I am a few days away from a Thursday night with Jens Lekman, who is playing in the uber-intimate upstairs space at AB. I can't wait - vegan pancakes here I come.

With Jens Lekman on my horizon I am also about to add the Tindersticks to my roster of shows coming up in the near future (ohhhh how many more sleeps until tegan and sarah?). The Tindersticks are fantastically depressing, they churn up all the best dark and desperate feelings of love, hate and those moments of not finding the right soy ice cream. About a million years ago, City Sickness found its way onto a great little mixed C.D., way back in the days when mixed C.D.s were as common as a vegan restaurant in downtown Toronto. It was a great C.D. Complete with Nicco, Lou Reed, Joy Division, The Flaming Lips and This Mortal Coil. Gorgeous

Stuart Staples, the husky-voiced lead singer has a huge number of his own albums (which, to be honest, sound, musically, exactly like the larger ensemble). I am quite partial to Leaving Songs.

Hey VeganCowGirl, what did you have for dinner last night?

Last night was a dinner of fairly uninspiring stirfry sustenance. I was disappointed. I had put in a lot of effort, and the return was minimal. I think my heart was in the right place, and the tempeh was, again, super fantastic (I could easily see myself replacing tempeh with every ounce of Tofu I eat), and the aubergine cooked down quite well - but, the courgette were not to my liking and the flavour was a little bland (despite the black bean sauce, and last minute hot sauce).

In an attempt to reclaim the food follies of the early-evening, I dipped into my favourite treat last night: Dates on a Rice Cake. I know, I know - about as exciting as taking Grade 10 math for the third time. But, I swear, the crispy/sweetness combination is one made in vegan heaven - and the sticky fingers look great on the bedroom door frame the next morning. I have managed to ween myself from my U of T days, when I would, equipped with killer nut butter (only Paris has managed to pull me out of a nut-butter-stomach-ache spiral), and dates - I would work my way through a sleeve of No Name original rice cakes.

At 300 calories for the whole 12 Rice Cakes, I would rarely feel any guilt - but the iron stomach I would wake up with the next morning has been enough to deter me from over doing it with the Rice Cake Delights. And...of course, I have put Nut Butter (of all types) out of my reach - for good.

How to make the best Rice Cake Delight:

2 rice cakes
1 banana -sliced into coins
2 tablespoons of nut butter * unless you are me
8 dates

Spread the nut butter on the rice cakes, lovingly lay the banana coins around the crispy cake, add your dates (I usually press them down flat to avoid them popping off in the eating process).

Enjoy!!!