October 1st is World Vegetarian Day, a day to recognise that more people are leaving meat behind and leaning into a more plant-based approach.
The difference between eating plant-based or vegan and a vegetarian approach lies in the fact that vegans avoid all animal products, including dairy, whereas vegetarians have given up meat but still eat dairy, including cheese and eggs (and fish, so-called pescetarians).
World Vegetarian Day was founded in 1977 by the North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS) and in 1978 was endorsed by the International Vegetarian Union. A vegetarian diet focuses on vegetables, seeds, legumes, fruits, nuts and grains. It also includes animal products such as eggs, dairy and honey. “For those new to vegetarianism, it serves as an enticement to give meatless fare a try (even for a day) and learn about its many benefits,” according to the website of World Vegetarian Day.
The day aims to raise awareness about saving animals‚ lives and helping to preserve the Earth.
Vegetarian Diets
- Reduce the risk of major killers such as heart disease, stroke and cancer while cutting exposure to foodborne pathogens
- Provide a viable answer to feeding the world’s hungry through more efficient use of grains and other crops
- Save animals from suffering in factory-farm conditions and from the pain and terror of slaughter
- Conserve vital but limited freshwater, fertile topsoil and other precious resources
- Preserve irreplaceable ecosystems such as rainforests and other wildlife habitats
- Decrease greenhouse gasses that are accelerating global warming
- Mitigate the ever-expanding environmental pollution of animal agriculture
For World Vegetarian Day we present this Baked Egg, Fennel and Watercress Galette recipe from the Vegetarian Society.
- SERVES 4
- PREPARATION 30 MINS
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 fennel, finely sliced
- 200g vegetarian feta cheese, crumbled
- 2 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 sheet ready-rolled shortcrust pastry
- 5 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 large tomato, sliced
- 1 medium free-range egg, beaten
- 80g watercress
- 4 medium free-range eggs
TO SERVE
- 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
METHOD
- In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil. Add the fennel and cook on a medium-low heat for 5-8 minutes until beginning to soften. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mash together the feta cheese, sun-dried tomato paste, garlic and black pepper. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 200⁰C/fan 180⁰C/gas mark 6.
- Place the sheet of pastry on a large baking tray lined with non-stick baking parchment or a silicone liner. Carefully spread the cheese mix over the pastry leaving a 2-3cm gap around all of the edges. Top the cheese with the fennel and then both kinds of tomato. Fold the edges over onto the filling and pinch the corners together. Brush the folded edges with beaten egg and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until the edges are pale golden-brown.
- While the galette is cooking, wilt the watercress. Heat a large frying pan on a medium-low heat. Add the watercress and heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Set aside.
- Remove the galette from the oven. Carefully crack the four remaining eggs onto the galette, evenly spacing them. Top with the wilted watercress and bake for a further 5-8 minutes, until the whites of the eggs are set and the yolks have begun to set.
- Remove from the oven, sprinkle with chopped parsley and a few twists of black pepper. Serve immediately
See also: Meat-Free Meals for all the Family
