How could I resist?

Becca, our youngest, loves bourbon chicken at the mall food court. I have been working for months to duplicate that recipe so I can make it at home (mostly so I don’t have to drive to the mall so often just to buy dinner). Tonight, I finally nailed it. Then I fell off the wagon and had a heaping helping because it really is delicious.

I was actually doing pretty well for the first half of the day. A spoonful of peanut butter for breakfast, followed by a grilled cheese with mushrooms for lunch with a side of apples. If you have never tried mushrooms on a grilled cheese I highly recommend it.

If you are not a full time vegetarian feel free to try the copycat bourbon chicken recipe. I posted it on my cooking blog “Old Guy In The Kitchen at https://oldguykitchen.com/2019/01/16/food-court-bourbon-chicken-copycat-recipe/

Did I mention there is a pork shoulder in the instant pot because today was the use by date? The house smells amazing, and I fear tomorrow’s temptation is already upon me…..

Vegetarian grade for today: C+
Nutritional grade for today: B
Outlook for tomorrow: not good

Broccoli Salad

Substitute bacon bits (the Kosher ones not actually made from bacon) and this is a great vegetarian snack or side dish.

Old Guy In The Kitchen

Broccoli is one of those vegetables you can find year round. (It is important to use fresh broccoli for this recipe, the frozen stuff just doesn’t work). This a great side or snack year round. It is also considerably cheaper (and tastes better) to make it yourself. In my local grocery this stuff costs around $6 for a tiny little bowl. You can make a giant bowl full for about the same money if you do it yourself, and you can tweak the recipe to your liking.

Ingredients:

• 2 heads of broccoli (or 4-6 large stalks)
• 3-5 strips of bacon (or real bacon bits)
• 1/2 cup of dried cranberries (Craisins)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 5 green onions
• 1 Cup Mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsps. Sugar
• 2 Tbsps. White Vinegar

Directions:

1. Wash the broccoli and cut off just the florets. I usually cut the larger florets in half or quarters. The goal…

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Cold Pasta Salad

Easy vegetarian dish that keeps well in the fridge for several days. Great if you pack your lunch or need emergency snack options.

Old Guy In The Kitchen

If you can boil water, you can make this cold pasta salad. It is incredibly flexible so you can adjust to include/omit ingredients based on your personal preferences or just what you have on hand. It holds well for several days in the fridge (I think it gets better) so you can make it well in advance.

Ingredients

• 1 box (12-16oz) pasta. I like to use the tri-colored rotini (spirals) or farfalle (bow tie), but any smaller shaped pasta works. I would avoid the long noodles like spaghetti or fettuccine.
• 1 Cup cherry or grape tomatoes, cut into quarters
• 8 oz mini mozzarella cheese balls
• Small (2.25 oz) can of sliced black olives, drained
• 1 red/orange bell pepper, stem and seeds removed and diced
• 1 Cup of Italian salad dressing
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
• Olive oil for drizzling
• You can also use – summer salami diced into small pieces…

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Today was not my day

If you read the “about” page then you know I freely admit I’m a terrible vegetarian. Today didn’t start out too bad. I had eggs and toast for breakfast (I allow myself eggs on the weekends), and I managed to resist the bacon I fried for Stacey before she left for work. The smell was amazing, but I held out.

Lunch was a big slice of pumpkin cheesecake (no meat, but in no way nutritionally sound). I added one of those gas station packs of “heat” peanuts as a snack.

I fell off the wagon for dinner. I should have seen it coming. I was working on stuff and didn’t realize how hungry I was getting. Then I ran to the grocery for a “quick” fill up trip. By the time I got home I was starving. Then I remembered there was spiral cut ham in the fridge. I started thinking about how good that would taste grilled with some Swiss cheese, spicy mustard and some big slices of dill pickle. I broke. It was delicious, and the guilt did not even slow me down as I ate it.

Vegetarian grade for today : F
Nutritional grade for today : C-

Tomorrow I will do better. I’m going to make some broccoli salad and roasted veggies before I get too hungry. As always, I’ll be on the hunt for new delicious vegetarian recipes.