Kumudha–I have used tofu for paneer a few times. So long as one is using a lower-fat paneer in general it works. But once my family and I got used to whole milk paneer–we noticed the tofu right away.

But it still tasted good.

I don’t think I could ever be a true vegan. A vegetarian–yeah, I could probably do it. If I couldn’t get so much locally raised, ethically produced meatstuffs, I probably would be a vegetarian right now. But I am able to get meat locally that is produced in an ecologically sensible fashion. (A lot of Appalachian land is hard to farm because of the steep hillsides, but if you graze animals on it, they can convert grass into protein for humans to consume in the form of dairy and meat. So there is a strong tradition here in our hills and mountains of grazing herds of cattle, sheep and goats, in addition to growing crops in the flat floodplains and on more gentle hillsides.)

That said, I fully support any vegan who chooses to eat that way in order to maintain a smaller impact on the Earth.