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VRG-NEWS: The Vegetarian Resource Group Newsletter
Editor: John L. Cunningham
Volume 6, Issue 2
February 2002

CONTENTS

  1. Notes from the Editor
  2. Free VegDining Card for the First 100 VRG-News Subscribers to Respond
  3. The VRG Will Award $10,000 In College Scholarships!
  4. Just In Time For Passover: Vegan Passover Recipes by Chef Nancy Berkoff
  5. Recipe of The Month: Apple and Herb Stuffed Mushrooms
  6. Question of the Month: Protein?
  7. First Issue of the 2002 Vegetarian Journal Online
  8. Upcoming Vegetarian Events and Conferences
  9. Internships Available at VRG
    About the Vegetarian Resource Group
    About VRG-News


1) NOTES FROM THE EDITOR

This month's VRG-News was a lot of fun to put together. We're just about to bust with pride over our just-announced College Scholarship, jazzed about our new book of Vegan Passover Recipes, and excited about Dr. Mangels' new Vegetarian Journal article comparing vegan and vegetarian diets. I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching, and if you're looking for a way to express your affection from the kitchen, be sure to check out our Valentine's Day Menu with recipes from Vegan Meals for One or Two by Chef Nancy Berkoff, RD. On Friday, March 8, Nancy will be at the Nutribooks booth of the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, CA to sign her new book. The Vegetarian Resource Group will also have a booth at the Expo, so if you are attending this trade show for the natural products industry be sure to stop by and say hello!

Maryland area members are invited to join us in celebrating the 18th observance of the Great American Meatout for a vegan dinner at Mr. Chan's in Pikesville, MD. Dinner will begin at 6:30 sharp on Wednesday, March 20th. The cost is $15, which includes dinner (soup, salad, various entrees, dessert, and hot tea), tax, and tip. Space is limited. For more information, contact Tamara at [email protected] or 410-366-8343. For information on Meatout events in your area visit http://www.meatout.org.

Thank you for all your e-mail about vegetarian meals on airlines. I found it interesting that when it comes to accommodating veggies, Continental and American Airlines received the most raves while US Airways and America West received the most rants. You also were very generous with your vegetarian flying tips. Here are some of the great ideas we received:

*Reconfirm your vegetarian meal a day or two before the flight.

*Pack compact, nutrient-dense foods that you would use for a day hike like nuts, dried fruit, bagels, food bars, etc.

*Avoid packing foods that are "squishy" or bruise easily like bananas, pears, or grapes.

*Watch out for zip-lock bags as the changing air pressure in the cabin may cause them to open.

*Bring bottled water.

You sure are a smart group--I can tell that you eat your vegetables! Have a safe, happy, and healthy February!


2) FREE VEGDINING CARD FOR THE FIRST 100 VRG-NEWS SUBSCRIBERS TO RESPOND

VegDining.com is generously offering a free three-month version of its VegDining Card to the first 100 readers who mention this offer and include a brief note (3 or 4 sentences) describing a recent outing to a vegetarian restaurant. The VegDining Card is an international vegetarian dining discount card offering discounts at over a hundred vegetarian restaurants around the world - in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, UK, Italy, Spain, Australia, Malaysia and even the French Riviera and South Africa! A full-year card retails for $14.95 US - only $10.95 US for members of vegetarian groups including VRG. To submit your name, visit http://www.VegDining.com and Click on the ENTER OUR CONTEST link from any page on VegDining and fill in the blanks to submit your name for the offer. Mention the VRG entry anywhere in your entry.


3) THE VRG WILL AWARD $10,000 IN COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS!

Due to the generosity of an anonymous donor, The Vegetarian Resource Group each year will award $10,000 in college scholarship money to graduating high school students who have promoted vegetarianism in their schools and/or communities. Applicants will be judged on having shown compassion, courage, and a strong commitment to promoting a peaceful world through a vegetarian diet/lifestyle. Two awards of $5,000 each will be given. The first awards will be given for the school year beginning in September 2003. For more information about the scholarship, see our website.


4) JUST IN TIME FOR PASSOVER: VEGAN PASSOVER RECIPES BY CHEF NANCY BERKOFF

Trying to figure out what to serve your vegan daughter-in-law? Looking for new parve Passover dishes? Do you find it challenging to get through eight days of matzah with good humor? The 48-page Vegan Passover Recipes is for you.

Chef Nancy Berkoff, R.D., has created 34 delicious Passover dishes. Start with Savory Sweet Potato, Cream of Asparagus, or French Onion soups.

The house will smell wonderful while baking Winter Squash with Apricot Stuffing and Apple and Herb Mushrooms. Chef Berkoff's Carrot Pancakes are both colorful and tasty. Eggplant/Matzah Pancakes can be made ahead of time, cooked, and refrigerated for later. For those who don't want to fry these fritters, instructions for baking are included.

Nancy provides the basics: A vegetable stock without chicken fat or added sodium, Savory Spaghetti Sauce, Zucchini/Potato Kugel, and Sweet and Sour Stuffed Cabbage (A new spin on an oldie, but goody).

If you have guests looking for a spicier holiday, try Minted Carrots with Chilies or Moroccan Roasted Eggplant and Pepper Salad. Spinach and Okra Stew served with Scotch Bonnet or Habanero chili is meant to be hot, but if you don't want a lot of heat, the chili can be removed. Make life even more interesting with these sauces: Eggplant and Almond, Apricot and Tomato, or Coconut Curry over Greens.

To order the 48-page Vegan Passover Recipes, send $6 to The Vegetarian Resource Group, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203. Call (410) 366-8343, e-mail [email protected], or visit http://www.vrg.org.

If you would like to help VRG promote the booklet by posting a couple of flyers at your local JCC, temple, or synagogue, or natural foods store, please contact Tamara at [email protected] and she will be happy to send some flyers to you.


5) RECIPE OF THE MONTH: Apple and Herb Stuffed Mushrooms

From Vegan Passover Recipes by Chef Nancy Berkoff, RD

Serve this as a light entrée, an appetizer, or a side dish. Try different types of mushrooms for variety.

Serves 5

10 large fresh button mushrooms
2 teaspoons oil
2 teaspoons vinegar
Vegetable oil spray
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup red apples, peeled, deseeded, and diced
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup matzah, crumbled fine
2 Tablespoons vegetable stock

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Clean mushrooms and remove stems. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix oil and vinegar. Add mushroom caps. Finely chop mushroom stems.

Spray a large frying pan with oil and allow to heat. Add mushroom stems, onions, celery, apples, parsley, oregano, and pepper and allow to cook for 5 minutes, until apples are just tender. Add matzah crumbs and stock. Mix well.

Spray a baking sheet or shallow casserole dish with oil. Carefully remove and shake each mushroom cap and place, cut side up, on sheet. Fill each mushroom cap with stuffing, slightly rounding stuffing. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes, until filling is golden and set. Serve warm.


6) QUESTION OF THE MONTH: Protein?

Last month we received many questions from new vegetarians and vegetarian athletes about how to ensure that they are getting enough protein. Reed Mangels, PhD, RD addresses these issues in her article "Protein in the Vegan Diet:"

"Some Americans are obsessed with protein. Vegans are bombarded with questions about where they get their protein. Athletes used to eat thick steaks before competition because they thought it would improve their performance. Protein supplements are sold at health food stores. This concern about protein is misplaced. Although protein is certainly an essential nutrient which plays many key roles in the way our bodies function, we do not need huge quantities of it. In reality, we need small amounts of protein. Only one calorie out of every ten we take in needs to come from protein. Athletic performance is actually improved by a high carbohydrate diet, not a high protein diet. Protein supplements are expensive, unnecessary, and even harmful for some people. . . . "

To read the rest of the article, visit http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm.

For more information on vegetarian sports nutrition, visit Sports Nutrition Guidelines for the Vegetarian by Enette Larson, MS, RD, and for more nutrition information, see the Vegetarian Nutrition section of our website.


7) THE FIRST ISSUE OF THE 2002 VEGETARIAN JOURNAL ONLINE

The first issue of the 2002 Vegetarian Journal Online Articles include:

Nutrition Hotline: A comparison of vegan and vegetarian diets based on several published studies by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Our first installment of the 2001 winning essays

Whole Grain Baking by Nava Atlas

Notes from the Coordinators

Scientific Update

Notes from the Scientific Department

Vegetarian Action - Ultrarunning and Vegetarianism

And more. . .

Read excerpts from back issues online at: http://www.vrg.org/journal/

The Journal features informational and recipe articles, product and book reviews, news for vegetarian activists, and up-to-date information about vegetarian health and nutrition. If you are not currently a subscriber to the Vegetarian Journal, why not subscribe today?

Subscriptions to Vegetarian Journal are $20/year in the US (please inquire for subscription rates outside the US). Accepted forms of payment, in US funds, are Visa, MasterCard, checks drawn on US banks, and postal money orders. When joining please send us your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address. If paying by credit card please include the card number and expiration date.

If you join online at http://www.vrg.org/journal/subscribe.htm for $30 or more, you will receive a FREE copy of the Vegan Handbook, a $20 value! (US addresses only).

If you choose to join by mail, subscriptions should be directed to:
The Vegetarian Resource Group
PO Box 1463
Dept. IN
Baltimore, MD 21203
Phone: (410) 366-8343
Fax: (410) 366-8804
E-mail: [email protected]

8) UPCOMING VEGETARIAN EVENTS AND CONFERENCES

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SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA VEG FAIR

The First Annual South San Francisco Bay Area Veg Fair will be held on Saturday, February 9, at the Santa Clara Convention Center from 9am to 6pm. Attendees can look forward to seeing fifty vegetarian and vegetarian related exhibits, several cooking demonstrations, as well as lots of samples of great vegetarian food. The speakers will include Dr. Neal Barnard of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine; Lorri Bauston, founder and co-coordinator of Farm Sanctuary East & West; and John Robbins, author of THE FOOD REVOLUTION-How Your Diet Can Save Your Life and Our World.

Visit The Vegetarian Resource Group's booth and say hello to volunteer Phil Becker!

For more information visit http://www.vegfair.com or e-mail [email protected].

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PHILADELPHIA, PA: CLUB VEG LUNCH AT NATURAL VILLAGE

On Sunday, February 10, from 2 - 4 PM, join Club Veg at Natural Village in Huntingdon Valley, PA, the new restaurant in the area, for a late lunch. Natural Village features a vegetarian section (of the restaurant, not just the menu) where only vegetarian items are sold. Dine on Scallion Pancakes, Wonton Soup, Sunflower "Shrimp," Sweet and Sour Veggie Meatballs, "Beef" with Broccoli, and Tofu with Mixed Vegetables. The cost including tax and tip is $13 for members/$15 for nonmembers.

For Reservations or more information contact the Club Veg Philadelphia Chapter 484-530-2011; [email protected]

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WASHINGTON D.C.: FOR STUDENTS - LIBERATION NOW!

On the weekend of February 15-17, the Student Animal Rights Alliance (SARA) is coordinating Liberation Now! at American University in Washington, D.C. At Liberation Now! you'll have a chance to be trained by experienced activists, network with your peers, and have meaningful discussion with other animal rights organizers. Workshops include Campaign Planning, Creative Action Planning, Intro to Grassroots Organizing, The Commonality of Oppression, and Globalization & Animal Rights. The full line-up of workshops and speakers will be announced at http://www.LiberationNow.com.

Visit The Vegetarian Resource Group's booth and say hello to Tamara!

Registration is $20. For more information visit http://www.LiberationNow.com.

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PHILADELPHIA, PA: INTL. SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE ON CHINESE PLANT BASED NUTRITION

On February 16, the American Vegan Society and the Institute for Plant Based Nutrition invite you to celebrate the Chinese New Year by participating in a One-Day International Scientific Conference on Chinese Plant Based Nutrition and Cuisine. The conference will be held at the Clarion Suites and 1010 Race Street, in Philadelphia, PA. Speakers will include Howard Lyman (Master of Ceremonies), Sui Kwan Tseng (Buddhist Temple Cuisine), Bryanna Clark Grogan (Cooking Authentic Chinese Foods), and Robert Cohen (After Thousands of Years Without Dairy Products Why Change Now?)

Visit The Vegetarian Resource Group's booth and say hello to Jeannie!

Registration is $125. For more information visit http://www.chinatownconference.com.

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GAINESVILLE, FL: COMPASSION FOR ANIMALS ACTION SYMPOSIUM

On February 22 through the 24th, Vegetarian Events presents the Compassion for Animals Action Symposium at the Sheraton Gainesville Hotel in Gainesville, Florida. At the symposium you will have the opportunity to hear experts on vegan nutrition, animal ethics, and environmental issues; participate in panel discussions; enjoy vegan meals and morning exercise classes, and network with like-minded individuals. Speakers at the symposium will include: Lorri Bauston, of the Farm Sanctuary; George Eisman, Nutritionist and author of The Most Nobel Diet; and Bruce Friedrich, of PETA.

For more information call Chas Chiodo at 386-454- 4341 or visit http://www.vegetarianevents.com on the web.

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SEATTLE, WA: VEGFEST

On March 2 & 3, 2002, 10am-6pm, at the Seattle Center Pavilion Rooms, Vegetarians of Washington will host Vegfest, a celebration of healthy vegetarian food. The event features free food samples from a wide variety of brands, the latest information on nutrition from knowledgeable speakers, cooking demonstrations by talented local chefs, and a huge selection of informative books. There will also be a kids activity corner, and some door prizes to win. Admission is $5 for adults. Kids 12 and under are free.

For more information, see http://www.vegofwa.org/vegfest or call 206-706- 2635.

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SAN DIEGO, CA: SOWING SEEDS HUMANE EDUCATION WORKSHOP

On March 16 and 17 the International Institute for Humane Education will conduct their Sowing Seeds Humane Education Workshop at the Che Café Collective on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. Teachers, humane educators, representatives from animal protection, environmental and social justice groups, and advocates wishing to develop their teaching and communication abilities will all benefit form the workshop. In addition, anyone interested in becoming certified through the IIHE's Humane Education Certificate Program, or who are applying to the affiliated M.Ed. program in humane education is encouraged to attend. Attendees will learn techniques for teaching about such topics as animal agriculture, diet, and nutrition; environmental and wildlife issues; human rights and ethics; vivisection and health issues; consumerism and population issues; humane and sustainable futures; and how all these concerns are related.

The sliding-scale registration fee is $200-$300. Students with a valid ID are $100. For more information visit http://www.compassionateliving.org, e-mail [email protected], or call (207) 667- 1025.

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LOMA LINDA, CA: THE FOURTH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON VEGETARIAN NUTRITION

The Fourth Annual International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition is being held April 8-11, 2002 at Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California.

Major conference topics include:
Vegetarian diets and longevity/mortality
Vegetarian diets: current issues
Vegetarian diets and bone health
High soy consumption: good, bad, and indifferent?
Vegetarian diets for all: a solution to the environmental crisis?

For more information contact: Office of Extended Programs Loma Linda University School of Public Health Loma Linda, CA 92350 (909) 558-7230 E-mail: [email protected] http://www.vegetariannutrition.org

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WASHINGTON, D.C.: ANIMAL RIGHTS 2002

On June 28 through July 3, Animal Rights 2002 program will feature 120 presenters from every faction of the Animal Rights movement. They will present at five Plenary Sessions, 100 Workshops, 50 Campaign Reports, and 16 Rap Sessions. Other functions will include 80 Exhibits, 100 Videos, Newcomer Orientation, Welcome Reception, Evening Receptions, Awards Banquet, US Animal Rights Hall of Fame, Planning Meetings, Group Workouts, Employment Clearinghouse, and a March on Washington. The speakers will include Carol Adams, Neal Barnard, Robert Cohen, Howard Lyman, Ingrid Newkirk, and over 100 more.

For more information visit http://www.animalrights2002.org

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EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND: THE 35TH ANNUAL VEGETARIAN WORLD CONGRESS

On July 8-14 the 35th Vegetarian World Congress - 'Food For All Our Futures' will take place at Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh. Speakers will include Derek Antrobus, Rynn Berry, Rose Elliot, and Dr. Douglas Graham. For more information visit their website at http://www.vegsoc.org/nvw and http://www.vegsoc.org/congress or call 0161 925 2000.

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9) INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE AT VRG

Responsibilities depend on background, major if in college, and interest of applicant. Tasks may include research, writing, and/or community outreach. Internships are helpful for students working towards journalism, English, and nutrition degrees. Business majors can obtain experience related to the business aspects of a nonprofit organization. Activists can learn new skills and gain a broader knowledge, as well as share their expertise. Positions open throughout the year for all ages (including high school students living in Baltimore). Internships are unpaid. Send resume and cover letter to VRG, Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203; [email protected].


ABOUT THE VEGETARIAN RESOURCE GROUP

Our health professionals, activists, and educators work with businesses and individuals to bring about healthy changes in your school, workplace, and community. Registered dietitians and physicians aid in the development of nutrition-related publications and answer member and media questions about vegetarian diets. The Vegetarian Resource Group is a non-profit organization. Financial support comes primarily from memberships, donations, and book sales. The Vegetarian Journal, a bi-monthly print magazine, is a benefit of membership in The VRG. (For more information, please see "Vegetarian Journal Online" above or back issues online at http://www.vrg.org/journal/.)

If you would like to make a donation, become a member, or find out more about The VRG, contact us at: The Vegetarian Resource Group PO Box 1463 Baltimore, MD 21203 Phone: (410) 366-8343 Fax: (410) 366-8804 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.vrg.org


ABOUT VRG-NEWS

VRG-News is the monthly e-mail newsletter of The Vegetarian Resource Group. This is an announcement list, so subscriber messages are not accepted by the list. If you have a technical question about the list, please contact the list manager, Bobbi Pasternak, at [email protected]. If you have any suggestions, ideas, or corrections to VRG-News, direct them to [email protected]. Thanks!

If you are a new subscriber, you might enjoy reading past issues of VRG-News online at http://www.vrg.org/vrgnews/index.htm.

If you wish to cancel your subscription to VRG-News, send an e-mail message to [email protected] with the following message: SIGNOFF VRG-NEWS

If you wish to subscribe to VRG-News, send an e-mail message to [email protected] with the following message:
SUB VRG-NEWS {your first and last name}

Do not include the {} when you enter your name. The newsletter will be sent to the e-mail address from which you are subscribing.

Contents of VRG-News are copyright 2002 by The Vegetarian Resource Group. The newsletter may be freely distributed in electronic or print form provided its contents are not altered and credit is given to The Vegetarian Resource Group, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.

This newsletter was converted to HTML by Stephanie Schueler.



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Last Updated
February 11, 2002

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