I interviewed Dr. Laura Gruen, an interventional cardiologist, in October 2009 shortly after she'd adopted a vegan diet. Many readers expressed an interest in following-up with Laura after she'd been a vegan for a few months. With February being Heart Health month, it seemed only fitting to follow-up with Laura now. So, without further a do...

HH: So Laura, you've been vegan for a few months now. Have you noticed any changes in your body?
I definitely noticed a …

My life is playing much like a broken record. Cook food. Take photos of said food. Rinse and repeat.

The cookbook is almost finished --- the recipes are written (I surpassed my 200 goal, 213 recipes to be exact!) & now I'm just busy taking photos. I've been working on veganizing a family recipe for you in the meantime & I hope to have that up some time this week. I also have about 12 books and cookbooks I need …

The cookbook has kept me tied up, I know. I kept saying I'd make it up to you -- and I hope I have with this awesome recipe. I'm using VeganDad's photo because it's fantastic and really shows off how well these nuggies hold up to the real thing! 

These nuggets taste like a chicken nugget but are made with beans, wheat and TVP -- sooo awesome! They're crispy, too -- making it feel like you're eating a deep-fried …

I can't believe another year has come and gone. 2009 has been a very exciting year for Happy Herbivore (and me). I returned to New York from California in July. In October, Happy Herbivore celebrated it's second birthday and in December, I celebrated my third veganniversary. Best of all I found a terrific publisher in November and the Happy Herbivore Cookbook is on it's way! I just wrapped up the 190th recipe, so it's almost done!

Other noteworthy achievements include …

Wednesday I decided to do a load of laundry before our trip to Vermont. I'm obsessive about having a clean apartment when I come home from vacation and clean laundry is no exception. I'd just thrown the last load into the dryer when Scott called, asking me to meet him at a store to check out some snowboarding pants he wanted. Normally I don't like to leave my laundry down in the basement. It's not that I think someone will …