Eat Like a Rabbit

Both of these recipes came out of The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet which you can purchase through Amazon.com via our website. We're quickly becoming fans of zucchini and greatly enjoyed this feast. The variety of colors was spectacular and the speed to fix the meal gets great reviews.

Some people may find the tortellini dry as the only sauce was the oil and garlic from cooking the zucchini. There's no question the flavors mix well. If I had only one zucchini and had to chose a recipe to use it in, I would definitely choose the Lemon Zucchini Pasta (recipe found in Moosewood Cooks at Home because I love the tangy dressing. However, for individuals not use to a meat-free meal or for children requiring help in expanding their taste-buds, I would rate this recipe first because of the stronger cheese flavor making up for lack of meat. And, I'm sure more creative individuals could make a good lemon sauce to go on the tortellini.

The Tomato, Mozzarella and Bread Salad surprised me. It is a salad that you have to mix and serve immediately due to the bread soaking up the liquid quickly. Maybe I should have cooked my croutons longer so they wouldn't get as soggy. I really fought with myself about adding garlic to the recipe. After all, I love garlic. But I decided the tortellini might be strong enough and that I must review recipes the way they are made to give an appropriate opinion of them. And I was glad I had stuck to the original recipe. I'd forgotten how the garlic can sometimes overrun the basil flavor. I think it would have used less energy to cut a few slices of bread and toast them in our T-FAL than to turn the oven on. On the other hand, the salad would have been very appropriate for my grandmother who has a hard time eating crunchy things.

So, I was happy with the meal. It was different. My palate enjoyed it. Part of life is trying new things. I'm glad for the experimentation. And I'm glad to know what recipes are appropriate for different situations.