Joining the Challenge

I’m super excited tonight!  My cousin, Melissa, of Crunches for Cupcakes, announced her vegetarian challenge today.  She and her boyfriend are challenging themselves to follow a vegetarian lifestyle for one week.  I have contemplated converting to a vegetarian diet, but it is a major change that I haven’t really wrapped my brain around yet.  Her challenge sounded perfect for me.  I’m in!

I have not eaten meat since Tuesday and I plan to continue this through Friday – 2/26 (the final day of her challenge).  I am anxious to test new vegetarian recipes.  I’m also curious about the affects that this change could have on my body.  I  will create a page to track my daily thoughts on the challenge.  Should be interesting!

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In the spirit of the challenge, I decided to whip up a new vegetarian dish: Pasta Mama!

I am a die hard Food Network fan.  I first saw this meal on one of my favorite shows, The Best Thing I Ever Ate. It’s a speciality at Hugo’s Restaurant in CA and it definitely looked tasty.

I started by spreading out the ingredients…

…and cooking the pasta.

I decided that my meal needed a little more color, so I drizzled some grape tomatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic and roasted them at 425* for about 20 minutes.

Single serving of roasted toms!

All together it made a simple, yet satisfying dish.  The recipe made enough for one large portion.  If you are cooking for a few people, I would definitely increase the amounts to suit the appetites of the group!

At the last minute, I decided to pair my dinner with a quick mixed-green salad.  I guess I’m feeling the veggie love tonight!

Buon Appetito!