Vegetarian Week was a resounding success – insofar as I went seven full days (plus one for good luck!) without eating either meat or seafood. And, surprisingly, it wasn’t that hard. I didn’t miss it my old eating habits nor was I tempted to fall off the wagon at any point. So, after a week+ of vegetarianism, what’s the upshot? Do I feel any better? Did I lose any weight?
Nope. I feel exactly the same. Absolutely no different.
While I’m pleased with my herculean achievement, I’m not so sure I could have lasted much longer. As I said, I was never jonesing for a hit of ribeye or looking score a kilo of pork, but I attribute much of that to the fact that I kept my meals varied and interesting. But there’s not doubt that, sooner or later, I would have exhausted my bag of culinary tricks.
Still, it was a nice run. Some of the highlights…
Akemi’s cream of mushroom soup topped with roasted oyster mushrooms and truffle oil.
Garlic-roasted oyster mushrooms.
Crispy oven-roasted artichokes.
Akemi’s button mushroom risotto.
And Akemi’s curry cauliflower risotto.
Carrots tossed in olive oil and thyme, roasted and honey-glazed.
Roasted (notice a theme here?) blow-your-lungs-out hot peppers tossed in olive oil and minced garlic.
Fried garlic scapes.
Crispy ceci (chickpeas). I served them with conchiglie (shell pasta).
Akemi’s vegetarian Thai-inspired soup with tofu.
Mom’s savory navy bean and garlic recipe. I served this with piccolini (mini wheel pasta).
Eggplant parm sandwich.
Garlic-fried eggplant.
Lentils with carrots, onions, garlic, and bay leaf.
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And then, today for lunch, I ate about a half pound of deli beef tongue.
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