"vegetarian" news and stories

Vegetarians who thought no one was on their side will be happy to know that a group of doctors are going to bat for a meat-free alternative to the food pyramid.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) filed suit with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) -- who drafts the country's official food pyramid, MyPyramid -- after it ignored their petition offering a vegetarian alternative called the Power Plate, reports the Chicago Tribune. They say the USDA is blind to the rising rates in obesity and diabetes, which became common after the first pyramid was presented almost two decades ago. But they don't just want a supplemental vegetarian pyramid; they want to withdraw the old and instate theirs.

The Power Plate, available here on the PCRM site, has no portion recommendations and instead simply advises getting an equal balance of fruits, grains, legumes and vegetables, which are divided equally on a plate-shaped graph that looks more like a company logo than a guide.

Thanksgiving is the day you might want to put the smart-phone apps on the shelf and dive into a few real apps. You know, the edible kind that were around way before the invention of the iPhone. Kitchen Daily's five appetizers, from a roasted red pepper and walnut dip to a pesto and sun-dried tomato terrine, have robust flavor that belies how light they really are. And with these recipes, your crew will still have plenty of room for the big bird (or the tofurkey, if you swing that way) and the pumpkin pie. (By the way, throw a little mascarpone in this year's pie. Here's the recipe.)

And . . . if you don't know what to pour with all those appetizers, here are beer and wine recommendations.

• Thinking of going vegetarian this Thanksgiving? The Well blog has great meatless recipes for you.
• Some of us are more concerned with what we'll drink this holiday.
• At the famous Indian restaurant Vij's in Vancouver, you will eat your greens. No, really: The owner makes sure of it.
• Mark Bittman puts his spin on a neglected classic: stuffed cabbage.

Happy World Vegetarian Day!

According to a recent study by Vegetarian Times, vegetarianism in America is booming: 7.3 million Americans are vegetarian, while an even higher amount -- 22.8 million -- follow "vegetarian-inclined" diets. And it's no surprise that vegetarianism is on the rise, as consumers shy away from the increasing prominence of processed foods -- the vast majority of vegetarians name health as their incentive, closely followed by environmental concerns.



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Tofurky has gotten racy.

"The blare of revving engines, the squeal of tires leaving pit row, it's not an atmosphere where you'd expect someone to be touting the benefits of vegetables, recycling, composting and canvas bags. And that's exactly what makes rising star race car driver Leilani Munter so interesting," says HuffPo writer (and program director of Meatless Mondays) Chris Elam.

A biology graduate turned race car driver, Munter began racing stock cars 10 years ago, and now competes in both NASCAR and IndyCar. She's been voted "the hottest woman in NASCAR," and is only the fourth woman in history to compete in the Indy Pro Series.

Read Elam's full interview with Munter, and hear how she manages her ironic dual identity of race car driver and environmentalist.