i have no problem telling you that i take shoes very seriously… i mean, VERY seriously. and if you don’t care to hear about my witty & historical shoe affair – and just want to get to the goods on where to get great vegan pumps… see you at paragraph 4.

the chosen ones… not a crazy, celebrity amount, but deeply loved.

when i commit – i commit – no 1 season or 2 for me… it’s a lifetime (the shoe’s lifetime at least). i re-sole & polish, footpad & shoe form… but over the past year, i have parted ways with ALL of my all-leather shoes (except for my 1st Chanel flats – which were grandfathered in for sentimental reasons). gone are the pink suede Chanel camillia sandals which got me through that crazy black out in NYC 2003, gone are the burgundy Costume Nationals with the sculpted heel – when no one else was doing sculpted heels, and gone are those black Gucci pumps… you know the ones – the ones that made you think for a moment that all other designers should just give up on ever designing pumps again. and it was just the other day, while watching The Rachel Zoe Project (have you watched? it’s f-ing hilarious!), that Ms. Zoe made mention of every gal needing a great black pump. it struck me… i now have no great black pump!

long story short – no one likes a shopping challenge like me.

i’m no stranger to vegan shoes… i splurge on a pair of Stella McCartney’s at least once a year and the leopard print ballet flats i wear constantly are from Payless Shoe Source (bought about 4 years back – before i was really aware of sweatshop atrocities). i even once wrote a letter to Zappos.com about how they needed to expand their vegan selection by adding tons of their non-leather shoes to the “vegan” catagory (which is still quite dire & old people-ish) and was promptly schooled on vegan vs. non-vegan glues. anyway, i wear the hell out of my silver canvas Toms and i love my grey denim Beyond Skin pumps, but i have yet to find that perfect black pump, so my quest begins…

i’ve narrowed my finding down to 5 styles, each with their merits (click $ for direct link to shoes)… my 1st “go to” – Stella, of course.

$665 at Bergdorfs. gorgeous, right?!? but $665 and satin… which doesn’t give me the wide-ranging wearibility i need and that heel is not for everyday – at least not my everyday. moving on…

i was supremely impressed with the Olsen Haus line at this fall’s D+A show. quality = fantastic and designs = chic! and as much as i love this sexy silhoutte & cheeky homage to the 80’s ($215), it’s a little too specific (+ i would wear w/out ankle strap).

so, i checked back in with Beyond Skin and though i find the two-tone lovely, it’s just not glammy enough for me (100EU).

i have to admit, i’ve never purchased anything from Vegan Shoes & Bags, though i appreciate their concept and have browsed a couple of times. nothing has really knocked my socks off, until now…

LOVE the spectator look to the left & ADORE the peep toes below!

um and… they’re only $43 per!

now, i have to admit… it actually makes me a bit nervous to not be fairly spendy with shoes because i’m a stickler for design & quality – HOWEVER, i’m going to take a chance on the peep toes… i’m in l.a., so they’ll work all year & they kinda remind me of a certain pair of near perfect (curse the leather!) pumps from the past which have since left my closet. stay tuned… waiting to hear back from VS&B as to where they were manufactured. as long as it’s all good, i’m buying then toute de suite & will let you know. xo db

every christmas since the beginning of time has been spent at my grandparents home… until this one. and every christmas has been an elaborate affair until… you guessed it. while past holidays were filled with beautiful table settings, 3 hour meals and a dessert table that would knock your socks off, christmas 08 for us is remarkably casual – not because my grandmother has given up on her grand fetes, but because nadim & i were here in l.a. – just the 2 of us.

los angeles has been a bit gloomy for the last day or so (though people still insist on wearing shorts) and we’ve been in the curl-up-on-the-sofa-and-watch-movies mood… so comfort food seemed to be in order. though i don’t believe i’ve ever had the meat-driven chicken pot pie (been a veg for 24 years) and just the term “pot pie” has never appealed, but i devised a from-the-hip recipe for a vegan version anyway. i have to say, it was really damn good!

VEGAN “CHICKEN” POT PIE for 4

1 package of all-purpose baking mix (I used marie calendar’s organic)

1 package vegan “chicken” bits (I used vegefarm tenders)

10 ounces mushrooms (I used cremini & button)

1 cup corn (fresh or frozen)

1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped (i opted not to include potatoes… your call.)

6 cloves garlic, minced
generous pinch cayenne pepper

salt to taste
fresh pepper to taste
4 tablespoons flour
1.5 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons dry sherry
3/4 cup soy creamer or full-fat unsweetened soymilk

Pre-heat oven and follow conventional directions for “chicken” bits.

While tenders are cooking, trim and discard the mushroom stems and chop the mushrooms, celery and carrots into pieces. Spray a non-stick pan with canola oil and heat it. Add the mushrooms, carrots, celery, garlic, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Cook until mushrooms are very soft and exude their juices.*** Add corn & peas. Whisk the flour into the vegetable broth and add to the veg mix along with the sherry. Simmer, stirring, until mixture thickens. Add the soy creamer and simmer until thick, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add “chicken” bits and cook 2 more minutes, stirring often.

***While mushrooms, carrots & celery are cooking, prepare baking mix – following the biscuit directions, divide into 4 parts and work each quarter into flat rounds on a large, greased baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until top is browned.

Scoop “chicken” & vegetable mix into large soup bowls and top each with a biscuit round, serve immediately. Bon Appetit!

We paired it with a lovely bottle of Ceago Sauvignon Blanc and followed it by indulging in some Fabe’s blueberry pie and It’s Soy Delicious vanilla “ice cream”. Seriously… yum!

xo db

as this crazy year comes to a close, i’m realizing that one of the many things that 2008 has taught me is the power, importance and value of the blog! every day i take away insight, new resources, recipes, celebrity stories, global info, and green design ideas from my favorite online magazines & dailies…

sprig, coco eco, ecofabulous, girliegirl army, style will save us, grist, material concern, fatfree vegan kitchen, the huffington post, the daily green, green gretchen, the green girls, green is sexy, ecostilleto, show the love, treehugger, victoria e, venus zine, eco-chick, ideal bite and of course… ecorazzi! (these all have links attached – not sure why only a handful are coral)

and now i’m throwing my (fairly-traded and/or organic) hat in the ring to bring interested parties my picks of all that is good (and sometimes bad) in the wide world of the eco-chic. Viva 2009!!! xo db