It's not all good.

Wondering how it's going? Well, since I started this endeavor I haven't eaten a piece of meat (even though I thought I'd be doing that for a little while longer)--but it's not easy. It took years to get where I was at, an experienced chef (of my own kitchen). All of a sudden I've changed the game dramatically and I'm faced with a learning curve of sorts.

Don't try this at home

No more firing up the grill and throwing something on at the last minute for dinner just a few minutes away. Becoming a vegetarian means I need to plan things out, find new ingredients, and figure out how the heck to work with them. Sometimes this goes well, but sometimes it doesn't. Case in point--two nights ago I cooked a meal I thought I'd be posting recipes for, but it was a bomb.

I served a homemade veggie burger that recycled those frozen mixed veggies I mentioned in an earlier post. It seemed like a great idea because I love veggie burgers that have good chunks of identifiable items--like a pea, corn kernel, cubed carrot and green bean. It was lack-luster at best.

It looked promising

For our grains, I made a modified version of this recipe, Wheat Berry Barley and Tomato Salad, which sounded awesome to me. But the vinegar overpowered the dish and overall it tasted like something was lacking. My daughter ate a PBJ for dinner that night and my husband took chicken for lunch the next day. The leftovers of both dishes are crowding my fridge and I wonder when I'll give in and pitch them.

Certainly I am not giving up though. Last night was a much better meal--"beefless" fajitas with slow cooker beans and guacamole. I love Mexican food and it's what I've always gravitated toward cooking, so it felt awesome to make and eat a meal that felt so familiar to me. I'll post my recipes soon, since this one worked. Also on the horizon--vegetable lasagna and pad thai with tofu. So stay tuned (and cross your fingers ;-)