US VegWeek April 22 - 28

I'm taking the pledge to be a vegetarian for US VegWeek! You should join me! It's only one week out of the year and it's going to be tasty.

Like many who will take the pledge, I'm not a vegetarian. But I'm not a meat lover either, so it's going to be easy for me. I also usually try to have at least one to two vegetarian days a week. And on top of that, sometimes breakfast and lunch are naturally vegetarian.

I know there are many types of vegetarians and they each have their own labels. I'm not going to get into that. From April 22 to 28, I'm going to stay away from obvious chunks of meat. No burgers, no chicken, no pork (I don't usually eat pork anyways) and no steaks. No deli meats and no peperoni. I'll still have some milk, a little cheese and a few eggs but other than that, no meat.

I have found a few great recipes and I have a few good ideas:

• I can get a plain cheese pizza from Papa Johns and pair it with a salad. 
• I'll make a vegetarian qorma (Middle Eastern) with potatoes and peppers. Here's a recipe.
• I recently had an Indian taco at the annual American Indian Week finale. I can make a vegetarian Navajo taco without adding the beef to the beans.
• I can make falafels, or eat at International Delights or Santorini's. They're vegetarian and they're delicious!
• I can try to make vegetarian Bibimbap, a Korean dish with kimchi. Here's a recipe.  I could also go to Kim-Chi House and ask for something vegetarian. Smaller, down-to-earth restaurants would do that for you, especially if you're a regular customer.
• A grilled California veggie sandwich with homemade ciabatta bread. Here's a recipe. And here's a video/recipe for easy, delicious, amazing ciabatta bread. I tried it and it was brilliant. 

• I can have cheese enchiladas with rice and beans from my favorite Mexican joint. I can also make these at home. Ooooh, I can have left over beans from the Navajo tacos to eat with cheese enchiladas! Don't you love it when it works out like that?
• Vegetarian spaghetti or Alfredo with broccoli.

See? That's more than seven options for dinner (with leftovers for lunch). It doesn't seem like a challenge anymore because when you plan, you don't end up eating plain rice and carrots.

(And to keep getting my dose of protein I'll be adding lentils, quinoa, beans, nuts and mushrooms to these recipes or at least have them on the side. But like I said, I'll still have cheese, milk and eggs. Maybe I'll make vegetarian week a monthly thing, or an every-two-months thing...)

Here's something I featured in Pulses' Delightful Dish, our weekly entertainment magazine:

See how delicious that looks. And it's vegetarian.

Earth Day, April 22, marks the beginning of US VegWeek and I, an omnivore, am taking the pledge. And I say Italian food is the easiest to eat without meat because it's so flavorful and savory, you don't miss the meat. Lorenzo's has many vegetarian options. First, many of their pastas are meatless and it's always an option to add meat for a few extra bucks. 

Second, they have a line of delicious sandwiches that includes three vegetarian options, including baked eggplant, tomato-basil and "vegetarian."

For their lunch special ($9), you can pick two items out of select half sandwiches, side salads, side pastas and soups. I chose the baked eggplant and spaghetti con sugo (no-meat sauce).

It came pretty quick, just after I finished the complimentary appetizer of house Sicilian bread, which was great. They use Sicilian bread for their sandwiches, too, and it was the bed for a large slice of eggplant covered with a little tomato sauce and lots of melted mozzarella cheese. It was a little messy, but it had great flavors — a roasted vegetable background with savory bread and a slightly sweet sauce. The small bowl of pasta was fresh with a bright, savory tomato sauce and perfectly cooked spaghetti. 

All-in-all, it was a filling and satisfying lunch. My next Delightful Dish will be vegetarian too. Any suggestions?

Lorenzo's, 1752 E. University Ave., is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday and Monday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday  and Saturday. Info: 575-525-3170. Learn more about US VegWeek and take the pledge at usvegweek.com.