10 Green Recipes For Earth Day

Something big is coming this weekend as it pertains to global temperatures, and it has nothing to do with Game of Thrones. Although winter is coming to HBO with the premiere of the show's much-anticipated sixth season, Friday, April 22 marks the 46th Earth Day, a celebration of the planet, its natural resources, and a day to champion the movement to protect the environment. President Obama and many other world leaders will observe the occasion by signing the Paris Climate Agreement. No need for FOMO though, you can whip up some of these "green" Earth Day recipes, highlighting the best of sustainable shopping, clean eating, and witty thematic cooking.

Some people, I've learned, actually take Earth Day as an opportunity to forage for their own food, which is pretty cool if you live somewhere where wild berries or mushrooms grow and you happen to be an expert on identifying which fruits of nature's bounty are safe to eat. But for those of us in more urban environments, or for people whose foraging experience is limited to snatching a few of their neighbors' loquats, we'll have to stick to foraging in the produce section of our local supermarket.

From the vegetarian to the informed and sustainable, these are some of the best recipes to make this Earth Day.

1. Sesame Zoodles

Zoodles are a great way to turn a dish that would otherwise be a mass of carbs into a salad in disguise. This Asian-inspired recipe from Cookies and Cups is insanely easy and green as can be.

2. Green Happy Digestion Smoothie

This tropical green smoothie from Oh She Glows is 100 percent vegan, and will leave you with a settled stomach, which is the perfect way to kick off a spring weekend.

3. Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Get your antioxidant on with this protein-rich Mediterranean salad from FoodieCrush. I'm seriously getting hungry just looking at this gorgeous salad. Though some activists have pointed to quinoa as an evil commodity due to its influence on the changing economy of the Andean region, it is a native crop and, though not completely without environmental and social consequences, the nutritious seed grain is currently being grown successfully as locally as the Colorado Rockies, which means Andean farmers can focus on growing quinoa for local markets or on growing the most environmentally-friendly crops rather than trying to get a piece of the quinoa explosion without regard for the land.

4. Sustainable Seafood Stew

Overfishing and destruction of ecosystems by commercial fisheries plague the seafood industry, but following these tips from Seafood Watch and this recipe from The Kitchn, you can keep your seafood pot as sustainable as possible.

5. BBQ Jackfruit Sliders

When you slow cook unripened jackfruit, you get something that looks and tastes like shredded meat. Just add BBQ sauce to make the perfect 100 percent vegan sliders. Find the recipe over at Fo Reals Life.

6. Avocado Cream Cheese-Stuffed Pastries

Back to foods with bright green heavily featured. These delicious puff pastries with a light egg wash are perfectly browned on the outside, and melty on the inside. Find out how to make these green treats at Averie Cooks.

7. Simple Worms & Dirt Cups

Cake, ice cream, and cookie crumbs make the perfect dirt dessert from A Pretty Life In The Suburbs. Top with worms and celebrate the Earth in the chocolatiest way I can imagine.

8. Homemade Vegetarian Chili

Eat vegetarian this Earth Day with this amazing vegetarian chili from Cookie + Kate. Use the vegetables in the recipe or dice up the veggies that need to be eaten in your fridge. Chili is a great and economical way to avoid wasting food.

9. Triple Layer Fudgy Mint Brownies

Wow, these look good. They're green, brown, and layered, just like Earth — in case you needed any further convincing to whip these up. Find the recipe at Averie Cooks.

10. Planet Earth Cake Pops

Featured on Bakerella, these cake pops are an ambitious way to celebrate Earth Day. I, for one, am thoroughly impressed by the detail on the continents.

Images: Bakerella; Cookies and Cups; Oh She Glows; FoodieCrush; The Kitchn; Fo Reals Life; Averie Cooks (2); A Pretty Life In The Suburbs; Cookie + Kate