Vegetarian Eats (guest post)

Hi! I'm Lola, Alyson's friend. You may know me from my quote...

"You're like, practically the Queen of Grilled Cheese in an Oven!"

As well as a grilled cheese enthusiast, and blogger at Thingology (heheh go look plz now), I'm a vegetarian. Alyson asked me to post about vegetarian food. But first, let's go over a couple frequently asked questions:

Yes, I drink milk, eat cheese, have honey, use butter, and all that. Not having anything from an animal is veganism; not having its flesh is vegetarianism. I don't eat fish, either, but some vegetarians do.

Yes, I get enough protein, and yes, really.

No, I do not live off of tofu.

My parents raised me as a vegetarian, so bacon/ham/salmon/other meats do not tempt me. I've had meat accidentally a few times, and it tasted horrible. My stomach didn't like it, either.

So what if you're out to eat with somebody, and the person you're with says that saying that's so infamous among vegetarians and vegans: "How do you live without bacon?" And the restaurant's menu only has two vegetarian meals: "Tofu with a side of tofu" and "Broccoli with Steamed Broccoli and Carrot Puree"?
Here's what you do. Ditch that person, go home and save yourself the trouble of picking between tofu madness or veggie-fruit-puree abominations by making this. Optionally vegan.


Ingredients:

However much pasta you'll be eating (linguini and farfalle are best)

Carrots (1 carrot is enough if you just want some carrot bits, go for two if you want a bunch, 3 if you're making it for several people)

Marinara sauce/olive oil/some pasta sauce

(if you eat butter) 1 or 2 pats of butter


Directions:

Rinse and peel the carrots. Chop at a slight diagonal so you get a good amount of long oval-shaped carrot pieces.

Once the carrots are chopped, fill a pot about 2/3 full with water and put to a boil.

Prepare a frying pan with some olive oil. If you're using the butter, melt it in the pan. Put the pan on a low heat and pour on the carrots. NOTE: The carrots can require some patience. Keep the pan on a LOW heat, and stir it occasionally. It will have to cook for a long while. They should taste warm and carrot-y, but also visibly cooked.

While the carrots are sitting, put the pasta in the pot and let it cook for about 8 minutes or until it has reached it's desired softness. Drain in a colander.

When both are done, combine in a large bowl with some sauce. Or, you can just use shredded parmesan. Anyway, eat.