Going Vegetarian

I've been thinking about doing this for a while.  We have a couple of friends that are vegetarian and vegan, I've always been particularly struck with the idea of not eating animals, because I think it's not necessary when we can live without meat and I found the growing number of people choosing not to eat meat a sign that it was becoming easier to be able to do just that.  Last time I tried, I found that there weren't any good substitutes in terms of taste and availability, and it just wasn't the right time because I was still living at home and couldn't really ask my family to change everything just so my needs could be met.

A vegan put me onto some great websites that just have the most scrumptious looking food - all completely vegan!  I swear if we didn't have the biggest piece of crap oven in our flat I'd be in there trying every recipe on these websites.  Go here to be blown away (but maybe stay away if you're allergic to green things):  VeganYumYum and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.

Also for anyone interested I found these two websites particularly helpful:  The Vegetarian Society and The Vegetarian/Vegan Society of Queensland.  But there's heaps of resources around for how to cook, where to shop and a practical information about staying healthy on a vegetarian/vegan diet.

I started today by buying tofu and doing my first vegetarian shop - needless to say it was vegetables, fruits and beans galore!  I look forward to trying out some new tricks :)