I'm not a vegetarian, but interested in learning more about it...

I also am starting to feel those nagging feelings that maybe eating meat isn't the best idea. You can go to http://www.goveg.com/order.asp and get a vegetarian starter kit. I'm still waiting for mine to come in the mail. Meanwhile, there are some yummy recipes on that website.

I've doubt that I will convince my meat and potatoes dh to make the switch. So, I can only lead by example. Right now I eat veg for lunch every day. I figure for dinner I can make a lovely veg meal for me and the girls and throw a piece of chicken or something on it for dh. He's just going to have to get used to the fact that things like spinach are going to start showing up on his plate.

Probably the most comprehensive vegetarian recipe website I've found is http://www.vegweb.com. I also find that http://www.vegcooking.com has a lot of good seasonal/holiday recipes. I'd also recommend picking up or checking out from your local library one of Nava Atlas' books... her website is at http://www.vegkitchen.com -- I really like her 'Vegetarian Family Cookbook'.

If you're not sure that you can go cold turkey (so to speak), you can try just making a few veg meals a week, then gradually increasing the ratio as you get more confident. As you do it, you start to learn substitutions and what works best for you. I've gotten to the point where a co-worker will give me a recipe for beef-cheese enchiladas (I don't eat meat or dairy) and I'll think: "I can make that from stuff I have on hand!"

Probably the best way to convince an omnivore that vegetarian food isn't all tofu and sprouts is to go for familiar ethnic dishes that don't center around meat. If you cook a slab of tofu in place of a slab of meat and serve it with potatoes, that's not going to go over so well. But if you have bean/cheese burritos, or an Asian-veggie peanut sauce stir-fry, or veg lasagna or spinach-alfredo pasta, it's a little bit easier to make the transition.

(Also, if your DH really insists on having the meat, those types of meals are relatively easy to cook extra meat to throw in on the side. I've cooked 2 batches of the same recipe in different pans... bean burritos in the round pan, chicken ones in the square pan. Or meat spaghetti sauce in one bowl, marinara in the other, etc.) I used to buy frozen individually portioned chicken breasts and salmon fillets that were easy to cook up whenever DH felt the need for meat. That way he could get his fix and I wouldn't have to mess with the preparation too much.

That said, there are some really cool things you can make with tofu/soy milk/wheat gluten. But I think it's better to experience them on their own terms, and not just as a substitute for something else, you know? Soy milk doesn't taste like cow's milk, but it's still tasty... just in its own way.