radishes photo from Freepik

Here are some radish cooking tips from Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD:

• Microwaving: Place 1/2 pound (about 3/4 cup) sliced radishes in a microwaveable dish with 1 Tablespoon of water or broth. Cover and cook until tender. Cooking time: four minutes on HIGH.
• Steaming: People who find raw radishes too spicy may enjoy the milder taste of steamed radishes. Cooked radishes will keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, so prepare extra. Steamed red radishes will turn pink. Place whole radishes in a vegetable steamer and cook over boiling water until barely tender. Shredded daikon can also be steamed, cooled, and added to salads. Cooking times: for whole radishes in a steamer, 8-12 minutes; for shredded daikon, five minutes. • Stir-frying: Sliced radishes or thin strips of daikon combine well with other vegetables, tofu, or vegan “meat” alternative in stir-fries. Be careful not to overcook the radishes so that they retain most of their crispness. Cooking time: 3-5 minutes.
• Roasting: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Scrub radishes and remove greens. Place on an oiled baking sheet and allow to roast until just soft. This helps to sweeten radish “heat;” and makes a wonderful side vegetable. If your barbecue or grill is already hot, make a foil packet of radishes and allow to roast over the coals.
• Quick Pickle: When all the pickles are gone from your store-bought pickle jars, cut cleaned and de-greened fresh radishes in quarters, and place in the remaining pickle brine. Refrigerate and enjoy your radish pickles!

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

A recently published research study comprehensively assessed plant alternatives to animal meat and cows milk in terms of their effects on the environment, nutrition, and human health. Plant products were compared to the animal products these alternatives were intended to replace.

Three veggie meats (veggie burgers, veggie sausages, and veggie bacon) as well as tofu and tempeh and soybeans, beans, and peas were compared to beef, pork, poultry, beef burgers, pork sausages, and pork bacon. Soymilk, oat milk, almond milk, rice milk, and their main ingredients (soybeans, oats, almonds, and rice) were compared to whole and low-fat cow’s milk.

Here are a few of the more interesting results:

• All meat and milk alternatives had lower environmental impacts per serving than the animal products the plant products were intended to replace.
• Compared to whole and low-fat cows milk, soymilk and oat milk had 28 to 29% of the environmental impact. The environmental impact includes greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and water use. Soymilk and oat milk had 5 to 9% of the effect of cows milk on water use. Soybeans had 10% of cows milk’s impact on the environment; almonds and oats had 12 to 15% of the impact of cows milk on the environment.
• Compared to beef, soybeans and peas had 2% of the environmental impact, veggie sausages, veggie bacon, and beans had 3 to 4% of the impact, and tempeh, veggie burgers, and tofu had 5 to 6% of the impact.
• Replacing all of the calories from meat or dairy in a hypothetical diet with plant alternatives reduced nutritional imbalances, overall. For example, replacing meat or dairy resulted in a reduction in saturated fat and increases in fiber and potassium.
• From a health standpoint, all of the plant products were associated with reduced risk of chronic disease compared to the animal products they would replace. In high-income countries, replacing all meat or dairy with the same calories from plant alternatives was calculated to reduce mortality by up to 5 to 6%.

The study’s author concludes that “a range of food products exist that when replacing meat and dairy in current diets would have multiple benefits including reductions in nutritional imbalances, dietary risks and mortality, environmental resource use and pollution, and when choosing unprocessed foods over processed ones also diet costs.”

These results should inspire both personal and global policy changes to increase the use of plant foods.

Reference

Springmann M. A multicriteria analysis of meat and milk alternatives from nutritional, health, environmental, and cost perspectives. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024;121(50):e2319010121.

To read more about studies of plant foods and the environment see the Environment section on our website.

photo from Tacos Vegano

If you find yourself in Phoenix, Arizona, you may want to visit some of these vegan restaurants:

Dark Hall Coffee 3343 N. 7th Ave. #3, Phoenix, AZ 85013

Earth Plant Based Cuisine 1325 Grand Ave., Ste. 7, Phoenix, AZ 85007

Goji Berry Café 1325 Grand Ave., Ste. 8, Phoenix, AZ 85007

Green 2022 N. 7th St., Phoenix, AZ 85004

Loving Hut 3239 E. Indian School Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85018

Nami 2014 N. 7th St., Phoenix, AZ 85006

Tacos Veganos 3301 E. Indianschool Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85018

Vegan and Vine 502 E. Thunderbird Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85022

Be sure to visit VRG’s Guide to Veggie Restaurants in the USA and Canada:

https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

Previously we ran two Journal articles featuring winter salads. We thought you would enjoy these recipes. You won’t run out of ideas!

Warm Winter Salads Fit to be Meals by Debra Daniels-Zeller features these recipes:

Shiitake Mushroom, Quinoa and Greens with Toasted Cashews

Greens with New Potatoes and Kidney Beans

Spinach and Bean Salad with Mustard Croutons

Lime-Infused Black Bean, Corn, and Tomato Salad

3-Bean Salad with Sweet Onions and Arugula

Soba Noodles with Marinated Tofu and Baby Kale

Marinated Tofu

Grilled Vegetable Salad with Lemon-Cashew Dressing

Lemon-Cashew Dressing

See the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2015issue3/2015_issue3_salads_meals.php

Debra Daniels-Zeller wrote another article titled Warm Winter Salads. These are the recipes:

SPICY BLACK BEAN, CORN, AND COUSCOUS SALAD

BUCKWHEAT AND RICE SALAD WITH BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

HOT ITALIAN BEAN AND PASTA SALAD WITH BROCCOLI

CURRIED LENTIL SALAD

SESAME NOODLES WITH WILTED GREENS

WHOLE GRAIN AND CABBAGE SALAD WITH LEMON-PEANUT DRESSING

SMOKY POTATO-SQUASH SALAD

Read this article: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2000nov/2000_nov_winter_salads.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA, see: https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

• Chop or grind seitan, sauté with onions and garlic, and add to tomato sauce for spaghetti sauce; or add to cooked beans with barbecue sauce for chili beans; or add to vegetable or tomato soup for extra flavor and texture; use as a pizza topping or a calzone filling; or add to a creamy mushroom sauce to create a stroganoff.
• Cut seitan into small cubes and sauté with black or white pepper, a small amount of vegetable oil or spray, and chopped bell peppers or chilies of your choice. Add to a package of homemade curry sauce to create a green, yellow, or red curry; add to heated leftover mashed potatoes with sautéed onions and green cabbage to create an Irish-inspired colcannon or a shepherd’s pie; or use as a focaccia topping.

Find more ideas here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2024issue1/2024_issue1_cooking_tips.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA, see: https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Are you searching for vegan sporting goods? If so, you might want to check out Eco Sports. Here you’ll find items for both children and adults including basket balls, soccer balls, footballs, pickleball balls, and volley balls.

Succotash Gratin photo by Linda Tyler

Linda Tyler’s Casseroles piece in an issue of Vegan Journal serves up the following recipes: Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole, Succotash Gratin, Green Bean Casserole, Smashed Potato and Vegetable Bake, Sesame Soy Curls with Rice, and Millet à la Puttanesca. Start cooking today!

Find the recipes here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2022issue4/2022_issue4_casseroles.php

Subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA only at https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Maryland Vegan Restaurant Month is being held February 28^th through March 30, 2025. During this month, restaurants will be offering vegan specials and there’s also several special events. For more information, see: https://www.mdveganeats.com/ and https://www.instagram.com/mdveganeats/?hl=en

Each issue of Vegan Journal (published by The Vegetarian Resource Group) contains a wide variety of vegan recipes. You can search through our recipe index here and find something new to prepare at home: https://www.vrg.org/journal/CookingAndRecipes.htm

photo from Freepik

Have you ever noticed how many different types of rice there are? Chef Nancy Berkoff’s article The Long and Short of It – Meet Red, Black, Green, Gold, and Purple Rice! explains what the differences are and how to prepare vegan dishes using a variety of rice. Enjoy Sofrito with Carolina Gold Rice; Spanakorizo; Walnut & Wild Rice Salad; Cashew Coconut Purple Rice; Green Herbed Pilaf; Mango Sticky Rice; and Red Rice Pilaf.

Find the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2021issue2/2021_issue2_long_short_of_it.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA, see: https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php