Vegan options!

Nigella [Lawson] (we're like this) may be silly and overly florid and British in her colums, but recently she's been offering something for me to do more than just read about -- I can eat it, too.

Her column about colorful foods two weeks ago was welcome in grey Berkeley, and entirely vegan -- she even offered a de-dairyizing of the raita to go along with the already-vegan dal and, that day's winner, the bright rice.

While I can't yet vouch for the recipes in today's, and I disagree with her views on the necessity of meat ("As far as I'm concerned, the first spring meal has to be lamb. To me it is the natural order of things."), she does provide an accompanying garbanzo stew. Yum.