Which colleges serve up the best in vegetarian fare?

Sarah Lawrence and Purchase are in the running, according to peta2, the teen and college-age division of the national animal rights organization.

Both colleges are nominees for the group’s fourth annual Most Vegetarian-Friendly Colleges competition. They are among the top 32 schools in the United States for vegetarian and began choices.

Among options available on campus menus at Sarah Lawrence are Tofurky sandwiches, veggie dogs, and tempeh tacos. At Purchase, selections include veggie bacon, tofu Marsala, and tempeh cacciatore.

“Why are students dropping meat, eggs, and dairy products from their diets faster than a hot potato?” peta2 asks.

“For one thing, vegan meals contain much less saturated fat and cholesterol than non-vegan meals, so students who stick to vegan options have a far easier time keeping off that pesky ‘freshman 15.’ According to the United Nations, raising animals for food is the number one cause of climate change, and going vegan is the single best thing that you can do to help stop animal suffering.”

“Sarah Lawrence’s and Purchase’s success in offering great vegan options is good for students’ health and for the schools’ bottom lines,” says peta2’s senior college campaign coordinator, Ryan Huling. “More and more young people are learning that the best thing that they can do for animals, the planet, and themselves is to go vegan.”

Other nominees include the University of South Florida, New York University, Northwestern University, and the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Colleges were chosen based on student recommendations as well as feedback through MySpace, Facebook, and the peta2 blog. Everyone is eligible to vote and help peta2 choose the winners. Winning schools will be announced in November.