Vegetarian for a week...somewhat: An update

So my vegetarian for a week saga continues.  An update:

Thursday:

FAILURE!

I had every intention that day.  I was going to make a braised tofu dish, but the following happened:

1. I invited my parents over for dinner.  I warned them that we are eating vegetarian this week.  My mom in the same breath stated: "we'll eat whatever you put in front of us" and "what if we don't get full because all we ate were vegetables".  Filipinos love their food and it would be the ultimate faux pas if your guest leave hungry so I quickly call P and tell him to start defrosting some chicken.

2. I borrowed P's car to drive to work and left the lights on, thus the battery died.  I have the worse short term memory so I was not surprised I forgot to leave the lights on because P's car does not alert you when the lights are left on (it's an old Honda Civic).  I stand in the pouring rain for the next hour trying to find someone who has jumper cables.  I run out of patience and decide to call the taxi cab company to jump my car at the cost of $20.  Luckily enough, two IT (the guys that work with computers) nerds come to my rescue.  I finally start driving home an hour and a half after I finished work.  I am in no mood to cook at this point.

We end up trying the Thai restaurant by my house and we ate chicken pad thai and chicken pineapple fried rice.  I debate getting vegetarian pad thai, but P asserts "if you're going to order food in and pay for it, you might as well get some meat".  My rubber arm was easily twisted.  My parents and P liked it.  It was alright in my opinion.  The Thai place near my work is better.

Friday

FAILURE!

Hard to eat vegetarian when you're visiting someone else's house  and that someone is my sister.  Chasing after the other important man in my life, my nephew Put-Put (obviously a nickname), you work up an appetite and your resolve to be vegetarian is weak.  My brother in law N makes a really tasty dish with sole fillets covered in a lemon, parsley, wine, caper sauce.  I have an intense aversion to any white fish fillet after a bad run in with food poisoning from eating under cooked white fish.  But, I am slowly integrating it back into my life.  But this dish has slowly made me a convert.  It has inspired me to replicate it to see if I can make it.  That's for another post.

Saturday

Today P and I had portabello mushroom burgers.  One of the best burgers I have ever eaten was at a local pub and it was a portabello mushroom burger with pesto mayo.  Did not ask "where's the beef?" because it was that good.

I'm not even going to post a recipe because portabello burgers are just too easy.  I cleaned the portabellos (remove gills and give them a quick wash under water or wipe with a damp cloth), marinated them in bottled teriyaki sauce (to enhance the umami flavour), brushed on  the sauce and a sprinkle of thyme and pepper before I popped them on our George Foreman grill.  Cooked until they were tender (approx. 6-8 minute).  Served them on a kaiser bun with swiss cheese, tomato, lettuce, carmelized onions, mayo, and grainy mustard.  Served with French Fries (I cheated and used frozen fries).

Score:5  P loved them stating he doesn't miss the meat which shocks me because P is a MEAT EATER.  P is a burger aficianado as well.  I would definitely make this again and change up the marinade for the mushrooms.

So good I started chomping on it then remembered near the end to take the picture

  Being vegetarian just for dinner is starting to get on my nerves, although I do enjoy the challenge of preparing dishes without meat and eating them.  I'll keep trying, but not making anymore promises.  Stupid life getting in the way! :)