Meat Free Monday NZ

11/06/2026

Spicy Kale and Coconut Fried Rice 🌶️🥥🍚

Transport your taste buds with this vibrant and flavourful Spicy Kale and Coconut Fried Rice! It’s a comforting weeknight meal packed with sautéed kale, toasted coconut flakes, and fluffy rice, all infused with zesty Thai-inspired flavours like lime, cilantro, and a kick of sriracha. A truly satisfying and wholesome dish that’s anything but boring!

Serves 2

🧾 Ingredients

• For the fried rice: Coconut oil, eggs (optional, see notes), garlic, green onions, optional vegetables (bell pepper, carrot, Brussels sprouts), kale, sea salt, unsweetened coconut flakes, cooked and chilled brown rice, reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce, chili garlic sauce or sriracha, lime, fresh cilantro.

👩‍🍳 Method Summary
Scramble eggs (if using) and set aside. Sauté garlic, green onions, and optional vegetables, then add kale and cook until tender. Toast coconut flakes, then add rice and heat through. Combine all ingredients in the pan, stir in tamari, chili garlic sauce, and lime juice. Garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.

🌿 Serving Suggestion
Serve this delicious fried rice with extra lime wedges and fresh cilantro. For those who love an extra kick, offer additional sriracha or red pepper flakes on the side. It’s also fantastic reheated the next day!

Fresh, zesty, and wonderfully satisfying – this Spicy Kale and Coconut Fried Rice is a brilliant way to enjoy a nutritious and exciting meat-free meal.

Recipe: Cookie and Kate

10/06/2026

Facebook/Instagram Caption

Sheet Pan Tofu Tacos 🌮✨🌿

Make taco night incredibly easy and delicious with this protein-packed Sheet Pan Tofu Taco Meat! Crumbled tofu seasoned to perfection with a blend of spices, all baked on a single sheet pan. It’s a simple, flavourful, and satisfying meat-free option that comes together in under an hour, perfect for busy weeknights.

Serves 4

🧾 Ingredients

• Tofu Taco Meat: Firm tofu, onion, garlic, tomato sauce, tamari, apple cider vinegar, oil, nutritional yeast, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, black pepper, oregano.

• For Serving: Tortillas, diced onion, fresh cilantro, pico de gallo, guacamole, salsa, chopped romaine lettuce, shredded vegan cheese, vegan sour cream, hot sauce, fajitas, lime wedges.

👩‍🍳 Method Summary
Preheat oven. Crumble tofu into a bowl, add all seasonings and mix well. Spread mixture onto a baking sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes, stirring halfway, until golden. Serve warm with your favourite taco toppings.

🌿 Serving Suggestion
Enjoy this versatile tofu taco meat in warm tortillas, fajita bowls, taco salads, burritos, quesadillas, or nachos. Top with fresh cilantro, diced onions, and a squeeze of lime for an extra burst of flavour.

Effortless to make and bursting with vibrant flavours, this Sheet Pan Tofu Taco Meat is a fantastic way to enjoy a wholesome and exciting plant-based meal.

Recipe: Sweet Simple Vegan

04/06/2026

Bang Bang Tofu 💥🥢🌶️

Get ready for an explosion of flavour with this crispy, sticky, and utterly delicious Bang Bang Tofu! It’s the perfect weeknight dinner that’s easy to make and seriously satisfying. With its sweet, savoury, and subtly spicy kick, this dish will have everyone asking for more.

Serves 4

🧾 Ingredients

• Crispy Tofu: Extra firm tofu, cornstarch, garlic powder, paprika, salt, soy sauce, olive oil or avocado oil.
• Bang Bang Sauce: Mayo, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, grated garlic, sesame seeds and/or green onions for garnish.
• For Serving: Cooked rice, steamed or sautéed green beans.

👩‍🍳 Method Summary
Pull tofu into chunks and coat with cornstarch, spices, soy sauce, and oil. Air fry until crispy and golden. Whisk together sauce ingredients. Sauté crisped tofu with a portion of the sauce until coated and caramelised. Serve over rice with green beans and remaining sauce.

🌿 Serving Suggestion
Serve this incredible Bang Bang Tofu over a bed of steamy rice with fresh green beans for a complete and flavourful meal. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions for an extra touch of freshness.

Crispy, sticky, and bursting with flavour – this Bang Bang Tofu is a plant-based triumph that’s sure to become a new favourite in your home.

Recipe: Pinch of Yum

02/06/2026

🍓 Strawberry French Toast Bake 🍞✨

Soft, sweet and packed with juicy strawberries, this baked French toast is the kind of breakfast that feels like a treat. Fluffy biscuit pieces soak up a maple-cinnamon custard before being topped with a homemade strawberry filling and baked until golden and delicious.

Serves 6

🧾 Ingredients
8 biscuits (or 1 can biscuit dough)
1 cup strawberries, quartered

🍓 Strawberry Filling
2 cups strawberries, finely diced
½ cup sugar

🥚 Egg Mixture
2 eggs
½ cup milk
½ cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp cinnamon

🍦 To Serve
Whipped cream

Cook the diced strawberries and sugar until thick and jammy. Whisk together the egg mixture ingredients. Place biscuit pieces into a greased baking dish, pour over the egg mixture, then top with the strawberry filling and fresh strawberries.

Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 40–50 minutes until golden brown.
Serve warm with whipped cream.
Sweet, comforting and packed with berry flavour — perfect for brunch, dessert or sharing with friends.

Recipe: Tasty (Mercedes Sandoval)

29/05/2026

🦑 Salt & Pepper Vegan ‘Calamari’ 🍋✨

Crispy, golden and packed with flavour, this vegan ‘calamari’ uses king oyster mushrooms to recreate that classic salty, peppery crunch. Lightly battered and fried until crisp, it’s the perfect snack, appetiser or sharing platter.

🧾 Ingredients
1 can Nature’s Charm vegan calamari
Plant milk

🌾 Dry Batter
¼ cup chickpea flour
¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp pepper

🍋 To Serve
Lemon wedges
Chives
Vegan tartare sauce

Drain the vegan calamari, reserving the seaweedy bits. Dip each piece into plant milk, coat in the dry batter, then repeat for an extra crispy finish. Shallow fry on high heat for about 1 minute per side until golden and crisp.

Serve hot with tartare sauce, lemon wedges and fresh chives.
Crispy, savoury and seriously moreish — a fun plant-based twist on a takeaway favourite.

Recipe: SAFE

27/05/2026

🥕 Carrot Dogs 🌭✨

Smoky, juicy and surprisingly delicious — these carrot dogs soak up a rich, flavour-packed marinade that gives them that classic barbecue-style taste. Grilled until lightly charred and loaded into buns with mustard, onion and cucumber, they’re a fun plant-based twist that even sceptics end up loving.

Makes 8 carrot dogs

🧾 Ingredients
8 large carrots
1 cup vegetable broth
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp dry mustard
½ tsp coriander
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp liquid smoke
Dash ground cloves

🌭 To Serve
Whole wheat hot dog buns
Red onion
Stone-ground mustard
Spiralized cucumber

Cook carrots until just tender, then marinate for at least 4 hours in the smoky sauce mixture. Grill or roast until lightly charred and caramelised around the edges.

Serve in toasted buns with mustard, cucumber and red onion.

Smoky, savoury and packed with flavour — this is one of those recipes that surprises everyone in the best way.

Recipe: Forks Over Knives

21/05/2026

🥦 Sheet-Pan Spiced Cauliflower & Tofu 🧄✨

Golden roasted cauliflower, crispy tofu and cooling ginger yogurt all layered together with fresh herbs, red onion and warming spices. This colourful sheet-pan dinner is packed with texture and bold flavour while still feeling fresh and nourishing.

Serves 4

🧾 Ingredients
1 large cauliflower
5 tbsp olive oil
1¾ tsp ras el hanout
2 packs extra-firm tofu
2 cups Greek yogurt
Fresh ginger
1 red onion
Fresh mint and cilantro
Preserved lemon (optional)
Sumac (optional)

Toss cauliflower with olive oil, ras el hanout and salt, then roast until tender and lightly caramelised. Pour boiling water over tofu, pat dry, coat with olive oil and spices, then roast until crisp and golden.

🥣 Ginger Yogurt
Greek yogurt
Fresh grated ginger
Salt and black pepper

Mix together until smooth and creamy.

🌿 To Serve
Fresh mint and cilantro
Red onion
Preserved lemon
Sumac

Spread ginger yogurt onto plates, pile over the cauliflower and tofu, then finish with herbs, onion, preserved lemon and a sprinkle of sumac.

Warm, spiced, creamy and fresh all at once — the kind of vegetarian dinner that feels seriously satisfying.

Recipe: Serious Eats

18/05/2026

🥣 Thai Pumpkin & Cashew Soup 🎃🥥

Silky smooth, rich with coconut cream and packed with warming Thai-inspired flavours, this comforting soup is perfect for colder days. Pumpkin, ginger, turmeric and lemongrass come together with jasmine rice and cashews for a creamy, nourishing bowl that’s full of flavour and naturally satisfying.

Serves 6

🧾 Ingredients
1 leek or onion
1 carrot
1 butternut pumpkin
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp mirin
400g coconut cream
1.5L water
Fresh ginger
Fresh turmeric
2 lemongrass sticks
2 kaffir lime leaves
60g jasmine rice
80g cashews
2 tbsp soy sauce, tamari or Braggs
Fresh coriander

Sauté leek, carrot, pumpkin and garlic in coconut and sesame oil. Deglaze with mirin, then add coconut cream, water, ginger, turmeric, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, jasmine rice, cashews and soy sauce. Simmer for about 20 minutes until vegetables are soft and rice is cooked. Stir through coriander and blend until silky smooth.

🍽️ To Serve
Extra coconut cream

Creamy, fragrant and deeply comforting — the kind of soup that warms you properly from the inside out.

Recipe: The Veggie Tree

11/05/2026

🍜 Buckwheat Soba Noodles with Coconut-Lime Tofu 🥥🍋

Light, fresh and packed with flavour, this noodle bowl combines garlicky sesame soba noodles with sweet, tangy coconut-lime tofu for the ultimate quick comfort meal. The chewy buckwheat noodles soak up every bit of the savoury sauce, while spinach, lime and chilli keep everything bright and balanced.

Serves 3–4

🧆 Coconut-Lime Tofu
½ lb firm tofu
¼ cup coconut milk
2 tbsp lime juice
½ tsp sugar
¼ tsp salt

Press tofu, cube and coat in coconut milk, lime juice, sugar and salt. Pan-fry until golden and lightly caramelised.

🍜 Soba Noodles & Spinach
5–6 oz buckwheat soba noodles
½ lb spinach
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch ginger, grated
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
Thai chilli or chilli paste
Sesame seeds

Cook soba noodles for 3–4 minutes, then drain. Sauté tofu with garlic, ginger and spinach, then toss through noodles with soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice and chilli.

🍽️ To Serve
Extra sesame seeds
Lime wedges

Fresh, comforting and full of bold Asian-inspired flavours — all ready in about 15 minutes.

Recipe: Chefdehome.com

07/05/2026

🥩 Iron is an essential component of a healthy diet1, yet nearly one-third of Americans are iron deficient. Necessary for carrying oxygen throughout the body and producing hemoglobin in blood, iron is found in meat as well as fruits and vegetables.

Iron not derived from animals is known as non-heme iron. This type of iron isn’t developed in blood proteins (like iron from meat), and can be harder for the human body to absorb. Still, there are a few hacks to help your body absorb as much non-heme iron as possible, including enjoying plant-based iron with foods rich in vitamin-C, like citrus. Think of it as a new challenge to make your food even more flavorful and nutritious. 🫘🥬 https://bit.ly/4wczmY2

Discover plant-based foods with more iron than steak, according to nutrition experts. Iron-rich foods for vegetarians and vegans include white beans and more.