Viva Las Vegan!   Celebrity chef Tal Ronnen has created masterful vegan meals for the likes of Oprah Winfrey  and Ellen DeGeneres.  Now a consulting chef for Wynn’s vegan program, he joins Wynn | Encore’s all-star chefs, in partnership with several of the unique, distinctive boutique farmers and growers who supply their kitchens, to create a lively, interactive reception-style tasting featuring vegan and vegetarian dishes.  On Saturday, May 7.

According to vegetarianstar.com…

Starting at 12 p.m., guests will have the opportunity to taste vegan dishes at Encore’s Beethoven suite by Wynn Las Vegas and Encore chefs such as Alex Stratta of Stratta, Jet Tila of Wazuzu, Kim Canteenwalla of Society Café, Mark LoRusso of Botero and David Walzog of Lakeside Grill and SW Steakhouse.

The chefs will demonstrate how to cook vegan meals, such as “Pasta and Clams” with eggless garganelle pasta, kombu broth, broccoli rabe, sweet peppers and oyster mushrooms; tomato tasting of roast tomato bisque & heirloom tomato with cashew cheese salad; sweet roasted corn and cashew cream agnolotti with wild mushrooms; vegan “clam” chowder with cashew cream base and smoked oyster mushrooms, and jade dumplings with spinach & shiitake mushrooms.

Recipes for the meals will be displayed on a screen and guests will also have the opportunity to take recipes home with them.

The cost is $125 per person and room packages are also available.

While we were out in San Juan one evening last week we found this orange stand.  We had seen people walking around with peeled oranges and thought it was a bit odd until we came across this.  It was so cool to watch this guy peeling the oranges with what looked very similar to the old apple peeler my dad uses to make pies.  We didn’t get an orange, instead we bought a glass of the juice.  It was a perfect treat following a big dinner.  It was next to impossible to find vegan desserts so this was just what I needed for a sweet treat.    To Eric’s delight, it was surprisingly pulp-free and so fresh tasting!

Wednesday Eric and I found ourselves stranded in Orlando, staying across from Downtown Disney.  Neither of us were too excited as we’re not big Disney people but suddenly I remember there is a new babycakes there!  We wandered around to check everything out, but really I was looking for babycakes.  I found it rather annoying that none of the maps indicated where it is.  Thank goodness for my blackberry which helped me locate it.  I was beyond excited to get some yummy vegan treats.  I got the chocolate chip brownie cupcake top with vanilla frosting to eat on the spot (despite being overly full from my massive lunch-there’s ALWAYS room for cupcakes!).  I can’t tell you how heavenly that was.  It was equal parts cake and frosting, so for a frosting lover it was divine.  I also grabbed two cookie sandwiches for Eric and I for later, but who was I kidding, Eric doesn’t like sweets so really they would both be for me.  I’m not so good at having food (especially treats) so close to me without eating them.  After a few hours of carting around those sandwiches I broke down and ate one – two chocolate chip cookies filled with creamy pink frosting – YUM!  Of course the day moved on and I did my very best not to eat that second sandwich.  I was sure never to leave it in the car to melt so I kept it in my handbag hoping for the best on a 75 degree day.  Once we got to the airport I reached in my bag only to find a very greasy brown paper bag.  It had melted after all.  So, I pulled that baby out and savored every goey bit of deliciousness.  Mind you, at that point there really wasn’t any pink frosting left – it has seriously melted away and into the cookie, yet that didn’t stop me from finishing it off.  I’m not at all into messy foods and had I been at home I’d have eaten it with a fork but I didn’t have a choice in the airport – luckily I had some wet wipes in my bag!

I’ve now been to all three babycakes!  That does make me sound a bit nuts I suppose!  So far the only thing I haven’t liked are the red velvet cupcakes – everything else is wonderful!!!

So, if you’re headed for Disney and are in search of some amazing vegan or gluten free goodies, locate the building marked Fresh A Peel and just inside the door near the chicken restaurant you’ll find babycakes.

Last week my girlfriend and I met in NYC for a few days.  We had an absolutely fabulous time.  One of my highlights (yes, this is silly) was the scallion tofu cream cheese at Times Square Hot Bagels.  We decided to go for bagels for breakfast on our first morning in the city.   Of course this is a must in NYC but I’ll admit I was nervous I’d be eating a plain bagel.  The entire walk over from our hotel I was hoping that I’d get lucky and they’d have peanut butter but boy way I surprised when I saw not one, but TWO HUGE tubs of tofu cream cheese!!!  I was in HEAVEN!!!  They have both plain and scallion so of course I went for an everything bagel, toasted with scallion tofu cream cheese.  It was fabulous.  Ok, someone else may disagree and maybe I wasn’t even thinking clearly due to all my excitement at the cream cheese selections for me, but whatever, I enjoyed every bite and of course we went back the next day.  The second day I opted for an onion bagel, toasted with scallion tofu cream cheese but I must say the everything bagel way far more exciting.  If you’re in the Times Square area, this place is a must!  And of course if you bring along a non-vegan friend they’ll love it too as they’ll have a TON of dairy cream cheese options.

This place is take out only and they have regular brewed coffee but no soy milk – which I found odd considering they have tofu cream cheese.  Anyway, there are obviously PLENTY of other coffee shops around so grab your bagel and then head to a coffee shop for your soy latte and enjoy your fab NYC breakfast!!!

Friday night I went to BabyCakes in NYC!  I absolutely LOVED my chocolate chip cookie sandie – yes that is frosting in the middle of two chocolate chip cookies – it was divine!  They only had oatmeal raisin ones out but had these hiding in the freezer…even frozen it was great – actually the girl told me she likes them better frozen – I agree!!  I’ve been to BabyCakes LA but this was my first time to the NYC shop.  Of course I forgot that I didn’t care for their red velvet cupcakes (they have something in them that crunches, not sure if its the sugar or what, but its a little odd).  I wish I had remembered that because I brought a non-vegan friend and would have preferred her to get something that would be a hit.  She’s not a frosting person so I couldn’t share my treat with her.  Oh well, she’s had vegan cupcakes from Molly’s Cupcakes in Chicago and she does really like those – she said they’re much better and I agree!

These foldable speakers from OrigAudio are super cool.  They’re made of recycled materials and fold up for easy transport.  They work with any device that has a headphone jack – so computer, ipod, etc.  Time listed these as one of the 50 best inventions of 2009!  The company is based in Chicago which I think is cool that in purchasing from them I’m supporting a local business.  Not only do they make some cool speakers, but they care enough to support non-profits – Music National Service.

You can even create your own foldable speakers…designed however you want them!  I’m not sure what the minimum order would be but if you were using them as a business gift or something where you needed a large quantity they’d be a fun idea!

I must admit that as eco-friendly as these are, I didn’t purchase them so I can’t say first hand how they are.  I did however purchase the Sphere…of all their products it has the best sound quality so I just decided to go with it.  It’ll be great to take on the honeymoon next week!  I haven’t tried it yet but I will this weekend, so I’ll report back on the sound quality

$29.99

Chicago now has these cool bike rental stations!  I had heard about them on the news and was pleasantly surprised to run into a bank of them in Daley Plaza.  How very European of us to have this great system for locals and tourists alike to rent bikes for a ride around town.  I have yet to look into the cost but I’m definitely pretty excited about these new additions to the city!

Here’s all the info you’ll need:

Bike sharing has arrived in Chicago!  Chicago B-cycle, operated by Bike and Roll Chicago, offers residents and visitors an entirely new, and green, way of exploring of the city.  With B-cycle, Chicago joins Denver, Colorado; Montreal, Canada; and cities throughout Europe in offering bike-sharing to the public.  Chicago B-cycle is designed to make all your short excursions fun and healthy. Simply check out a B-cycle when you need one, and return it to any open station when you arrive at your destination. It’s quick, easy, affordable, and kind to the environment! With both monthly and day pass options available, riders can easily check out a bike at one of six convenient ’B-stations’ located in and around downtown: John Hancock Center, Michigan Ave. & Delaware Pl. Daley Plaza, Dearborn St. & Washington St. Buckingham Fountain, Columbus Dr. & Congress Pkwy. Shedd Aquarium, Museum Campus McCormick Place, 2301 S. Lake Shore Drive 541 Fairbanks Court at Grand Ave.   Bikes may be dropped off at any location above, or at Bike and Roll Chicago’s rental stations at Navy Pier, North Avenue Beach and Millennium Park.  Visit www.chicagobcycle.com to download a map of B-stations and a FREE iPhone app (coming soon…) showing bike locations and availability.

Dates: Jul 30, 2010 – Oct 31, 2010

Hours: Daily, 5 am – 10 pm

Location: Daley Plaza (and other locations) Dearborn St. & Washington St. Chicago, IL 60602

Admission: Temporary Pass – purchase with credit card at any B-station and pay as you go. $10 for the first hour, $5 for every additional half hour; Maximum charge per day is $40; Temporary Pass begins at time of checkout and expires once bike is returned   Monthly Memberships – First hour is FREE; $2.50 per additional 30 minutes; maximum charge per day is $40. Membership fees are as follows: 30 days: adults $35; students/seniors $25; 60 days: adults $45; students/seniors $35; 90 days: adults $55; students/seniors $45; Subscribe online at www.chicagobcycle.com.

Website: For additional information please visit, http://www.chicagobcycle.com

Scoring free stuff at nice hotels is a rare occurence (hello, $10 bag of mini-bar peanuts!), so when a classy establishment like the Crowne Plaza pays guests to embrace green energy, we get a little bit excited. The chain’s Copenhagen hotel offers guests free meals for pedaling stationary bicycles to power generators.

Crowne Plaza’s stationary bicycles are hooked up to generators, which provide electricity for the hotel. Guests staying there can receive a $36 meal voucher if they produce 10 watt-hours of electricity, which typically takes about 15 minutes of pedaling. iPhones attached to the bikes’ handlebars display power generation as it’s occurring. Crowne Plaza execs hope the offer will lessen the hotel’s carbon footprint and incentivize fitness for guests.

The fraction of the hotel’s energy generated by biking is probably pretty small, but the concept is quite novel. If all stationary bikes could be hooked up to generators like Crowne Plaza’s, think about how much carbon-free energy could be generated in places like gyms, hotels and college campuses.

Check out the full story at GLiving.com

I think this is just the coolest thing…I wish we had them in cities here in the US – what a fab idea!  I personally don’t really have a place to store a bike so I don’t have one, but if I could rent one on occasion I sure would!  Next time I’m traveling in Europe I’m going to be on the look out to take advantage of one of these!