Cracker Barrel has added Impossible Sausage to their menu. For nutrition information, see:

https://prod-cbdigitalstore.azurefd.net/-/media/Project/cb-brandsite/brandsite/pdfs/NutritionGuide.pdf?rev=da88ff8573a944f6800c833b360dda46

and

https://prod-cbdigitalstore.azurefd.net/-/media/Project/cb-brandsite/brandsite/pdfs/AllergenGuide.pdf?rev=19e7b98bf17f44b599d2da880227d94f&hash=CB210EA8E39606DF3B7ECAA05E2CE34B

For information about vegetarian and vegan restaurants in the USA and Canada, visit:

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

For more chain information, go to https://www.vrg.org/fastfoodinfo.php

The contents of this posting, our website and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal and Vegan Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or

confirmation on your own.

Nothing beats a simple graphic to get the vegan message out! The Vegetarian Resource Group created My Vegan Plate to display on outreach tables at various events. If you live in the United States, you can request copies of this handout to distribute by emailing us at [email protected]

You can view the handout here: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/MyVeganPlate.pdf

This same handout can also be read in Spanish here: https://www.vrg.org/images/miplatovegano.jpg

We also have a version you can print out for kids to color on: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/MyVeganPlateCP.pdf

Donations towards this outreach are always appreciated: www.vrg.org/donate

What can you pack for a vegan lunch? Whether you’re going to school, work, a picnic, or on a road trip, you need options for lunch. Check out 50 ideas to fill your lunch bag!

See this Vegetarian Resource Group Video at https://youtu.be/kqoFDjQO2fs

More videos at:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvSyCToa_i9fA4D5CLCAFWw
https://www.vrg.org/veg_videos.php

Photo from Maciel’s Plant-Based Butcher & Deli

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):

Amitabha Vegan, 6824 Fresh Meadow Ln., Fresh Meadows, NY 11365

Amitabha Vegan features Chinese-Style Asian Fusion cuisine! The restaurant is located in the heart of Queens and offers a wide selection of vegan Chinese foods. Generous-sized portions and delicious flavors are offered for reasonable prices. The pepper & salt king mushrooms, general Tso “chicken,” and roasted “pork” are widely recommended and just a sliver of the variety they offer. This woman-owned, family-oriented restaurant delivers a unique vegan experience!

G-Monkey, 625 New Park Ave., Ste. G, West Hartford, CT 06110

G-Monkey serves American fast food such as a variety of burgers and bowls. The food presentation is very unique in that its buns have the G-Monkey logo printed onto them. Not only is the presentation very inviting but the ambience of the restaurant is as well. The decor is very lively as there is the use of many green colors to represent veganism and has a slogan on the wall that states, “Our Future is Vegan.” G-Monkey is located near the tourist attraction The Mark Twain House and Museum, as well as many hotels for those visiting West Hartford.

Maciel’s Plant-Based Butcher Shop, 5933 York Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90042

Say hello to LA’s vegan butcher shop in Highland Park: Maciel’s Plant-Based Butcher Shop! You can either dine-in at their wonderful establishment or use their take-out option to feast on their sandwiches, sides (potato salad, coleslaw, spicy cucumber salad), aguas frescas (pineapple ginger, cucumber lime mint, hibiscus), or dessert options (Mexican chocolate mousse). Just interested in their food products? Well, you can also go up to their deli case and purchase their packaged vegan meats, sides, and cheeses all of which are made in house. There are six different vegan meat options: pastrami, bacon, Mexican ribs (GF), turkey, salami (GF), and chorizo (GF). Their 6 sandwiches each showcase a different plant-based meat so you can choose from their breakfast option, The Reuben, The California, The Flores, The Italian, and Sloppy Pepe. Located on the corner of York Boulevard and Aldama Street, this Mexican and Italian deli will for sure charm you with its simple white and orange accents.

Mae Mae Café, 2417 Third Ave., Bronx, NY 10451

Located in the Bruckner building in Mott Haven (South Bronx), this café doubles as a community space and plant store. Sit amidst cozy decor, dominated by lush plants (available to buy) and llama statues, to enjoy mushroom or cabbage tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and sides and appetizers including salads, beans, and tortillas, before moving on to horchata rice pudding or vegan pastries. Committed to serving the Mott Haven community, not just with healthy plant-based meals, but with community gatherings, summer internships for residential high school students, and a CSA from June through November, which brings produce from organic upstate NY Katchkie Farm (which also provides ingredients for the café) to Bronxites.

Seabirds Kitchen, 2138 Hillhurst Ave., Ste. B, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Enjoy Corn Chowder, Kale Caesar Salad, Purple Taquitos, Kimchi Taco, BBQ Burger, Jackfruit Nachos, and much more. They also have separate offerings for children and dessert options include a Cha Cha Float, Whiskey Peach Crumble, Avocado Chocolate Mousse, plus other options.

Tabay’s Mindful Kitchen, Capistrano Valley Plaza Shopping Center, 34131 Doheny Park Rd., Dana Point, CA 92624

Tabay’s Kitchen is a vegan food truck serving Amoo Joon’s crispy chick’n sandwich, MommaJoon’s spicy chick’n sandwich, crispy chick’n strips, Tabay’s planted based burger, chick’n nuggets, Doheny Dog, Chickpea salad wrap, and a variety of other dishes.

Vegan A.F., 105 Canal St., Brattleboro, VT 05301

Vegan A.F. will welcome you with open arms with its rustic, yet cozy and comfortable, ambiance. Their menu is full of familiar favorites, such as buffalo cauliflower wings, barbacoa tacos, jambalaya, a double stacked burger, unique salads, and an array of finger-licking starters. They are committed to creating a space that is socially responsible through ethical eating. Whether you dine-in at their wonderful covered patio, classy indoor seating, or are in the mood for a seat at their bar, Vegan A.F. is here to bring vegan food to a higher level!

Vegan It IZ Eats, 2nd Street Market, 600 E. Second St., Dayton, OH 45402

Vegan It IZ Eats runs a restaurant stall at the 2nd Street Market, alongside dozens of other local growers, artisans etc. in a historic freight house. Offers a rotating menu of healthy, flavorful breakfast and lunch items, such as jackfruit tacos, wonton pizza bites, salads, and chai French toast, in addition to teas and juices. Run by a black woman vegan holistic nutritionist, who also offers trainings, classes, seminars etc. in cooking and veganism, as well as catering, and is firmly committed to the health of the community, having grown up locally.  Seating is available at the historic, cheerful market, which is often ranked among the top locations to visit in Dayton.

Be sure to follow The Vegetarian Resource Group on Instagram: @vegetarianresourcegroup

If you live in Maryland (especially near Baltimore) or will visiting this area, you might want to dine in one of the many restaurants participating in Maryland Vegan Restaurant Month that is being held through August 28^th this year. Some of the participating establishments include Land of Kush, Golden West Café, Liora, Double Zero, Gangster Vegan Organics, Roland Park Bagels and Sandwiches, Harmony Bakery, Miss Shirley’s, and Treehouse Café and Juice Bar.

For further details, see: https://www.mdveganeats.com/

Breakfast, lunch, brunch, dinner, or an anytime snack! This simple recipe by Leslie Gray Street will come together in a snap and please any crowd. Toss together chopped vegetables like mushrooms, Brussels sprouts and red onion, with shredded hash brown, and flavor with smooth cashew cream and salsa. Everything goes on one sheet pan and after 25 minutes in the oven, your meal is ready to garnish and enjoy! Easy enough for a late night snack. Tasty enough to serve to brunch guests.

Go to this VRG video at https://youtu.be/MgFyjYKAUd0

More videos at:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvSyCToa_i9fA4D5CLCAFWw
https://www.vrg.org/veg_videos.php

VEGETARIAN ESSAY

By McKinnon Schissel, Grade 12

When it comes to vegetarianism, my opinion is very torn. Personally, I am an earth and animal friendly girl. Animals own a big part of my heart. It truly makes me tear up, even cry, whenever I see or hear of a dead animal. In fact, I am the type of girl who freaks out and makes a whole scene in the car whenever squirrels run out into the road and almost get hit. I do not see how people enjoy going out and killing poor innocent animals and bringing them home for food. It makes me so sad knowing innocent animals are killed every day at the expense of humans and their desires. Although, I do not have much room to talk because I eat meat and enjoy it quite a bit.

Growing up, I have been surrounded by meat lovers and men with major hunting hobbies. My dad, uncles, cousins, grandpas, and family-friends all go hunting. Every time they try to talk about their hunting around me I have the exact same reaction. I make comments about how terrible it is and I tear up. No matter who I am talking to about killing these innocent animals, the response is the same. “God made animals to kill other animals,” or “It’s the circle of life, McKinnon,” is what I hear every single time. Without their hunting or the animal hunting of others, I would not get to eat the meat that I enjoy eating every day.

For example, two of my favorite foods are tacos and chicken. I eat chicken more than I eat any other food. I get chicken at every restaurant and fast food place. I truly do not know what I would do if could not eat chicken. I have a big heart for animals, but I do not let that stop me from eating meat. Although that doesn’t mean this can’t change.

Because I have grown up eating meat, it seems impossible to give it up. I have never been a big salad girl, so I would not know what to order at any restaurant. Despite this, a part of me still thinks I could be strong enough to give up meat and become a vegetarian. Between my determination and love for animals, vegetarianism is not entirely an impossible option for me. In fact, more than 25 animals are saved each year because of a vegetarian. This statistic warms my heart. Knowing I am saving animals and benefitting the environment is a good enough reason for me to go vegetarian, but something is stopping me.

I know a couple vegetarians and when asking them why they chose vegetarianism, they had roughly the same answer: their health, the environment, and for the innocent animals that get killed in the process. These are all normal answers, but there was one more answer that stood out, which was that they did not like the feeling or texture of meat in their mouth. Out of all the reasons to go vegetarian, this is the one I do not understand.

I love animals. Sometimes I think that I love animals more than humans. It hurts my heart knowing innocent animals suffer and die every day. I truly wish deep down that there was another way to eat meat without killing these poor creatures. Although no matter how much sympathy I have, I continue to eat meat at the end of the day. I agree and stand by every single reason to be vegetarian, but for some reason I cannot get myself to become one. Maybe one day, with a little more research and thought, I can settle my conflicting opinion on vegetarianism and maybe even become one.

Why I Am Vegan
By Anuragini Barman, age 13

I believe that being vegan is one of the best ways to save the world. Being vegan saves animals, the planet, and our bodies.

In the United States alone, approximately 9 billion chickens and 29 million cows are killed per year according to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)¹. That is more than 1 million chickens an hour. If people stopped eating animals, imagine how many innocent lives could be saved!

Raising livestock accounts for 14.5% of the total human-created greenhouse gas emissions on our planet according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization ². Decreasing meat consumption is a huge and easy way to slow global warming.

Being vegan is a great way to stay healthy. Studies show that vegans and vegetarians have stronger immune systems and are less likely to get certain diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer ³.

I have been vegan my whole life. I have always understood why my parents and I are vegan, and I have always been proud that we do everything we can to help animals. I choose to be vegan because it is a great way to change the world.

I am very lucky that my parents are vegan. Having the support of your family and living in an all-vegan household makes being vegan really easy. However not everyone is so supportive. Some of my relatives in India do not approve of my being vegan. They worry that I do not get enough nutrients like protein. On the contrary many plant foods such as beans and tofu are loaded with protein, and vegetables and fruits are full of nutrients! When my mom is not around, they try to smuggle me milk or cheese, or even meat. I always decline as politely as possible and remember that their intentions are good, even if misguided.

While I do not pressure people to become vegan, I do share the benefits and how easy it is. Every two months I present a show on Facebook and YouTube called So Many Kids in the Kitchen ⁴ with five of my friends. We show kids how to make easy, yummy, heathy, vegan meals.

I think that the reasons for being vegan are obvious. You just have to find out what non-vegan foods are really made of. On a camping trip a few weeks ago, one of my friends asked why I eat vegan marshmallows instead of regular ones. When I told her that non-vegan marshmallows have gelatin, which is made from ground-up skin, bones, tendons, and ligaments of cows, pigs, and other animals, she said that she would never eat a non-vegan marshmallow again.

Being vegan saves animals, the planet, and our health. It is super easy to be vegan, and there is really no downside.

¹ peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food, accessed April 28, 2022

² fao.org/news/story/en/item/197623/icode, accessed April 28, 2022

³ see, for example, vrg.org, pcrm.org, or nutritionfacts.org

⁴ somanycooks.com

For information about The Vegetarian Resource Group annual essay contest, see https://www.vrg.org/essay/

Also, see The Vegetarian Resource Group scholarship contest at https://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

To support VRG education and outreach to young people, donate at www.vrg.org/donate

Or join at https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

The contents of this posting, our website, and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal and Vegan Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

Ever wonder what to do with jackfruit? Vegan Journal Senior Editor Rissa Miller wrote a creative recipe piece highlighting dishes made from jackfruit. Enjoy these recipes: Spiced Breakfast Bars; BBQ Jackfruit and Biscuit Casserole; Sweet and Tangy Jackfruit Meatless Balls; Curry Jackfruit Stew; French Dip Sandwiches; Italian Herb Stuffed Peppers; and Orange Cherry Jackfruit Cake with Pudding Layer.

Read the entire article here: You Don’t Know Jack

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

Thanks to Vegetarian Resource Group member Diane Schnaars for sharing her recipe for a no-sodium vegetable broth mix.

Note: All vegetables and spices are dried

1 TB parsley

1 TB onion powder

1-1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp celery seed or dill seed

½ tsp basil

½ tsp marjoram

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp sage or savory

½ tsp thyme

Pulverize together the ingredients above. To make broth, use ½ teaspoon of the above mix per cup of water.

For soup for one, use ½ tsp of the above mix, 1 TB nutritional yeast, pinch of salt, and a cup hot water.