Chocolate-Covered Blueberry Almond Roll photo from Cinnaholic

The Vegetarian Resource Group maintains an online Guide to Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants in the USA and Canada. Here are some recent vegan restaurant additions. The entire guide can be found here: www.vrg.org/restaurant

To support the updating of this online restaurant guide, please donate at: www.vrg.org/donate

Here are some new additions to VRG’s guide:

Cinnaholic, 14225 Winterview Pkwy., Midlothian, VA 23113

Cinnaholic offers over 30 flavors of gourmet cinnamon rolls — and they are all vegan! Some include Almond, Blackberry, Butterscotch, Caramel, Cream Soda, Key Lime, Root Beer, & Pomegranate. Toppings range from Cookie Dough Chunks to Shredded Coconut and everything in between. They offer other sweet treats including cookies.

COFU Pressed Sushi, 1833 Anderson St. #103, Vancouver, BC V6J 1J8, Canada

Seventeen sushi offerings including Sahi (marinated radish and raspberry, portobello, « Short Rib, » and « Salmon » (sauce – cilantro, wild carrot)) and Onsai (red chard, Mexican, King Oyster Mushroom, « Tuna » (sauce – vivid beets, spicy mayo)). Special Menu features Short Rib Bowl, Vegan Keema Curry, Spicy Salmon Don, and Vegan Ramen. Various sauces and appetizers available. Dessert includes vegan ice cream and vegan cheesecake.

La Vegan, 1450 Danforth Ave., Toronto, ON, M4J 1N4 Canada

Passionate about sharing their cultural heritage not only through ingredients, but also via their cooking techniques, making each dish from scratch, La Vegan strives to create cuisine that is as healthy as it is flavorful. Many of the dishes throughout the various menu sections include Ijera, an Ethiopian flatbread similar to a pancake, made of spelt flour and a fermentation starter. Berbere is a frequently featured Ethiopian red pepper blend of spices, such as garlic, cardamom, coriander, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg. One Appetizer example is Hummus with Injera combining chickpeas or lentils, tahini, fresh lemon juice, garlic, and cumin. There are various bean based Salads too. Ful, a Berbere seasoned bean stew, made with creamy fava beans, cumin, fresh herbs, lemon garlic sauce, and hot peppers, is said to be “not spicy,” but to have “just the right kick.” Shiro Wat serves up roasted chickpeas sautéed with onion, garlic, and ginger, in Berbere sauce. Mushrooms Tibs are sautéed with onion, garlic, ginger, green pepper, and optional Awaze—a spicy, slightly sweeter, Berbere dipping sauce. Fasolia features string beans, carrots, garlic, onion, ginger, and turmeric, sautéed with olive oil. There’s also Couscous with cabbage, carrots, potato, beets, and spinach. Ever tried Ethiopian Sushi? Here’s your chance! Choose (Spicy) King Gursha or Queens Gursha–both with chef’s choice of veggies. Or, who says you can’t have it all? La Vegan Veggie Combo offers small portions of all the vegetarian dishes on the menu. Since not all kids like it spicy, Kids Menu offers non-spicy Lentils or Split Chickpeas.

Nikki’s Not Dog Stand, 51 Division St., Sag Harbor, NY 11963

Not dogs include L.A. Dog (sautéed peppers and onions, pico de gallo, yellow mustard, ketchup, and mayo) and Chicago Dog (yellow mustard, electric green relish, chopped onions, tomato slices, pickle spear, sport peppers, and celery salt). Burgers include California Burger (caramelized onions, mustard, iceberg lettuce, pickles, mayo relish sauce, and tomato) and Oklahoma City Burger (bbq sauce, pickles, mayo, along with shredded cheddar cheese). Sides include Nikki’s Chili, White Sweet Potato Fries, Coleslaw, Nikki’s Potato Salad, and Jackson’s Sweet Potato Chips. Desserts feature Greyston Bakery Fudge Brownie, Birthday Cake Blondie, and Cinnamon Roll Blondie. Drinks include Malted Shake, Root Beer Float, and Hal’s New York Seltzer.

Orange & Blossom, 1612 NE Killingworth St., Portland, OR 97211 With an emphasis on whole foods, Orange & Blossom states their values as being “rooted in compassion for all living things.” Using fair trade, low impact ingredients, they prioritize sourcing from local, organic farms. Changing daily, their menu blooms with the seasons, aiming to provide the best of what’s available. Here are some examples. Craving something savory? There’s House Focaccia Bread with organic California olive oil, local spring onion, garlic and rosemary, with or without local, seasonal organic veggies or Pesto Padron Mozzarella Brioche with local, organic Padron peppers, pumpkin seed pesto, cashew mozzarella, and pepitas. Moving onto sweet possibilities, there’s Cardamom Orange Blossom Bun—a soft brioche swirled with cardamom, brown sugar, cinnamon, orange zest, and vegan butter, crowned with orange blossom glaze; Buckwheat Ganache Brownie crafted with local Buckwheat and Valrhona cocoa, topped by dark chocolate ganache and roasted cocoa nib; Pistachio Olive Oil Cake topped with Chio pistachio butter buttercream and candied citrus; and Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookie their “OG cookie” studded with organic fair-trade 70% dark chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt, or house Boysenberry Almond Brioche, finished with almond frangipane cream, Groundwork Organics boysenberries, and sliced almonds.

Taste of Eden, 891 E. Roller Ave., Decatur, AR 72722

Located in Wellness Secrets retreat. Features soups, salads, sandwiches. Sandwiches include Chicken-Un Sandwich (breaded seasoned plant-based patty with lettuce, tomato, dill pickles, and plant-based mayo) and Garden of Eden Burger (a twist on the classic burger with Wellness Secrets Sauce). Soups include Kick’n Chili, Garden Veggie, and Soup of the Day. Also enjoy their fifteen item salad bar.

Vital Life Vegan, 360 Broadview Ave., Toronto, ON M4M 2G9 Canada

Vital-Life Vegan is a great place to enjoy Afro-Caribbean food. Their menu is based on a combination of bases, mains, and sides. This allows for great flexibility since you get to choose exactly what combination you want. For example, you can get a base of Quinoa Pilaf with curried chickpeas and potatoes for the main and a side of pumpkin stew. Vital Life is known for attending lots of vegan and cultural events so keep an eye out since they may be a vendor!