Many of you brave souls may be thinking about taking the plunge into the vegetarian lifestyle. It's a beautiful lifestyle, and the reality is that if everyone on the planet did this, the world would be a better place. The Hospitals most likely would have many more "vacancies", animals would live longer and be treated more humanely, and our planet could heal itself from the "feed lot" mentality that has ravished it.

Photo Credit: Don Cook (Don's Digital Café).Perhaps you're thinking about joining a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program or visiting your local Farmer's Market, wandering into one of those "healthy food" stores (such as Whole Foods Market, Henry's or Sprouts). Or maybe you just want to check out the organic foods section at your favorite market.

Good for you!

If you're like many people, the experience carries both excitement and a little trepidation. You might be thinking,  "what the heck can I do with Bitter melon, or Sorrel, or those green tomatoes wrapped in something that looks like paper (called Tomatillos), or those beautiful but strange looking Artichokes?".

If you are thinking about joining a CSA, you might also be thinking, "what if I run across veggies I've never seen before?". First off, let's take the "if" out of the preceding sentence. Unless you've been systematically eating your way through a seed catalog, you will encounter new veggies when you join a CSA.

The real question is how will you prepare them? Lucky for you, there is a 100% vegan (plant-based) cookbook, that offers over 150 recipes featuring some of the same fruits and veggies found in CSAs and Farmers Markets everywhere. It will provide you with ideas for what the heck to do with things like Bitter melon, Sorrel, Tomatillos, and Artichokes.

We would like to introduce you to a friend of ours. His name is George Vutetakis, and not only is he a vegetarian, he is also a Chef. He is also well known and loved as "The Vegetarian Guy".

He currently lives in San Diego and, as he has always done, has immersed himself in the community, working with the local organic farmers, whom he claims are the real heroes behind the creation of his world-class, sustainable, healthy and exceptional cuisine.

He can be seen at local garden clubs and farmers markets where he visits with folks and signs his vegan cookbook for them. (To view his current event schedule, click here.)

He is a leader in the creation of delicious, healthy and innovative vegetarian cuisine using fresh, unadulterated ingredients. Some of his experience comes from working at the award winning Inn Season Cafe in Royal Oak, Michigan, where he flourished as the Chef and Owner for almost two decades. His inspiration and philosophy comes from his Greek Grandmother's kitchen and travels to India.

Because of this, Mediterranean and Indian flavors influence many of his extraordinary dishes.

Vegetarian Traditions Cookbook Testimonials from George Vutetakis on Vimeo.

Click on the above image to purchase George's cookbook at direct-from-the-author prices.In his book, "Vegetarian Traditions: Favorite Recipes From My Years At The Legendary Inn Season Cafe", Chef George Vutetakis unveils some of the wildly popular recipes from his trail-blazing years at the award winning Inn Season Cafe in Royal Oak, Michigan.

These innovative vegan dishes (focusing on quality ingredients, freshness and seasonality), brought rave reviews and appealed to all palates.

Each recipe has a story, with tidbits of food lore from around the world. Entrees, soups, desserts and salads with exciting flavors, textures and presentation are in an easy to follow format with beautifully photographed color pictures.

As the vegetarian and vegan lifestyles become more and more popular, this cookbook could not be more relevant or current.

More than a cookbook, "Vegetarian Traditions", is a journey of discovery. Between its covers you can meet the hard-working farmers who provided Chef George with the exquisite produce that went into his delectable and healthy dishes, and discover the benefits of using local, organic and sustainable ingredients while mastering the art of cooking like a chef. Click here to purchase George's book at direct-from-the-author prices.

So, get out your apron and delight family and friends with recipes based on worldwide traditions that are sure to find their way into your permanent cooking repertoire.