While its easy to trust that almost every Indian restaurant will have plenty for a vegetarian to eat and you can often ask for an all-vegetarian meal by request its an incomparable delight when the menu is entirely made up of vegetarian choices.

Three such places have won my heart in this respect.

Nataraj is an all-vegetarian Indian restaurant with four locations in Tokyo and one in Osaka. In operation since 1989, it calls itself the first Indian restaurant of its kind in Japan.

I visited the Ogikubo location (5-30-6 Ogikubo, Suginami Ward, Tokyo; 03-3398-5108; nataraj.co.jp), where the decor features traditional wooden Indian art against an open and inviting floorplan.

Natarajs menu is page after page of delightful-looking dishes and you truly get a thrill being able to thumb through and pick out any dish to dine on.

Vegans will be pleased, too, as most of the food is entirely vegan. In fact, the default option here is vegan and, in a subtle style swap I quite appreciated, its the vegetarian dishes (containing dairy) that receive a special marking on the menu and not the other way around.

Using Ayurvedic principles and organic vegetables, Natarajs concept is one of wholesome, healthy living that is conscientious of the environment.

The food is also utterly delicious and filling. Trying a few curries with the dinner sets, the mushroom palak was my favorite, with the mushrooms cooked to perfection in a creamy spinach base.

The vegan (or green nan) tasted just as good as regular nan, but even if youre not vegan, the color alone is worth an order.

On the east side of the city, Vege Herb Saga is another choice for beautiful vegetarian curries, with this Okachimachi-area restaurant (5-16-9, Ueno, Taito Ward, Tokyo; 03-5818-4154; vegeherbsaga.com) specializing in dishes from the south. Boasting an all-vegetarian, organic and chemical additive-free menu, Vege Herb Saga has a staggering list of curries, rice dishes and breads.

More here:
Indian fare adds spice to vegetarian dining

Last month, Ilooked at the documentary"Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret." Among its many disheartening statistics on the agriculture industry, the film also proposed a possible way out of the mess: eating lower on the food chain, for the sake of the animals, the planet and our health.

In other words, going vegan, or at least vegetarian.

According to a2012 Gallup poll, 5 percent of American adults view themselves as vegetarian; 2 percent are vegan, eating no animal products at all. Making such a switch, or even limiting your meat consumption, can be a dramatic and difficult life adjustment.

Sr. Terry Mackenzie can attest to the struggle.

Now a seasoned vegetarian veteran, she gave up beef during themid-1970safter learning about farms in other countries having to grow grain to feed U.S. cattle.

"It was very hard but I did it over three years," said Mackenzie, who oversees theEcospiritualityResources blog. The most difficult part, she toldNCR, "was not eating beef in community without others feeling judged." Making things a bit easier, her Society of Holy Child Jesus community in Chicago offers vegetarian options at its provincial meetings, and the eco-spirituality group never includes meat in their meals.

Related: "Sister's Lenten resource brings the Earth and Jesus together"

Mackenzie isn't alone in her pursuit of a less meat-centric diet. So are other members of Sisters of Earth, an informal network of religious and lay women who are responding to ecological issues through healing and restoration work: from digging gardens and offsetting their carbon footprints, to revising their dietary choices.

At the Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat center, in Davenport, Iowa, guests often expect vegetarian meals, said its director Notre Dame School Sr. Kathleen Storms.

"On weekends when we have retreats from Friday until Sunday we may have one meal with meat," she said.

Read this article:
Tales from the garden: Sisters share stories of going vegetarian

In winter, comfort food reigns supreme. But lately, New York City has been all about the vegetable.

From entirely vegetarian kitchens to menus that give veggies some serious attention, restaurants all across the city are proving that the days of bland tofu and tempeh are in the past.

Too often, chefs get a pass on making boring vegetables and theyre only expected to exercise their creativity with meat, said chef Amanda Cohen, whose vegetable restaurant Dirt Candy was so popular, she recently relocated from an 18 seater in the East Village to a Lower East Side spot thats triple the size. We want to show that cucumbers can be roasted, that onions and chocolate are an amazing combination and that vegetables can be just as fun, exciting and decadent as anything else.

Forget meat heres where to eat vegetarian in NYC right now.

This new health-conscious eatery is not vegetarian, but it is veggie (and nutritionist) friendly. Find dishes like chips made from flax, chia, sunflower and pumpkin seeds (and served with butternut squash hummus), appetizers like baby beets and apples and market crudit with green goddess, smoked vinegar and sesame ranch dressings. There are also main courses like quinoa tagliatelle and cauliflower steak (pictured). 10 Downing St., 212-675-4350, cafeclovernyc.com (Credit: Cafe Clover)

In its new, larger location, this innovative vegetarian has a full bar, a larger wine list and expanded menu, which includes new dishes like a cabbage hot pot with smoked cabbage broth; pulled, pickled, and jerked carrots on a carrot waffle; and mapo eggplant, which comes with eggplant flan. Pictured: carrot meringue pie. 86 Allen St., 212-228-7732, dirtcandynyc.com (Credit: Evan Sung)

This small Lower East Side spot has a vegetable focus, including an entirely vegetarian lunch menu. There are healthy items like the jicama salad, kale salad and a chia seed breakfast pudding. Pictured: Poached eggs, Parmesan broth, lemony kale and rosemary croutons. 100 Stanton St., 212-260-3950, elreynyc.com (Credit: FACEBOOK/ El Rey Coffee Bar & Luncheonette)

Locally-sourced food is the name of the game at this SoHo spot that looks like a rustic farmhouse retreat. Theres an emphasis on sustainable seafood and oysters, but theres also a whole section of the menu dedicated to vegetables to share, including roasted butternut squash (pictured). 527 Broome St., 212-390-0327, chalkpointkitchen.com (Credit: Chalk Point Kitchen)

One major plus of this vegetable-focused venue at the ever-crowded Eataly market is that it tends to be a little less packed than others during peak times. Based on the seasonal produce for sale at the market, the dishes spotlight whatevers freshest. 200 Fifth Ave., 212-229-2560, eataly.com/nyc-le-verdure (Credit: Virginia Rollison)

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Where to eat vegetables in New York City right now

Tuesday 24 February 2015 17:17

Organic food and drink is showing signs of recovery, as consumers spending power recovers following the recession. These five key points summarise the markets current position.

Between 2008 and 2011 sales fell by almost a quarter,dropping from a peak of 2.1bn to 1.6bn.

Since then, there has been steady recovery, with two successive years of growth. Sales climbed 4% in 2014, according to the Soil Associations latest market report. This was set against a decline in the overall food and drink market of 1.1%.

The drivers of this growth are online and so-called box schemes, such as that run by Abel & Cole. It is being bought about by a young demographic thats web-savvy, health conscious and concerned about the provenance of food.

See also:Organic conversion if the price is right

Dairy is the overall top performer, accounting for 27.9% of total organic sales. Branding and increased availability were cited as reasons for its success. It grew some 6.8% in 2014.

It is also a success story in the catering sector. This was worth around 55m in sales in 2014, and milk accounted for about half of that. Headline buyers include McDonalds and coffee chain Pret A Manger.

Eggs also saw strong sales growth, topping almost 16%. This is a sector which many thought had been killed off during the recession, with all but a hard core of consumers switching out of organic into free range.

Poultrymeat was also noted as an area of strong growth. A representative from Waitrose said it was the top-performing category for organic poultry, with sales increasing 19% last year.

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Key market facts for anyone considering organic farming