Q: What do hip hop artist Usher and President Bill Clinton have in common?

A: They've both converted to veganism to embrace the health benefits of eating a plant-based diet.

If you're interested in eating less meat—or no meat at all—October is your month!

Monday is World Vegetarian Day, the official start of Vegetarian Awareness Month.

If you're already vegetarian or vegan—spread the love! Share your best recipes for meat-free meals and snacks, and we'll feature them on Meatless Mondays throughout the month.

Swapping beef for beans just once a week might not only be good for you, it might be good for the Earth, too.

A recently released Oxfam America report says families that make this small change at the dinner table can help conserve the world's water resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Eating less beef decreases livestock production, according to Oxfam. And when fewer livestock are farmed, less water is used and less cow toots are released into the environment. Methane produced by livestock is responsible for 18 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The report, The Food Transformation (available in the media box attached to this article), says that if urban households in America, the United Kingdom, Spain and Brazil offered a vegetarian option once a week, they could each save the equivalent of 17 bathtubs full of water and together reduce methane equal to taking 3.7 million cars off the road.

A healthier you could mean a healthier world.

Email your favorite recipes for meatless meals and snacks to jennifer.mohan@patch.com. Include a pretty picture, too, if you like!

We'll offer vegetarian dishes to try each week on Meatless Monday.