Last week, I shared this forum post with you:

If you were to eat a meal cooked with meat,and you being a vegetarian and take out the meat from the meal is it then considered vegetarian?

At the time, only a few people had responded, but now, more than fifty of you have weighed in with a response, and, most of you are in agreement. Find out what everyone thinks about this issue by browsing over to the vegetarian forums.

And what do you think? Do you pick the meat off of food to eat it? What about food cooked with animal broths? Do utensils shared between meat and vegetarian dishes bother you? Respond in the forum here.

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Bored of the same old marinara pasta sauce? Here's a vegan walnut-based pasta sauce that will get you out of that red sauce rut. Though the recipe recommends a pairing with linguine, I used this simple nutty sauce to top homemade gnocchi for something a little different, and used dried parsley instead of fresh. For a more savory dish, you could use an unsweetened soymilk, omit the sugar and add a bit of salt instead.

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Vegetarian dim sum has to be one of my favorite restaurant meals to enjoy whether alone or with friends. I love the casual hands-on nature, and I can never resist trying to sneak a peak at the towers of bamboo steamers in the kitchen and the piles of little ceramic bowls. Chinese New Year, then, is a great opportunity to indulge, and Chinese food is filled with vegetarian and vegan options. The traditional new year celebration is a fantastic holiday, with vibrant dragon dances, colorful foods and decoration, and a rich tradition that still thrives in Chinese neighborhoods across the globe. Did I already mention the food? In celebration of the new lunar year (Chinese New Years), here are a few of my favorite Chinese vegetarian tidbits:

Vegan Scallion Pancakes In Taiwan, scallion pancakes are served up hot and piled high, fresh from street vendors. They're more of a snack or appetizer than a breakfast food, so enjoy them anytime, dipped in soy sauce, of course.

Vegetarian Chinese Dumplings One of the best meals I've ever had was at a small restaurant in Taipei, Taiwan. It included steamed dumplings very similar to these and dipped in a very simple soy sauce and vinegar dip. Serve hot with a good green tea.

Vegetarian Hot and Sour Soup My Chinese roommate in college used to prepare this for breakfast on occasion, and I heartily ate it up! It is somewhat light, however, so feel free to add in some tofu or seitan if you want a soup that is more of a meal.

Chocolate Dipped Fortune Cookies (pictured) I predict you will love this quick recipe, from Rhonda, About.com's Guide to Chinese food. Ok, so there's nothing traditional about it, but it is a fun idea!

More Vegetarian and Vegan Chinese Food Recipes Browse through dozens of easy vegetarian and vegan Chinese food favorites, including traditional classic and westernized favorites such as spicy sesame peanut noodles and tofu "egg" foo young. Enjoy!

Lucky oranges photo by stock.xchng; Fortune cookie photo by Rhonda Parkinson, About.com Guide to Chinese Food

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It's inevitable. It's happened to us all. Or at least to me, about 50 thousand times. You order a pizza with friends or family, and specifically state that you want the pizza half veg, half chicken, in order to keep everyone happy. The pizza comes out, steaming hot, smells amazing....but it's got chicken all over it! What do you do? Your mom says, "What's the big deal? Just pick the meat off!" And everyone else nods in agreement. So, what do you do?

A reader posted this provocative question in the vegetarian forum a few days back:

If you were to eat a meal cooked with meat,and you being a vegetarian and take out the meat from the meal is it then considered vegetarian?

It's a great question. I've got an answer in mind, but I'm curious to know what other vegetarians think (and do in this kind of a situation), so I'm going to hold off for a few days before chiming in with my thoughts. So, what do you think? Do you pick the meat off of food to eat it? Respond in the forum here.

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All vegetarian recipes