Start off 2012 with some healthy recipes to increase your consumption of vegetables.

By Dylan Roche

The idea of a New Year’s resolution needs no introduction. And for many people, the indulgences of the holiday season can leave them looking to the start of a New Year with the intention of eating better. If you haven’t started participating in the Meatless Monday movement yet—now’s a great time to start!

It’s no secret that cutting back on animal products and replacing them with plant-based foods promises great health benefits. Animal products are notorious for containing a large amount of saturated fat and cholesterol, the main cause of heart disease. By replacing some of the meat in your diet with plant-based foods, you’ll be lowering your risk of cardiovascular problems and doing good for your ticker.

And plant foods—vegetables, fruit, whole grains, seeds, nuts, and beans—are great sources of fiber, which work to sweep toxins out of our bodies. Fiber also helps us feel satiated at a meal, and keeps us feeling full for longer.

Eating a diet full of whole grains and vegetables—especially a varying one, full of many different colors—will deliver all the vitamins and minerals that you need. Vitamins and minerals contribute to all of our body’s processes, from warding off viruses to growing fingernails. Meanwhile, antioxidants fight cancer and symptoms of aging.

And did you know that most Americans get too much protein? Believe it or not, nutritionists recommend getting only thirty percent of your calories from protein. More won’t make you any stronger—and it will actually do harm to your body. Flushing excess protein from the body puts the kidneys under stress, causes dehydration, contributes to calcium loss, and exhausts the body of energy.

But even if you acknowledge the benefits of vegetarianism, you might be apprehensive about giving up meat for one day—or, heck, maybe even one meal. But don’t worry—vegetarians eat more than just alfalfa sprouts and radishes. Vegetarian dishes can introduce you to a whole world of deliciousness you wouldn’t otherwise experience.

In fact, Eating Well recently showcased a number of health vegetarian meals in honor of the New Year. Some of these sound so good, I can hardly believe they’re healthy. Behold the power of vegetables! Some of the ones I can’t wait to try are Cheese and Spinach Stuffed Portobellos, Portobello “Cheese Steak” Sandwich, Spinach and Sun-dried Tomato Stuffed Pizza, Corn and Broccoli Calzones, Eggplant Parmesan, Winter Vegetables with Cheesy Polenta, and Broccoli –Cheese Chowder.

Meanwhile, the Meatless Monday website and VegWeb offer plenty of vegetarian recipes. The website of World’s Healthiest Foods dedicates a whole section of its recipes to vegetarian entrees that make use of “superfoods” for superior health.

And there are plenty of cookbooks out there that are either dedicated to vegetarian recipes or have a vegetarian section. Actor/vegan Alicia Silverstone released a vegetarian cookbook called "The Kind Diet," and her Kind Life website includes a whole gallery of recipes.

Any recipe can be made vegetarian by using a meat substitute. Try tofu cubes or chunks of eggplant in place of chicken. Portobello mushrooms make a great meat substitute as well. Where a recipe calls for ground beef, use frozen re-thawed tofu, which crumbles with the same texture.

Let us know your favorite healthy vegetarian recipes! We’ll be sure to post them.