Eat Like a Rabbit

I write this post quite a bit annoyed about the waste of my time, my money, and my daily allotted calories. There are very few times when I can't find anything good to say about a company, restaurant, or recipe. However, this is definitely one of those times. In fact, Paul, an even more positive individual than I am, could only comment "Good idea, poor execution." Part of me is frustrated that I must waste my time writing about this chain restaurant with 7 branches in Florida alone. But the rest of me remembers that the purpose of EatLikeaRabbit.net is to help people enjoy vegetarian food.

We had a fantastic and enjoyable Christmas Eve Dinner.

They say Macaroni and Cheese is a comfort food because it reminds people of their childhood. And kids are said to love it. But, to make it feel like an adult food, it's high in calcium, can be fast to make, and is reasonably cheap. Also, it can be a rather frugal investment of money. For example, when Publix has pasta noodles as "Buy One, Get One Free, I stock up. And elbow noodles tend to be smaller so there are actually more of them in the box than, say, Rigatoni. So, it covers more meals.

Too dark for pictures.

I was invited to a dinner by a drug rep. The speaker as he stood up said he couldn't believe the turnout. He said the restaurant must be good. The 60-ish number of medical professionals laughed. A waiter came around asking our orders. There were three options, but being a vegetarian, I didn't catch what they were. I simply requested a vegetarian plate. Some time later, a waiter came by with salads and atop mine (just like all the others) was a nice strip of crispy bacon. By this point, the lecture had started and I quietly whispered a request for a bacon-less salad. The waiter very kindly obliged, but failed to remove the offensive salad. I suppose if I had thought about it, I would have just passed it down to the next individual. Instead, I shoved it toward the center of the table and out of my line of sight.

Guacamole is a favorite for us. However, we tend to differ on how to make it. Fresh cilantro is better than dried cilantro. Lime is better than lemon. And never use mayonnaise!

This could very likely be my favorite restaurant in all of Orlando. It sits on Central right next to Lake Eola and has a very special place in my heart because it is where we had dinner with my parents and Garrett Nudd after Paul tricked me into a photo shoot/wedding proposal. The food is consistently fabulous, and the staff is always kind, smiling, and fun.

One of my EMTs said this was his favorite squash. So, I purhased some on Friday. By Saturday, we were eating lunch at some friend's house and were served Spaghetti Squash. He answered all of my questions about preparation. And I excitedly created this fabulous dish on Sunday. With a salad, French bread, and pan-fried scallops, I was in heaven.

I love the ingredients in this recipe. It came complements of "Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home." Naturally, I chose to make this recipe in the winter when oranges were at their peak. Local citrus is best when purchased from a trusted fruit stand as opposed to from a grocery store.

This was such an interesting restaurant. I suspect I won't begin to do it justice in writing without the photos to back up my descriptions. It is worth the experience and the food is good, too.

This is one of those restaurants that appears to be a hole-in-the-wall, but is really a popular and enjoyable place to dine. Paul went there with some coworkers for lunch one day and brought me back a week later for dinner.

I must confess, every time I buy a carton of eggs, I wish I won't use them quickly so I can have an excuse to make egg salad. I learned sometime somewhere to eat sprouts instead of lettuce on my egg salad sandwich, and now I prefer it 100%. Fresh tomatoes and good wheat bread make the sandwich look and taste gourmet.

My sister-in-law brought me some fabulous fresh crushed red pepper from Italy. The recommendation was to soak the flakes in olive oil, remove the flakes after one hour, and make a slightly spicy pasta sauce. I loved the idea and couldn't wait to try it. I used it the very next weekend.