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):

Brothers Meatballs, 6268 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028

On LA’s Sunset Blvd. you can find an array of fully plant-based Italian dishes at Brothers Meatballs, from giardiniera to chocolate panna cotta to eggplant parm’. Of course, as the name indicates, vegan meatballs are also offered!

Casa del Vegano, 333 West Jefferson Ave., Dallas, TX 75208

Casa del Vegano in Oak Cliff, Dallas offers the various options of a taco bar, all fully vegan! One can order online through their website to try tortilla soup, Boris enchiladas, black bean taquitos, chimichangas, chiles rellenos, and more!

CLTRE. vgn joint, 1309 Fordham Dr., Virginia Beach, VA 23464

Located near the KempsRiver Crossing shopping mall, CLTRE. vgn joint calls itself a ‘neo-soul’ café. It’s a coffee shop that also serves light breakfast and brunch dishes like smoothies, toasts, and sandwiches. The menu includes eclectic waffles, from traditional sweet flavors like cinnamon raisin, cinnamon apple, and chocolate to savory flavors like pizza and taco. Gluten-free options are available. Espresso-based drinks and smoothies can be made with your choice of mylks: almond, coconut, oat, and hemp.

Early Bird Vegan, 1712 E. Broadway Rd. #3, Phoenix, AZ 85040

Located in south Phoenix, Early Bird Vegan is a healthy-lifestyle eatery serving breakfast and lunch. Breakfast includes a selection of house-made pastries such as a Sweet Potato Bar, Almond Croissant, and an assortment of Pan Dulces. Lunch includes sandwiches and salads such as the Chikn’ Salad Sandwich and Tunah Sandwich. A wide selection of fresh smoothies and health shots are also available.

Green Bus Café, Denver, CO (location varies)

Green Bus Café gives you all the cool vibes you need to relax and get some cozy vegan food. They are a mobile café and make everything from superfood lattes and vegan breakfast sandwiches to banana oatmeal cookies. The overall experience is so unique when getting your vegan pick-me-up from a bright green bus!

Screamin’ Vegan, 2715 Melrose Ave. NW, Roanoke, VA 24017

Screamin’ Vegan offers an array of veganized comfort food to diners. Popular choices include the Fish & Chips, Chili Cheese Fries, and Hot Dogs. Follow their Instagram (@screamin.vegan) to stay updated on their specials!

Spotless Burgers, 1398 E. Foothill Blvd., Upland, CA 91786

Spotless Burgers provides an entirely vegan drive-thru experience to the Upland area! Try fun dishes such as the Truffle Shuffle (Impossible Patty with Follow your Heart American Cheese) or the Alpha Chick’lits (Alpha Chick’n on a Hawaiian Slider Buns). The eatery even offers a veganized version of a classic breakfast sandwich with the Imposter (Just Egg and Follow Your Heart Pepper Jack Cheese on a bun).

Vegan Grill, 1201 Castle Hill Ave., Bronx, NY 10462

Vegan Grill is a corner deli offering a wide array of plant-based foods! Popular dishes include the Taco Nacho Platter, Crispy Chick’n Sandwich, and Beyond Chopped Cheese Sandwich. The eatery also serves a large selection of breakfast items, cold cut sandwiches, and fresh pressed juices.

By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

The VRG highlights several recent (2015 to the present) scientific reports that reveal the relationships between dietary choices and our climate crisis. See https://www.vrg.org/blog/2021/02/24/vegan-and-vegetarian-diets-and-our-climate-emergency-scientific-updates-2015-2021/

Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD, serves up several vegan tempeh recipes in an article that appeared in a previous issue of Vegetarian Journal, published by The Vegetarian Resource Group. Try preparing Breakfast Tempeh, Tempeh Sausage, Tempeh Noodle Soup, Grilled Tempeh Salad with Peas and Pineapple, Tempeh in a Roll, and Tempeh on Toast.

The complete article can be read here: Cooking with Tempeh
To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal visit: http://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

You can also subscribe to the Kindle version of Vegetarian Journal in the USA and United Kingdom. In the USA, visit: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LBY2Y7K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1544727482&sr=8-1&keywords=B07LBY2Y7K  In the United Kingdom, visit: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07LBY2Y7K/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1544731957&sr=8-1&keywords=B07LBY2Y7K

By Nina Lehr, VRG Intern

Like many other college students, I spent the better part of January 2021 searching for a virtual internship. I knew I wanted to find one that would allow me to hone in on my writing and journalistic skills, but I wasn’t sure what kind of company or organization would be a good fit. Once I stumbled upon The Vegetarian Resource Group internship page, however, I was immediately excited about the possibility of combining my interest in media with my passion for vegetarianism. Throughout the duration of my internship, I was able to complete a variety of projects that allowed me to do just that!

     I started by writing entries for the VRG online USA/Canada restaurant guide. This was a great way for me to practice compiling information from a variety of sources. It was also awesome to get to learn about a variety of vegan and vegan-friendly eateries throughout the country! I look forward to hopefully visiting some of the restaurants I wrote about one day.

     One of my favorite parts of my internship was reading and responding to essay applications to the VRG College Scholarship Contest. It was truly amazing to hear the inspiring stories of today’s vegetarian youth! So many applicants wrote engaging essays about how their vegetarian lifestyle has empowered them to make an influence in their local community.

     Another highlight of my internship was contributing to Veggie Bits– a Vegetarian Journal column dedicated to vegan product reviews. I was sent a package of LongEve Plant-Based Protein Crumbles and Breadless Crumbs, which I used to make lettuce wraps and heart of palm “crab” cakes. It was great to be exposed to a product I had never heard of before and to have the chance to make two new dishes out of them.

     Throughout my internship, I also wrote a series of blog posts. The first one was a review of Wildseed, an amazing plant-based restaurant in San Francisco, CA. I tried a variety of different dishes with my parents and enjoyed the opportunity to summarize the memorable experience in a review. I also worked with another VRG intern to write a blog post about tips on starting a vegetarian club in high school. Being able to connect and collaborate with a fellow VRG intern was fun and rewarding for both of us.

     The next blog post was about the vegan options available at my school, Santa Clara University in California. It was fun to reflect on what I ate on and around campus, especially since I haven’t been able to go back to campus in a while.

     Another memorable experience was writing a book review of In Search of the Wild Tofurky, Seth Tibbott’s memoir centered around his life and journey of founding the Tofurky Company. The story was heartfelt, engaging, and full of lessons for both life and business, so I thoroughly enjoyed reading and reviewing it.

     The final blog post I wrote was a profile of Hiroko Kato, a freelance writer based in Tokyo and a former VRG intern. I loved hearing about her current work on a vegan nutrition book. In addition, it was fascinating to hear her thoughts about the state of vegetarianism and the movement’s future within Japan.

     All in all, my VRG internship was a rewarding experience that allowed me to grow as a writer and expand my knowledge of vegetarianism. I highly recommend it to any student interested in writing, media, and the vegetarian lifestyle!

For more information on The Vegetarian Resource Group internships, see

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

To support VRG internships, donate to The Vegetarian Resource Group at vrg.org/donate

Are you searching for some new breakfast ideas? Debra Daniels-Zeller serves up a wide variety of dishes in her previous Vegetarian Journal article Super Savory Breakfast Ideas. Enjoy these recipes:

• Curried Potatoes And Yams With Hummus In Pita Bread
• Quinoa-Millet Pilaf With Winter Squash
• Individual Breakfast Pizzas
• Orange-Ginger Red Lentils
• Scrambled Tofu
• Early Riser Marinated Tofu Sandwich
• Glorious Greens Bisque With Steamed Tempeh
• Balsamic White Beans And Greens With Whole Grain Tortillas

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

You can also subscribe to the Kindle version of Vegetarian Journal in the USA and United Kingdom. In the USA, visit: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LBY2Y7K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1544727482&sr=8-1&keywords=B07LBY2Y7K  In the United Kingdom, visit: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07LBY2Y7K/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1544731957&sr=8-1&keywords=B07LBY2Y7K

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

A recently released survey of 995 households in the United States compared consumers who used plant milks with those using dairy milk. About 60% of the households surveyed used dairy milk exclusively or almost exclusively. About 23% of the households used plant milks, mainly almond milk, exclusively or almost exclusively. A little more than 15% of households surveyed use both dairy milk and plant milk. 

     These results, suggesting that more than a third of households use plant milks, are supported by trends in dairy milk consumption in the United States. Per capita dairy milk consumption declined by 41% between 1975 and 2018. We should note that overall per capita dairy product consumption has increased over this period. Plant-based yogurt, cheese, and butter are increasingly available, but have seemingly not yet had a large effect on consumption of dairy yogurt, cheese, and butter.

     Survey respondents whose households used plant milks, either exclusively or along with dairy milk, tended to be younger than those whose households used dairy milks exclusively. This has potential implications for future trends in plant milk consumption. Those respondents whose households used plant milks either exclusively or partially were likely or somewhat likely to use plant milks in place of dairy milk as a beverage, in coffee or tea, in cooking, on cereal, in smoothies, in desserts, and for children.

     Interestingly, almost 10% overall of the households that were surveyed said that at least one person in the household was vegetarian or vegan. Eleven percent of households almost exclusively using plant milks had at least one vegan or vegetarian in the household compared to 27% of households which used plant and dairy milk and 4% of households which exclusively used dairy milk. No information was provided as to how the survey defined “vegetarian” or “vegan.”

Reference:

Wolf CA, Malone T, McFadden BR. Beverage milk consumption patterns in the United States: Who is substituting from dairy to plant-based beverages? J Dairy Sci. 2020;103(12):11209-11217.

For nutrition information on coconut, nut, seed, pea, grain, and soy milks, see: https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/milk_alternatives/index.htm

For VRG’s national poll on what Americans expect from a beverage labeled as soymilk, see: https://www.vrg.org/blog/2020/10/30/what-do-american-adults-expect-from-a-beverage-labeled-soymilk-questions-asked-by-the-vegetarian-resource-group-in-a-national-poll/

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

This recipe is from No Cholesterol Passover Recipes by Debra Wasserman. This small paperback book contains 100 vegan Passover recipes including eggless blintzes, dairyless carrot cream soup, festive macaroons, apple latkes, sweet and sour cabbage, knishes, vegetarian chopped “liver,” no oil lemon dressing, eggless matzo meal pancakes, and much more.

Chopped “Liver” Spread (makes 1 cup)

3 Tablespoons oil
½ pound mushrooms, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup chopped walnuts
Pepper and salt to taste
1 Tablespoon water

Sauté mushrooms and onion for 8 minutes. Pour into blender or food processor, adding walnuts, seasonings, and water. Blend until smooth. Serve on matzo as a spread or with raw vegetable sticks.

No Cholesterol Passover Recipes is available on Kindle here. 

No Cholesterol Passover Recipes is available for purchase through our bookstore here.

For additional Jewish recipes, see our Lowfat Jewish Vegetarian Cookbook.

By Rissa Miller, Vegetarian Journal Senior Editor

(Serves 4)

1 small onion, chopped

1-2 stalks celery, chopped

32-ounce box low-sodium vegetable broth

16-ounce bag frozen peas, thawed to room temp

1-2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and minced

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 cup fresh mint (optional, more to garnish)

2 Tablespoons fresh basil (optional, more to garnish)

Olive oil, to garnish (optional)

Plain vegan yogurt, to garnish (optional)

Vegan croutons, to garnish (optional)

In a large pot over low heat, sauté onion and celery in about 1/4 cup broth until tender and fragrant, about 5-7 minutes. Add all remaining broth, peas, ginger, and salt/pepper. Cook over low heat for 10-12 minutes until all veggies are warmed through and soft. Remove from heat and add fresh mint and basil. 

Purée in a blender or food processor, or with a hand blender until smooth and creamy. Serve warm, garnished as desired with fresh mint or basil, olive oil, vegan yogurt, or croutons. 

Spring has arrived in the USA and now is the time to prepare meals with seasonal ingredients. Chef Nancy Berkoff says, “Cabbage, cilantro, parsley, Swiss chard, green peppers, chilies, leeks, scallions and chives, snow peas, petit pois (young green peas), spinach, kale, collards, mustard and beet greens, romaine, and endive are some of the greenery we can use to brighten our spring menu!” In her previous Vegetarian Journal article Cooking with Early Spring Greens you’ll find recipes for Fennel Salad, Green Pea Mockaguacamole, Spring Greens and Lentil Sauté, Smoky Collards, Grilled Romaine Salad with Vinaigrette Dressing, and Vinegary Green Beans with Dill.

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

You can also subscribe to the Kindle version of Vegetarian Journal in the USA and United Kingdom. In the USA, visit: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LBY2Y7K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1544727482&sr=8-1&keywords=B07LBY2Y7K  In the United Kingdom, visit: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07LBY2Y7K/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1544731957&sr=8-1&keywords=B07LBY2Y7K