Vegetarian

Breaking through the thick fried crust of a vegetable samosa at Mirchi Wok takes some effort, but once you succeed, and that delicious shell cracks, a cloud of steam, gently scented with cumin, will rise out of the mix of peas and pale yellow potato within. The samosa appetizer ($3.95 for two), served with two kinds of chutney, should convince fans of the vegetarian restaurant Mango Grove that its new omnivore cousin hasn't abandoned its vegetarian roots - it's just added meat dishes to the mix. Poor:]

Growing up on a small farm in Trinidad, Joycelyn M. Peterson decided at a young age she wanted to be a vegetarian, because she got so upset when she had to eat farm animals. But her mother wouldn't let her choose that path, she said, telling her that if she didn't eat animal products, she'd die.Peterson believed her -- until she met a Seventh-day Adventist at her school, a young girl who taught her about the "original diet." It is described in the book of Genesis as a meat-free diet of fruits, nuts, grains, seeds and vegetables.

When Johey Verfaille got out of college, she thought she'd enroll in pastry school. That way, she mused, she'd always be able to lick the bowl. Deterred by the expense, she began poring over cookbooks on her own, watching cooking shows to hone her skills. When Donna Crivello opened the first Donna's eatery, Verfaille remembers entreating her, "I'll do anything, just let me work." Within six weeks she had been promoted to kitchen manager.After apprenticing in a number of local kitchens, Verfaille, 29, has become one of Baltimore's hottest young chefs, presiding over the stoves at Brewer's Art, the hip new north Mount Vernon brewpub.

FOR THOSE who prefer a more active agenda than snuggling up with a cup of cocoa and a good book as cold weather descends, there's plenty to do right in our corner of the county.Savage Senior Center holds a Bingo Extravaganza from 10: 30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday.The cards are only a nickel. Admission is a nonperishable food item to be donated to a food bank.Coffee and doughnuts will be provided, and dolls will be raffled.Although the center will be closed Wednesday, you can enjoy a flea market there Thursday.

For a holiday feast like this, the turkey should give thanks.A bounty of vegetables, breads and potatoes crammed the buffet table yesterday at St. John's United Methodist Church in Baltimore's Charles Village. The dessert table offered pumpkin pie and other sweet temptations. It was Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings -- but without the bird.This was the Vegetarian Resource Group's 16th annual pre-Thanksgiving potluck dinner, a cholesterol-free affair where health food disciples and meat-is-murder moralists broke bread and marked the season of giving.

An upright approach to roastingConvinced that "healthy, tasty home cooking is here to stay," Sunbeam is reintroducing its Carousel Rotisserie, a counter-top device that allows you to cook chicken, roasts or lamb on a vertical spit, and potatoes and other vegetables in a cooking basket at the bottom. The 15 1/2 -inch-tall device has a suggested retail price of $89.99.Half a henPerdue Cornish hens are now available with a split personality -- that is, each hen has been split in half. The halves are perfect for grilling, sauteing, broiling or baking, and they cook in about half the time of the whole bird.

Produce bags are a little spaceyWhen their produce-protecting bags kept vanishing off store shelves in east-central Florida, officials at Evert-fresh were puzzled. Then the bag-maker got a call from NASA. Seems the folks at the space agency had been testing the bags for possible use on the space shuttle: Could they buy a couple of cases?The bags are a made of oya, a natural mineral that absorbs and removes ethylene gas, which causes deterioration in produce. For a sample of the bags, send $15 for three 10-bag packages (small, medium and large)

Living in a small Arizona town one memorable Thanksgiving, I drastically overbooked myself on the big day. I cooked and served (but never ate) three multi-course Thanksgiving dinners. When it was all over, I had a cheese sandwich and a hot bath at home. Happy Thanksgiving, I thought, glad the day was over.As a part-time caterer, this was not so unusual a holiday for me. My specialty was catering vegetarian feasts for those who wanted to celebrate but counted among their number folks who abstained from the Bird.

Each spring, for thousands of years, Jews have paused at Passover to commemorate the ancient Hebrews' exodus from slavery in Egypt. The Haggada, containing the Passover narrative and Seder ceremonies, reminds Jewish people the world over of their obligation to "let all who are hungry come and eat."And if the hungry are vegetarian? No problem. With creativity, substitutions and expanding product options, a vegetarian Passover menu can be traditional and satisfying.This year, "I see more things like salsa and Thai sauce that are kosher for Passover," says Debra Wasserman, a director and founder of the Vegetarian Resource Group, a local nonprofit organization that promotes meatless living.

LAST THURSDAY night David Gilliss, a 38-year-old Baltimore-area lawyer, devoured a steak, the first meat he had eaten in 20 years. As a sizzling New York strip was placed in front of him at Ruth's Chris Steak House, a downtown Baltimore restaurant, Gilliss picked up his knife and fork and announced, "My hands are shaking."A collection of guys in suits -- one of Gillis' friends, several of his colleagues, his older brother, Ed, and me -- had gathered to witness Gilliss' return to the ranks of the carnivores after two decades as a vegetarian.

'Healthy Highways: The Traveler's Guide to Healthy Eating' Ceres Press, $19.95: "Healthy Highways" offers alternatives to the fast-food eateries crowding the American landscape. Designed with motorists, bikers and hikers in mind, it features more than 2,800 natural-food stores, co-ops and health-conscious restaurants from Alabama to Wyoming. Each entry is brief - there is no fat here - with just the essentials: address, telephone number, hours of operation and a concise description of the type of listings (whether natural-food store or vegan restaurant)

I know where beef comes from. The town where I grew up, St. Joseph, Mo., once had three major meatpacking operations - Swift, Armour and Dugdale. When I was a kid, my Cub Scout pack toured these plants, watching suspended cattle carcasses swing from chains. As a teenager, I tried but failed to get a summer job "in the yards" running livestock from the pens into the slaughterhouses. But even with my cow-town past, I had a hard time watching the footage of the downer cattle at the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. in California.

Pan-Asian was one of the top restaurant trends in '07, and a couple of Pan-Asian places opened in the Baltimore area last year. These have menus that aren't Asian fusion, but offer Japanese, Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese dishes. Sushi is usually part of the mix. Add contemporary American to that list, and you'll have Luminous, the new Pan-Asian restaurant in the Westin BWI Hotel (1110 Old Elkridge Landing Road, 443-577-2310) in Linthicum. The food and beverage director is Edward Evans, formerly at the Hyatt hotel downtown.

veggiemealplans.com If you're looking to make your household vegetarian, this blog from a Canadian cook is a great place to start, with daily recipes, weekly meal plans and handy shopping lists. Kate Shatzkin

Breaking through the thick fried crust of a vegetable samosa at Mirchi Wok takes some effort, but once you succeed, and that delicious shell cracks, a cloud of steam, gently scented with cumin, will rise out of the mix of peas and pale yellow potato within. The samosa appetizer ($3.95 for two), served with two kinds of chutney, should convince fans of the vegetarian restaurant Mango Grove that its new omnivore cousin hasn't abandoned its vegetarian roots - it's just added meat dishes to the mix. Poor:]

vrg.org The Web site of the Baltimore-based Vegetarian Resource Group offers menus and recipes for eating vegan and vegetarian and links to vegetarian-friendly restaurants. Kate Shatzkin KITCHEN TIP Prevent lumps in sauces thickened with flour or cornstarch by stirring them constantly while they are cooking. If lumps do form, use a whisk to beat them out. If all else fails, strain sauce through a fine-mesh sieve before serving. From "Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook" Know a helpful shortcut in the kitchen?

EVENTS chocolate andzucchini.com Click on the "edible guide to NYC" on this site, run by a food writer in Paris, for a romp among the bars, cafes, bakeries, delis, pizza joints, Asian, Indian, vegetarian, burger and soul-food establishments of New York City. The descriptions were written by contributors. Knight Ridder/Tribune

Kitchen Tip For the flair of the season, try adding some pumpkin spice or cinnamon, nutmeg and clove to a hot coffee drink or to creamy crab soups. The flavor makes you feel like snuggling in front of a cozy fireplace! Kimberly Highsmith, Virginia Beach, Va. Know a helpful shortcut in the kitchen? Send it to Liz Atwood, Food Editor, The Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore 21278 or e-mail it to food@baltsun.com. Events Turkey-less Thanksgiving -- Join the Vegetarian Resource Group for its annual vegetarian Thanksgiving potluck dinner at 5:30 p.m. Sunday at the Bolton Street Synagogue, 212 W. Cold Spring Lane.

The Healthy Hedonist Myra Kornfeld Simon & Schuster / 2005 / $19.95 There are people who never eat meat, those who don't eat it much and those who don't have specific restrictions but want to eat more healthfully. Recognizing a wide variety of dietary preferences, The Healthy Hedonist doesn't stop at vegetarian dishes. Many recipes are vegan or can be easily made so, but there is a section devoted to fish and chicken. The focus is on natural ingredients, most of which were available at a typical grocery store.

What a spread Bring a new dish to your cookouts and be the talk of the party. Honey-Walnut Spread is great on crackers, served over warm goat cheese on toasted baguettes or paired with your favorite wine. To make: Preheat the broiler. Coarsely chop 1 cup of walnuts. Finely chop another cup of walnuts. Place all nuts in a large bowl and add 3/4 cup honey; 3/4 cup dried pears, cut in 1/4 -inch dices; 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence or mixed Italian herbs; 1 teaspoon coriander; 2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest; 1 tablespoon orange juice; 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 1/8 teaspoon coarse salt.