Sometimes, you just have to wonder how some food traditions came about. Extra fatty meat, pureed and spreadable (also known as pate) is one of those that just make you wonder why. No need to cram your arteries with fatty liver - try a vegetarian pate made from mushrooms, nuts and fresh herbs instead. You can keep it a bit chunky, like a dip, or puree it smoother and mold it however you'd like. Here's a few vegetarian pate recipes to try:

Herbed mushroom pate (pictured)

Walnut and tofu pate

Mock "chicken" pate

Walnut and "chicken" pate

See also: More vegetarian and vegan appetizer ideas

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Are you worried about salmonella? Sure, all the infected eggs have been safely recalled, but do you trust federal regulators to keep you and your family safe in the future? CNN doesn't. Cookies, cakes, and other baked goods rely on eggs for moisture and leavening. They're an important part of the recipe, and you can't just leave them out. For peace of mind, do what vegans have been doing for years: try egg substitutes. A commercial egg replacer costs about $4 at the market, and will last for ages. I usually use Ener-G brand, and it's the most popular amongst egg-free bakers, but Bob's Red Mill brand works well too.

If you're used to eating scrambled eggs for breakfast, have you thought about scrambled tofu? It's just as quick to prepare, and, if you add some seasonings and a bit of turmeric for color, you'll likely hardly know the difference. Many grocery stores even offer a product called "Tofu Scrambler" that you can just mix in with your tofu to make a scramble, if you're not the type to keep individual seasonings on hand.

Link: Using egg replacers
See also: 7 quick and easy tofu scramble recipes

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After reading this fun article about how peanut butter and jelly can save the world I keep on trying to picture what kind of superhero costume peanut butter and jelly would wear. You know, if it were a superhero.

Enough with the food personification. This is a very serious article, well-written and very convincing. If you like PB&J, or even say, peanut butter and bananas, read on.

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Photo by Sean Locke / Getty Images

Even if you aren't baking for the kids, homemade granola bars or breakfast bars are a healthier choice than sugary cereal, and, of course, they're perfect for eating on the run, if you've got to go! I admit, when I make cereal bars, I munch on them as a snack, rather than eating them for breakfast. Nothing wrong with that, though!

Cranberry breakfast bars (Pictured) These whole wheat and oatmeal breakfast bars are flavored with cranberries and dates.

Oatmeal Cereal Bars Use any kind of cereal you like to make these bars. There's plenty of maple syrup in this recipe, so while it's free of refined sugar, it's still quite sweet.

Whole Wheat Energy Bars Sweetened with honey, applesauce and dried fruit, these bars are packed full of wheat germ and bran cereal.

Chocolate peanut butter rice crispies This rice crispy squares recipe uses corn syrup and peanut butter (and chocolate!) instead, making it both vegetarian, vegan, and super yummy!

Cornflake cereal bars Another incredibly easy way to make cereal bars, this one using corn syrup and cornflake cereal.

Peanut butter granola bars Homemade granola bars may be easier to make than you think. This easy vegan recipe has just six ingredients.