The Veg Project

So it's been about 4 days. Something tells me the first week is the toughest. Let me start by cleaning the slate. I did cheat a little. 2 days ago my sous chef wanted me to taste the squid salad we were serving a party. Although I've made this decision, I'm not going to let it affect my job. I will still taste dishes as required at work.

So, how's it going over all? Firstly, I have to say that this experience changed my shopping habits. My local grocery store has a mediocre produce department. This week, for the first time, I hauled myself down to Princeton and went to Whole Foods. Get ready to laugh, fellow foodies but I've never been there before. I mean, I've been to several grocery stores and local farm markets, but never a Whole Foods.

If you haven't been there yet, go! I always thought it was for vegans and health nuts. But it's wonderful! The absolutely most beautiful produce department I have ever seen. Everything is organic and fresh, brightly colored and so much of it. And no other place beats the quality of the individual items they have there. If you are going to make a meal that's mainly veggies, definitely take the trip to a Whole Foods.

As for me, the biggest challenge has been balancing my diet and coming up with interesting dishes. I have to say, yesterday and this morning I felt a little deprived. Not 100% there. I can't figure out if it's because I'm not getting enough protein or if it's psychological. You know, meat and animal fat is very satisfying, and I'm used to eating it every day. I'm trying to get my required proteins from other sources, like pasta, legumes, and low fat dairy products.

Last night for dinner, I made a wonderful vegetable ragu with penne pasta. The pasta is a brand that's enriched with fiber- it's kind of like a whole wheat pasta without being whole wheat. Honestly, it's ok, but I don't love the texture. I think I would have preferred whole wheat. Anyway, the ragu is made with as many vegetables as I could get in there- onions, fennel, bell pepper, zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, mushrooms and greens. It's all simmered in crushed tomatoes.