Vegetarians

No, a vegetarian diet isn't just alfalfa sprouts and tofu. A vegetarian diet can be much richer in its variety--and a lot tastier, too--than some nonvegetarians assume. Above all, it can be a very healthful way to eat. Most vegetarian diets are high in fiber and low in fat and cholesterol. Therefore, they can help you lower your risk of heart disease, lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and decrease digestive problems, including bowel diseases, gallstones and colon cancer.

This post has been updated. See note below for details. If there's anything we've learned about Morrissey in his years as an indie icon, it's that he takes his values seriously. So no one should have been too surprised when the animal-rights activist  canceled a planned appearance on Jimmy Kimmel's late night show Tuesday after he learned that the cast of "Duck Dynasty," A&E's reality show about a duck-hunting family business, would also be guests. Kimmel, however, took the slight a bit personally.

This post has been updated. See note below for details. If there's anything we've learned about Morrissey in his years as an indie icon, it's that he takes his values seriously. So no one should have been too surprised when the animal-rights activist  canceled a planned appearance on Jimmy Kimmel's late night show Tuesday after he learned that the cast of "Duck Dynasty," A&E's reality show about a duck-hunting family business, would also be guests. Kimmel, however, took the slight a bit personally.

Stunt artiste Steve-O, of MTV hit "Jackass" fame, performed recently not in a new "Don't Try This at Home" DVD or in the "Dancing With the Stars" television series but in a video promoting vegetarianism produced by animal protection organization Farm Sanctuary. He's the narrator of " What Came Before: Meet Someone You'll Never Forget ," which describes the fate of three animals -- Nikki the pig, Symphony the chicken and Fanny the cow, all of whom escaped slaughter -- and their not-so-lucky counterparts.

Rachel Rosenthal isn't the only one who will not be buying Colman Andrew's upcoming opus. And speaking of reminders, Hitler was a Nazi vegetarian, not a fascist. G. PERREAU Los Angeles

You hit a raw nerve with your article "Getting to the Meat of the Vegetarian Issue" (February 1). If telling a story with no point feels wrong to you, how about telling a story with a point: Humans oppress every other living thing on this planet. Man's inhumanity to man is nothing compared to what is done every day to destroy and exploit not only our environment but the "lesser" beings that share this planet with us. The question is not "Does it think" or "Does it reason." The question is "Does it suffer?"

A vegetarian activist said he was not trying to convince people to stop eating beef when he said on Oprah Winfrey's talk show that an outbreak of mad cow disease "could make AIDS look like the common cold." Howard Lyman, a former rancher and defendant with Winfrey in a lawsuit filed by Texas cattlemen, testified in Amarillo that he was simply expressing his opinion on the April 1996 show. "This is the United States of America. Don't I have a right to express my opinion?" he asked.

It isn't every day that Pamela Anderson shares billing with Pythagoras. But that was just one of many oddities on display Tuesday outside the Hollywood Post Office, where the blond bombshell joined former game-show host Bob Barker to promote postage stamps featuring famous vegetarians. The limited-edition sheet of 20 44-cent stamps produced and sold by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, makes for an unusual assemblage — linking Anderson, Barker, Woody Harrelson and Joan Jett to Pythagoras, Mohandas Gandhi, Leonardo da Vinci and Leo Tolstoy.

A resolution encouraging schools to offer a vegetarian option on lunch menus was approved by the state Assembly on Monday. The resolution, by Assemblyman Joe Nation (D-San Rafael), was approved 65-11. It calls on state education and health officials to develop a school lunch menu plan that includes vegetarian meals prepared without meat products, and vegan options that exclude meat, eggs and dairy. The menu plans would be voluntarily phased in over four years.

A group of vegetarian activists think they should be able to flush their toilets, wash their cars and water their lawns as they please, even if mandatory water rationing has arrived in Los Angeles. Want to know why, meat eaters? "By not eating beef one day a week for a month, you will save 10,400 gallons a month," said Aaron Leider, organizer of a program called "Meatless Monday," which encourages Los Angeles residents to do without beef on at least one day of the week.

Veggie Grill, the chain of vegetarian restaurants based in Santa Monica,  is planning to double its store count within 18 months. In the first half of the year, branches are set to open in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego and Seattle. The company said it more than doubled its locations last year to 16 eateries in California, Oregon and Washington. In its fourth round of equity fund-raising, announced Monday, Veggie Grill said it raised $20 million in common stock funding.

When I was a diehard vegetarian a number of years ago, packaged meat alternatives were slim pickings at best. Sure, you could find the occasional veggie "burger" or "hot dog," but there was no comparison to the real thing. Burned enough times, I grew wary of anything masquerading as meat. Especially a tofu "roast" during the holidays. Meat fanatic that I am nowadays, unless a tofu roast was studded with bacon, I probably wouldn't give it a second glance. But when I saw the Holiday Hazelnut Cranberry Roast en Croute from Field Roast, I was curious . I decided to give a few of their products a try: the holiday roast (hazelnut-infused grain "meat" stuffed with Field Roast sausage, ginger, cranberries and apples, then wrapped in puff pastry)

Fragrant garlic, fresh shiitake mushrooms, spicy chile -- tofu never looked this good, tossed with a rich and glossy black bean sauce.  For a rich and flavorful -- and completely vegetarian -- dinner idea, look no further than this dish from Andrea Nguyen. It's a great main dish, served with a side of rice.  You can find the recipe here. For more quick-fix dinner ideas, check out our video recipe gallery here . Food Editor Russ Parsons and Test Kitchen manager Noelle Carter show you how to fix a dozen dishes in an hour or less.

McVEGETARIAN Burger purveyor McDonald's plans to open its first non-meat restaurant in the Sikh holy city of Amritsar, India, next year. Located near Amritsar's Golden Temple, the branch will serve vegetarian options tailored to the country's cultural tastes, says AFP. Much of India 's population avoids certain types of meat. Hindus consider cows sacred and don't eat beef, while Muslims don't eat pork. The company's bestseller in India is the McAloo Tikki burger, which features a fried potato patty and makes up a quarter of sales.

Normally meat-centric McDonald's confirmed that it plans to open two all-vegetarian locations in India - and now customers, herbivore activists and others are buzzing. One no-meat branch will be based in the Sikh holy city of Amritsar in northern India and another in Katra near the Vaishno Devi cave shrine in Indian Kashmir, said spokeswoman Becca Hary in a statement.   The chain expanded into India through New Delhi and Mumbai in 1996. Many Indians avoid meat - especially beef and pork - for religious reasons.

McDonald's, that carnivore's haven of beefy Big Macs and chicken McNuggets, is going vegetarian. The fast food giant will open its first non-meat restaurant next year in India, in the Sikh holy city of Amritsar. The branch, to be located by the much-visited Golden Temple, will serve herbivore options tailored to the country's cultural tastes, according to AFP . Much of the Indian population avoids certain types of meat. Hindus consider cows sacred and don't eat beef, while Muslims avoid pork.

Santa Monica College vegetarians are having a cow. A controversy has been simmering for months between student vegetarians and campus administrators, but the dissolution last week of the Vegetarian Club as a student activity was the unkindest cut of all, said Ryan Flegal, who takes his meals politically. Now the cows aren't the only ones mad. On Tuesday, some members of the former club carried placards and demonstrated in the campus' Free Speech Area.

Delphine at the W Hollywood hotel, known for its raw seafood bar and steaks, recently experimented with a new dish: chicken wings. With a limited-time menu featuring niblets slathered with truffle-laced cheese and other flavorings, the upscale restaurant isn't the only one taking the once-lowbrow bar staple to a new level. At Sunny Spot in Venice, chef Roy Choi placed his What a Jerk Wings next to the whole roasted fish and Two Fisted Cheeseburger. Ludo Lefebvre, known for his love of foie gras and his French culinary pedigree, serves honey garlic-glazed wings from his cult favorite truck.

Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes Servings: Serves 2 as a main dish, 4 as part of a multi-dish meal Note: Relatively firm-yet-tender tofu, such as Trader Joe's, pan-fries beautifully with minimal splatter. This is not overly saucy. There should be some visible sauce but the tofu isn't swimming in it. Serve the tofu with rice. The fermented black bean stock is from Fuchsia Dunlop's "Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook. " Fermented black bean stock 4 cups water 1 tablespoon fermented black beans, unrinsed In a small saucepan, bring the water and black beans to a boil over high heat.