Don't cook meat in my house, I'll eat it when I go out, but other than the occasional chicken broth or can of tuna my kitchen is meat free. Mostly because it is cheaper, healthier and easier for me to cook this way, but also my sister and several of my good friends are vegetarian. I like to make sure they can eat what is in my kitchen.
I use some tofu and Seitan, but mostly I just cook with veggies, beans and grains. Lots of stir-fries and soups come out of my kitchen, because I also live by myself and these things are easy to make in small portions or save for later.
I'm also a big snacker, a jar of peanut butter and some crackers, later some yogurt and maybe an apple is a pretty regular dinner for me.

Quinoa is a great source of protein. Here is some red quinoa that looks like it is sprouted when cooked.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/art_chel/3284923456/

has anyone ever bought and used a bag of frozen shrimp? I don't eat red meat and rarely eat poultry but i do eat fish. I'm curious to know if they taste good...any thoughts?

we usually keep some in the freezer--assuming they are not freezerburned or totally frosted over, they defrost okay, although i would hesitate to use them in too simple a preparation, because the flavor's a little weak and the texture's a wee bit chewier than you get with fresh. it's not bad at all, but if you're going to make a dish highlighting shrimp, use fresh shrimp.

these frozen babies are great in stir fries, pasta dishes with strong flavors, barbecued with a spicy sauce, paella, cioppino, pretty much anything where you have a few other big flavors going on. we used a bag of frozen cooked shrimp in a thai rice-noodle salad with cucumber, mango, chili, lime, peanuts, and scallions, and have really enjoyed it.

Frozen shrimp is a staple in my household. I do the raw shrimp and use it in everything from pasta sauces to soups, stews and Chinese fondues. Being far from an ocean, truly fresh shrimp is not available around here.

Frozen cooked shrimp I find a little nasty. They have a strange texture and often odd flavours, but are much less work. Raw frozen shrimp almost always have the shells on, which adds a step to the preparation. So-called zipperback shrimp have a slit cut in the shells making them a cinch to peel.

Frozen (uncooked) shrimp work well--they defrost easily under a little running water and cook up fast. Unless they are local, it's pretty likely that any not-frozen shrimp were previously frozen, anyway.

For a last bit of winter braising, and in line with meat-month, I made a fancy meal of port-braised lamb shanks. Had to adapt the recipe a little, it called for a HUGE amount of liquid.
Here is the recipe:
http://pithyandcleaver.blogspot.com/2009/02/weeknight-entertaining-port-braised.html

Does anyone have any recommendations for buying a great scale? I have bought three scales so far and they all have major flaws. One of them only has kg and lb. Another one is too small for weighing big objects. Finally, I recently bought a digital scale, but it does not respond well to condiments or small amount of ingredients - I try to measure 1 tspn of ground ginger and it does not show any measurement. I know it's unusual to measure ingredients in such small amount, but I am currently running a small business and I need to know everything accurately in order to determine my cost. Thank you!

@brianmac, a chef I used to hang out with advised me to ALWAYS use frozen shrimp. It's the only way to ensure you have truly fresh shrimp, unless you're buying them right off the boat or from a trusted fishmonger.

As for whether I'm cooking meat... I've been going meatless until dinner for about a year, but since I started cohabitating in December, I've been incorporating meat into more dinners and planning meals that use meat for flavor than as a main component.

I eat meat, but I find it funny that they are running Meat/Unmeat month for all of Lent. I am sure far from everyone who reads this site observes the season of Lent, but it is still odd.

I have a question -- I'm having friends over on Saturday to celebrate Pi day. Pretty much everyone coming over is brining a pie, so we're going to have about 8-9 pies (for about 12 people). The pies range from fruit pies (mandarin orange, apple, cherry) to cream and chocolate pies to a twinkie pie.

Since I'm hosting, I need to take care of the drinks for the evening. Any thoughts on drinks to go with pies? I'll certainly have coffee and tea available. But what about alcoholic drinks? Some sparkling wine? What do you guys think? What would be good drinks to accompany eating pie?

Is it possible to make a béchamel sauce with soy milk?

I eat a ton of chicken, ground beef, occasionally a steak, and fish. I rarely eat pork or other types of seafood because i am on a tight budget.

I've been itching to use my Le Creuset dutch oven I received as a wedding present, and want to try my hand at roasting a chicken. Unfortunately, I don't know where to start! I find the "whole bird" very intimidating, and want to be sure it ends up both tasty and fully cooked. I think it would be perfect, as the weather has gotten chilly again.

Any pointers or suggestions?

@laetitiae - that sounds like so much fun! What about milk? I always think that milk and pie go together. You could also make a cold milk punch with bourbon, or try the hot rum cow. If you keep the drink not too sweet I think it would pair well with the rich pies.

Dessert wine is an option too, but it seems hard to match up dessert wines with all those different pies.

@faith -- thanks for the suggestions! I'm particularly liking the cold milk punch with bourbon and think I might give that a shot. And probably also have plain milk available for those who might want to remember the evening the next day. :)