There are three upcoming events I want to publicize. On Wednesday, September 29th, Tayst is having a VEGANstravaganza, which will be a five course dinner with wine pairings. Wow! I’ve had the privilege of tasting Jeremy Barlow’s vegan creations and I have very high expectations about this dinner. Anyone want to treat?

UPDATE:  Due to overwhelming response and the event selling out with a HUGE waiting list (yay!!!), Tayst has added a second vegan dinner on October 16th at 6:30.  Call for reservations now!

I’m also very excited to announce a screening of the movie Forks Over Knives at The Belcourt on October 6th at 7:00.  I am SO excited to finally see this film.  I have been hearing about it for months and I am such a huge fan of the doctors featured.  I’m sure it’s going to be great.  Don’t miss this opportunity!

Farm Sanctuary is an organization that is near and dear to my heart. President and co-founder Gene Baur is an incredible man and he and the sanctuary have done so much to care for animals and raise awareness about factory farming, etc.  There is a Walk for Farm Animals that benefits Farm Sanctuary in Nashville on October 3rd.  You can register to participate here.

Go, Nashville!

Vegan Panna Cotta at Tayst

It all starts at 7:00 PM at the Unity Church for Positive Living in Old Hickory, TN.  All donations and proceeds from the silent auction will benefit Hands on Nashville.  See you there!

How can you help? Check out these links for more information:

Middle TN Red Cross
Nashvillest.com
Hands On Nashville

For more photos of the disaster, check out president raygun’s Flickr page. Also, check out this video on YouTube.

Positive thoughts for Middle Tennessee, the areas affected by the oil spill (and the world in general) are also much appreciated.  Thank you!

Here in Nashville, we can finally get the Go Max Go bars, which are amazing.  We have several places to buy Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss and Purely Decadent coconut milk ice cream and we have several options for vegan baked goods.

Vegan junk food lovers (and those of us who eat really healthily most of the time, but splurge every once in a while) in the Nashville area, rejoice again!

Word on the street is that Whole Foods in Nashville will start carrying Daiya vegan cheese soon, but in the meantime, Lazzaroli Pasta in the Germantown area has the Italian blend.  I just bought a pound the other day!  Lazzaroli’s will also make vegan pasta for you if you give them 24 hours notice.  I hear it’s awesome, and Tom told me yesterday he’s thinking of filling some ravioli with Daiya and other yummy vegan stuff.  Give him a call if you’re interested.  Sure sounds good to me!

I also have heard good things about the vegan donuts at Get Sconed in Murfreesboro.  I swear I’m going to get down there soon to try them, but I just haven’t been in the mood for all that sugar, flour and oil…  Still, I can’t help but feel like Middle Tennessee deserves a big pat on the back.  I tell people all the time that it’s not a bad place to be vegan, but hardly anyone seems to believe me.  Sure, it’s not California, but we’re making progress!

Now tell me again how I’m missing out on anything by being vegan?  Ok, convenience?  Yeah, sometimes.  But incredible, delicious food?  Nope.

My Daiya from Lazzaroli

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!

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.

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!