What better way to celebrate Dr. Apricot’s birthday than with a cake? Expert baker Idlewild and I teamed up to construct something reminiscent of a cherry chip cake, but with a bit more class.

Here’s what we did: we started with a double batch of the batter for the Veganomicon Jelly Doughnut Cupcakes, and added 2 cups of candied cherries. We filled two 8″ cake pans, and baked them for 30 minutes. For frosting, we used a batch of the Vegan Cupcakes Take over the World buttercream frosting with the addition of 1 Tbsp of the syrup from a jar of maraschino cherries. Frost, pipe on some decoration and finish up with sprinkles, maraschino cherries and candles, and now you’ve got your own Cheery Cherry Cake.

This week is turning out to be be a magical mystery tour of food.

Spanning three cookbooks and the country of Italy: Grilled red-wine marinated tofu (adapted from the trusty Veganomicon), smoked garlic pesto (a smidge different than Isa’s recipe in Vegan with a Vengeance), and chickpea pizza from Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian.

This was the first time for the chickpea pizza, and I was impressed by the flavor and texture. It’s gluten-free as well, which gives it some points. It doesn’t need a lot of toppings, or even sauce; the crust is the focus here. Add some fresh herbs to the dough and maybe a scattering of the veggie of your choice on top.

For dessert was super-secret nut bars. They were amazing. I would post the recipe but I believe the ninjas would come after me if I did, so you’ll have to settle for a picture.

Welcome VegNews readers! I just got my copy in the mail yesterday, and was delighted at the write-up. Site traffic here at Vegan Man has, by my rough calculations, octupled. And that’s not counting RSS readers. If you’re lurking, feel free to stop by and say hi!

For the record, I’m not the world’s biggest comics fan, though I’ve got a shelf full of graphic novels by Neil Gaiman, Warren Ellis, and Alan Moore. And all of Osamu Tezuka’s Buddha. And the fabulous Scott Pilgrim series by Bryan Lee O’Malley.

On second thought, maybe I am a comics fan.

The true story is that once I registered the name veganman.net, I was faced with the challenge of designing a theme for it. Vegan Man seemed to demand a comics-inspired design, and that’s what it’s gotten.

Last night’s dinner was a complete Indian feast. My own dal, fluffy brown basmati, some gobi paratha from the local Indian grocery store, and samosas and chutney from Vegan with a Vengeance. Thanks to visiting guest cook Dr. Apricot for tag-teaming the meal with me. The samosas were a first, and while they were a bit of work, they were entirely worth it.

I didn’t even know I my inner 8-year old was craving Spaghetti-Os until this recipe came to my attention. Props to desert vegan!

This batch was made with cute-shaped brown rice pasta, and was remarkably good. It might have been a little too good for Spaghetti-Os, but it tickled my stomach in all the right places.

I don’t think much needs to be said here. Nachos are a glorious thing.

Nothing says Sunday afternoon like a chocolate bundt cake. Also, nothing says lazy Sunday evening like ordering pizza for dinner.

If you haven’t read Cheri Huber’s “One Less Act of Violence,” you owe it to yourselves to do so. Here’s one of my favorite passages:

Our real point is not our cruelty toward creatures but what our cruelty and insensitivity to other beings does to our own hearts.

If we judge ourselves, if we reject ourselves for who we are and what we do, we are simply committing an act of violence against ourselves. If we would simply look, and consider the ways in which we are violent, then we could stop. Our own acts of violence are ones we have the power to control and end. There are no shoulds in this. I do what I do for me, not for them. The idea is not to change behavior because it is wrong. My work is simply to pay attention. To do something different because I “should” is to miss the point. To be present is the point. When I am present with my eyes and heart open, what do I want to do?

— Cheri Huber, “One Less Act of Violence”

Cheri is a Zen teacher and practitioner, and as such she talks about vegetarianism from a mostly Zen context which subsumes issues of Animal Rights, environmentalism, health, and all others. These are perfectly fine ways of coming to and sticking with veganism, but Cheri’s way resonates most with me.

Veganism for me is not just about avoiding animal products. It’s about choosing to look, to look honestly, and then do something about what we see, even if it’s just something small. When we see clearly, what to do becomes blindingly obvious.

Check out these berry muffins, which are both moist and fluffy.

There are sensational newspaper headlines to the tune of “Monster Heat Wave Envelopes New England,” and it’s pretty much spot on. I’ve been in hotter places, but we’re not set up for the dread heat + humidity combo pack here in Boston. It’s not so bad, really. But it is hot.

If you’re like me, you don’t want to eat much when it’s hot, but Vegan Man is still on his crazy exercise regimen and needs to eat all the time. So what is better for hot days than cold, highly nutritious salads? Nothing, that’s what I say! I started with a pasta salad with pesto, then a quinoa salad with carrot, cucumber and celery. Tonight was couscous with grilled asparagus and roasted corn. Tomorrow I’m thinking soba noodles. At this rate, a giant pile of sushi can’t be too far off!

Another bit of practical wisdom is that Clif Builder Bars melt when the temperature of the room gets to around 80 degrees. So if you’re not wanting to unwrap a bar after a workout to find a gooey mess, keep your bars in the fridge.

Oh, also, Ramblings of a Vegan Man turned one year old on Sunday!