who does not love a good top ten list?

for the vegetarians that are enlightened enough to not eat animals but not so much that

they are free from crime here is your top ten list:

Top 10 Vegetarian-Friendly Prisons!

and the tasty dishes on offer while doing time:

1. Idaho offers a lentil shepherd’s pie, vegan pizza, vegan Mexican pie, soy patties, soy sausage, veggie loaf, veggie lasagna, veggie meatballs, vegan hot cakes, vegan biscuits, cookies, cakes, pies, and puddings.
2. Massachusetts offers meatless chicken macaroni casserole, vegetable bologna, veggie burger, veggie meatballs, meatless chicken cutlet, meatless chicken nuggets, vegetable chop suey, vegetarian chicken stew.
3. Pennsylvania offers tofu cacciatore, soy BBQ, tofu stir fry, veggie burger, soy Salisbury steak, soy meatballs, tofu scramble, soy croquette, soy sausage patties, soy loaf, soy pasta casserole, soy stuffed cabbage and soy stew.
4. Georgia offers vegan BBQ, meatless deli slices, veggie patty, vegan breakfast patties, vegan chili, baked macaroni crumble, stir fried vegetables and oriental sauce, tofu scramble, vegan cornbread, vegan cookies, vegan cakes, vegan pies, vegan brownies, vegan muffins, vegan peach cobbler.
5. New Hampshire offers chili with texturized vegetable protein, chop suey with texturized vegetable protein, shepherd’s pie with texturized vegetable protein, veggie links, lentil meatballs, grilled tofu sandwich, vegetarian pot pie, veg stir fry, hummus, veg tacos, veg chow mein, veg stew, and several veg soups.
6. Utah offers sweet and sour tofu, tofu taco rice casserole, vegetable and tofu chow mein, veggie burgers, veggie dogs, veggie meatballs, tofu ala king, lots of tofu dishes.
7. Hawaii offers vegetarian shepherd’s pie with texturized vegetable protein, vegetarian stuffed cabbage with texturized vegetable protein, vegetarian stew with texturized vegetable protein, grilled tofu slices, vegetarian teriyaki burger, vegetarian long rice with tofu.
8. Tennessee offers texturized vegetable protein ala king, vegetarian sweet and sour, veggie burger, veg chili, veg stir fry, texturized vegetable protein country gravy.
9. Kansas offers a veggie burger, taco crunch, burrito, meatless pasta, meatless chili, loaded baked potato, vegetable rice soup.
10. North Dakota offers a veggie burger, meatless sloppy joes, veg fajitas, veg noodle stew, veg potato soup.

and now some thoughts from newsweek:

Vegetarian Convictions

By Daniel Stone | NEWSWEEK
Dec 17, 2007 Issue
When Luther Hill was sent to prison in 2001, he knew there’d be some lifestyle changes. But he didn’t expect his diet to be one of them. “I was surprised by the availability of better, healthier food,” says Hill, 42, who is serving time in Idaho for drug possession. So he became a vegan: no animal products in his diet. Luckily for Hill, he’s behind bars in Idaho, which boasts the country’s most vegan-friendly state prison system, according to a new study by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which receives dozens of complaints each year from inmates about the lack of vegan prison food. PETA examined menus in every state, rating options like tofu cacciatore (Pennsylvania, No. 3) and vegetable fajitas (North Dakota, No. 10).

Vegan cuisine costs about as much as regular fare, according to multinational food provider Aramark, which serves most of PETA’s favorite facilities, and it may even save taxpayers money in the long run because it can help reduce the bill for treating inmate health issues like diabetes and obesity. “In a system that encourages inmates to respect themselves, the process carries over to respecting their bodies,” says George Little, Tennessee’s Corrections Department commissioner. (His state’s PETA rank: No. 8.)Still, victims’ rights groups balk at the prospect of convicts’ eating better than some law abiders. “The general population isn’t privy to nutritious, affordable food, while incarcerated persons are?” asks Janet Fine, director of the Office of Victim Assistance in Massachusetts, a state that, incidentally, PETA ranked No. 2 for its meatless macaroni casserole and veggie chop suey. In Idaho, Hill’s fellow convicts are comfortable with his decision to go veggie. “I tell them how much better I feel and how soundly I sleep,” he says. Who could have a beef with that?

© Newsweek, Inc.
some serious surprizes in the top 10 list! most surprising is that i am thinking about making some kind of meatless macaroni casserole, or “baked macaroni crumble” for dinner!