I'm all for eating vegan if I don't have to touch 'fake meat' products. I'll eat all the veggies, grains, nuts & whatever else all day but throw in some fake steak and I'm out! My brother-in-law went vegan after reading The China Study and is trying to convert us (and the world).

also. oprah and kathy need to learn that sweet potatos and yams are NOT the same thing. any vegan would know that.

I wouldn't necessarily lump seitan together with all fake meat. Though it would have been so much more 'Martha-esque' had they made it from scratch given that it's easy and only requires basic ingredients. Making veganism more mainstream is great in that it may encourage people to, at a minimum, reduce their reliance on meat. If a large number of people made just a small change it would make a big different in terms of population health and environmental sustainability.

It's awesome that she's shining a light on veganism. The more exposure, the better. And I loved that she featured Farm Sanctuary!

I think raising awareness/educating people on veganism is fabulous, especially when it comes from hardcore bakers/cooks like Martha Stewart. There are still so many people who are convinced they could "never go vegan" and I think mainstream shows like this help demonstrate that it's not so hard, and illustrates all the benefits. I agree with @jendex - if awareness like this results in people even doing something like Meatless Monday and just reducing their reliance on animal products, that's a positive step in the right direction.
I was a little surprised that the Dried Fruit & Nut bar they made on the show was demoed with honey but when you go their site I was happy to see they list the ingredients as brown rice syrup or honey.

At the very least I hope that this vegan movement helps balance out those who eat way too many animal products!

The snack bar recipe is from a July 2008 magazine article. Not exactly the latest thing, but still looks worth trying. Being a non-vegan, I would not mind the honey.

Vegan recipes are well worth following. Some neat ideas there and we all tend to eat too much meat.

Great, more organic grass-fed meat for me, as I'm all paleo, never had more energy or felt healthier in my life.

Didn't even know she was having it, but I do hope wider awareness will let people know we aren't all vegangelical jerks judging you for what you do - or don't do - in your own kitchen. Me, I leave my personal politics as personal, and say that what I really hope for is wider access to good vegan recipes - and believe me, there are lots of those!

Semi Organic - Nitpick moment - there are plenty of vegans who subsist on fake meat and potato chips and wouldn't know a sweet potato from a yam (and give you a completely blank look if you said "batata") and plenty of omnivores (including myself, heh) who can give you an agri-socio rundown of the history and etymology of said tasty roots.

subtlefrog - I wish all vegans had your outlook. :)

I just ended my Veganism (after 2 years) this week. The takeaway for me was how great I felt not eating dairy and huge portions of fresh veg I have become accustomed to eating. I'm keeping those two pearls and adding wild/organic fish.

Oh my goodness. This is one of my biggest pet peeves with people (namely Kathy Freston) promoting a vegan lifestyle. There are so many wonderful veggies in the world, why ruin everything with fake meat. At least don't teach people that this is the only way to go vegan.

But at least the vegan diet is getting talked about. I think the more we talk about it and show how simple it really is, the less it seems weird or crazy to those who resist it!

I don't like fake meat promotion either. I am an omni, who eats vegetarian 90% of the time, and never do I touch fake meat. You can make any standard dish you are used to by substituting fresh veggies/grains/beans for the meat. There are also lots of great naturally occurring veg*n dishes out there.

I can understand people who are crossing over using fake meat until they get used to cooking new dishes and using fresh veggies, etc... It takes a while to adjust. but, I think the ultimate goal should be to ditch most of that stuff at some point.

I love the focus, because it brings me so much more information, and while I'm still eating dairy and honey and eggs I'm learning how to eliminate/replace them one by one. Let's be honest, I'll probably never give up honey! Just decreasing dairy, because I appear to have a true intolerance for it, has completely eliminated joint swelling/aches and my sinus headaches. Now I'm using almond milk and hazelnut milk as replacers - I need my chocolate 'milk'!. I even sub'd out all the dairy in my homemade chocolates, Not using nut milk as a replacer, and taste testers still think they're loaded with heavy cream.

While I really really don't like faux meat replacements, I was intrigued by that seitan bourguignon demo'd by MS so might give it a try, the one I really do like is the Gardein "chicken" boobs.

I am happy to see Martha giving veganism a mainstream spotlight. I am not vegan but I do have family members who are and I always enjoy cooking for them for the holidays. I have found many more non-vegans who are more preachy/jerky then I have found vegans to be. I am sure there are some out there pushing their beliefs (I do understand and hold their beliefs in high regard) but again I personally have encountered more haters from the non-vegan field than vice-versa.

I also have known people who have formed allergies to different foods, like dairy, and remind them that it is because of the popularity of veganism that they can still enjoy many yummy treats!