we’re all in the right frame to do the hard work of changing courses. What usually happens, though, is after a few weeks of salad pizzas and black bean burritos, I end up falling back into my dinner default mode, which, for the most part could be described as “chicken thighs plus something.”
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For those of you who have been following along, you know that this past year was different and that we’ve dramatically cut back on our meat consumption. Why? Maybe it was because the kids are older and not only are they more likely to venture out of their comfort zones (read: tofu) but they are more invested in the formerly abstract idea of doing their part to combat climate change. Maybe it was because there are so many chefs and cookbook authors giving vegetables the star treatment and I’ve never been more inspired to spin an eggplant into dinner gold. Maybe it’s because so many of my friends are heading in the plant-based direction. Maybe it’s because Andy and I are getting older (and we’re watching our parents getting older) and dialing back on animal protein feels like the safest way to address our mid-life crises.
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Mostly, though, I think the reason why we’ve been able to stick to our vegetarian vow is because we came up with a real plan: We wouldn’t get rid of meat entirely (anyone who has spent time in this space knows how hard it would be for us to say goodbye to our pork chops and meat ragus and chicken dinners) but we would limit those dishes to weekends and special occasions. Then from Monday through Friday, my family of four would be The Weekday Vegetarians, which, in addition to sounding like the name of a folk-rock band at a small liberal arts college, will be the title of my next book.
And that’s my news! I’m working on the fourth book in my Dinner: A Love Story series and I couldn’t be more excited.
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Like the rest of my books, The Weekday Vegetarians will focus on dinner, it will cater to busy families, and the recipe development will happen in real time. In other words, every dish that makes the cut will be a meal that was served on a weeknight in the harsh light of real life, not in a studio or a test kitchen.
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As usual, I plan on documenting a lot of that real life here on Dinner: A Love Story and on instagram so be sure to follow along. While you’re at it, please please send me your own ideas and inspiration. After so many years of writing this blog, there’s one thing I know for sure: dinner is a lot more fun when we’re all in it together.
Last week’s dinner: Fried tofu tacos
Greens, greens, greens. We are eating a LOT of them these days.
As always, follow my progress on instagram.
Awesome! I’ve been wondering what you’ve been working on Although I don’t think we can go full on vegetarian, I would love meals that are veggie forward but that my picky kids and meat eating husband can all be happy. Love your blog and I have all your books! Please keep writing for the nyt too!
Yes! I’m so thrilled to hear this. We too have moved in this direction but too many times I fall back to animal proteins because I’m left stumped at 6:30pm on what to serve. Can’t wait to see the results.
Yay! Literally two days ago I pulled one of your cookbooks out to help me meal plan and thought to myself, “I know they’ve been eating more plant-based meals. I hope she writes a cookbook about that.”
Congrats! And I’m so excited!
I am right here with you on this journey to weekday vegetarianism, and so very glad that you are writing a book on it. I just said to my partner this weekend “we need to eat less meat!” and he asked when we last bought meat and neither of us could remember. So we’re doing it! But boy we could use ideas. So high fives and THANK YOU. We love your writing and your recipes.
LOVE this. My husband and I have been trying to reduce our meat consumption at dinner though not every weeknight but at least 2 nights a week and would like to expand to 4 or 5. For the love of God I need ideas so we don’t eat canned black beans doctored up with onion, avo, lime or eggs and greens every night. I love cooking, cook most nights in but I really never realized how meat dependent I was…chicken and veg, grilled flank steak and veg, pork and veg, meat tacos, sausage pasta. I am paralyzed by vegetarian meals! This is going to be great!!!
This makes me so happy!!! I’m a long-time vegetarian but also EXTREMELY invested in moving away from the vegetarian / non-vegetarian binary. The more models of cutting back on meat and dialing up the plants, the better! I’m so excited for this book.
Yes ! Side question: do you notice a difference in your health, body, and skin after eating way more veggies?
So, so excited to hear this! I’m a lifelong vegetarian so this will be the first of your books that I have purchased… and I will do so with great pleasure!!
This is a dream find true!
So excited BUT I really want to know how to make those yummy tofu tacos and the ricotta green thing you posted pictures of!
This is the best news I’ve heard since April, when I decided to go vegetarian!! As a full time working mom, I have eaten sooo many frozen black bean burgers and tofu stir fry. Having a cook book of how to do weekdays would be a game changer.
As a physician, and someone who loves the world and doesn’t want to see it burn up, your move toward plant based shows all comers that it’s not only possible, but easily doable. Thank you!
I love September, they are always great for me, there are many emotions during this time for me, the food is really attractive. They are really a good choice. Thanks for your sharing
I love September, they are always great for me, there are many emotions during this time for me, the food is really attractive. They are really a good choice. Thanks for your sharing.
I have been a vegetarian since my teens (I do eat diary and eggs). My husband is an omnivore. I could not be more excited about this upcoming cookbook!
This is such a big leap. I would love to go vegan, and feel it would be a pleasant change…but my husband is not on the same page. Thanks for these recipes. I will start with Meatless Mondays!
Hooray!! What a great idea; you’d better believe I’ll be first in line to grab the new book. As a longtime fan since your Cookie days (I still have the “make dinner, not war” bumper sticker) I have two things I’d love to see:
1. Family-friendly recipes for younger kids who might not be as sophisticated eaters as your girls (ie for whom a dish made entirely of eggplant just MIGHT be a deal breaker) , and
2. Heftier, more protein-rich meals that would appeal to boys; I do my best to sneak in vegetarian meals during the week but my boys end up ravenous after a meal of lentils and/or tofu despite my best attempts!
Can’t wait to see what you come up with! Thanks for all the great recipes so far.
good for you! maybe for the next cookbook you can go full vegan! I’d buy it!
OMG I can’t believe I missed this when it was posted. Well, actually I can because I was in the middle of my own family plant-based experiment with The Happy Pear ‘Happy Gut’ course. It was a big win for my cooking skills, but a big fail for family dinner (total mutiny). So excited to get ideas on how I can balance my love of things veggie with my family’s loathing of them.
My 14 year old has, for various reasons she won’t reveal, decided to go vegan. Which means I’m going to be helping her prepare her food. We’ve been mostly meatless for a couple of years….but no eggs? No cheese? No fish? Bye to yogurt? Too much tofu isn’t so great for girls….Do you have any suggestions? Or cookbooks to recommend? Thanks. I’m at sea with this turn of events. BUT I’m really looking forward to your new cookbook. thank you!
Fantastic! Thank you, I know already this will be much-loved in our house