Yay! I was really surprised today to see Lea Michele in the slider on the homepage of CBS Local Philadelphia. The image clicks to a gallery of celebrity Vegans and Vegetarians. Click the image to view the gallery.

When I was younger, I wanted a perfume I saw in a teen magazine…it was shaped like gummi bears! Though I went to the biggest, most “up-scale” department store in my suburban town, I couldn’t find it. My mother, a former west coast gal, explained to me dreamily, ‘things start in Cali and spread from there.’

This was years ago…when it was AMAZING, rather than commonplace, to get a low byte pic to download in 10 mins (btw, I’m currently writing this from my phone on the subway). This morning, though, it seems no truer.

CBS morning just ran a story on hurried purchases of foie gras in CA ahead of a new ban about to take affect. Last out of Cali, I heard was a ban on the sale of fur in a particular area.

One of the silliest comments on the segment, for me, came from a pro-foie gras woman. To paraphrase: ‘You’re vegan and just looking for something to be upset about.’ Yes, of course. That’s why we all become vegan, cause we’re *looking* for something to be upset about. Not because there is something wrong with force feeding an animal, forgetting to even get bogged down in that whole slaughtering part of the equation.

Update:

Cannot find the video of the protesting crowd. According to an article the woman said, “You’re a vegan and you have a vegan agenda.” Don’t think I was far off with my paraphrase cause it seems that most people think that’s what a ‘vegan agenda’ is.

Link to a video of an interview from CBS. ‘Start forgetting about chickens. Start forgetting about turkeys on Thanksgiving.’ Seriously? Is this all it was going to take to end it all? Great!

The statewide ban on foie gras in California takes affect July 1st. Let’s hope for that domino effect!

Yesterday, children’s book author Maurice Sendak died at 83.

Watch Bill Moyers’ interview with Maurice Sendak.

On the eve of her new album’s release, Blown Away, Carrie Underwood will be on the Late Show with David Letterman tonight at the Ed Sullivan Theater in NYC. After, Carrie will perform a set in a Live on Letterman show, streamed exclusively online courtesy of CBS.

This morning, though, Carrie visited the Elvis Duran and the Morning show and the pleasure was all the hosts’. A long time vegetarian, voted PETA’s Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity of 2005, Carrie went vegan last year. The radio team raved about the quinoa pancakes provided by Cafe Metro and cupcakes from Sugar Rush. (Cupcakes for breakfast? Oh yeah.)

The only thing not raved about was the tofu scramble, ‘Tofu eggs should not be allowed.’ The radio team joked on their own T, seemingly confused at the origins of tofu eggs: “Do they feed the chicken something different?”

Sadly, tofu scramble and quinoa pancakes don’t seem to be typical menu items. If your Cafe Metro does not offer these items, contact them and express your interest.

Be sure to check out Carrie tonight on Letterman and stream the LOL concert to preview her new album. Blown Away drops tomorrow (5/1).

“It was great to be Catholic and go to confession. You could start over every week,” said C in 1993′s A Bronx Tale. No matter your religious denomination, Champs Family Diner and Bakery is giving you the chance to start your week off right. Their monthly Drive-In Dine-In will be this Sunday, April 29th at 8:30pm, this month featuring Robert DeNiro’s directorial debut.

In true Italian fashion, the all vegan $30 prix fixe dinner will include:

• Appetizer: String beans, mixed olives, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers and chickpeas with fresh herbs
• Main course: Tagliatelle pasta with sweet Italian sausage and porcini mushroom ragu
• Dessert: Chilled “raw” Tiramisu with coconut, rum, cacao, and espresso

Seating is limited, so be sure to make a reservation at 718-599-2743.

(Please note, Champs is a cash only establishment. They do have an in-house ATM, though.)

Champs Vegan Bakery and Diner
176 Ainslie St
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Weekend before last, I was around Vegan Drinks home base: Angels and Kings. The gate was down and I chocked it up to being mid-morning. The next day, a friend let me know that the bar had actually closed down. My shoulders dropped. ‘What about Vegan Drinks?’ …yeah, I’m that selfish to have that be my first thought.

So have no fear. Calm pros, the organizers have found a new location: Pine Box Rock Shop. For how long the all vegan bar in Bushwick, Brooklyn will host the monthly event is to be seen. Mix it up though. If you were never a fan of the fried foods offered at AK, try the pretzels and empanadas at PBRS.

Head over this month (4/26) and try something new. Proceeds go to benefit “Our planet. Theirs too.”

After last month’s successful (ok, slightly problematic) online handout of free general admission tickets to The Great Googa Mooga, the organizers went for broke with round two today. At noon, more GA tickets, touted as “An amusement park of food & drink,” went up for grabs.

The two-day festival being held in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park is powered by the brain children behind Bonnaroo. If you were not amongst the lucky ones to have snatched up free tickets to this festival, Extra Mooga tickets are still available at a measly $249 a pop. (From free to $250? LOL.)

Currently on the music line up are acts like The Roots and Hall & Oates. For eats, vendors include Luke’s Lobster and The Meat Hook, which probably won’t peak the taste buds of veg*n attendees. The organizers, though, “promise to make vegetarians and vegans happy, too, as well as those with any other dietary restrictions.” However, with less than a month to curtain, the veg pickings look slim…which might be an understatement.

Ugh, I missed seeing the full episode; just the winner announcement. I got home last night from the NYC Vegetarian Food Fest and turned on my TV. Something was a little screwy and the channel wouldn’t change from like Celebrity Apprentice, but I fixed it just in time to flip to Cupcake Wars to find it was a vegan challenge! Oh yeah, baby!

Stephanie Sparkles was happy to say the least, jumping a few feet off the ground, when the judges announced her as the winner. Be sure to check out her site to view tons of amazing looking cupcakes. You can even bring her winning goodness home by buying her ebook for $9.95.

Get a peek at Stephanie in this video the L.A. Cupcake Challenge and LIKE her on Facebook.

This episode is a huge step forwards in that it puts veganism front and center. I was a little displeased at the end when host Justin Willman said, “you were both tasked with creating vegan cupcakes that still held up to our standard of deliciousness and safisticati0n.”

It seems everyone has their opinion on what makes a vegan cupcake, be it decoration or frosting or whatever, but what really makes a vegan cupcake is the same as what makes a traditional cupcake: taste. Adding eggs and dairy do not automatically make for an amazing cupcake. Many a traditional cupcake (as well as cookies, brownies, pies, what have you) has seen the bottom of a trashcan.

If anyone knows of a vegan baker who has been on the show and not won–well, unless they were competing against another vegan baker–please let me know. There is a novelty to vegan cupcakes, yes; but these judges aren’t handing these competitions over for that reason. Why would they when dairy-free, egg-free baked goods take a stab at the establishment? In fact, it would seem logically to be a card stacked against these vegans.

No, these sweets are delicious treats. The othering of vegan sweets when they have thus far stood the challenge, needs to go. So for the time being, while I was super excited about this all vegan episode in theory, I’d like to not see another one for a long while…just vegan bakers going toe-to-toe with traditional bakers and knocking them off the display.

UPDATE: If you missed it, visit VeganSense‘s YouTube Channel through the images below for all the videos. Be sure to hit up Cupcakes Take The Cake for a full write up. You can even get the recipe from Food Network for Stephanie’s Lavender Tangerine Dream Cupcake and whip up some goodness.

Also, check out guest judge, vegetarian chef Leslie Sarna, at Veggie Dreamgirl.

Get here if you can! So much good food and people!

Update!

Please visit my FB page as I bring you more photos from the festival! 44 pictures from the festival are currently up!

There will be plenty more to come. See you on Day Two!

If you live in NYC, get down to MooShoes before 5:30 pm today! Vegan bake sale to benefit Sea Shepherd conservation!