my cooking date - mysterious monday?

I had my cooking date with my vegetarian friend- finally! She gave me a list of possible options - which all sounded so yummy. It was very hard to decide - but she had one thing on there that she had not made before and was going to make sometime this week for her family - so I chose that, since I wanted her to have fun too, and have me not feel like a total taker. It was a pasta dish. She bought all the ingredients. Really, it didn't require much. Pasta, shallots, tempeh, goat cheese and some various ingredients for a marinade.

I actually found the recipe online here:http://voices.washingtonpost.com/mighty-appetite/2008/10/meatless_monday_hooray_for_tem.html

I have to give my family a big high five for even trying it. They all gave it a thumbs up, to my surprise. I think we all agreed that the tempeh would probably be better if it were crumbled instead of cut into 1 inch cubes. I guess we all have a thing about the texture. It's just something you have to get used to. Very different from anything else we've ever eaten. It was also the first time for goat cheese. There was something in that recipe that was just not right in the taste. It wasn't horrible, but it prevented it from being cravable. I will try tempeh again, but I will not make this recipe again. Mainly because I don't like to fry foods. It's not healthy, it messes up the kitchen and stinks up the house. I have to say the caramelized shallots were heavenly. They were totally lost in the strong flavors in this recipe and deserve another shot somewhere, somehow. I must find a way to make them again in a dish that will not overwhelm them.

My friend has had a very interesting life. We are both pretty quiet people, so it wasn't a rollicking good time, but I'm getting to know her better. I did have fun. I hope there will be a next time.

So, there will not be a terrifying Tuesday tomorrow, since we did it today. However, I do have a mango in the fridge just calling out for some special treatment...