Though I am semi-obsessed with the Food Network and do enjoy really great food, I must confess to being a not-particularly good, nor imaginative, cook myself. Regardless of that fact, I’m always trolling for new and interesting vegetarian recipes to try out. Which is why I was very excited to find out about the new book Great Chefs Cook Vegan by Linda Long.

Per the description on amazon.com, the book “includes recipes from 25 of today’s greatest chefs, including Thomas Keller, Jean-George Vongerichten, Eric Ripert, Charlie Trotter, and many other James Beard award-winning chefs.” Each chef provides more than just one recipe, instead creating a three- or four-course meal, with pictures and all that good stuff.

You can takepart by checking out the book at amazon.com. The best part about books like this one is that you can make something to prove to your friends that you don’t actually need meat in a meal for it to be delicious. Of course, you usually won’t convert anyone with one meal, but it’s always good to show people there are other options out there.

So I’ve been back in New York City for almost 2 weeks now and finally uploaded the last of my vegan food pictures and my mouth actually started watering.

My vegan experiment went really really well and I feel so much better. I don’t think I’ll be 100 percent vegan now that I am back - but I am definitely cutting back on the dairy and eggs. The photos below and my happy body are motivation enough:

Lemon, arugula, white and green bean pasta salad with roasted pine-nuts w/ stuffed red peppers, romaine salad and fresh corn on the cob.

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Today’s Sunday morning entertainment comes to you courtesy of Ted Leo, who you may know as one of the best songwriters around. He also, and this is the important bit to tie him into this website, is a vegan. His songs are often socially-minded, and one such instance is “Me and Mia,” in which Leo tackles the issues of bulimia and anorexia. Super fun, I know, but watch this and tell me it’s not the catchiest thing you’ve heard this month.

Another reason Leo has gained some popularity in the past, let’s say, year or so is his acoustic cover of Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone.” Clarkson recently went vegetarian (maybe…the Google searching wasn’t completely conclusive), and in the middle of Leo’s cover, he jumps into “Maps” by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the lead singer of which is also a vegan. See how this all works out?

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Did you know that it’s National Cheesecake Day? Being that I’m vegan at the moment this is news I would normally let fly by me, but it seems that The Cheesecake Factory wants to celebrate the seemingly random “holiday” and give away pieces of their famous cheesecake for only $1.50. That’s a pretty good deal for cheesecake lovers, so I thought it might be worth mentioning for those non-vegans reading.

Plus, my brother works at the Cheesecake Factory - he’s actually about to leave for work now - and I thought it might be nice to throw some business his way. And in case you are not all about the dairy and your friends are, I actually just was at The Cheesecake Factory to see my bro in action and had a very yummy vegan pasta dish!

Regardless of eating habits though, everyone should takepart to learn about a cool company that makes both organic dairy cream cheese, along with soy (yay!) and go after the jump for some fun cheesecake facts and info on how to find a Cheesecake Factory near you.

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Well it has almost been a week of me being vegan - (I officially started Tuesday afternoon last week) and I have to say I feel pretty great.

Eating good vegetables and healthy grains (along with some protein from tofu, soy etc…) is really a good way to go - I feel lighter, happier and find myself craving fatty gross (yet tasty) foods a lot less. And, if you put a little effort in, you’ll see that vegetables can really look and taste good:

*Grilled tofu sandwich with fresh greens and red pepper (in a balsamic vinegarette)

More pretty pictures and a recipe - after the jump

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Today I spent my morning traveling from New York City to Ohio for a little summer getaway. I’ll still be writing here at TakePart, but from the tree filled backyard of my childhood instead of my Brooklyn apartment. Don’t get me wrong, I love Brooklyn, but nothing compares to spending some quality time outside amidst trees, plants, birds and insects.

Beyond enjoying the outdoors more I’ve also decided to be vegan (something we often write about here at TakePart) during my month in Ohio. I’ve always been vegan on and off but haven’t done it in quite some time so I’m excited to give it another go.

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The vegan enthusiasts and animal rights activists are all aflutter at the news of Oprah’s twenty-one day vegan cleanse, and now Ecorazzi reports that Ellen Degeneres might be following suit, with a series of vegan-inspired authors appearing on her show last week. Here´s more from the source:

Tomorrow on the Ellen show, friend of Ecorazzi and Skinny Bitch author, Rory Freedman, will be on to discuss her two bestselling vegan books. And then to continue Veganmania, on May 28th Ellen will welcome Kathy Freston, author of Quantum Wellness — also known as the book that encouraged Oprah to take the vegan plunge. Ellen is a huge animal supporter and encourages eating local and organic food, but she still eats meat. Many people have expressed disappointment that Ellen valiantly fights for the animals and then later consumes them with the same passion. Will Ellen follow Oprah and adopt a vegan lifestyle? We will just have to wait and see! [Ecorazzi.com]

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The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Mother’s Day is this Sunday (don’t forget!), so be sure to take a look at some of the great posts we’ve put together in celebration of moms everywhere! Check out some of our most popular stories of the week, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites!

Katie Halper:

Top 10 Mother’s Day E-Cards

Hillary Andrews Will Not Lick Bob Stokes’ Swizzle Stick

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Nicole Hughes:

Top 10 Green Gift Wrap Ideas For Mothers Day

Peak Oil Strip Tease

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Andy Kondrat:

Tornado Devestated Town Rebuilds As Green Model Community

Radiohead Attempts An Eco-Friendly World Tour

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Jon Popham:

Nepalese Art Photography: Rubin Museum of Art

America’s First Wind-Powered City

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Giulia Rozzi:

Women For Women International Celebrates Mothers Day

Even More on the Kentucky Derby

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Gina Telaroli:

Video Blog: The Week In Social Action

The War Now Tomorrow and Forever

We all know sex sells - bikini car washes for cancer, vegan strip clubs, and of course PETA loves throwing around a little (human) flesh for a good cause. Now peak oil is getting some sultry attention from Oily Cassandra, who is pretty confident that her oil-conservation-inspired strip tease will get you worked up and ready to take action:

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I’ve been a vegetarian for about 7 years now and in that time I’ve also been a vegan for 2 - although I’m not now, my doctor said I needed to eat dairy :(. I don’t necessarily think everyone should stop eating meat, but I do think people eat too much and also that the meat industry is disgusting. It is with that that I give you the subtle comic stylings of Stephen Colbert interviewing the president of PETA , proving that comedy can make a point:

and learn more about PETA