Posted on
November 08, 2021 by
The VRG Blog Editor
Dietitians, other health care professionals, and dietetics
students are invited to register for a plant-based nutrition webinar series
sponsored by the Adventist Nutrition and Dietetics International Association
(ANDIA). The second presentation in the 4-part series features VRG’s Nutrition
Advisor, Reed Mangels, PhD, RD speaking on “Are Vegetarian Diets Adequate for
Growing Children?” It is scheduled for Sunday, November 14 at 3 pm PST/6 pm
EST. You can find out more about the series on ANDIA’s website.
Posted on
November 05, 2021 by
The VRG Blog Editor
Chocolate Celebration Cake from Abe’s
Abe’s is known for their vegan muffins and pound cakes. Now they are
offering four Celebration Cakes: Vanilla, Carrot, Gingerbread, and Chocolate.
Treat yourself to one this Thanksgiving or better yet, serve at a birthday
party!
Posted on
November 04, 2021 by
The VRG Blog Editor
Superfood Salad_Kale and spring mix tossed with quinoa, sunflower seeds, blueberries, roasted sweet potatoes, carrots, and red onion tossed in house made agave balsamic vinaigrette from Pauseitively Vegan
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):
Ma-Kin
Vegan Sushi & Izakaya, 30313 Canwood St., Unit 34-35, Agoura Hills, CA
91301
For those sushi-loving vegans who have been eager to add
some more variety to the cucumber and avocado rolls, Ma-Kin Vegan Sushi has
your solution. With a traditional bar area where you can watch the chefs
prepare your food, Ma-Kin’s menu seems unrecognizable from that of a
traditional sushi bar. The expected edamame and tempura appetizers and miso
soup are offered, in addition to Japanese entrees such as orange chicken and
shrimp and teriyaki. Using Vegan Zeastar (plant-based salmon) as well as
plant-based shrimp, crab, and lobster, they are able to offer cut and hand
rolls including spicy tuna, spicy crab, salmon avocado, and California—which
you may choose to couple with a selection or two from their sake menu.
Pauseitively
Vegan, 1965 NE 2 St., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441
This family-owned restaurant hopes to encourage kindness
and compassion for all living things. Enjoy dishes including Caesar Salad, Hail
Seitan Wingz, Crabless Cakes, Hearts of Palm Roll, Buffalo Wrap, Mac’n Cheese,
along with a variety of organic teas and other creative adult beverages.
Plant
Power Fast Food, 7090 W. Craig Rd., Ste. 120, Las Vegas, NV 89129
Plant Power Fast Food is a vegan fast food joint. Try out
a classic burger or one of their signature burgers including The Holy
Guacamole. Also enjoy Buffalo Wings, Kaleslaw, a ‘Chicken’ Wrap, and more. No matter
your fast food craving, Plant Power Fast Food has a delicious veganized version
of traditional fast food menu items.
PlantPub,
675 West Kendall St., Cambridge, MA 02142
Located in Kendall Square, PlantPub offers plant-based
versions of classic American favorites such as loaded nachos, buffalo wings
(made with cauliflower), and fried pickles. They also make delicious burgers
that you can customize with fried mushrooms, kimchi aioli, and carrot slaw.
Aside from burgers, they have a variety of tasty dishes such as ramen bowls and
pizza. Pair any meal with their unique selection of beverages like craft beers,
infused seltzers, and wines. If you are craving a yummy dessert, soft-serve ice
cream hits the spot in vanilla, chocolate, and swirl flavors. PlantPub is your
go-to pub where they are focused on making food that is good for you and for
the planet!
Scoops
Shop & Dessert Bar, 838 N State St., Chicago, IL 60610
Eating is a source of joy and pride in life and vegans
require that delight as well. Scoops Shop & Dessert Bar is a woman owned
business. This one-of-a-kind eatery is completely vegan and gluten-free. The
bar also serves its own mix of coffee from a local roastery and will bet
serving liquor. During the winter, they provide peppermint lattes and apple
cinnamon doughnuts. The ambiance at Scoops Shop & Dessert Bar is light and
airy, with soothing music playing in the background. The decor is a blend of
pastel pink and white furnishings with an LED sign saying “There it
is” centered on a greenery- covered wall where customers may take
photographs to share on social media.
Succulent
Vegan Tacos, Nashville’s Farmers Market, 900 Rosa L. Parks Blvd., Nashville, TN
37208
Succulent Vegan Tacos offers Mexican recipes and flavors
you will love such as hearty tacos, tamales, esquites, enchiladas, and much more.
While you are there, make sure to try the yummy conchas, vegan pan dulce (sweet
bread), as well as a glass of refreshing fruit-infused water.
Superbloom,
Mission Bay Beach Club, 22688 E. Mission Bay Dr., San Diego, CA 92109
What about coffee with a view? Superbloom at Mission Bay
Beach Club is the ideal getaway with its waterfront scenery to the great track
for bike rides and bay excursions, and a playground close by for the
youngsters. They provide vegan coffee made locally, tea, smoothies, as well as
a lunch menu that includes vegan scones, croissants, and ice cream sandwiches.
The atmosphere is unrivaled with the outdoor patio and you can also take photos
near the bay’s fire or the polka dot drip wall. There’s also a rental/retail
shop and ice cream cart.
The
Loopy Leaf, 700 Virginia St. E., Charleston, WV 25301
This female-owned restaurant serves burgers, tacos, ramen,
and sandwiches. Specific dishes served include BBQ Salad, California Burger,
Cheesesteak Hoagie, Avocado Tostada, and so much more. Patrons say the meal
quantities are out of this world. It is well worth the money and a visit if you
are coming from out of town. If you have any allergies to any of the dishes on
the menu, feel free to inform the restaurant of your allergies, so they can
work around it. You can also omit an ingredient for a substitute e.g., replace
pickles with jalapenos.
Valkyrie
Doughnuts, 12226 Corporate Blvd., Floor 1, University Commons, Orlando, FL
32817 and 2444 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, FL 33712
Enjoy a wide variety of handcrafted beautifully decorated
vegan yeast-raised donuts, cronuts, and cinnamon rolls.
Posted on
November 04, 2021 by
The VRG Blog Editor
Some of their delicious vegan broccoli “chedda’” soup! Photo by Ruby Sturm
By Ruby Sturm, VRG Intern
Like the name implies, With Love Plant-Based offers an entirely vegan menu. (Beware that this is not always true with plant-based restaurants.) This cafe is also 100% gluten-free. The menu includes an interesting selection of “Sips,” “Eats,” “Small Eats,” and “Sweet Eats.” My favorite drink was their Island Mon smoothie. They offer delicious smoothies for $6 that you can add a variety of things to – such as chia seeds or dates (for an added charge). They mainly have a lot of soups and toasts, but they also have salad, Alfredo, Maryland lump cake, and a lentil burger! And, although it’s only an appetizer, I really love their deviled avocados. They are three times the size of a deviled egg and absolutely delicious! I ended up loving the deviled avocados so much that I made them for my birthday party.
Located at 8705 Harford Rd. in
Parkville, Maryland, this small café has very nice decor and friendly staff.
Due to Covid, they are only doing outdoor seating and pre-ordered food. I
recommend ordering takeout, because the outdoor tables are right next to a busy
main road.
The contents of this posting, our website, and our other publications,
including Vegetarian 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.
Posted on
November 03, 2021 by
The VRG Blog Editor
Despite the present pandemic, The Vegetarian Resource
Group continues to be very busy on a daily basis. Below are some examples of
successes and activities. Your support through Combined Federal Charity (CFC)
or your Local/State Campaign is greatly appreciated! You can also donate
directly to VRG at vrg.org/donate
Here’s
a sampling of some of our accomplishments and outreach:
●
VRG Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, did a webinar on a Plant-Based
Diet for 31 Days. Reed also spoke at six virtual seminars for the San Jose
Public Library in California. There were separate sessions for teens and
parents. VRG interns assisted. Reed also supervised a Mexican graduate student
intern from Wageningen University in the
Netherlands who completed an extensive project on vegan
Latin American foods high in calcium.
●
Our VRG volunteer health coach Marcia Schveibinz conducted a webinar for the
Lafayette, Louisiana Public Library.
● VRG commissioned a YouGov national youth poll to
find out how many 8- to 17-year-olds are vegan or vegetarian. Results are
published in Vegetarian Journal and
at vrg.org
● VRG researcher
Jeanne Yacoubou did a podcast with one of VRG’s interns discussing the
environmental impacts of diets. Based on his questions, Jeanne will also be
doing some updated research on chocolate, bone char, and gelatin. We’ll report
on this in the future. Jeanne also compiled a list of several recent (2015 to
the present) scientific reports that reveal the relationships between dietary choices
and our climate crisis. See vrg.org/blog/2021/02/24/vegan-and-vegetarian-diets-and-our-climate-emergency-scientific-updates-2015-2021/
● VRG
donated money to Land of Kush (a vegan restaurant in Baltimore, MD) to give away
vegan meals to needy individuals. We also sent I Love Animals and Broccoli and
El Arco Iris Vegetariano coloring books to a group in Florida coordinating
Vegan Restaurant Week in their area, and that wanted to give a packet to
families as they picked up meals. VRG exhibited at the Richmond VegFest in
Virginia. Finally, VRG hosted over 25 virtual interns/volunteers this past year.
They all worked/ are working on a number of exciting projects!
This is just a small
sampling of what we are doing at VRG every day. Thank you so much! We couldn’t
do this without your support.
You can also mail
donations to The Vegetarian Resource Group, PO Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203 or
call in your donation to (410) 366-8343 Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm EST.
Posted on
November 03, 2021 by
The VRG Blog Editor
Farm Animal Friends
by Amanda Clark is a terrific new book for young children. It is independently
published by Here With Us Farm Sanctuary located in Seven Valleys, Pennsylvania.
Inside the pages of this book you’ll find adorable drawings of all types of
farm animals that have been rescued, as well as quotes from kids expressing
their love for these creatures.
The book is 34 pages and retails for $12.99. You can
purchase it on Amazon.
Posted on
November 02, 2021 by
The VRG Blog Editor
By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD
The Rockefeller Foundation recently published a report
on the true cost of food in the US. This report is an attempt to measure
the costs to our health, environment, and society of the current food
production system. The report points out that in 2019, American consumers spent
an estimated $1.1 trillion on food. Yes, that is trillion with 9 zeroes after
the 1! That’s what we pay for labor, food production, processing, and transportation. Despite the
enormity of this number, the report’s authors estimate that the true cost of
food is at least three times higher – $3.2 billion per year.
The report provides the following estimates of “hidden”
costs of the US food system:
Human health $1.1 trillion per year – this
includes direct health care costs and the cost of lost productivity due to
diet-related diseases such as obesity, heart disease, cancer diabetes; the cost
of workplace injuries and the effects of pollution due to food production on
health
Environment $350 billion per year – includes
greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and soil erosion related to food
production
Biodiversity loss $455 billion per year –
includes land use and pollution’s effect on biodiversity
Livelihood $100 billion per year – includes the societal
costs of child labor, unlivable wages, lack of benefits, and the cost of
occupational safety and health
Economy $21 billion per year – includes
agricultural subsidies that are not accounted for in food prices
These costs are disproportionately borne by communities of
color, as the report details.
A limitation of this report is that it did not assign a
monetary value to animal suffering. The authors call for additional study of
the true cost of animal food production in the US.
You may be wondering how the information in this report
might be used. Possibilities include using this information to promote change
in terms of fair wages, safer conditions for workers, subsidies and incentives
for farmers and manufacturers, environmental regulations, and other
food-related decisions that impact our health, the health of others, and the
planet. Our food choices have costs and it is important to be aware of these
and to work for systemic change.
Posted on
November 01, 2021 by
The VRG Blog Editor
Mah-Maiz
A previous issue of Vegetarian Journal features vegan Mexican
recipes from Chef Carlos Erez. Chef Carlos was born and raised in New York
City. His beautiful mother, a native of Mexico, taught him to cook. He’s been
vegan over six years and loves translating her recipes and his heritage into
compassionate new meals.
Recipes included in his article are: Mah Maiz! (a corn-based soup), Siete
Mares (in Mexico, Caldo de Siete Mares is a classic seafood stew. In my vegan
version, enjoy seven vegetables, including meaty oyster mushrooms, and a taste
of the ocean from kelp powder!), Puebla Con Amor (Stuffed peppers in a rich
broth), Señora Tortilla (a deeply authentic meal, originating in the state of
Tlaxcala. His version finds its depth from toasted dry peppers and fresh
tomatoes.), Mexican Rebel Veggie Stew, and El Rico (a hearty soup).
The Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public on veganism and the interrelated issues of health, nutrition, ecology, ethics, and world hunger. We have been helping health professionals, food services, businesses, educators, students, vegans, and vegetarians since 1982. In addition to publishing the Vegan Journal, VRG produces and sells a number of books.
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