Jane Steele, who writes food features for the El Paso Times is trying to switch to a vegetarian diet. Inspired by fellow food writer Mark Bittman’s healthier diet, Steele writes about her first day trying to switch her eating patterns.

Steele’s article brings up a lot of the issues that new (and sometimes veteran) veg*ns struggle with. What to cook when you’re too tired to function. Finding meatless dishes your whole family will eat. Learning new quick recipes for those nights when you’ve got to rush out the door to a meeting. In some ways, you have to learn to cook all over again.

I think many of us longtime vegans and vegetarians began in fits and starts. I never woke up one day, and said “I’m going to be vegan now.” Instead, I thought, I want to eat more plant foods and less animal foods, because animal food production is doing terrible things to the environment. Slowly, slowly I added more and more vegetarian and vegan recipes to my diet. At the same time, I learned more and more reasons why eating animals wasn’t something I wanted to do. One day, I found myself vegan. And I’m pretty happy where I am.

Jane Steele, here’s what I recommend to you:

• Chickpea cutlets, my whole family loves them, and they freeze great for nights when defrosting is the only thing that saves you from ordering pizza. Serve them with vegetarian gravy and mashed potatoes or spaghetti and tomato sauce.
• So Delicious Coconut Creamer for your coffee (find it at Sun Harvest), though I’m partial to almond milk cafe au lait, too.
• Avocado and tomato sandwiches, which I pretty much live on all summer long. And the summers are endless here in Texas.