Not only do I own at least seventy pairs of non-leather shoes, I also have a whole bunch of handbags as well.  Some of my favorites are by Matt & Nat and Crystalyn Kae.  (Not all Crystalyn Kae bags are vegan, so check before you buy.  Better yet, why not write to the company and request that they go vegan!)

One great thing about vegan fashion today is its evolution to more eco-friendly materials.  PVC isn’t exactly the best stuff to wear or carry around with you, but animal skins aren’t exactly eco-friendly either when you consider the methane given off by all those cows, the pesticides that end up in the water and earth around factory farms and the chemicals used to tan the leather.  Still, brands like Crystalyn Kae use glazed fabrics, which look and feel like leather and there are always products made of canvas, hemp, etc. to be found.  Matt & Nat is now lining their purses with recycled water bottles.

A simple Google search makes it all easier than ever to keep your accessories in line with your ethics.

Vegan Drinks Nashville is happening!  Come to the Bound’ry on Tuesday, February 2nd from 7-9 pm to meet, network and socialize with other Nashville vegans.   The Bound’ry will be working with us on vegan drink specials and appetizers.   If you’re vegan or even veg-curious, I hope you’ll join us!

For more information on Vegan Drinks, click here.  If you’d like to help, invite friends, etc., please see our Facebook page.  See you there!

Do your research

Sites like HappyCow.net, VegDining.com, VegGuide.org, etc. make it easy to find restaurants and health food stores on the road and at your destination.

VegCooking.com has a huge list of vegan menu items at chain restaurants, including fast food.  They have a Restaurant of the Month feature, as well as a whole “Vegan Eating while on the Road” page and a “Vegetarian-Friendly Restaurant Guide.”

Books

Healthy Highways is helpful to have around, but the problem with books like these is that they go out of date pretty quickly.

One book though, that I have found to be absolutely essential is Vegan Passport.  I bought this at Food Fight Grocery when I was buying some other vegan groceries and I absolutely love it!  (It appears that Food Fight no longer carries it, but maybe if we ask nicely they’ll order more!)

Technology

Even better than books is, of course, the internet and your phone.  There are quite a few sites out there that you can rely on for great info about vegan, vegetarian and veg-friendly restaurants.

iPhone apps:  Veggie Passport (translator like Vegan Passport that has many phrases in 33 languages – costs $1.99)

HappyCow.net’s app is called VegOut and it’s $2.99.  Highly recommend this one!  I’ve used it in some pretty obscure places (like Joplin, MO) and found some great restaurants.

VeganXpress is $1.99 and has over 110 common restaurants and their menu items that are suitable for vegans.  It also includes a full list of vegan and vegetarian beers, wines, snacks and junk foods that are vegan-friendly.  Definitely worth $1.99!

There is a ton of info on the web about other vegan/vegetarian phone applications.  Just put google to work and have fun!

Car travel

Road trips are great because you can completely control everything that you eat.  You can bring a cooler and keep all kinds of things with you like fresh fruit and veggies, baked tofu, Tofurky slices, tofu jerky, condiments, vegan cheeses.  You can make sandwiches before hand or even at a rest stop.  If you’re camping, you can prepare all your meals easily.

Chain restaurants

Boston Market, Bucca di Beppo, California Pizza Kitchen, Carrabba’s, The Cheesecake Factory, Maggiano’s, The Melting Pot, Old Chicago, The Old Spaghetti Factory, Olive Garden, On the Border, P.F. Chang’s, The Palm, Panera, Papa John’s, Pei Wei, Pizza Hut, Ruby Tuesday, Quiznos, Starbuck’s, UNO, etc. all have vegan food.  Be sure to ask your server, or better yet, do your research ahead of time as servers are not always familiar with vegan requirements.

Ethnic/International restaurants

If you’re in a city or town without vegetarian restaurants, there will usually be at least one Indian, Thai, Mexican, Ethiopian, Japanese, etc. place.   As with any other restaurant, you’ll want to ask questions about how the food is prepared, is chicken broth or fish sauce, etc., used, but chances are you can get a pretty decent vegan meal at one of these places.

Fast Food

Taco Bell, Chipotle, Baja Fresh, Q’doba, Jamba Juice, Wendy’s, etc all have vegan options, and you can at least get a salad without animal products at most fast food places.

Vegan travel doesn’t have to be hard.  Sure, I make it my business to navigate the issues I could potentially run into, but with a little pre-planning, so can you!

Happy travels!

For the last few weeks I have been musing over the last year and how fantastic it’s been.  Here are just some of the highlights:

I started the year with my first vlog and a road trip across the country with a friend.  Ate some incredible food, met up with fabulous people and saw a good portion of the U.S.

I was interviewed by VeganCulinaryExperience.com and VegetarianWomen.com.

Traveled to Phoenix and Seattle before heading out to Australia for the month of March.  What an experience that was!  I ate so much great food and met so many awesome Aussies and fellow travelers.  Check out some of my photos here.

In April I took a road trip from E. Lansing, MI to Oklahoma City, OK.  I was home for a day, then I went to Tahoe for a weekend getaway with my best girlfriends from high school.

One of the biggest things to happen to me all year was appearing on the cover of the Nashville Scene in May.  That photo opened a lot of doors for me and was so much fun!  I’m so thankful for that.

Speaking of photos, I went to Bonnaroo in June and ended up on the Maxim Facebook pictorial Babes of Bonnaroo 2.  My bikini photo from the Nashville Scene also earned the honor of one of the Hottest Girls on Facebook at Maxim.com.  Ecorazzi and Vegetarian Star picked up the story as well.  Fun!

My site was nominated for the second year in a row for a VegNews Veggie Award (Favorite Web Site) and was also named one of the Top Ten Vegetarian Web Sites.  Thank you, VegNews, for your continued support!

Summer also brought my second trip to Vegetarian Summerfest, where I got to speak about vegan travel, reconnect with old friends, make lots of new ones, and witness one of the best weddings ever.

AR 2009 was a blast too!  I met some of my vegan idols, had a great time with awesome folks I had met the year before and I interviewed my good friends Michelle Taylor and Robert Cheeke.

Michelle interviewed me for her online TV show, Vegan Break, and I also appeared on the Robert Cheeke Show.  I had the privilege of speaking with Ed Coffin on the Eating Consciously Podcast and Vance Lehmkuhl’s VegCast #70.

In September I was part of the Tennessean experiment Vegan for a Month.  I got to be the unofficial Vegan Lifestyle Coach for five members of the Tennessean staff as they ate vegan for thirty days.  It was a lot of fun, and great exposure for veganism.

September also brought me to Toronto for the 25th Annual Vegetarian Food Fair.  So much fun!  I got to hang with some of my favorite vegans as well as some old friends I have known online for years.  Great trip!  Toronto is a fabulous city and very vegan friendly.  Can’t wait to go back.

October was a busy travel month.  I went to Portland, where I spent time with family and hung out with my friend Robert Cheeke.  Robert and I saw Gary Vaynerchuk at Powell’s and of course ate some amazing food.  I also got to speak about Why It’s Easy to be Vegan at the Central Florida VegFest, which was a great experience.  VooDoo Fest in New Orleans during Halloween weekend was super fun too.

I came to Nashville in 2000 to pursue my singing career and this year I started working on my first album with Producer/Guitarist Extraordinaire Biff Watson.  Vance previewed my first single “Let Go” on VegCast #75 and I’ll be releasing more music via MySpace and iTunes very soon.  Yay!

November and December were pretty quiet as far as travel is concerned, but I found lots of amazing vegan food right here in Nashville, as you can see by my latest blogs.  Nashville is becoming more and more vegan friendly and it’s exciting to watch and experience!

I am so thankful for my life.  I get to travel all over the world eating great vegan food, I have amazing friends and family and a rich, full life in Nashville.  In just one year I got to eat in these forty cities:

Memphis, TN
Plano, TX
Austin, TX
Big Bend, TX
Tucson, AZ
Joshua Tree, CA
Palm Springs, CA
Los Angeles, CA
Phoenix, AZ
Tempe, AZ
Sedona, AZ
Asheville, NC
Seattle, WA
Sydney, NSW, AuS
Manly, NSW, AUS
Melbourne, Victoria, AUS
Brisbane, Queensland, AUS
Mullumbimby, NSW, Australia
Gold Coast, Queensland, AUS
Hamilton Island, Queensland, AUS
Hot Springs, NC
Knoxville, TN
East Lansing, MI
Joplin, MO
Oklahoma City, OK
Truckee, CA
Incline Village, NV
Oakland, CA
San Francisco, CA
Manchester, TN
Johnstown, PA
Santa Rosa, CA
Napa, CA
Toronto, ON, Canada
Atlanta, GA
Portland, OR
Denver, CO
Orlando, FL
New Orleans, LA
Nashville, TN

Thank you all so much for your continued support.  2010 is looking to be amazing and I look forward to sharing my experiences with you.  Happy New Year!

It’s interesting to me how people think that the vegan lifestyle is one of major deprivation.  (Although there was definitely a time when I didn’t want to live in a world without dairy cheese or ice cream.)   What am I deprived of?  I honestly don’t miss dairy or meat. Not only am I glad every minute of every day that I don’t support cruelty and unnecessary death, I also no longer crave the animal products that made me me look and feel awful. When I stopped eating dairy, my acne, cramps, headaches and two sizes went away.  Eggs actually used to make me throw up.  Do I want to put those things in my body anymore?  Nope, especially when I live in a world that has Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss, Purely Decadent with Coconut Milk, Daiya Vegan Cheese, Dr. Cow Nut Cheeses and Teese!

I no longer crave animal flesh after 17 years as a vegetarian, but I do love Soysage, Tofurky slices and sausages for what they are.  If I wanted to experience the taste and texture of chickens, pigs and cows, I would eat Gardein, LightLife, Match Meats, etc.  I never cared for seafood, so I definitely don’t miss that.

Yes, sometimes I miss out on convenience.  But it’s so worth it!  I eat so much more food as a vegan than I ever did as a meat-eater or even as a lacto-ovo vegetarian.  I actually crave vegetables. I can have kale and brown rice for lunch and feel completely satisfied.  I eat Ethiopian, Thai and Korean food often.  I never would been interested in those foods before I was vegan.

Since I became vegan, I definitely feel more spiritually connected.  I am more in tune with my body, the planet and my fellow Earthlings.

So, am I angry all the time? Not even close. How often do you see me without a smile on my face? The years I have been vegan have actually been my happiest ever. I can’t imagine ever going back.

I have already blogged about Fiddle Cakes and the awesome treats I had there on my first visit, but I went back and tried more of their cupcakes and wow!  The chocolate with peppermint “buttercream” frosting and toasted coconut cupcakes were awesome.  So tasty and beautiful.  I also had a lovely vegan soup and sandwich there.  The vegans from Born Empty and I were happy with everything we had.

The Wild Cow had their Grand Opening party last Saturday and I left with Vegan Spicy Chocolate Cake, Vegan Ginger Macadamia Coconut Carrot Cake (say that three times fast),  Vegan Oatmeal Cherry Cookie and a Vegan Zucchini Chocolate Muffin.  Yummy!  All desserts at The Wild Cow are outsourced and everything I tried was very good.

I have complained in the past about Whole Foods’ lack of vegan cupcakes, but to their credit, they now have a Vegan Chocolate Coffee cake that is amazing, they had Vegan Apple and Cherry pies for Thanksgiving (I had the cherry and it was great!) and their baker has just informed me that soon they will have Vegan Whole-Grain Pastries.  Yes!

Go, Nashville!  It’s always a good time to be a vegan, but things just keep getting better and better for us.  For those of you afraid to go vegan because you think you’ll be missing out, try some of these awesome cholesterol-free-but-full-of-great-flavor desserts!  And if you’re jonesin’ for some ice cream to go with your cake, stop by Whole Foods or Turnip Truck and buy some Purely Decadent with Coconut Milk or Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss.  I swear, it’s better than dairy ice cream!

Enter Fiddle Cakes on 8th Ave South.  I called the other day to find out about their vegan offerings, then realizing they would be closing in just a bit, I hopped in the car and drove straight there.   I walked up to the counter and asked for one of everything that was vegan.  I purchashed an almond shortbread cookie, a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie and a banana split cupcake.  Turns out the woman who helped me is also vegan so I gave her my card and we chatted a bit.

I brought my tasty treats home and it was all I could do to wait to take photos before I dove in.  The almond shortbread cookie tasted just like what you’d expect.  It was crispy and had a nice almondy, buttery flavor.  (People often ask me how it’s possible for shortbread to be vegan, but did you know that Lorna Doone shortbread cookies are vegan?  Not healthy by any means, but still vegan.)

Next, I tried the pumpkin chocolate chip cookie.  It was pretty good, but a little salty and I would have liked a little more pumpkin spice flavor.  The banana split cupcake didn’t have the best consistency compared to some of the vegan cupcakes I’ve had, but the flavors were great.  The cake tasted like real banana and had little chunks of pineapple and chocolate chips and it had walnuts and a maraschino cherry on top.  The icing was very sugary, but was also quite fresh and yummy.  Way better than the stuff you’d get on most bakery cupcakes.

Even with my little criticisms, I enjoyed everything and ate all three items in one sitting, ended up with a ridiculous sugar high, then crashed hard.  I don’t recommend trying that.  I know better, but it was so hard to resist!

Fiddle Cakes also serves lunch (soups, salads and sandwiches) and they can make their vegetarian menu items vegan.  Their sandwich bread is vegan and comes from a bakery in Clarksville and they have Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet cheese.  All their recipes are their own and they use sweeteners like organic evaporated cane juice, molasses and agave nectar, plus they have gluten-free items as well.  They also do catering and special orders.  Yay!

Nashvillians, let’s support Fiddle Cakes and show this city and its restaurants, bakeries, etc. that we can keep vegan-friendly businesses alive and thriving.

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #1: http://humanemyth.org/

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #2: http://www.happycow.net/

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #3: http://www.vegan.com/

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #4: http://www.veganoutreach.org/

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #5: http://www.earthlings.com/

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #6: http://farmsanctuary.org/

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #7: http://veganbodybuilding.com/

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #8: http://veganradio.com/

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #9: http://www.tryveg.com/

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #10: http://vegcast.com/

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #11: http://cosmosveganshoppe.com/

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #12: http://www.pcrm.org/

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #13: http://www.herbivoreclothing.com/

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #14: http://foodfightgrocery.com/

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #15: http://www.ahimsafootwear.com/

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #16: http://www.veganstore.com/

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #17: http://www.quarrygirl.com/

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #18: http://veganessentials.com/

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #19: http://www.thechinastudy.com/about.html

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #20: http://theurbanhousewife.blogspot.com/

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #21: http://animalrights.about.com/

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #22: http://www.milkdocumentary.com/Site/Home.html

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #23: http://www.mooshoes.com/

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #24: http://www.pcrm.org/

Vegan Related Site of the Day #25: http://fatfreevegan.com/

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #26: http://eatingconsciously.com/

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #27: http://veganhope.com/

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #28: http://www.helloveggie.org/

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #29: http://www.toliveandeatinla.com/

Vegan-Related Site of the Day #30: http://crazysexylife.com/

Vegan-Related Sites of the Day #31 (I have two for the last day of October): http://www.ecorazzi.com/ and http://vegetarianstar.com/

I went the night before my birthday and I was so pleased.  I make good pizza at home with Daiya, Teese, Cheezly, the cashew ricotta from Veganomicon, etc.  Just tonight I made pizza with locally made hemp cheese and it was delicious.  But, there’s just nothing like a pizza cooked in a restaurant’s pizza oven.  The crust of our Italia pizza was so good and the toppings were ample.  I posted a picture on Facebook immediately and some of my vegan friends went there that night to try it.  Ah, the power of the internet.

Vegans, please go to Italia and support them for offering Teese.  As far as I know, they are the first in Nashville to do this.  Love them for it!

First of 30 Products of the Day for September:  Sunshine Burgers http://sunshineburger.com/

2nd of 30 Products of the Day for September:  Parma Vegan Parmesan http://www.eatintheraw.com/

3rd of 30 Vegan Products of the Day: @LunaandLarrys Coconut Bliss: http://www.coconutbliss.com/

4th of 30 Vegan Products of the Day:  Dr. Cow Nut Cheeses http://www.dr-cow.com/

5th of 30 Vegan Products of the Day: @NanasCookieCo Nana’s Cookies http://nanascookiecompany.com/

6th of 30 Vegan Products of the Day:  Fantastic Foods Tofu Scrambler http://tinyurl.com/m6gfjp

7th of 30 Vegan Products of the Day:  Lightlife Smart Deli Pepperoni http://tinyurl.com/mfv8bg

8th of 30 Vegan Products of the Day: @GoMaxGoFoods Candy Bars http://www.gomaxgofoods.com/

9th of 30 Vegan Products of the Day: @LaraBar http://www.larabar.com/

10th of 30 Vegan Products of the Day: @So_Delicious Purely Decadent with coconut milk http://tinyurl.com/6poxxl

11th of 30 Vegan Products of the Day: @ChicagoSoyDairy Teese Nacho Cheese Sauce http://www.teesecheese.com/

12th of 30 Vegan Products of the Day: @VegaTeam Whole Food Optimizer http://tinyurl.com/5gye78

13 of 30 Vegan Products of the Day:  Mary’s @GoneCrackers http://www.marysgonecrackers.com/

14 of 30 Vegan Products of the day:  Tings! http://www.piratesbooty.com/products/tings/original

15 of 30 Vegan Products of the Day:  @DaiyaCheese Vegan Shreds http://www.daiyafoods.com/

16 of 30 Vegan Products of the Day:  @AllisonsGourmet Super yummy cookies, fudge, etc. http://allisonsgourmet.com/

17 of 30 Vegan Products of the Day:  Eco-Planet Cheddar Non-Dairy Organic Crackers http://ecoheavenllc.com/

18 of 30 Vegan Products of the Day:  Field Roast Grain Meats http://www.fieldroast.com/

19 of 30 Vegan Products of the Day:  Glenny’s Marshmallow Treats http://tinyurl.com/c3agzw

20 of 30 Vegan Products of the Day:  Soyatoo Soy Whip http://www.soyatoo.com/us/produkte/

21 of 30 Vegan Products of the Day:   Organic Food Bars http://www.organicfoodbar.com/

22 of 30 Vegan Products of the Day:  @LoveStreetRaw Organic Raw Vegan Chocolate Coconut Spread http://tinyurl.com/a5t4d3

23 of 30 Vegan Products of the Day:  Sun Flour Baking Company cookies http://www.sunflourbaking.com/

24 of 30 Vegan Products of the Day:  @FYHMarket @Vegenaise FYH Vegenaise http://bit.ly/2VSIyW

25 of 30 Vegan Products of the Day: Ray’s Seitan http://tinyurl.com/yabe7lw

26 of 30 Vegan Products of the Day:  Road’s End Organics sauces, gravies, pastas, etc. http://bit.ly/2ucff5

27 of 30 Vegan Products of the Day:  Bete Noir Chocolates http://www.betenoirechocolates.com/

28 of 30 Vegan Products of the Day: @JohnMcDougallMD’s Right Foods http://www.rightfoods.com/

29 of 30 Vegan Products of the Day:   Spectrum Naturals Vegan Caesar Dressing http://bit.ly/ky7DB

30 of 30 Vegan Products of the Day:  Vegan Halloween Candy http://bit.ly/w9F8D

For October, I’m recommending 31 Vegan Related Sites of the Day, so please stay tuned to my Tweets!