This game from The Vegetarian Resource Group is good for both kids and adults. See: https://www.vrg.org/game/

Whether you’re home alone or with your children, these two puddings from Simply Vegan are easy to prepare and enjoy during these difficult times.

Chocolate Pudding

(Serves 3)

1½ cups soymilk

3 Tablespoons cornstarch

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup maple syrup

¼ cup cocoa powder

Whisk all the ingredients together in a pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until pudding thickens. Remove pot from stove. Chill for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Note: Double the recipe, pour into a vegan graham cracker crust and chill before slicing.

Karen’s Creamy Rice Pudding

(Serves 8)

2 cups pre-cooked rice

1½ teaspoons cinnamon

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup raisins

½ cup slivered almonds (optional)

3½  cups soymilk

Mix all the ingredients together in a pot. Simmer until mixture begins to thicken (15-20 minutes), stirring occasionally. Remove from stove and serve hot or cold.

Each year The Vegetarian Resource Group holds an essay contest for children. SUBJECT: 2-3 page essay on any aspect of veganism/vegetarianism. Vegetarianism is not eating meat, fish, and birds (for example, chicken or duck). Vegans do not use any animal products. Among the many reasons for being a vegan/vegetarian are beliefs about ethics, culture, health, aesthetics, religion, world peace, economics, world hunger, and the environment.

Entrants should base their paper on interviewing, research, and/or personal opinion. You need not be a vegetarian to enter. All essays become the property of The Vegetarian Resource Group. DEADLINE: Must be postmarked by May 1, 2020 for current year of judging.

Previous winning essays and complete details can be seen here: http://www.vrg.org/essay/

On a recent road trip, we arrived in Tucson, AZ ready for Mexican food. Fortunately for us, we found Tumerico. Tumerico, located near the University of Arizona campus at 2526 E 6th St, is a mostly vegan restaurant with a menu that changes regularly.  The day that we ate there the menu included a Pad Thai Veggie Bowl, spicy Adobo Tacos, Ropa Vieja plate, tamales, and a mole bowl all of which came with rice, beans, salad, pico de gallo, and cashew crema. You could add queso fresco (soft cheese) and order either vegan or vegetarian tamales; otherwise all dishes were vegan.

We tried Cuban Tacos, the vegan Tamale Plate, Viva la Mexico Tostadas, and the Mole Bowl. The tacos were filled with jackfruit and had a garlic-cilantro sauce. The tamales were my favorite – with a moist texture and a blend of spices that was tasty but not fiery.  The tostadas were lovely and featured crisp tortillas spread with guacamole and pesto, topped with beans, and served with a drizzle of cashew crema. The mole bowl had a mixture of vegetables and beans in a mole sauce with tortillas on the side.

The food was so good and the idea of a changing menu so intriguing that we hoped to go back. Alas, Tumerico is closed on Mondays and only open from 10-3 on Tuesdays. It’s open for breakfast/brunch, lunch and dinner Wednesday through Sunday.

For information on Tumerico, go to: https://www.tumerico.com/

For a guide to veggie restaurants in the USA and Canada, visit: https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

In the last issue of Vegetarian Journal, we reported on a U.K. study that found that vegetarians (including vegans) had a higher risk of a kind of stroke called hemorrhagic stroke and of stroke overall than did meat eaters. A recently published study from Taiwan also examined stroke rates in vegetarians and found that vegetarians (did not eat meat or fish) had lower rates of hemorrhagic stroke and of stroke overall than did nonvegetarians. The authors of the Taiwan study note that their vegetarian subjects avoid alcohol whereas the British subjects were more likely to drink. Since some studies show a higher stroke risk with higher alcohol consumption, the researchers theorize that the British subjects’ alcohol use could supersede protective effects of their vegetarian diet.

Chiu THT, Chang HR, Wang LY, Chang CC, Lin MN, Lin CL. Vegetarian diet and incidence of total, ischemic, and hemorrhagic stroke in 2 cohorts in Taiwan. Neurology. 2020 Feb 26. [Epub ahead of print].

New York State and California have passed laws that hospital patients must be able to have a plant-based option at each meal. The final text of the California law states “(c) For the purposes of this section, “plant-based meals” shall mean entire meals that contain no animal products or byproducts, including meat, poultry, fish, dairy, or eggs.” The New York law states “plant-based food option” means a food or beverage that is free of animal products and that has nutritional value comparable to the non-plant-based food option that it replaces. These laws appear to be using “plant-based” to mean “vegan.”

The non-profit nutrition organization Oldways has made it simpler for hospitals to serve vegan meals. Oldways has created the Plant Forward Plates Healthcare Toolkit that features more than 40 recipes scaled up to 100 servings, therapeutic meal plans, nutritional analyses, and food-ordering guides. After reviewing the menus and recipes, all of which are vegan, The Vegetarian Resource Group has endorsed this useful tool.

The Plant Forward Plates Toolkit fee is being waived to encourage hospitals to make 2020 the year they add healthy and delicious plant-based meals to their menus. To download a free copy, visit https://oldwayspt.org/pfp

Did you know that you can make seitan (wheat gluten) at home? Seitan is derived from the protein portion of wheat. It stands in for meat in many recipes and works so well that a number of vegans and vegetarians avoid it because the texture is too “meaty.”

A previous Vegetarian Journal article titled “Seitan—The Vegetarian Way,” by Jill Nussinow, MS, RD, tells you how to prepare quick homemade gluten. Recipes are also provided for Seitan Stew, Seitan and Shiitake Mushroom Stroganoff, Seitan Fusion Sauté, Barbecued Seitan, Seitan-Squash Sauté, and Mock BBQ Pork.

Read the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/recipes/vjseitan.htm

Subscribe to Vegetarian Journal in the USA only by visiting 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

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:

A Peace of Soul Vegan Kitchen

2338 Main St., Columbia, SC 29201

Enjoy vegan soul food including collards, purple cabbage, pinto beans and rice, coconut curry chickpeas, mac n’ cheese, chili cheese fries, sloppy Joes, fried “chicken” sandwich, and more.

Go Vegan-Philly

401 Fayette St., Conshohocken, PA 19428

Serves fresh, made to order, all-vegan food in this pop-up style restaurant located inside Izenberg’s Deli Enjoy mini krab cakes, mac n’ cheese, cornbread and battered chick’n, collard greens, quinoa stir-fry, and more. They also have vegan desserts.

Lulu Green

246 W. Broadway, Boston, MA 02127

Located in South Boston, just a 5-minute walk from the Broadway T-station. Menu includes a coconut yogurt parfait for breakfast, hummus or avocado toast, cornmeal waffles on weekends, salads and bowls, soup, sandwiches, baked goods, and more.

Mamak Vegan Kitchen

2390 Chamblee Tucker Rd., Chamblee, GA 30341

Described to have a “trendy” ambience by restaurant reviewers, Mamak Vegan Kitchen offers visitors dozens of menu items, all 100% vegan. From curry pies, to Beyond Rendang, this restaurant is focused on Malaysian cuisine and “timeless favorites,” according to their website. Additionally, one can order a variety of colorful teas and desserts, also plant-based.

The Native Bowl

Contact for location and times in Portland, OR

According to their website, “Our bowls are always made to order, using only the freshest vegetables and ingredients available. We use locally made tofu and soymilk from Ota Tofu, and Soy Curls from Butler Foods in nearby Grand Ronde, Oregon.” Among their bowl choices are the Hollywood (consisting of Za’atar, lemon garlic tahini sauce, grilled garbanzo beans, red cabbage, pita chips, peperoncinis and scallions on a bed of jasmine rice) and the Albina bowl (containing Teriyaki marinated chik’n, peanut ginger sauce, cilantro, roasted garlic cloves, spinach, carrots, scallions and toasted sesame seeds on a bed of jasmine rice).

The Plant Society Kitchen

37 Mill St. East, Acton, ON L7J 1H1 Canada

Enjoy their Breakfast Plate consisting of tofu scramble, slice tomato, toast, avocado, potato hash, and fresh sprouts, Avo Toast, Kale Salad, or Falafel. They also serve desserts.

Wild Thyme Organics

81-6372 Hawaii Belt Rd., Kealakekua, HI 96750

Enjoy all vegan dishes such as Tempura Tacos, Philly Cheese Steak, Loaded Nachos, BLT, Chinese Chicken Salad, Paniolo Burger, and more. They use locally sourced organic vegetables and fruit when available.

Many years ago, Lisa Rivero wrote a Vegetarian Journal article titled “Mix Things Up.” Lisa states, “Dry mixes will keep well for several weeks; so have a variety on hand for last minute meals or snacks. Just be sure to package them carefully in air-tight jars or bags.”

These dry mixes would be useful to have on hand in case you live in an area that is having to go on lock-down due to the Coronavirus. The article includes recipes for CINNAMON RAISIN APPLE MUFFIN MIX, VEGETABLE DIP MIX, MACARONI AND TVP SKILLET MIX, LONG-GRAIN AND WILD RICE MIX, SAUCEPAN STUFFING MIX, BURGER MIX, and CAROB DATE BROWNIE MIX.

Read the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/recipes/mix.htm

Subscribe to Vegetarian Journal in the USA only by visiting https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Coming from more northern climates, Phoenix, AZ was delightfully warm. After a couple of sunny hikes, we realized that it was time to cool off. We made our first visit, of several trips, to Nami at 2014 North 7^th St in Phoenix. Nami started as a vegan ice cream shop and expanded to include coffee and other hot beverages, baked treats, breakfast, and Sunday brunch.

Nami offers vegan soft-serve made with organic unrefined cane sugar, organic soy and coconut milk, in vanilla, chocolate, and swirl flavors. Then it gets fun. You can mix in any number of goodies, either choosing your own or going with a suggested combination. For example, there’s Life’s a Peach (deconstructed peach cobbler, granola, and caramel). Clunky Monkey swirls soft-serve with bananas, pecans, banana syrup, and chocolate syrup. And then there’s the Mash where the server surprises you with an original concoction. Servings are large enough to share and they also offer smaller cups with no mix-ins. The soft-serve was smooth and creamy with a light flavor that blended well with the mix-ins. 

Every time we stopped by, Nami was busy, showing people of all ages how good vegan treats can be.

For information on Nami see: https://www.tsoynami.com/

For a list of veggie restaurants in the USA and Canada, see: https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php