Vegetarian Food

And by huge, I mean GIANT! I may be showing my age here a bit, but if you ever cried at The Green Mile, you'll love knowing that it's star, Michael Clarke Duncan (also of The Green Lantern and Talladega Nights), has not only gone meat-free, but he's also using his celeb status to encourage others, men in particular, to take control of their health by going vegetarian. What's not to love about this story?

Michael Clarke Duncan gave Peta an interview here, where he talks about his own reasons to go vegetarian, how he made the switch, and how great he feels. I don't know about you men, but I think the ladies can agree that we're all truly inspired!

Link: Michael Clark Duncan: "I am a vegetarian."

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Shop the bulk bins of your local natural food store for some healthy bargains. Forego the temptation to purchase expensive nuts and candies from the bulk bins, and stock up on staples such as whole grains, beans, spices and mixes. Need another reason to shop the bulk bins? There's zero packaging if you bring your own recycled or reused bags. The bulk bins are an environmentalist's dream! Here are my favorite foods to buy in bulk.

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Vegans get asked lots of questions, some of them odd, some of them valid. Rounding out the most common things people wonder about vegans are usually, "Where do you get your protein from?", Can vegans eat chocolate? and, just as often, "What's wrong with milk?"

The reasons for not drinking milk are, in fact, quite similar to the reasons people choose to become vegetarian: animal rights/welfare, environmental reasons and health concerns. Of course, the main reason I avoid drinking milk is because it's just plain gross (some people call this the "aesthetic" argument).

If you're curious as to why many people choose to avoid drinking milk, check out these facts about milk from About.com's Guide to Animal Rights. And, if you're thinking about getting rid of dairy, you might be interested in the variety of dairy substitutes available.

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Milk photo courtesy of Stock.xchng / Nkzs.

Attention New York vegetarians! The annual NYC veggie pride parade is looking for a few volunteers to help out both before and during the event on Sunday, May 27th. Interested? They're looking for a few folks to man tables, take pictures and help with spreading the word.

If you've never heard of the NYC Veggie Pride Parade, you're in for a treat! It's more of a walking party and festival than a stale parade. There's costume contests, performers, videos, and of course, plenty of fabulous meat-free food!

More info: Veggie pride parade needs volunteers!

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Having lived in both Chicago and San Francisco, I can't really complain about lack of vegan food options, though having gone vegetarian over two decades ago, I can say that I've seen a lot of changes. But not everyone lives in the big city, and even for those that do, options can be limited while traveling. However we may feel about large corporations versus small independent businesses, there's no doubt that large chain restaurants have a lot of bargaining power.

First there was the Burger King Veggie Burger. Then KFC Canada introduced the vegetarian chicken sandwich. Now, Subway in Canada (BC and Alberta only, for now) is offering a vegan falafel option. How great is that? The vegan falafel has long been on the menu in Chicago, and is specifically marketed towards vegetarians.

I've long dreamt of the day that Subway offers vegan mayonnaise and soy cheese (really, how hard can it be?), so maybe that dream is just a little bit closer to reality today. And all I have to do is move to Canada.

Canadians (or travelers!), have you tried the vegan falafel patty at Subway? What do you think? Ask them to send us Yanks some, will ya?

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Just in time for Cinco de Mayo, I've uploaded a few new Mexican recipes - and margarita recipes - to the About.com vegetarian site, so if you're looking for something brand new to shake (or stir!) things up a bit for your Cinco de Mayo celebrations, here's a few new ideas to try:

Roasted chickpea and cauliflower tacos

Black bean and guacamole enfrijoladas

Black bean tortilla soup

Guadalajaran pozole stew

Avocado margaritas

Coconut mango margaritas

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Cinco de Mayo is a great excuse to whip up a batch of margaritas, chow down on some sizzling vegetarian fajitas (pictured at right), break out the sombreros and celebrate! Pop open a cerveza and try some of these vegetarian Cinco de Mayo party recipes. Or, if you're looking for a full Mexican meal instead of just party foods, scroll through a complete collection of vegetarian and vegan Mexican food recipes. The tantalizing spices are so flavorful that you won't even miss the meat, and, not to mention, many traditional Mexican foods are naturally meat-free. As a native Californian, Mexican food will always be my favorite comfort food, so you know I'll be indulging this Cinco de Mayo! Viva la!

Pictured above, right: Vegetarian "steak" substitute fajitas
Pictured left: Fresh lime margaritas, by Chelsie K., Mexican food guide

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Judging from each week's most popular resources here on about.com, lots of people like vegetarian soups! Whether it's raw food soups, or bean soups, there's plenty of options if you're looking for something soothing to slurp.

Last week, I added a new option to the list - tomato soup, collecting all of my favorite tomato soup recipes in one place right here. When fresh and homemade, tomato soup is a great way to make sure you're getting your 5 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables every day.

Tomato Soup, 7 Healthy Ways

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How many times have you heard this? "If everyone goes vegetarian, the cows/pigs/chicken/insert food culturally-appropriate food animal of choice will overrun the world. What will we do with them?" It's like some sort of South Park episode gone horribly wrong. Most of the time, when I hear this question, people are being facetious or just trying to poke the local vegetarian for fun. Every once in a while, however, in an apparent demonstration of the collective failure of our public school system, people seem to be genuine. Grown adults, even. Well, next time someone asks you this, here's what to say.

There's lots more crazy ideas out there when it comes to the shocking ideas (gasp!) that some people don't want to eat dead animals. Here's a few more silly vegetarian myths. Heard plenty of your own crazy myths? You can also submit your own, if you have a favorite!

See also: More silly (and not so silly!) questions about vegetarianism

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How do you press your tofu?

I've been hearing more and more lately about commercial tofu presses, such as this one, called an EZ Tofu press. Has anyone tried one of these? What do you think? Is it worth it?

I suppose if I cooked for a large family or in a commercial kitchen, a tofu press would be a huge help, but honestly, I'm not convinced this product is necessary, so I'm curious as to what you all think. True, cans often fall over, and stacking them too heavy can occasionally result in crushed tofu. But at the same time, pressing tofu is a relatively painless process over all. Don't get me wrong, I just about always press my tofu, as one should, and would tell anyone else to do the same for most recipes.

A tofu press costs about $25 and should last pretty much forever.

What do you think? Does a tofu press provide a better, more evenly (and conveniently!) pressed tofu?

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