Meat-less and Meat-full

Happy Snow Day!

Usually the hubby and I do Meatless Mondays.  We occasionally even do a Veg Week.  After a few vegetarian weeks we adopted the Meatless Mondays.  This past Monday wasn't meatlesss.  It was meat-full and deliciously so!  But we have a rule that if scheduling requires us to have meat on a Monday than we take off another day that week.  Our occasionally veg diet is both for a healthy cleanse and in small part maintain the sustainability of our environment.

So Monday's noms were absolutely delectable!  We tried a new steakhouse in Howard County.  It is the Venegas Prime Filet Steakhouse located in Maple Lawn.  Previously in that spot was the OZ Steakhouse which we found quite disappointing.  Think Ruth's Chris prices at Bennigans quality.  The Venegas Steakhouse was quite a different experience!  I originally wasn't going to blog about this as I didn't take any pictures but it was too good not to.  We were presented with a gift from the chef - goat cheese and cranberry in puff pastry.  We were there to try the Howard County restaurant week menu. I got an arugula, pear, and goat cheese salad (which I am trying to recreate tonite for dinner - that's the linking piece to this post).  Next a 4-5 ounce petite filet that came with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus,  then chocolate pate for dessert.  I shared a side of mac and cheese with our other table-mates.  Everything was phenomenal and our waiter was awesome too!  A definite win!  All the specials he described sounded awesome. I wanted to eat more meals there.  They had an Italian flag salad with mozzarella, tomato, basil, and avocado.  There was a veal dish and a lamb dish.  Neither are meats I eat but it just sounded so amazing. ( HoCo@@@)

So anyway back to today.  It was a surprising snow day.  I was in the shower when the hubby said school was closed.  I got a salad for lunch with my girls Erinn and Mo then hit up Trader Joe's for some fresh ingredients for dinner.  I went to the doc the other day and the scale said "Eat More Salad." Tonite we are recreating the salad I had at the steakhouse but with some extra touches!

Open up a bag of arugula and put in a pretty bowl

Get a couple of good looking pears (I think these are anjou and bose??)

Slice up the pears.  Mine were a little too chunky.  I have not yet perfected
knife skills.  The restaurant had them cut matchstick style. Note for next time.

Pears and arugula

Add dried cranberries.  I also found orange flavored cranberries.  oooh ahhhh

Goat cheese!  I got the regular (no reduced fat here because you're not really using that much anyway.)
I also found goat cheese with honey.  Thought that would add some fun flavor

Squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the top.
Fresh cracked pepper, sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil!

Ok so I had a little fun photographing the salad...the wine bottle and flower vase made for a nice background.  The rest of the living room not so much.  Hmmmm will have to work on that.
Tomorrow for dinner a more winter crockpot meal.
Happy Snow!