The latest issue of Vegan Journal includes a review of Zellee Fruit and Sports Jels. These jels have all the texture of gelatin but with none of the animal products, and they come in easy-to-use pouches that won’t make a mess of your desk drawer or gym bag.

Read the entire review here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2022issue3/2022_issue3_veggie_bits.php

Subscribe to Vegan Journal: https://www.vrg.org/party/

In the 40^th anniversary issue of Vegan Journal, Reed Mangels, PhD, RD looks at what she thinks is some of the most intriguing research related to vegan nutrition that has been published over the past five years.

See: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2022issue3/2022_issue3_scientific_update.php

Subscribe to Vegan Journal: https://www.vrg.org/party/

The Vegetarian Resource Group ran two articles in their Journal on vegan grilling that you might find helpful: Gourmet Grilling by Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD includes grilling tips as well as recipes for Grilled Eggplant, Mediterranean Grilled Portobellos with Pine Nuts, Curried Barbecue Tempeh, Roasted Pepper and Eggplant Dip, Pineapple Peach Salsa, Japanese-Style Grilled Asparagus, Grilled Sweet Peaches, and Roasted Corn. See: https://www.vrg.org/journal/2002issue3/2002_issue3_gourmet.php

Nancy also wrote another article titled Outdoor Feast and it includes vegan recipes for the grill including Tofu and Potatoes Kebobs, Vietnamese “Beef” Salad, Lime and Chili “Steaks,” and Grilled Pineapple. See: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2015issue2/2015_issue2_outdoor_feasts.php

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

Photo from Strong Hearts Buffalo

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

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 (Note: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic many are doing take-out and/or delivery now):

AV Restaurant, 1135 11th Ave., Honolulu, HI 96816

One of a kind, high-end/fine dining, whimsical all-vegan cuisine. Offering a selection of 14-16 course tasting menu served family-style. Example of items from tasting menu: Flower pot pie, Beet tartare tartlet, Japanese Curry Croquette, Banana confit with macadamia nut ice cream. Food is beautifully prepared with a modernist presentation while being focused on flavor.

Everyday Pizza, 2162 Larimer St., Denver, CO 80205

Everyday Pizza is a hip completely vegan Italian restaurant. The restaurant is located in the center of Denver and provides a wonderful experience in terms of food, service, and atmosphere. The restaurant provides remarkably tasting food that goes beyond Pizza. They offer a variety of innovations consisting of pizza, pasta, desserts, and cocktails. The Mushroom Pizza, Polpette di Melanzane, and Peach Sorbet are incredibly appetizing. Nany reviews state that the Pizza has the best vegan cheese they have ever tasted.

Foglia, 31 State St., Bristol, RI 02809

Foglia is a plant-based restaurant that offers house-made pasta dishes and other vegetable creations. Small dishes include summer corn gazpacho served with polenta and corn pudding as well as fried squash blossoms with an almond ricotta filling. Large plate pasta dishes on the menu include agnollotti packets of pasta filled with mushroom / tofu ricotta and a savory sherry sauce, and a “No-Crab” cake served with Napa slaw and fingerling potatoes. For dessert, cheesecake, sorbet, and gallette are offered.

Loco Coco, 1202 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, CA 90291; 2905 Broadway, New York, NY 10025; 835 Lexington Ave., New York, NY 10065; and 152 North 4th St., Brooklyn, NY 11211

Loco Coco is a smoothie and juice bar. Acai bowl, purple rain bowl, enter the dragon, fruits bowls, cacao Nibs, and a variety of other treats are available. The team goes above and beyond to please consumers in addition to providing adequate customer service. The smoothies/bowls have the ideal texture, and the contents are always gorgeous and delicious.

Strong Hearts Buffalo, 295 Niagara St., Buffalo, NY 14201

Launching from the original Strong Hearts in Syracuse, Strong Hearts Buffalo opened in Summer 2022, on the city’s west side. Take advantage of the free street parking and then be prepared to enjoy comfort food that reminds us that vegans can have our cake—and our burgers, fries, and milkshakes—and eat them, too. Whether you are seeking comfort in its truest sense—think Loaded Fries, Mac N’ Cheese, or a Wild West Beyond Burger—or you are grabbing some greens in a Thai Tofu or a Summer Spinach salad, Strong Hearts Buffalo has something for everyone. You may very well be distracted from the food, however, by the number of milkshake options. It is no wonder they need a “Master of Milkshakes” on staff, to serve up their tasty concoctions including Orange Julius, Maple Vanilla Oreo, and Cookie Dough Espresso.

The Humble Peach, 174 N. Pleasant St., Amherst, MA 01002

This cute bakery and café in Amherst Center offers smoothies, baked goods, sandwiches, and even vegan dog treats (with flax, peanut butter, oats and carrot), all lovingly prepared from organic vegan ingredients and local produce. Stop in for a fancy lemonade with fresh squeezed lemons and local maple syrup or a tea, smoothie or matcha latte, paired with soup, focaccia, or a sandwich (such as the carrot lox with organic smoky carrots, capers, dill, lemon, and organic house tofu cream cheese), and then give in to the temptation of a cookie, muffin, tiramisu, or one of the daily baked specials available to view on Instagram @thehumblepeach

Vibe Gastropub 131 Hay St Suite 101, Fayetteville, NC 28301 

Modern with a comics newspaper atmosphere. Meals served on food-safe newspaper. Examples of menu: Lentil tacos with homemade juice of the day. Also waffles and avocado toast.

In The Vegetarian Resource Group’s 40^th Anniversary issue of Vegan Journal, Reed Mangels, PhD, RD predicts what’s upcoming in vegan nutrition in her latest Nutrition Hotline column.

See: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2022issue3/2022_issue3_nutrition_hotline.php

Subscribe to Vegan Journal: https://www.vrg.org/party/

In the latest issue of Vegan Journal, Amber Murtoff serves up a wide variety of hearty salads. Enjoy preparing Grilled Peach Salad with Corn Fritters, BBQ Tofu Cobb Salad, Bacun-Kale-Tomato Pasta Salad, Zucchini Salad with Walnut Pesto, Warm Farro Salad with Fig Vinaigrette, and Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh with Carrot Falafel.

See: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2022issue3/2022_issue3_salad_for_supper.php

Subscribe to Vegan Journal: https://www.vrg.org/party/

photo from Matt & Nat

If you’re in the market for a vegan backpack, you’ll be happy to know that there’s a wide variety of stylish vegan backpacks available in the USA, Canada, and Europe.

The French company Arsayo offers unisex backpacks. They are designed in Paris and made from cork material produced in Portugal.

Doshi, an American company, makes a wide variety of backpacks for men and women.

Gunas offers backpacks and ships internationally from America.

Canadian company Jeane & Jax offers backpacks for women.

American company Matt and Nat sells internationally a wide variety of backpacks in several colors.

Pixie Mood ships backpacks to both Canada and the USA.

Enjoy this recipe by James Craig Thieman, demonstrated by Vegan Journal editor Rissa Miller.

See video at: https://youtu.be/1wVKxoLByOM

Get the recipe: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2020issue3/2020_issue3_bowled_over.php

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

By Nadely Requena, VRG Intern

What once began as a way for Hannah Kaminsky to share her knitting crafts, her BitterSweet Blog slowly evolved into a career promoting veganism. Her website now highlights her creative vegan recipes, food photography, playful craft patterns, and includes vegan product promotions.

Kaminsky has continuously worked to create and photograph food pieces for the Vegetarian Resource Group’s Vegan Journal, VegNews, and Allergic Living, among others. She is also the author of nine cookbooks, including My Sweet Vegan, The Everyday Vegan Cheat Sheet, and The Student Vegan Cookbook. Kaminsky’s dedication to breaking the barrier and stereotypes that revolve around vegan cuisine is what fueled her to continue her freelance work for over a decade.

Growing up in Connecticut, she gained an appreciation for the arts at an early age. Knitting was an activity present throughout Kaminsky’s childhood and her family even had a dedicated crafting room in their home. While others tried to teach her the mechanics, she eventually learned to knit and crochet by following instructions in a book.

Kaminsky frequently engaged in sketching and painting, but she always felt she could never express the vision in her mind properly. Upon picking up photography, however, Kaminsky immediately felt comfortable as she could instantly express her intent.

Her urge to become vegan developed during high school as she had vegan friends and viewed them as “cool.” However, after eating bland and repetitive food as a result of not knowing how to properly feed herself, Kaminsky decided to put research into the diet. Upon discovering the cruelty present in the animal industry, she realized being vegan was something she not only wanted to do for herself, but for the world.

She often cites her parents as the reason why she was able to be successful with her diet. They had continuously expressed their concerns with her changing diet, so with the help of a dietitian, Kaminsky learned to properly supplement herself. However, Kaminsky’s parents were adamant about not preparing separate meals and it was then that her passion for cooking blossomed. It was through these realizations that Kaminsky was able to build a career for herself.

“(Cooking) became a bigger part of the blog, I started writing recipes, and eventually that took over the blog and with photos it was just a function of documenting what I was making and eventually I got more into that and that became the trajectory of my career,” Kaminsky said.

However, she acknowledges the scary instances that came with having a freelance career. From having to carve out a nonexistent niche of vegan writing and photography, living a piecemeal life, and then encountering the pandemic, Kaminsky has experienced her fair share of difficult moments pursuing her advocacy work.

Her perseverance and passion for her career has kept her afloat. Kaminsky’s unique job provides her with the variety she craves and most importantly, allows her to dismantle the idea that vegan food is too difficult, expensive, and not full of flavor.

“I want people to compare my recipes to ‘regular’ omnivore recipes and say this is a great muffin and not this is a great vegan muffin,” Kaminsky said. “I just want to show people it’s just food and maybe it’s better food. I don’t want it to be a weird thing like you need to eat vegan as if it’s a different cuisine. Everything can be vegan.”

Kaminsky continues to share her lovely recipes, exceptional photography, and knitting ideas on the Bittersweet Blog. Be on the lookout for a future cookbook coming out this August!

Blog: https://bittersweetblog.com/

Personal Website: https://hannahkaminsky.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-kaminsky-64117a72

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MySweetVegan/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bittersweet__/?hl=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bittersweet__

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

It was a happy day when my family and I stopped by The Original Plantwich sandwich shop in Glen Rock, NJ. This newly-opened restaurant has a menu filled with vegan sandwiches along with sides including hash browns and daily specials like black bean kale slaw. They also have a refrigerator stocked with grab and go dishes that vary day to day but could include overnight oats, chickpea salad, and coconut oat balls.

The Original Plantwich’s owners are super friendly and told us about their initial idea of having a food truck mainly serving sandwiches. When their current space in Glen Rock became available, they changed their plans and opened a storefront shop. They are open for take-out only but there are shady benches nearby for a picnic lunch.

My sandwich, Gone in Sixty, was simple and delicious – vegan egg and cheese on a toasted English muffin.  My daughter enjoyed the Marvelous Maple, a creative sandwich, which included vegan sausage, egg, and cheese on a pretzel bun with a smoky maple sauce. She described it as a mix of tastes that worked well together. My husband tried one of the daily specials, the TLT Dynamite, a classic featuring tempeh bacon, lettuce, tomato, and avocado on an English muffin.

If I were to go back, I’d want to try a PBC (peanut butter, banana jam, and chocolate chips on an English muffin) or maybe the Manipesto (vegan egg, bacon, tomato, and pesto on an English muffin).

You can find The Original Plantwich at 251 Rock Road 1D Glen Rock, NJ.

Visit their website at https://www.theoriginalplantwich.com/

To find a list of veggie restaurants in the USA and Canada visit: https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php