LA Times, An Ancient Queen and Vegans?

As a kid, one of my favorite Jewish holidays was Purim.  In synagogue you got to dress in costume, boo the villian, Haman (boo!), and laugh and applaud loudly for the heroine, the beautiful, courageous Esther.
I also loved the culinary traditions of the triangular jelly or chocolate filled cookies, hamantaschen, that surround this holiday (though I have yet to taste or create a good vegan version...recipes welcome!)
Did I mention that on Purim, assuming you are over the age of 21 of course, you are supposed to drink and celebrate until you don't know the difference between the enemies and heroes? Yeah...fun!
Anyway...my friend, Lori, who lives in LA, sent me this fabulous article from the LA Times. It's about how Esther was a vegan!  I can't vouch for the authenticity of this claim, but it made for a great read and the recipes sound good.
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-purim-20120301,0,2191294.story