Plant life

So yesterday, I became vegan...for September at least.

It's part of a Tennessean project that I'll be blogging about with colleagues at Vegan for a Month.

I don't eat a lot of meat, so I'm really not worried about the deprivation factor. I started to cut back after getting into yoga. Plus I went to a potluck vegan brunch on Sunday that has me excited about the creativity in vegan cooking. Interesting food and conversation! The brunch was hosted by Shalene Gray (below left) who has a vegan catering company called Twig & Barry's Vegan Cuisine.

Tofu scramble, roasted potatoes, coffee cake (made by the so sweet Jenn Blumberg, blogger at Hello Veggie)...

Enchiladas with swiss chard and pumpkin seed from Alan Powell of Long Hungry Creek Farm...

Yay plants.

Currently reading: The World Peace Diet by Will Tuttle

Currently listening for good yoga music. Know any? Some of my favorites:

Universal Traveler - AIR

Sunday - Nikonn

Breathe - Alexi Murdoch

Little Ditty - Deep Dive Corp.

Great Release - LCD Soundsystem

True Colors - Cyndi Lauper

Waiting for the Moon to Rise - Belle & Sebastian

Enjoy the Ride - Morcheeba

Amber - 311
Stop - Ryan Adams & the Cardinals

Hmm....I wonder if this guy's vegan.

Pancakes + Paper hearts - a Parachute

Just got home from traveling with a band for a story. Worn out. Sick. And somewhat melancholy.

Although I headed back to Nashville halfway through the tour, the boys from Parachute Musical took a little piece of my heart and drove it on to Florida. I just loved seeing them go after a dream -- working hard, playing hard, and making beautiful kickass music.

But since this is technically a food blog, I shall stay focused.

PM played two shows on the tour with Allison Weiss. Loved her...and check out these pancakes!!

(She shot the photo at an IHOP with a polaroid.)

And for making pancakes with paper hearts, here's one of her charming videos...

Gotta say the guys in PM had a few culinary episodes of their own though. One night we crashed at a gigantic church with commercial kitchen that was perfect for 3 a.m. snacking...

As for pancakes, I'm headed to a vegan brunch on Sunday (because I'm taking a month-long vegan challenge...more in this Tennessean article).

I've decided to make Moby's version of vegan pancakes with bananas. I'll wrap them around tofu sausage and place them in a casserole pan like enchiladas. Then I'll drizzle them with honey, sprinkle with nuts and top with whipped coconut milk. Could be interesting -- both the dish and the project.

Until then, though, I'll nurse my bum spirits by mowing through this block of Gruyere. Nom, nom.

Blogger note (posted 8/28): I just realized that honey isn't vegan! I'll need to use agave nectar instead. Bees are animals, too, yo. Or...something like that.

Cliques and cupcakes

Does this cupcake remind you of Molly Ringwald?

I ate it today in my own little John Hughes memorial. RIP.

Of all his movies, Pretty in Pink is my favorite. I watched it so many times in my family's living room that I think my dad wanted to beat the daylights out of every member of The Psychedelic Furs.

I love that Molly Ringwald's character came from the wrong side of the tracks with her beat-up Karmann Ghia (my dream car to date) and her DIY prom dress. But I most wanted to be Annie Potts' character Iona, the wacky record store owner who seemed wiser and older (She was probably in her 30s...ancient hag.) I love when she finishes stapling LPs to the ceiling and says:

"Applause, applause, applause."

Then of course there's the fabulous scene below. In his initial screenplay, John Hughes had Andie get with Duckie, but Hollywood made him change it sparking debate about social classes. Hughes was right. Duckie was way cooler than that rich guy any day.



Cupcake called "The Princess" from Gigi's with strawberry cake and cream cheese icing.