The Vegetarian Resource Group is an activist non-profit organization that does vegan outreach all-year-long. For example, VRG tables at different events throughout the USA and also sends literature free of charge to other groups/individuals doing educational activities in schools, hospitals, camps, restaurants, libraries, offices, etc. Our ability to continue doing this depends on people like you! Your donations allow us to promote the vegan message whenever we’re called upon for assistance. Please consider becoming a monthly or quarterly donor to The Vegetarian Resource Group.
Thanks so much for your support. You can become a monthly or
quarterly donor online here: vrg.org/donate
Vegetarian Resource Group Co-Director Debra Wasserman gave a presentation at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Nutrition and Dietetic Educators and Preceptors Eastern Conference in Annapolis Maryland. This is attended by preceptors and teachers from Maine to Florida, who are teaching future dietitians.
After a successful Vegan Restaurant Week, Miss Shirley’s has decided to add a seasonal vegan menu for breakfast and brunch in the spring and fall, so that vegan options are available all-year-long in their 3 locations. Thank you to Vegan Week organizers, and all those that patronized featured restaurants that period. Some items on the current menu includes Oh Snap! Quinoa Salad (includes green beans), Gluten-Free Griddle Cakes, and Be More Beyond burger (with spinach, avocado mash, and Pico de Gallo on an ancient grain roll).
Del Taco just announced the nationwide expansion of its Beyond Tacos, offered in partnership with Beyond Meat®. Beginning Thursday, April 25th, Del Taco will offer the Beyond Meat option at the company’s 580 restaurants across the country.
My
daughter got married last May and we contracted with Green Plate Catering, a
farm-to-table catering company based in Silver Spring, Maryland which serves
the Baltimore and Washington DC areas. We requested all
vegan menus and Green Plate did not disappoint. Green Plate started
as a small brown bg vegetarian catering business 30 years ago and does full
service for events large and small. Catering to special
dietary needs such as vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free is their specialty.
Their
philosophy is sustainable, seasonal, local, and organic. Green Plate uses
Veteran Compost to divert their food scraps and waste from the landfill to
healthy soil. They
work closely with ECO City Farms to source their produce. ECO City Farms is a
non-profit educational farm in Maryland that trains farmers and local children
in sustainable, all natural farming techniques. Their founder, Kit
Wood, has been doing organic catering for over 30 years (before it was cool). They
donate their leftovers to Martha’s Table, a local food bank. Also, they specialize in
Zero Waste events, where everything is either consumed, composted, or recycled,
leaves nothing going to the landfill.
Steve
Hurley is the head chef at Green Plate Catering and was the point of contact
for our event. I
can’t say enough about how wonderful it was working with him. Steve was easy to
communicate with, responsive, and flexible during the entire planning process. He worked with us
on every detail to ensure the event went smoothly and that we were totally
satisfied. He
takes great pride in the food creations and service that Green Plate provides. From
the initial proposal, to creating a varied menu, making adjustments, food
tastings, and selecting tableware, Steve made the experience painless and
enjoyable. His
service was highly personalized and customized to our preferences and the
tastes of our guests.
Our
wedding event at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland included 3 different
sites for the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception, along with a totally
different site plan in case of rain. Green Plate helped
us to plan for each part and possible scenario of our event.
Our menu consisted of Vietnamese spring rolls, asparagus crostini, and twice baked potato croquets for appetizers. A buffet dinner included a falafel bar, Seitan Asada, and a Gnocchi station with a choice of tomato basil marinara, arugula pesto, and mushroom ragout. The favorite among the guests was the gnocchi station, but every dish was delicious and beautifully presented. Green Plate’s cake chef created a yummy vanilla cake with white vanilla maple buttercream frosting decorated simply but elegantly.
A
couple of weeks after the wedding, Steve followed up in an email from his
staff: “We were all very proud to be a part of such a well-executed and
beautiful wedding.” Steve
and the entire Green Plate staff played a key role in the beauty and wonder of
our special day.
From the press release: “With a growing demand for vegan and vegetarian options among our guests, we saw an opportunity within the space to partner with Beyond Meat to develop a proprietary blend of seasoned, 100 percent plant-based meat,” said John Cappasola, President and Chief Executive Officer of Del Taco.
At the start, the Beyond Meat Taco was offered only in select Los Angeles and San Diego area restaurants.
There is also a Beyond Avocado Taco offered as well.
On the Del Taco website, we learn that https://www.deltaco.com/beyond some ingredients of the Beyond Taco include: “yellow peas, coconut oil, ancho chili, onion, garlic, lime juice, oregano, and cumin…it is soy-free.” “…yellow peas are the primary ingredient used to create the protein in the Beyond Taco and Beyond Avocado Taco.” Diners can substitute Beyond Meat in any Del Taco menu item containing meat (such as a Del Combo Burrito) for an additional charge.
In response to a question on its website about whether it was vegan, Del Taco replied: “Beyond Meat is 100% plant-based and the Beyond Avocado Taco is dairy-free. Beyond Meat is not cooked in our restaurants in the same place as animal protein. However, we do prepare all of our tacos in the same prep area that does contain animal protein and dairy.”
For those who may be confused by the use of “100% plant-based” and “dairy-free,” the press release linked above clarifies:
Beyond Avocado Taco (vegan): Seasoned Beyond Meat plant-based crumbles, hand-sliced avocado, crisp lettuce and fresh diced tomatoes in a crunchy shell.
Beyond Taco (vegetarian): Seasoned Beyond Meat plant-based crumbles, hand-grated cheddar cheese, crisp lettuce and fresh diced tomatoes in a crunchy shell.
The VRG contacted the chain in March 2019 to find out if Del Taco had any plans to offer Beyond Meat taco options anywhere else.
Here is our exchange with Lauren Jacobson of a PR firm representing Del Taco who told us by email: The VRG: Do you have any plans to go national with Beyond Tacos at Del Taco restaurants? Del Taco: Yes! Please follow along here for updates. www.deltaco.com/beyond
Later we asked for more clarification: The VRG: Can you provide a time frame for when Beyond Tacos will be more widely available? Del Taco: Unfortunately, we will not be announcing that just yet. But I will add your name to our distribution list, so you’ll be one of the first to know!
Note to VRG readers: Check back here on our blog for updates from Del Taco! We’ll pass along any news.
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.
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, 2019 for current year of judging.
Previous winning
essays and complete details can be seen here: http://www.vrg.org/essay/
I recently assisted with a event hosted by Beit Tikvah, a Reconstructionist Jewish congregation. Vegetarian
Resource Group volunteer Marcy Schveibinz gave a vegan cooking demonstration on
how to prepare vegan hamentashen, a Jewish pastry. They are eaten to represent
the defeat of Haman, a villain described in the Hebrew Bible.
The event started with Havdalah, a candle ceremony to signal the
end of Shabbat, a weekly day of rest. As someone who isn’t Jewish, I really
enjoyed observing the ritual, which included blessing a cup of wine, singing
Hebrew songs, and passing around spices to smell.
Marcy began her demonstration with an explanation of veganism and
how it connects to Judaism. She also discussed many of the health benefits of
eating a vegan diet before moving onto the recipe. First, she showed everyone
how to make the dough by adding flour, baking powder, vegan butter, etc. to a
food processor, then cutting the dough into small circles. Next, she showed how
she would prepare fruit preserves for the filling. The filling is spooned onto
the center of the circle dough and pinched into a triangular shape.
Meanwhile, Taylor, another VRG intern, and I handed out pre-cut
pieces of dough to each of the guests and bowls with premade fillings. The
guests had a lot of fun being able to make their own hamentashen. Everyone’s
hamentashen was collected and baked for 20 minutes before being passed out
again to enjoy eating.
The guests also received a copy of Vegan Passover recipes by Chef Nancy Berkoff, a copy of VRG’s latest Vegetarian Journal, and a guide of
vegetarian/vegan restaurants in the Baltimore area. Guests were also able to
interact with a table displaying various vegan products that can be found in
stores, a display of materials related to vegan Judaism, and a display of
various brochures and books related to veganism.
The event required a lot of planning and deliberation beforehand.
Since it was a public event, we were unsure of exactly how many people would
attend. However, it was an overall success, as many people were able to learn
more about veganism and make their own vegan hamentashen.
For
more information on vegan Passover recipes see VRG’s Passover books:
The Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public on veganism and the interrelated issues of health, nutrition, ecology, ethics, and world hunger. We have been helping health professionals, food services, businesses, educators, students, vegans, and vegetarians since 1982. In addition to publishing the Vegan Journal, VRG produces and sells a number of books.
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