I made it -- 2 weeks, no meat. It really wasn't too much of a struggle (except for that time my mother and I cooked beef tenderloin with a wine sauce for my sister when she came home from the hospital with baby Jake...that was tough). Granted, I didn't really make the lifestyle changes that drove the initial underlying urge.

With the exception of the curried sweet potato fries, I did not really try any new recipes. Sure, I ate more chickpeas and almonds than I might have otherwise, but my diet wasn't all that healthy. When you're going ovo-lacto vegetarian, cheese counts. And don't I love cheese.

Anyway, though I may have resumed my carniverous ways, I think going forward I'm going to make a point of trying at least one new vegetarian recipe per week.

This week, I'm going to make La Farinata - chickpea pancakes (recipe compliments of the Washington Post).

La Farinata
(Makes 8-12 servings)

1 Cup chickpea flour
1/2 cup cold water (or as needed)
olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
leaves from 1 or 2 springs of rosemary

Combine chickpea flour and enough water in a mixing bowl to make a thick batter. Stir to remove any lumps. add the remaining water until the batter is teh consistency of tahini or thick pouring cream.

Add a teaspoon of olive oikl and the salt, mix well

Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days

just before serving, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet (10-12 inches) over medium-high heat. then add the rosemary

When the oil is hot (abt 30 seconds), the rosemary witll start to jump in the skillet

pour half the batter into the skillet. it should cover the bottome of the skillet to a depth of abt 1/8 inch

Cook for 1 or 2 minutes, until the panacke is set crisped and golden underneath. carefully turn over and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Slide onto a serving plate

Cut into wedges, sprinkle with aslt and generous grindings of pepper. serve immediately




I'll let you all know how this goes.