By Julia Comino, VRG Intern

One effect of my internship with The Vegetarian Resource Group that I did not expect, but have come to enjoy immensely, is the constant vegan food suggestions I have received from the other interns I work with and The VRG staff. From testing out new recipes to chatting with my fellow interns about our favorite vegan snacks, I have found myself calling more and more foods my favorite. Armed with my new repertoire of beloved vegan dishes, I decided to seek out the favorite vegan foods of some of the other interns working with The VRG.

While working on a project together, Shantika Bhat, a current VRG intern from Baltimore, Maryland, and I were able to discuss what our favorite vegan foods are. Shantika explained that her family tends not to eat out and instead usually cooks up delicious homemade meals such as vegan Japchae, a Korean glass noodle stir-fry dish. But, Shantika’s favorite vegan meal is Dal Fry, an Indian lentil dish that just happens to be vegan! Shantika shared her own Dal Fry recipe in her piece “Delicious Dal Fry Recipe,” and after hearing her description of this delicious dish, I know that I will be attempting to cook this soon!

Lucia Rivera, a current intern from California, is also a fan of cooking up mouthwatering vegan foods, and her recipe sources are the blogs Loving it Vegan, Dora’s Table, and Minimalist Baker. Lucia recommended checking out the recipes for sugar cookies, pumpkin cake, and tamales. When Lucia isn’t putting something together in her own kitchen, she loves easy snacks like prunes, apricots, banana and peanut butter, carrots, and other fruits and vegetables. For vegan products, Lucia’s favorite are Kashi vegan waffles, Ezekiel vegan whole grain bread, and Trader Joe’s kale gnocchi, which is one of my top choice quick vegan meals as well! Rachel Eldering, also a Trader Joe’s enthusiast and a dietetic intern from Virginia with Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition, prefers the kale pesto that this store sells.

Rachel is also a fan of Violife vegan cheese products, whereas Callie Showalter, an intern from Washington who’s been vegetarian for nine years and vegan for four, favors Miyoko’s cashew mozzarella cheese. When I eat vegan cheese substitutes, I generally reach for Kite Hill’s vegan cream cheese. While I spread my vegan cheese on my bagels, Callie uses her cashew mozzarella in her favorite dinners, vegan lasagna and broccoli “cheese” casserole. Another of Callie and my favorites is MorningStar’s Corn Dogs that always satisfy my fast-food cravings.

Audrey Hunt (an intern from Anchorage, Alaska, that is currently pursuing a degree in Journalism and Communications at the University of Alaska Anchorage) and I share the same opinion on one of our favorite vegan foods. Frozen mango chunks make it to the top of both of our lists. The frozen creamy flavor of frozen mango delivers a luscious snack at a low price! Audrey pairs her frozen mango chunks with So Delicious vanilla vegan yogurt, another favorite of mine; whereas I tend to just eat frozen mango plain as an easy yet surprisingly indulgent snack. Audrey’s favorite vegan food to snack on is BOOMCHICKAPOP Popcorn which has so many delicious vegan flavor options like Sweet and Salty Popcorn, Salted Caramel Popcorn, Sweet Barbeque Popcorn, and Chili Lime Flavored Popcorn. Audrey shared with me another favorite vegan combo of hers: Quaker’s Everything but the Bagel Seasoning rice cakes topped with Kite Hill’s chive and onion vegan cream cheese. With more of a sweet tooth, Ksheetisha Bhat, a current VRG intern from Michigan, is a fan of Abe’s vegan bakes like pound cake and muffins, and I will definitely be trying out these sweet treats soon!

As for my favorite vegan foods, hummus has always been a go-to. I love adding hummus to any meal, as a dip, a spread on a sandwich, or even mixing it with a little lemon juice and oil to make a salad dressing. Beyond my chickpea dip obsession, I am also a fan of mango. No matter what form, frozen, fresh, or dried, mango is my favorite food to snack on. I would definitely recommend trying out Trader Joe’s dried mango products such as their Dried Chile Mangoes or Soft and Juicy Dried Mango.

Beyond having more and more vegan foods I am vying to try, this project has made me realize the vast number of diverse and delicious dishes that you can make when eating vegan.

For more ideas, see: https://www.vrg.org/teen/#plans

Julia did a virtual VRG internship from Mississippi this summer.