Meatless Monday Roundup: 4 Lemon Recipes

lemon pasta

Add some brightness to your Meatless Monday table with these lemon recipes! Lemon isn’t just a bright flavor enhancer; it also has a great number of health benefits to make your Meatless Monday meals as healthful as they are flavorful.

Lemon, like other citrus fruits, is chock full of vitamin C, to help ward off those early spring colds. In addition, lemon is an alkaline food, the perfect addition to what, for most of us, is frequently a highly acidic diet.

To learn more about adding alkaline foods to your diet and why this is a good idea, feel free to do some additional research on diets like the macrobiotic diet. And in the meantime, lend a lemony flair to your Meatless Monday meals!

Start things off with the creamy lemon pasta depicted above. While you’re waiting for tomatoes to fully come into their own, cherry tomatoes will do; the important thing is mastering the creamy lemon sauce. It’s a bit on the heavier side, with quite a bit of heavy cream, but seasoned with garlic, pepper, Parmesan and — of course — a healthy dose of lemon, it doesn’t seem quite so rich. And a good amount of spinach and tomato adds additional flavor, color, and vitamins.

Image: Kimberley Stakal

Spring radishes are delicious when sautéed, and our sautéed radishes with brown butter and lemon are just the ticket. The little orbs are the star of the show, so be sure to pick ones with a good amount of flavor. The longer radishes have been exposed to sunlight, the more pronounced their peppery flavor will be. Either way, the soft richness of brown butter and the natural acidity of lemons are the perfect ways to highlight this delicious springtime ingredient.

lemon fennel risotto

Image: cyclonebill

Lemon brings out the best in yet another springtime ingredient with this lemon and fennel risotto. Use baby spring fennel to ensure that the aniseed flavor isn’t overwhelming, and be sure to track down the creamy taleggio cheese. The optional preserved lemon in this recipe adds a touch more lemon flavor and adds complexity to the dish.

Image: Kimberley Stakal

Lemon is just as delicious in savory recipes as in sweet, so be sure to try out this lemon berry whipped cream: the perfect garnish for any cakes or cookies you’d like to serve for dessert. Fresh or frozen berries can be used to make this cream all spring and summer long.

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Top image: Alanagkelly

Emily Monaco is a food and culture writer based in Paris. Her work has been featured in the Wall... More about Emily Monaco

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