My parents looooove Ellie Krieger. Mostly because they think she's so pretty.

OK, I just got an email from T-Mobile about an ad that apparently just ran. What has the world come to.

I would say the two best vegetarian cookbooks are Veganomicon (for a whole ton of relatively quick and easy and REALLY good recipes) and The Voluptuous Vegan (for fancier stuff.) From what I've heard, How To Cook Everything Vegetarian is one of those vegetarian cookbooks that puts a cup of cheese in everything (cheesetarian is an easy trap to fall into when you start eating vegetarian stuff.)

There are a few kids vegetarian cookbooks out there, but I don't know any of them very well. Plus, "kid-friendly" can be pretty subjective. I've got a vegetarian friend whose toddler loved snacking on little cubes of raw tofu. (This kid seriously had the best diet that I've ever seen on a toddler. A typical lunch for her might be whole wheat pita with hummus and apple slices. Afternoon snack of tofu and carrots.)

I would say the two best vegetarian cookbooks are Veganomicon (for a whole ton of relatively quick and easy and REALLY good recipes)

Really? Because I've been contemplating doing more vegetarian cooking, but have NO TIME.

Popping into Natter after skipping like crazy to say that the book looks great, Gar, and I look forward to reading it.

Also, every little kid I know who's been able to try tofu without any preconceived notions about it has loved it, to the extent where I've been kind of amazed. When you think about it, it has a mild flavor and neat texture, which fits with what kids traditionally like.

Yep. Veganomicon, and also Vegan with a Vengeance. I've made a bunch of recipes from both of them, and they've all been really good and really easy. (The tempeh mango salad from Vegan with a Vengeance is one of my favorites. Even if you think you don't like tempeh, it's worth a try.)

Also, every little kid I know who's been able to try tofu without any preconceived notions about it has loved it, to the extent where I've been kind of amazed. When you think about it, it has a mild flavor and neat texture, which fits with what kids traditionally like.

At a family barbeque a few years ago, we ran out of bbq chicken, and a four-year-old still wanted more, so his father gave him some of the bbq tofu and told him it was "chicken square." He ate it, no problem, and then ran around telling everybody about the really cook chicken square.

My vegetarian friend who doesn't really cook all that much loved Vegonomicon. But her license plate reads "CTHULHU."

Veganomicon recipes I've tried have tended to be about half an hour prep time, sometimes less. Also, they've got a bunch of soy-free and gluten-free recipes, for people trying to avoid those (I'm not, but I'm trying to vary my protein sources a bit more), and a bunch of recipes with a little grocery cart icon, meaning that the ingredients can be found at a regular grocery store. (She says that she used the supermarket near her in-laws in Vermont as her guide for "regular grocery store.)

Man, I would have to find a nickname for Veganomicon, because I trip over it just reading.

Coincidentally, I've been skipping around looking for good bulgur chili recipe. I was going to make it tonight, but then I realized my onion is... squishy. And that can't be good.

I've been going through a couple of my cookbooks making notes of recipes that might work, and I've actually found more than I thought I would. What I'm hoping to do is actually have a more varied diet than I've managed lately, and I think I can pull it off as long as I do some planning each week.