STEM: Farm + Kitchen is located inside R House (a European style food hall with several “Stalls”). This new establishment replaces Stall 11 that was in the same location.

The goal of Stem: Farm + Kitchen is to provide sustainable plant based foods. Many ingredients are sourced from local biodynamic farms. Bowl options include Rainbow Pad Thai, Korean BBQ Cauliflower, Plant Power, Pura Vida, and Mezze. They also offer a Kale Caesar salad and Green Goddess salad. Shared plates include Rosemary Sweet Potato Fries, Falafel Plate, Hummus Plate, Seasonal Soup, and more. Fresh juices, smoothies, and Acai Bowls are also offered.

For more information, visit: www.stemfarmkitchen.com

VRG’s online guide to veggie restaurants in the USA and Canada can be found here: https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

By Emilio Gironda

On Tuesday, January 21, 2020 it was my pleasure to join The Vegetarian Resource Group volunteer extraordinaire Marcy Schveibinz and University of Maryland Intern for a Day Teni Faleti for a Healthy Vegan Cooking Class held at Christopher Place in the City of Baltimore. Christopher Place, through the auspices of Catholic Charities, is a residential employment program that provides education, training, and recovery support to formerly homeless men of the Baltimore area.

The class consisted of eight well-dressed men who watched and learned from Marcy as she explained the fundamentals of vegan living, and demonstrated how to cook up some vegan chili. While hesitant at first, they quickly warmed up to Marcy’s pleasant demeanor and helpful, non-judgmental presentation. With Marcy mincing up some onions and garlic, intern Teni took control of the wok and started sautéing, quickly filling the air with the aroma.

As Marcy continued her food prep, she answered questions about living vegan, about food choices, about vitamins, and about protein. With everything sautéing in the wok, a few more minutes and the chili was ready to go. Everyone quickly lined up and filled their bowls with the meal, most adding some vegan sour cream on top. The room got quiet as everyone tried what was certainly their first foray into vegan chili. While some of them only ate a small amount, several went back for seconds. I, of course, had a bowl myself and it was great!

Once they finished eating, the students filed out of the classroom and on to the next class. It was interesting to me that I could actually see the demeanor of the students change as class progressed moving from polite nonchalance to, at least for a few of them, genuine interest. Kudos to Marcy, Teni, and everyone at Christopher Place for introducing the benefits of healthy living through a vegan diet. I wonder what Marcy plans to cook up for next class? 

If you are interested in interning for The Vegetarian Resource Group click here: https://www.vrg.org/student/

If you are interested in having your own Vegan Cooking Demonstration or Class see here for more information: https://www.vrg.org/blog/2018/08/06/starting-a-healthy-vegan-cooking-class-for-those-who-were-previously-homeless/

Plant. Lettuce. Tomato.

The P.L.T. is made with a plant-based patty made with Beyond Meat®* and served on a sesame seed bun with tomato, lettuce, pickles, onions, mayo-style sauce, ketchup, mustard, and a slice of processed cheddar cheese.

*Cooked on the same grill as other burgers, meat-based products and eggs.

Now being tested at selected McDonald’s® restaurants in Southwestern Ontario, Canada for a limited time

Beyond Meat® and the Beyond Meat® logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Beyond Meat, Inc. in the U.S. and in other countries.

See: https://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca/local/plt.html

We are aware that this option being tested is not vegan; however, perhaps down the line with demand, it can be prepared in a vegan fashion on a separate grill with vegan mayo sauce, vegan cheese, etc.

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.

For information on other restaurant chains, see https://www.vrg.org/fastfoodinfo.php

For information on vegan and vegetarian restaurants in the USA and Canada, see https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

We were fortunate to attend the Florida Palm Beach VegFest and dined on some delicious vegan food. FLORA Plant Based Cuisine served up vegan ceviche, burritos, and burgers out of their food truck. The food was fresh, colorful, and delicious. See: https://www.facebook.com/FLORA-Plant-Based-Cuisine-953354701410528/

Vegan bakers offered their goodies at this festival. V2 Baked from Greenacres, Florida, specializes in creating Custom Design Cakes, Dessert Cakes, Cupcakes, and a variety of pastries, and baked goods for any occasion. See: https://www.v2baked.com/

Boynton Beach, Florida, is home to Blondies Vegan Bakery & Café. They were selling gorgeous cupcakes. See: https://www.blondiesvegan.com/

Food was not the only thing displayed at this VegFest. Veronica Green was selling copies of her children’s vegan book series called The Adventures of Veggie Vero. See: https://www.veggievero.com/

Another VegFest in southern Florida will be held in Boca Raton on Saturday, March 21^st, 2020. See: https://www.pbvegfest.com/

Due to the generosity of an anonymous donor, The Vegetarian Resource Group each year will award $20,000 in college scholarship money to graduating U.S. high school students who have promoted veganism/vegetarianism in their schools and/or communities. Vegetarians do not eat meat, fish, or fowl. Vegans are vegetarians who do not use other animal products such as dairy or eggs.

One award of $10,000 and two awards of $5,000 will be given. Entries may only be sent by students graduating from high school in spring 2019. Deadline is February 20, 2020. We will accept applications postmarked on or before February 20, 2020. Early submission is encouraged!

Applicants will be judged on having shown compassion, courage, and a strong commitment to promoting a peaceful world through a vegan/vegetarian diet/lifestyle. Payment will be made to the student’s college (U.S. based only). Winners of the scholarships give permission to release their names to the media. Applications and essays become property of The Vegetarian Resource Group. We may ask finalists for more information. Scholarship winners are contacted by e-mail or telephone. Please look at your e-mail.

For details on the contest, see: http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

On The Border is offering Beyond Beef® in enchiladas, nachos and unlimited Beyond Meat Tacos until March 8. 2020. Here is their regular vegetarian menu: https://otbstoragestaging.blob.core.windows.net/media/Default/Menu/Nutrition/Vegetarian%20Menu_1.16.pdf

For information on other restaurant chains, see: https://www.vrg.org/fastfoodinfo.php

For information on vegetarian/vegan restaurants in the USA and Canada, see: https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

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.

We received the following email:

Hi, we recently came across your website and found it interesting. We would like to register our community café there which is India’s first eco-friendly vegan community café based in Kolkata. Here is our FB page: www.facebook.com/ubuntucommunity3/

Website is still under development, but you can check here: www.ubuntucommunity.co

From their website:

Wondering about the meaning of our name, Ubuntu? 

There was once an anthropologist who had been studying the habits and culture of a remote African tribe. One day, he put together a gift basket filled with delicious fruits from around the region and called the children together for a small race.

The man drew a line on the ground, looked at the children and said, “When I tell you to start, run to the tree. Whoever gets there first, will win the fruit basket.” As soon as the race began, the children held each other’s hands and ran to the tree together. 

They then sat under the tree and enjoyed the fruits together. Shocked, the anthropologist asked the children, “Why did you go together when one of you could have the entire fruit basket?”

A young girl looked up at him and said, “How can one of us be happy if all the other ones are sad?” and this is called spirit of UBUNTU which means “I am because We are”.

If you’ve never tried vegan Ethiopian Cuisine, you might want to give it a try! Not far from The Vegetarian Resource Group office, there are several Ethiopian restaurants offering vegan options.

Dukem in Baltimore City has several veggie sampler options on their menu offering items such as spicy red lentils, yellow split peas, collard greens, potato/carrot/cabbage stew, tomato salad, and more. This is served with injera, Ethiopian bread.

Tigi’s Ethiopian Restaurant in Ellicott City, Maryland, offers a special vegan menu, as well as a small listing of vegan combo platters. Options include sambusas, fava beans cooked with onions and garlic simmered in a berbere sauce, simmered brown lentils in mild sauce, crumbled tofu with sautéed onions and tomatoes, purée of roasted flax seed cooked in spicy sauce, and more served with injera.

Look for an Ethiopian restaurant in your area and see if they have vegan options. If you can’t find an Ethiopian restaurant nearby, you can prepare some of these dishes at home. Teff Love is a vegan Ethiopian cookbook. See: https://www.vrg.org/bookstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=102&zenid=680a0c94f1e69df73abb8120523348ad

The Staford Inn offers vegan cooking classes and more for families in California. See: https://stanfordinn.com/mendocino-oceanview-resort-cooking-classes/

For other resorts and bed and breakfast locations, see: https://www.vrg.org/links/vacation.htm#main

By Patricia Welty

It was spring 2016 and Pat and I were driving 625 miles to Springer Mountain in Georgia. We loaded the car and pulled away from my building on a rainy morning in Washington, DC as the rush hour traffic was bulging on Connecticut Avenue. It would take us at least 11 hours to reach Amicalola State Park Lodge near the Appalachian Trail southern terminus. Luckily the weather cleared and so did the traffic as we left DC behind.

Early the next morning I cased the room for hikers. I spotted two, both loaded down with gear, having breakfast with family members. After I filled my water bottle, as we left the dining room we both stopped short and gazed upward toward the ceiling. There we saw an elongated relief map of the AT stretching from Georgia through 14 states to Maine and covering the space on the wall from above the store to two stories above. Inside the lodge store I spied a familiar figure, Grandma Gatewood, infamous for being the first woman to thru-hike the AT in 1955 at age 67 wearing a pair of Keds.

I stuffed my backpack making last minute decisions on what to exclude and handed the remainders to Pat. We were off. But first we made the voluntary stop at the ranger station to register. A scale beckoned from the porch and I took the bait and hung my pack — 37 pounds. Inside a young ranger told me she thru-hiked the AT as a SOBO (south bounder) the year before, She was eager to share her advice. “You only need to carry one liter of water. Bring your heavy jacket because you’ll need it in the Smokies.” She was right. At the trailhead Pat and I hugged goodbye and I turned north toward Maine. 

Being away for six months requires planning. Being vegan on the AT makes planning a necessity. Thru-hiking had been on my mind ever since I signed up for the Konnarock Trail Crew and met several thru-hikers. I didn’t get serious about taking this on until 2015, the year before I left. I started by attending REI lectures on hiking the AT, talking to the instructors, and researching gear. In the fall of 2015 I hiked the 41-mile Maryland Section to try out pitching a tent, cooking on a small stove, and navigating blazes. In February before I left I got serious about planning where and when to get resupplies. I sent out an email to friends in DC and asked if they could help by sending four or five boxes to locations along the trail. The board of A Vegan Life nonprofit helped research vegan companies with light-weight, shelf-stable, and easy to prepare products. Some companies like Gorilly Goods, Vega, and Elianni donated food. I purchased cases of Road’s End Mac & Cheese because it only requires adding water. I planned to resupply every 40 or so miles and carry four days’ worth of food. A typical day would be hot oatmeal for breakfast, snacks (trail mix, bars) during the day, and Mac & Cheese for dinner. About 15 people offered to mail food packages. I plugged their names into the spread sheet and delivered filled USPS boxes before I left. The boxes were addressed to me with the notation “please hold for NOBO (north-bound) thru-hiker ETA …”           

My niece Lizi researched vegan recipes and mailed the dehydrated version to me in individually wrapped brown paper bags with instructions and ingredients. Her Thai curry soup and grits with kale and sesame seeds hit the spot. Lizi and Mike, her boyfriend, met me in along the trail in Shenandoah National Park with more delicious foods, snacks, and homemade cherry and vanilla ice cream made with almond milk that I ate at one of the rest stops where we met.

One recurring question I got besides “how old are you” was “where do you get your protein?” I couldn’t help but notice that many of the thru-hikers were young but had very poor diets. When they got to small towns they filled up on pizza, fast food, and junk. Even though I could not hike as fast as they could, I relied on my healthy diet to keep me going without injury. I wanted to be a model for what is possible on a healthy vegan diet at age 69. Besides I had to live up to my trail name Iron Butterfly.

I made it to Katahdin October 15, registered at the Baxter State Park Ranger Station, paid my fee, and along with my hiking friend, Swiss Miss, headed to the campsite designated for thru-hikers. That night we had a good dinner, I had saved a little of the Thai curry soup for this occasion, set the alarm for 5:30 am and crawled into the sleeping bag knowing we had made it. After breakfast in the dark the morning of October 16 we packed up our gear and headed for the ranger station. We left our large packs on the porch and stuffed a day pack with snacks and water and headed out for the Hunt Trail and the northern terminus of the trail.

It takes a day to hike up and down Katahdin. It starts out easy but half way up it is very difficult and requires holding onto rebar and hoisting almost straight up. Closer to the summit and above the tree line we walked along the path that had been roped off with signs that the area was home to an endangered butterfly. Along the way we met some young guys who hiked with us. There was no need to hurry now because we knew we had made it. At the summit we took the requisite photos before heading down to try and beat the rain. That night we celebrated with vegan food at a restaurant in Millinocket.

For more information on hiking and camping, see:
https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2013issue2/2013_issue2_vegan_backpacking.php
https://www.vrg.org/blog/2019/07/09/are-you-looking-for-vegan-hiking-boots-heres-some-online-stores-selling-them/
https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2001may/2001_may_backpack.php
https://www.vrg.org/blog/2011/02/18/vegan-camping-foods-for-the-winter/