When Food Network chef Giada De Laurentiis asked her viewers what they'd like her to cook, they overwhelmingly requested more vegetarian meals. In fact, De Laurentiis predicts vegetarian meals will be the hot trend in 2012, and in preparation, she's been testing a variety of mouthwatering vegetarian concoctions. She says in a Food Network video that when her mother went vegetarian, "I sort of made it my mission to start coming up with dishes that wouldn't make you miss the meat." In the video, De Laurentiis shares her recipes for delectable dishes, including a zesty vegan curry bean dip:

To help get her creative juices flowing for developing more vegetarian delights, PETA sent De Laurentiis a copy of The Conscious Cook by vegan chef Tal Ronnen, who has cooked for the likes of Oprah and Ellen DeGeneres. The book is a wealth of information about delicious, versatile, and protein-rich faux meats that can be the basis for healthy plant-based meals.

To get a jump start on 2012's vegetarian food craze, pick up your own copy of Chef Tal's book, or browse the free vegetarian recipes on PETA's "Living" page right now!

Written by Heather Faraid Drennan

We're spitting mad at people who have been lashing out at animals, but we've saved up some wet, sloppy puppy-dog kisses for those whose compassion is the cat's pajamas.

Chadh | cc by 2.0

• Kisses to Canadian national pet store chain PJ's Pets, which has stopped selling puppies and started promoting adoption. Are you listening, Petland? 
• Hisses to Scripps Research Institute for torturing rats for almost 40 years to develop a vaccine for heroin. Apparently, these experimenters just couldn't say "No."
• Hisses to MMA fighter Brock Lesnar for going on a prairie-dog killing spree. Hey, Brock, why don't you stick with picking on someone your own size?
• Kisses to the Iowa State Fair for including a vegetarian booth, the Veggie Table, in this year's festivities. Yes, they really do have veggie corn dogs on a stick.
• Hisses to South Korean scientists for genetically modifying a dog to glow in the dark, giving new meaning to the term "barking mad."
• Kisses to Food Network for helping to keep sharks in the ocean waves by taking shark meat off the airwaves.
• Hisses to students at New York's Cooper Union High School for using electric currents to make roaches "dance." Why not stick with iPods and leave the arthropods alone?
• Hisses to actor Andrew McCarthy for participating in a bull run. Taunting and harassing bulls isn't pretty, no matter how you color it.

For up-to-the-minute info on what PETA is doing, follow us on Twitter.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

Melissa d'Arabian makes a lot of budget-conscious families happy with her Food Network show Ten Dollar Dinners. She's saving a lot of animals, too, by showcasing tasty meatless creations that would make even the most hardened carnivore's mouth water. And d'Arabian is quick to point out that almost all her recipes can easily be made vegetarian or vegan. We sat down with the bubbly chef to talk about season five of Ten Dollar Dinners and this weekend's DVR-worthy dish, Footloose and Fancy-Free Falafel.

 
Was the Footloose and Fancy-Free Falafel one of your creations?
Absolutely. Everything on Ten Dollar Dinners is something I have made in my home. Ten Dollar Dinners is about getting on TV recipes that come from my real life experiences as a career woman with no kids, a stay-at-home mom, and a working mom. My food reflects those life experiences.
 

 
What kind of response have you gotten from the shows with meatless meals?
The premiere episode this season was meatless, and people loved it. Interestingly, I have not had one comment from people saying, "You know, you didn't have any meat." I think in that episode, I even talk about how a lot of people are doing Meatless Mondays.

What is your favorite vegetarian dish?
It's the raw lasagna at Pure Food and Wine. It's a raw vegan place in New York, and they have this lasagna that is unbelievable.

What made you want to do recipes that don't include meat?
When I won Food Network star, I got this big package in the mail introducing PETA. In the package was this really nice letter saying, "Would you consider looking at some of these recipe books and seeing if you find any inspiration?" And I actually went through the books and cooked my family vegan food for 30 days. They didn't notice as much as I thought they would. And I love vegetarian food. It's also because I'm a human being living in America and there's a trend toward even non-vegetarian families serving occasional meatless meals. So if, for example, this falafel is what I'm serving my family, that's what's going to show up on the show.

*****

You can catch Ten Dollar Dinners on Food Network Sundays at 9 a.m. ET and 8 a.m. C.T. "Like" Melissa's page on Facebook and follow her on Twitter!

 
Written by Michelle Sherrow

Last night's Unwrapped, which featured Sweet & Sara's vegan s'mores, had me thinking that HD stood for highly delicious. Unlucky for me, I was stuck with unfulfilled temptation—the treats in prime viewing range, but nowhere near me to be eaten. Lucky for you, the lure of vegan marshmallows on Food Network last night has resulted in today's "Win It" Wednesday prize—these Sweet and Sara heart-shaped, chocolate-dipped, cruelty-free marshmallows:

To win these confectionary hearts, tell us how you'll celebrate Valentine's Day with the animals in your life. The three readers with the holiday plans that warm us the most will each get three of these giant, hand-dipped marshmallows. If you can't wait for us to announce the winners, hurry over to Sweet & Sara's Web site—right now, you can get a 20 percent discount by entering FN20, the Food Network Code, at checkout.

Leave your Valentine's animal activities in the comments section. The contest ends on February 3, 2010, and we'll pick the winners on February 5, 2010. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting. Good luck!

Written by Logan Scherer

I didn't hesitate for a second to jump from 12,500 feet or touch clouds over Kauai—but I'm pretty certain it would take a lot of convincing to get me to strip in front of a camera.

Check out the NSFW video.

So I say "Hats (and skirt, blouse, and stay-ups) off!" to L.A.-based actor Marissa Lewis for her rousing delivery of PETA's annual State of the Union Undress. Not only was the curvy cutie willing to bare her body for animals, she took time to sit down and share her thoughts and feelings about animal rights—and why she didn't hesitate to take it all off for this project.

What made you decide to take it all off for PETA's State of the Union Undress?
When I was a little girl, I dreamed of being a veterinarian when I grew up. As I got older, I decided to choose a different career path. I have always had a strong love for animals, and I believe that your mind, body, and soul is a supernatural inheritance from God, and how you use it is your choice! It's up to us as individuals to make a difference.

A vegetarian diet looks great on you! What inspired you to go vegetarian, and how has it changed your life?
My love for animals inspired me to go vegetarian. PETA's informative videos are very eye-opening—seeing all the cruelty that is imposed upon animals turned me vegetarian instantly. Since I stopped eating meat, I have felt lighter and leaner.

What is one major victory for animals that you'd like to see happen in 2010?
I would love to see a law passed saying that no animal could be caged or chained.

While talking about her naked PETA ad, Eva Mendes recently said, "My mom cringed when she saw me naked." Does your mom know about this video? What does she think?
When I told my parents about the video, they were pretty excited. They are very supportive of me and my choices. My mother told me that when she was pregnant with me, her doctor placed her on a vegetarian diet. She could not keep meat down at all. :) That was something that I never knew until I shared my choice with my parents. :)

You're an actor in L.A., so—besides this PETA video—what else can your newfound fans see you in?
Follow me at Twitter.com/MarissaForPETA. :)

OK, I know that there are a lot of readers out there wondering this: Are you single?
I'm definitely not ruling out the idea of a boyfriend, but right now I'm focused on God, myself, and my career.

Besides being vegetarian and willing to strip for the cause, is there anything else that you do to stay active for animals?
I actively post and tweet PETA links at Twitter.com/MarissaForPETA, I suggest animals rights books to friends, I place animal rights stickers on each envelope I mail out, and I refuse to wear fur! In the future, I plan on getting the message out to local, national, and international media and to as many people as I possibly can in the hope that I can make a difference. I also want to mention that I adore my kitty Simba. She means everything to me—I love to pamper my beautiful lioness (meeeoww). :)

Now I'd like to ask you: Which of PETA's naked demos or events would you jump to join in on?

Written by Karin Bennett

Everyone who has seen Jackie Chan's latest action-comedy, The Spy Next Door, should recognize the adorable face in our newest Q&A video. Six-year-old Alina Foley plays Nora, the youngest of the three kids whom CIA superspy Bob (played by Chan) looks after while his girlfriend/next-door neighbor is out of town. For those of you who haven't seen the movie yet, I shall say no more. However, Alina is quite the scene-stealer.

When we found out that this spunky young actor was vegetarian, we couldn't wait to sit down with her. Alina didn't hesitate to let us know why she chose to give up meat and how other kids can work to get vegetarian lunch options offered in their school cafeterias. She also spilled about her two dogs, Bella and Jasmine. Too cute! Young people who take action always tug at my heartstrings—how about yours?

Written by Shawna Flavell