Eat your veggies!

Vegetarians everywhere celebrated World Vegetarian Day on Oct. 1, but the veggie-eating community is keeping the party going throughout the remainder of the month. That’s because it’s Vegetarian Awareness Month. Each October for the past 35 years, the nonprofit North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS) has kicked off a month-long celebration of all things vegetarian. This year, the group is hosting a contest for non-vegetarians. Those who pledge to eat a meat-free diet for a day, a week or a month will be entered into a drawing to win $250, $500 and $1,000, respectively. Go to worldvegetarianday.org to learn more about the contest.

For current vegetarians, there are plenty of ways to share the joys of the vegetarian lifestyle:

Host a potluck: Make a delicious meat-free main course and ask friends to make their favorite veggie side dish.

Share: Each day, post a recipe and picture of your meal on a blog, Facebook or Pinterest.

Plant a garden: Get some lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, onions, garlic and other winter veggies in the ground.