During covid restrictions, Satvika was helping to distribute food to families at a makeshift drive-through. Seeing the unhealthy food, she partnered with a local farm, Veggielution, and created a plan with them to bring their produce to the federal distribution site. “It started off with flyers, and ramped up to brown bags filled with fruits and vegetables that I could hand to the cars along with their processed packages. This was the first time the farm was directly connected to the local school district… Intrigued by the link of nutrition to the highly subsidized and destructive processes of factory farming, inefficient at its core, I reached out to my district’s nutrition service directors. I have been a team member for the past three years, creating and serving a climate-friendly and culturally relevant menu, with items like chana masala and edamame fried rice now a permanent fixture.” One reference wrote, “This has been a lot of work by Satvika to get these dishes included, as the school has a lot of bureaucratic hurdles to get through, including a change in principal.”

Another reference from Friends of the Earth relayed about her further activism in Washington, DC: “Ms. Iyer spoke persuasively to her peers and to policymakers at USDA and in Congress about her own experiences that led her to become passionate about expanding climate-friendly, culturally appropriate lunch options in school … She led a rapid response effort to gather testimonies from youth, parents, and teachers about why they want to see more plant-based school menus and disseminated them to Members of Congress ahead of a key vote on the child nutrition reauthorization bill.

Satvika will major in Environmental Economics and Policy at the University of California Berkeley, and plans to pursue humanitarian engineering, social entrepreneurship, and policy careers that make sustainable choices readily accessible.

Support Young Veg Activists

To send support for additional scholarships and internships, donate at www.vrg.org/donate or call (410) 366-8343. You can also send a donation to VRG, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.

Do you know an amazing vegan or vegetarian high school student? If so, let them know about our annual scholarship contest. The deadline for high school seniors is February 20^th of each year. To see scholarship rules and past winners, visit www.vrg.org/student/scholar

Third generation Vegetarian Resource Group booth volunteers Millie and Della at Wilmington NC VegFest. They were doing vegan outreach with their parents. Despite the poor weather, turn-out was good.

Cajun Chickn Nuggets photo by Rissa Miller

In a previous issue of Vegan Journal Chef Jay Staten shares vegan recipes that can be made using an air fryer. But don’t worry, if you don’t own an air fryer, he also includes oven directions. Enjoy preparing Crispy Broccoli, Vegan BBQ Ribz, Jay’s Black Bean Burgers, Maryland Seasoned Fries, and Cajun Chick’n Nuggets.

Read the column here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2022issue2/2022_issue2_air_fryer.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal, visit: https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

By Danielle Choma, VRG Intern

I am appreciative of my time at The Vegetarian Resource Group in Baltimore, Maryland. During my semester-long internship experience at VRG, I have learned more about veganism and vegetarianism, as well as veggie food options in Baltimore, scientific information about human health, historic themes about veganism and vegetarianism, and strengthened my writing skills and organizational skills.

As a vegetarian myself, I was intrigued to learn some nutritional information about the veggie diet. In addition to learning new scientific nutritional facts that I can apply to myself and my own diet, I was able to learn and discover new vegan recipes

I found this personally helpful to my own health, but it also shed light on the lack of vegetarian education and knowledge that is easily accessible for young individuals. This realization then connected to two others projects I did; finding restaurants near Loyola’s (my college) campus that serve vegan food and what dining services at Loyola provide vegan and vegetarian food options. These projects were most interesting to me as I was learning about the local restaurants and businesses around my college hometown.

During my entire time interning with The Vegetarian Resource Group, I was able to improve and utilize my writing skills. I wrote up blogs about how to become an environmental lawyer, the vegan and vegetarian food options on Loyola’s campus, VRG scholarship entry comparisons, and a restaurant review. Writing blogs is different compared to the academic and research-oriented writing I am used to through Loyola’s coursework. Blogs are much more simplified and written in a conversation-like manner to give ease to the reader.

My organizational skills were also strengthened through my time at The Vegetarian Resource Group. Right off the start of the semester, Charles tasked me to create my own schedule for all of my VRG assignments and projects. In order to create a tentative schedule, I had to incorporate my Loyola coursework, holidays, midterms and exams, my on-campus job schedule, as well as personal life. Creating this schedule allowed me to mesh all of these important areas of my life together so that I was able to put my best work forward quickly and efficiently.

Another project I will be doing with another VRG intern who attends Loyola is participating in Loyola’s Earth Day event. We will set up a table for VRG and talk to our fellow classmates about what VRG is, veganism, and vegetarianism. Overall, I am very grateful for my internship experience this past semester at The Vegetarian Recourse Group!

For more information about VRG internships, see https://www.vrg.org/student/index.php

Debra Daniels-Zeller provides information on selecting and preparing fresh pea dishes including Braised Pea Shoots, Pea Shoots and Quinoa, Minted Sugar Snap Peas and Leeks, English Pea Guacamole, Sesame-Ginger Snow Peas, Snow Pea Slaw with Red Peppers, Mac and Peas, and Penne Pasta, Sugar Snap Peas, and Tomatoes. Enjoy!

The entire article can be read here: A Passion for Peas

To subscribe to Vegan Journal, visit: http://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Searching for a recipe that appeared in Vegan Journal  and you once prepared and can’t find that issue anymore? Did you know that all articles appearing in Vegan Journal (previously Vegetarian Journal) are indexed on our website? See: https://www.vrg.org/journal/article_index.htm

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

photo by Hannah Kaminsky

Hannah Kaminsky shares several vegan dishes that go well with your afternoon tea. Enjoy:

Cucumber Tapenade Tea Sandwiches

Cheesy Dill Scones

Lentil Sausage Rolls

Blueberry Chia Jam

Blueberry Jam Drops

Chickpea Egg Bites

Read the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2023issue1/2023_issue1_time_for_tea.php

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

photo by Rissa Miller

Previously VRG featured an article titled “Non-Alcoholic Thirst Quenchers,” by Mikiel Peratino. Mikiel is a former assistant manager and bartender at Great Sage vegan restaurant in Maryland. Enjoy recipes for Strawberry Fauxjito; Virgin Piña Colada; Warm Golden Pumpkin; Black Rose Mule; Watermelon Cooler; S’mores Mudslide; Virgin Cucumber Basil Gimlet; and Butterfly Margarita. These drinks look absolutely gorgeous and will bring a smile to your face!

Read the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2020issue3/2020_issue3_thirst_quenchers.php

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

My freshman year of high school I quickly discovered how limited plant-based options at school were. I had to do something about it. I found the federal plant-based school food advocacy coalition, where I currently serve as vice-chair. Throughout my time there, I helped lead a USDA listening session with USDA officials, advocating for lessening restrictions on incorporating sustainable, nutritious plant-based foods into school cafeterias and federal institutions. As an Asian-American, 90% of us are lactose-intolerant, yet milk is mandated to be placed on our trays at school, with no plant-based milk options.

In further efforts to reduce restrictions to environmentally-friendly nutritious food, I have been collaborating with my school’s cafeteria for over 3 years to implement more vegan options in the lunch lines. At the time, the only vegan option my school had was a PB&J. This year, my cafeteria staff and I were able to add a veggie grill with a new vegan option every day. It has vegan chicken nuggets, buffalo wings, and a black bean burger. There’s also a new side option of fiesta black beans. They are the first plant-based options the cafeteria has offered that has lasted more than one semester. The vegan options are official entrées, so they are covered under reduced lunch. Fortunately, soymilk is served at my school (one of not many schools in the country). But it is treated as an ala carte menu item, so it’s not able to be reimbursed by the National School Lunch program. Thus, students who choose soymilk have to pay extra. Unfortunately, unless non-dairy milk is able to be reimbursed to schools through federal policy, it won’t be an option at schools alongside dairy milk for the same price. The ADD SOY act was one of the bills that would make soymilk more accessible for students that I talked to legislators about last summer.

We did a taste test last spring with several other options like a chickpea wrap, tofu fried rice, teriyaki tofu wrap, pasta with meatless crumbles, and nachos with meatless crumbles. However, since our school cafeteria is mostly heat and serve with over 5,400 students, the only options that would be sustainable on the menu were the ones we currently have.

Recently, I’ve been the first student speaker at Indy VegFest, where I gave a presentation on centering student voices in plant-based advocacy. Additionally, I am an intern at Balanced (a nonprofit that advocates for plant-based foods in institutional spaces), and have created a youth-advocacy guide to help others make changes to promote plant-based foods in their communities. Last summer I went to Capitol Hill to meet with congressional office, USDA FNS & AMS, and executives from the White House. I lobbied for bills that would provide schools with funding to serve foods with every student’s needs and ethical preferences. This past year, I’ve founded an organization—Plant-based Peers—to help other students change their cafeteria menus as well.

I was accepted to present at the Animal and Vegan Advocacy conference on “How to Empower Youth in the Vegan Movement,” and I was part of the planning committee for a student-led plant-based conference at Harvard. I also want to mention that I first found out about this scholarship last year from looking for vegetarian scholarships on Google, and reached out to one of the previous winners (Angelina Schapiro) because I was really interested in her work she mentioned on the website. I connected with her last summer, and she was one of my main inspirations in applying to Stanford. When I visit, I’ll be staying in her dorm. I wouldn’t have connected with Angelina if not for this scholarship and The VRG website, so I am extremely grateful, and wanted to say thanks for connecting youth.

I intend to study human biology or earth systems, with a focus on nutrition and sustainable food systems. In college and beyond, I’m excited to keep pushing for more healthful and sustainable menus, and working towards a more just, plant-forward food system for all.

Support Young Veg Activists

To send support for additional scholarships and internships, donate at www.vrg.org/donate or call (410) 366-8343. You can also send a donation to VRG, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.

Vegan Journal is published by The Vegetarian Resource Group. Enjoy in-depth original research, product and book reviews, scientific updates on veggie nutrition, delicious vegan recipes with gorgeous photos, plus so much more. Both long-term vegans and those new to a vegan life-style will enjoy this magazine.

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