The Vegetarian Resource Group has an extensive section of vegan information in Spanish on our website. This includes recipes, nutrition information, articles, and more. See: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/information_in_Spanish.htm

Citrus fruit is readily available this time of year. The Vegetarian Journal articles below offer a wide variety of vegan recipes featuring citrus fruit.

Citrus Magic, by Debra Daniels-Zeller, provides recipes for Blood Orange Salad Dressing, Chipotle-Citrus Tofu Marinade, Raw Kale and Avocado Salad with Lemon Dressing, Tangerine Dream Cake, Broiled Grapefruit, Zesty Lemon-Mustard Dip, Parsley Rice with Carrots, Lime, and Pistachios, Orange Oats and Cranberries, and Grapefruit, Apple, and Avocado Salad with Satsuma Vinaigrette. See: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2013issue4/2013_issue4_citrus_magic.php

Another article by Debra Daniels-Zeller titled Lighten Up with Citrus offers Orange Buckwheat Porridge with Toasted Pecans, Guacamole, Creamy, Spicy Black Bean Soup, Cabbage, Carrot, and Raisin Salad with Citrus-Tahini Dressing, Orange-Almond Dressing, Citrus Baked Tofu, Lemon-Kale, Caramelized Onions, and Basmati Rice, Lemon-Banana Cashew Cream, Kumquat-Cardamom Coconut Pudding, and Lime Granita. See: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2005issue1/2005_issue1_lighten_up.php

To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal, visit: www.vrg.org/party

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By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

It’s a November afternoon so even though it’s only 5 pm, the sun has set and it’s getting dark. We arrive at our campground for the night. Hungry from a day spent hiking, we want something more than the trail mix and fruit we had for lunch. With headlamps on, we light the camping stove and get ready for a quick dinner. In less than 15 minutes, we’re enjoying curried chickpeas and couscous with a side of carrot sticks (peanut butter optional).

My husband and I recently rediscovered the joys of camping. We’re car campers so don’t have to worry about the weight of ingredients. Since we’re often far from grocery stores, we bring all our food with us. We rely on an ice chest to keep food cool the first day or two. After that, if the weather is hot, we rely on canned vegetables. In cooler weather we bring vegetables that will keep even without refrigeration including cabbage, carrots, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and tomatoes. Ideally, if we were gone for more than a few days, we’d restock with fresh vegetables and bread.

Since we’re already heating up the stove in the morning to make tea, we have hot water for oatmeal for breakfast. We’ve found that bagels last several days and are good for breakfast or lunch with nut butter.  Homemade muffins (make before trip) also last for several days and are good for breakfast and snacks. Cold cereal and granola are other breakfast possibilities. We bring individual aseptic packages of soymilk or other plant milk since we’re not able to refrigerate them after opening. Leftovers from the night before also make a fine breakfast.

Lunch and snacks are packed up and ready to eat on the road or trail. We don’t want to spend time cooking mid-day, so we usually have a food bag that goes in the car with nuts, dried fruit, crackers, crispbread, fresh fruit, peanut butter pretzels, and cookies from home. We may tuck in a jar of nut butter to spread on fruit and crackers or reconstitute a powdered refried bean spread in the morning and bring it with us.

I do some prep before our trip to make dinners simpler. I measure and package the amount of lentils, pasta, or couscous that we’ll need for a meal, so we’ll know how much water is needed. I also make spice mixtures ahead of time and put ingredients like cooking oil or soy sauce into a smaller container.

Here are 5 simple dinners we’ve enjoyed.

Ramen Noodle Soup with TVP and Marinated Cabbage Salad: I start the cabbage salad before doing anything else. The cabbage is finely shredded using a sharp knife and tossed with a mixture of olive oil, onion powder, dill, salt, and pepper I brought from home. Squeeze the juice from a fresh lemon over the mixture, toss and let stand while making the soup. For the soup, bring water to a boil and add a couple of packages of ramen noodles, some dry TVP, a small can of mushrooms (drained), and a can of water chestnuts (drained). Cook until the noodles are tender. I try to find lower sodium ramen and even then, find that half a packet of seasoning is plenty even for a couple of packages of noodles.

Italian Stew: Combine a can of drained white beans; a couple of potatoes, diced; a couple of zucchinis, sliced; and a can of diced tomatoes. Stir in a seasoning mix brought from home that includes oregano, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper. Nutritional yeast can be added for a cheesy flavor. Cook until potatoes and zucchinis are tender, adding water as needed to prevent sticking. Serve with whole grain crackers.

Curried Chickpeas and Couscous: Start by cooking the couscous. Put instant whole-wheat couscous in a heat-proof bowl. Heat a pot of water to boiling. Add boiling water to the couscous, using a ratio of 1-1/2 parts of water to 1 part of couscous. Cover the bowl of couscous with a plate or a towel and let stand while you make the chickpeas. You can use the same pot you used to make the couscous. Combine a small can of tomato sauce with a can of drained chickpeas, and some water. Stir in a spice mix from home that includes cumin, coriander, turmeric, and onion powder. If you’d like, finely diced potatoes can be added to the chickpea mixture. Cook, simmering gently until hot throughout and, if potatoes were added, until the potatoes are done. Serve over couscous.  

Pasta with Baked Beans: Begin boiling water. Once water is boiling, add small pasta of choice and cook, stirring frequently until pasta is done. Drain and add a can of vegetarian baked beans. Heat gently, adding a little water as needed to keep pasta from sticking. Carrot sticks are a nice addition to this meal.

Curried Red Lentils and Couscous: Before leaving home, combine 1 part red lentils with 1 part of instant whole-wheat couscous and some curry powder. At camp, bring 4 parts of water to a boil and add lentil mixture. Lower heat to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes or until lentils are done. Add water as needed to prevent sticking. Stir in a can of green beans or mixed vegetables, drained in the last few minutes of cooking. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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

Nothing beats soup during the winter and Peggy Rynk’s previous Vegetarian Journal article Hot, Hearty Soups for Cold Winter Days offers a number of recipes including Italian-Style Vegetable Soup, African Peanut Soup, Potato-Green Pea Chowder, Beans and Franks Soup, Easy Lima Bean Soup, Curly Kale, Corn, and Tomato Stew, plus more.

Read the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2005issue1/2005_issue1_soups.php

Also, please subscribe to Vegetarian Journal by visiting https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Recent discussion topics include:

– One parent posted: Does anyone else find that their refrigerator doesn’t have enough space for produce? These things are clearly designed for meat and cheese and lots of boxes and bottles. I need more drawer space! Has anyone found a DIY hack to keep their produce fresh in the fridge? Help a mama out! Several group members shared suggestions on how they deal with this issue.

– A grandparent posted: Any suggestions for books (or even websites) that explain how to structure meals for infants and toddlers? I’m not looking for recipes, but rather information on making sure that my grandbabies get the nutrients they need.

– VRG shared with the group: The US Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) recently announced that it will recognize soy-based tempeh as a meat/meat alternative that can be served in the Child Nutrition Programs such as the National School Lunch Program a.k.a. school lunches. See: https://www.vrg.org/blog/2019/11/07/soy-based-tempeh-options-in-school-lunches/?fbclid=IwAR1DL3taIE-IRvgFwDo3_NgrHyLi0AKaHVGhdX8UGghDtwU2dg0Ek7IlCXA

-Plus other topics covered as well!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/VRGparentsandkids/ is intended to be a group that offers support for families raising children on vegan diets and for vegan kids. We envision it as a place to get advice about a wide-variety of topics: pregnancy, birthday parties, school lunches, Halloween, non-leather apparel, cruelty-free products, summer camps, and more. Please use it as a place to share your wisdom, seek advice, or just find a sympathetic ear. The goal is to offer support.

Consequently, any profane, defamatory, offensive, or violent language will be removed. Feel free to disagree, but do so respectfully. Hateful or discriminatory comments regarding race, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or political beliefs will not be tolerated. We expect that posts should relate to vegan diets and lifestyles. The Vegetarian Resource Group reserves the right to monitor all content and ban any user who posts in violation of the above rules, any law or regulation, SPAM, or anything otherwise off topic.

Please share this information with any veggie families that you know! Thanks.

Many people vow to lose weight in the New Year. If you’re looking for a vegan weight loss article, you may want to take a look at https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2006issue1/2006_issue1_weight.php written by VRG’s Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels, PhD, RD along with recipes from VRG’s Foodservice Advisor Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD.

The article previously appeared in Vegetarian Journal and states, “While studies frequently find that vegetarians tend to be leaner than non-vegetarians and that vegans are leaner than lacto-ovo vegetarians, these results do not mean that all, or even most, vegans are lean. Vegans struggle with the same food-related issues that non-vegetarians do.

“This article was written to provide suggestions for vegans, or people who are interested in following a vegan diet, who want to lose weight. The weight loss plan is designed for non-pregnant adults. If you have a medical condition such as kidney disease, heart disease, diabetes, or high blood pressure, please consult your health care professional to make sure these ideas will work for you.”

Tips for Following a Vegan Weight-Control Diet are offered, as well as a chart listing vegan Lowfat Foods To Meet Your Nutritional Needs. You will also find a sample menu plan along with several recipes including Spinach-Onion Dip, Oven-Roasted Salsa Tofu, Seitan L’Orange, Tempeh Cacciatore, Baked Pears, Pineapple Cake, and Orange-Vanilla Smoothie.

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

Karina was one of VRG’s 2019 college scholarship winners. She sent this note:

The transition to college has been more than I could expect. It’s only been a semester, but my life has definitely changed for the better. I couldn’t thank you enough for this opportunity. I’m a first gen student, and didn’t fully know what college was, or what it could bring. My parents don’t know anything about college, and so I’ve had to figure it out on my own. At the UNLV Honors College, I have been blown away by the opportunities I can have if I work hard enough. The teachers, administration, and students I have met have only inspired me to work harder for my passions. I feel so supported when I talk about my plans, and they help me figure out how I can make that happen and in ways better than I imagined. I definitely think I chose the right college. 

Although UNLV is a very diverse campus, I saw very little vegan/vegetarian activity. I was going to try and join a vegetarian or environmental club, but there was only one on campus and it is not too active. It became really difficult to try and find some sort of vegetarian community, which I thought would be easier. The campus has very little options for people that are plant-based. Since there has been so much progress in plant-based foods, I thought there would be more options in the food trucks and restaurants at school, but there isn’t at all. In September, I met with one of my honors college advisors to talk about this. We discussed some of the changes that could occur at UNLV regarding veganism. He suggested for me to start with getting the word out. Eventually, he thinks it would be a really good idea to start a club within the honors college to help advocate more. 

Since then, I’ve been working on establishing friendships and a sense of community with people that may have interests relating to vegetarianism/veganism or just being environmentally friendly. The honors college had a Friendsgiving the day before Thanksgiving, and it became the perfect opportunity to bring in my own food and be able to discuss the beauties of being vegan. I have made friends with a teacher that has also helped me come up with ideas because she’s been a vegetarian since she was eleven. She finds the healthiness and nutrition behind plant-based diets important, and so she suggested I try to get healthier food choices on campus. I’ve been told that I have brought more positive attitudes about veganism without becoming the “stereotypical and annoying vegan.” Since there are a couple vegan restaurants close to campus, I’ve introduced more people to how good vegan food can be and have made friends that try to make more conscious food choices now.

Thank you once again for this. I knew that going to college would be great for me, but I didn’t realize just how much I could do. Somehow, my dreams got bigger and I’m more motivated to work harder. I’ll keep you updated. This is definitely only the beginning of the journey for me! I have a lot of dreams to help others, not only with veganism, but also with mental health, and am excited to work on making them come true.

Thank you so much, Karina Rose Carrillo-Juarez

To see Karina’s vegan activism in high school, see https://www.vrg.org/blog/2019/06/10/nevada-student-wins-10000-vegetarian-resource-group-scholarship/

VRG awards $20,000 in college scholarships each year to graduating high school seniors. The annual deadline is February 20th. For application information, or to see past winners, go to https://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

To support additional scholarships or internships, donate at www.vrg.org/donate Under comments, indicate the purpose of the donation.

Every issue of Vegetarian Journal includes the column Vegan Cooking Tips by Chef Nancy Berkoff. The latest issue focuses on quick and easy ways to cook with mushrooms.

Nancy states, “There are more than 30 types of edible mushrooms. The “common” mushrooms including button, cremini, and portobello are the most familiar and available, but it’s great to take advantage of chanterelle, oyster, shiitake, straw, and many others when you find them. Each mushroom has its own flavor and texture, but all add umami to the menu.”

Read the entire column here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2019issue4/2019_issue4_cooking_tips.php

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