Samantha Guzman

Vegan ice cream at the Texas Veggie State Fair. Another way to celebrate.

Last year, October was Vegetarian Awareness Month. This year, it is once again. Because clearly, the fight to recognize that Vegetarians are among us is still not over. We must be aware. We must make others aware. We will prevail!

Celebrating Vegetarian Awareness Month is easy! Just be aware that Vegetarianism and Vegetarians exist (and capitalize both for the entire month, out of respect.)

I don't know about you, but I like to go a bit over the top with my celebrations. So without further ado, here are ten new ways to celebrate our Veggie friends this month.

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foodnetwork.com

Emeril's traditional banana split, grilled. See also "Inside Out" banana split, below.

With the brief, if glorious, respite from 100-plus degree weather, we took again to outdoor activities that, for many of us, have been shelved since late May. And though fall may be upon us, we have at least a solid three weeks, if not more, of summery weather perfect for cranking up the grill and cooking outdoors.

When it comes to grilling, the question is not so much "can you" as "should you," and the answer is almost invariably yes. It's no secret that we love meat here at City of Ate, but few among us are wholly immune against siren call of expertly prepared not-meat things. The key with grilling things of the herbivore variety is basically the same as with meat: high-quality cuts (or ... picks?); marinated (or not marinated) wisely; paired judiciously to enhance and/or supplement the flavor, without overwhelming it.

Virtually anyone can quickly construct a list of things that might be good tossed on. Grill a pineapple? Who hasn't. Try a Brussels sprout? Do it. So we've constructed a brief and by no means comprehensive list of ideas to expand upon more obvious experimentation.

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Wine is thankfully vegan-friendly.

Last Friday night, experienced local chef Ryan Barnett hosted his fourth and final dinner in a series themed Sea, Air, Land and Earth. Intrigued by the pop-up concept and a themed dinner with a bunch of strangers, I brought a friend along to check it out.

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becauseofbooze.com

Save a baby, grill some vegetables.

Summertime is in full swing and along with it come cookouts, not to mention drunk people on boats, Ed Hardy swim trunks, entirely too many children everywhere, the need for those stinky citronella candles and sky-high utility bills from all that damned air conditioning.

I relish the opportunity to get the hell out of the kitchen -- there's nothing worse than being posted up at the stove for an hour when it's 100 degrees outside -- and into the backyard (or rooftop, balcony or public park), armed with a pair of tongs and a red Solo cup filled with my favorite icy refreshment.

Sure, it's easy enough to slap some meat on the grill, give it a few turns, and nestle it in a tasteless bun with a squirt of yellow mustard, but the whole burger, hot dog and brat routine gets a little tired, and it's nice to consider some less animal-centric options for the benefit of yourself and your veggie friends.

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Wikipedia

More like yummus.

No doubt many of us are probably suffering from a slight meat hangover after all those holiday weekend grill-fests. Now that Tuesday's here, it's back to work and time to detox from all that poolside barbecue gorging. May I suggest you embrace the glorious chickpea?

Everyone knows and loves hummus, but the chickpea is capable of much more than just being pulverized into a mere dip. With its nutty flavor and plump kernels that stay firmly al dente when cooked and give way to a creamy, starchy interior, the chickpea is also an excellent source of protein, making it an ideal stand-in for meat.

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Lisa Simpson in her pre-vegetarian days.

It's been one week since I pledged to abstain from all animal products, and I kept a journal to track my progress during the week. Here are some highlights for your amusement:

Monday, 10:30 a.m.: Day one. Cold-brewed coffee with a splash of almond milk and a vegan banana muffin for breakfast. I'm used to eggs in the morning but I can totally deal with this. Man, this vegan thing might not be too bad. Maybe I'll even go two weeks.

Monday, 8:52 p.m.: My fridge is embarrassingly bare. I eat an avocado, some fruit and crackers for dinner. My boyfriend is assembling a sandwich with last night's leftover steak and it smells delicious. I have an overwhelming urge to punch him in the balls. Is this normal?

Tuesday, 7:29 p.m.: Made potato, spinach and chickpea curry, plus basmati rice with saffron and cinnamon. I should've made veggie stock; cooking rice in water feels like a wasted opportunity to impart flavor. It's spicy as hell (used 2 and a half serranos) but really tasty.

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365vegan

Wait, where's the bacon on this thing?

I just consumed my last meal, consisting of a deliciously bloody flat iron steak with Boursin cheese and caramelized onions cooked in bacon fat, topped off with a fried egg also cooked in bacon fat.

I'm not being marched off to my execution, though -- my fate is slightly less final and significantly more voluntary. I'm going vegan for a week.

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March has come and gone, which means that somehow three months have already passed since we began this whole Meatless Monday endeavor -- I've eaten a lot of vegetarian meals over the past hundred or so days, some memorably delicious, others notably terrible, as well as some not worth mentioning. This past week I had a spicy Asian BBQ flatbread from Ft. Worth-based food truck Good Karma Kitchen that was pretty good, but I don't especially feel the need to wax poetic about it. Just another notch on the old tofu belt.

Instead, I'm exploring the ways that Meatless Monday has changed how I eat Tuesday through Sunday, and devising my plan of attack for the next three months and beyond.

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Food trucks in the Arts District.

With food truck mania showing no signs of letting up, I figured I'd hit up the Arts District at lunchtime and see if there were any viable options for veggie-friendly eating.

A rotating group of trucks cluster on Flora Street between Leonard and Crockett (right across from the Meyerson) every weekday afternoon, to provide lunchtime sustenance to nearby office workers. The parking situation can be a bit challenging if you're coming by car rather than on foot, but I eventually figured out I could park underground in the Hall Arts Center garage at Ross and Crockett (it was two bucks for the 20 minutes or so I was there).

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I was out running errands in the Old Town shopping center at Lovers and Greenville when I found myself hungrily eyeing the guinea pigs on display at Petsmart. Alarmed by my newfound taste for small domesticated mammals, I checked my watch and realized it was 4 o'clock and all I'd consumed that day was two cups of coffee. I couldn't possibly face the crafters' crack den that is Michaels without some sustenance, and besides that, it was my day to eat meatless, so I figured I'd better formulate a plan quickly. Spotting a Freebirds just a stone's throw away, I hustled over in hopes of rounding up some decent vegetarian grub.

I was vaguely familiar with the Chipotle-esque fast-casual chain, but I wasn't prepared for the onslaught of choices I was about to face. Burrito, nachos, quesadilla, tacos, burrito bowl or salad? I decided to stick with the classic burrito, figuring it would best lend itself to being eaten with one hand while texting, driving and applying lip gloss at the same time. (Calm down. I'm kidding. I save the makeup application for stoplights.)

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