The Vegetarian Resource Group maintains an online Guide to Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants in the USA and Canada. Below are some recent additions. The entire guide can be found here: http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

B52 Vegan Bakery & Café
5202 Butler St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15201
B52 Café focuses on traditional American fare and savory pastries for breakfast and Middle Eastern and Mediterranean foods for lunch and dinner. Though most of the cuisine is Mediterranean, vegan cinnamon rolls, brownies, cookies, truffles, and more can still be enjoyed! Along with vegan staples such as tofu scramble and buckwheat pancakes.

Be Well Kitchen
4th Street Market
201 E. 4th St.
Santa Ana, CA 92701
After a consultation, the chef customized a unique meal plan for your needs. Programs range from a full day of three meals and a snack to week-long meals. Meals are available for pickup or delivery. Be Well Kitchen is devoted to flavorful and convenient healthy living.

The Cinnamon Snail
The Pennsy
2 Pennsylvania Plaza
New York, NY 10021
The Cinnamon Snail vegan food truck that serves mostly organic food, prepared without processed or artificial ingredients now has a store front location in Penn Station. Try their Thai BBQ Tempeh with Pickled Red Onions and Thai Basil, Arugula, Smoked Chili Roasted Peanuts and Sriracha Mayonnaise on Grilled Spelt Bread, their famous Beastmode Burger Deluxe, Ancho Chili Seitan Burger Grilled in Maple Bourbon BBQ Sauce with Jalapeno Max & Cheese, Arugula Smoked Chili Coconut Bacon and Chipotle Mayo on a Grilled Pretzel Bun, and a Lemongrass 5 Spice Seitan with Curried Cashews, Arugula, Sichuan Chili Sauce and Wasabi Mayonnaise on a Grilled Baguette. They also offer vegan desserts.

Dixie Dharma At Market On South
2603 E South St.
Orlando, FL 32803
Traditional southern dishes take on a plant-based twist at this market location. Dixie Dharma’s BBQ is known for its immaculate similarity to authentic pulled pork. Indulge in a “sloppy joe” or “baked mac ‘n cheese” at this hip location in central Florida.

Harvest Beat
1711 N 45th St.
Seattle, WA 98103
Harvest Beat is a restaurant on a mission. By creating prix-fixe menus based on the current availability of ingredients from local farmers and from their own gardens, which reduces the need for food storage and ultimately, food waste, and by composting all food scraps, they are keeping their carbon footprint to a minimum. Naturally, as the ingredients are always changing, so does the menu. This dish, served as the 4th course on a December menu, should give you an idea of the kind of fare served at Harvest Beat: eggplant roulade, jester squash mousse, grilled whiskey poached kohlrabi, Romanesco spears, micro arugula, and autumn olive chutney. There is also a limited take out lunch menu available offering soup and a sandwich wrap.

Kindred
1503 30th St.
San Diego, CA 92102
Located in South Park, Kindred boasts a wide selection of vegan cocktails. The menu features a number of classic dishes made vegan. Snack selections include Fried Pickles and Seitan Skewers. Main dishes range from the Memphis BBQ Jackfruit Sandwich to the Beet Risotto. Be sure to check out the weekend brunch menu, too. They are open late.

Nutritious You
6583 Midnight Pass Rd.
Siesta Key, FL 34242
The menu at Nutritious You includes a wide variety of snacks and cuisine with a health-conscious twist. Restaurant goers may recognize their snacks from various health food stores. The restaurant itself includes a wide variety of items including desserts, spreads, and take home items. Menu staples include options like Vegan Pizza or Falafel.

Revolution Juice
150 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
Revolution Juice’s specialty is serving plant-based drinks to promote a nutritious and environmentally-friendly diet. Try their Carrot Ginger Curry, Vanilla Date-orade, or their Ginger Juice Shot from an expansive menu of juices, juice shots, smoothies, sorbets, coffees, teas, soups, snacks, and more at this juice bar which is located right between Newton and Belvidere Street.

Root
223 W Walnut St.
Lancaster, PA 17602
Root is the perfect vegan restaurant/bar to visit if you are in need of good vegan food and/or drinks! They offer a wide variety of specialty vegan foods including mushroom sliders, spinach dip, pizza, and Caesar salad! These typically non-vegan dishes are made with tofu, vegan cheeses, and mushrooms, and are much more delicious as a result. Stop in and enjoy a nice meal and vegan drinks!

Valhalla Bakery
2603 E South St.
Orlando, FL 32803
Valhalla Bakery is the perfect place to go to satisfy your vegan sweet-tooth craving. The cozy bakery is known for its Nanaimo bars, cupcakes, and artfully presented custom-order cakes that are suitable for any occasion from a birthday party to a wedding. Their ever-changing menu is also filled with a selection of pies, cookies, muffins, pretzels, tarts, buns, doughnuts, and even some gluten-free baked goods.

VeganBurg
1466 Haight St.
San Francisco, CA 94117
VeganBurg’s specialty is making completely vegan burgers. With the aim to promote an environmentally sustainable and nutritious diet, VeganBurg’s menu is full of options such as the Smoky BBQ (a mushroom burger high in beta-carotene) or the Tangy Tartar (a crunchy alfalfa burger with vegan tartar sauce). VeganBurg is not limited to burgers. Their sides include their Seaweed Fries and Handmade Spinach Pops, and they have a selection of vegan sweets. VeganBurg also has a Kiddie Meal for younger ones.

Vegebitez
9-2460 Neyagawa Blvd.
Oakville, ON L6H 7P4 Canada
Enjoy a wide range of fresh juices, vegan milk shakes, and more. For a late breakfast meal (served all day), you can sample muffins, parfaits, chickpea waffles, and scrambled tofu. For lunch or dinner try a wide range of salads, sides, and appetizers along with different types of burgers and sandwiches.

Vegano Italiano Tours, a joint project of Tierno Tours and Green Earth Travels, returns with two terrific travel tours for 2016. The first is a week-long tour of southwestern Italy’s renowned Amalfi Coast and overlooked Cilento Coast July 2–9, with visits to Herculaneum, Padula, and Roccadaspide. The second week-long tour goes through the stunning region of Puglia in southeastern Italy, with visits to Bari, Matera, and Alberobello, September 24–October 1.

Whether Amalfi’s breathtaking views or Matera’s rich history, travelers will enjoy stepping away from their regular routine to visit Italy, one of the world’s Top 3 travel destinations. Travelers can admire the lemon-laden terraced gardens along the entire coast of Amalfi while sipping on some limoncello liqueur, or marvel at the fact that Matera is the only place in the world where people can boast about living in the same houses of their ancestors of 9,000 years ago.

The regions of Puglia and Cilento are equally enthralling. Whether savoring the former’s locally produced olive oil, artichokes, tomatoes and mushrooms as well as its Baroque architectural monuments in Lecce and other archeological areas, or the latter’s Greek temples (some of the best-preserved on the Mediterranean) and its pre-Byzantine tombs.
Each tour includes a special guest from vegandom that will share cooking demonstrations and more. In July, that is Julieanna Hever, while in September, it is Miyoko Schinner. Both of 2016’s special guests are accomplished professional vegans with well-received vegan tv shows and their own books, hailing from Southern and Northern California, respectively.

Julieanna Hever, MS, RD, CPT, aka the Plant-Based Dietitian, joins the first tour July 2 through 9. Julieanna hosts Z Living’s What Would Julieanna Do? tv show. She’s the author of the very recently released book title The Vegiterranean Diet, and previously The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition. She’s also VegNews Magazine’s nutrition columnist.

Travelers joining Julieanna will stay two nights in breathtaking Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast, sail to the caves of Palinuro down the Cilento Coast, visit four UNESCO World Heritage sites, marvel at (and happily moan about) meals with fresh made vegan pasta and pizzas, plus discover hidden treasures and roads of Southern Italy from local guides.
September 24 through October 1, special guest Miyoko Schinner will impart her culinary knowledge and talents with travelers. Miyoko heads Miyoko’s Creamery, selling handcrafted, artisanal cheeses based on her bestselling cookbook, Artisan Vegan Cheese. She shares her passion for delicious vegan cuisine in classes around the world, and co-hosts Vegan Mashup, seen on public television.

People on Miyoko’s tour will spend a day among the Trulli huts, stay two nights in the heart of “i sassi” of Matera, sail the Adriatic Sea, enjoy olive oil like never before, and experience a truly one of a kind travel meets culinary tour.

Travelers want to choose Vegano Italiano Tours for a comfortable, all-inclusive, immersive vacation seeing and tasting Italy as very very few have before. They will come and forge lifelong friendships amidst tremendously beautiful backdrops. Book today and make this one more thing to be thankful for, toast to and celebrate this season. Salute!

About Tierno Tours
Founded in 2009 by husband-and-wife team Pasquale Tierno and Gretchen Sheridan, Tierno Tours arranges and leads boutique tours of Southern Italy. Using a discerning insider’s curatorial touch, they craft unforgettable European experiences catering to hiking enthusiasts, avid vegans, history buffs, and more.

About Green Earth Travel
Seasoned world traveler Donna Zeigfinger founded Green Earth Travel to provide a wide range of travel options for people who crave adventure and care about the planet. Since 1997, this travel agency has remained on the cutting edge of conscientious and customized tourism, while becoming the nation’s premiere vegetarian/vegan/eco travel agency.
To make inquiries or secure reservations, please contact Donna Zeigfinger at Green Earth Travel LLC, [email protected] or (301) 229-5666

If you are traveling to Beijing, Emily Li suggests you try these restaurants.

Key:
*Vegetarian food
**Vegan food
§ Reviewer’s choice

Chaoyang

**Beijing Vegan Hut
Stall 0912, 2/F, Bldg 9, Jianwai Soho, 39 Dongsanhuan Zhonglu, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China 100020
+86-10-58699856
Chinese/international/organic/fast food

*Buddha’s Bite
798 Road (at Art Zone, Seven Star East Street, Unit 311), Beijing, 100015
+86-10-57626193
Chinese

*Pure Lotus
Tongguang Bldg, 12 Nongzhanguan Nanlu, Chaoyang District (Courtyard of China Fed of Literary and Art Circles), Beijing, China
+86-10-6592-3627, 8703-6669
Chinese

**ShangSu Pizza
Stall 905, Building 6, Xian, Dai Cheng, 6, Jianguo Rd, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
+86 139-1135-3903
Pizza/American/Italian/Take-out

*Tianchu Miaoxiang Vegetarian – Chaowai
Rm 0260, 2/F, Bldg D, Chaowai SOHO, 6B Chaoyangmenwai Dajie, CBD/Guomao, Beijing, 100020
59001088, 59001288
Chinese/fast food/take-out

§Tribe Organic
China http://buyabilifyonlinenow.com View Plaza, 1/F, Bdg 3, Gongti Donglu
8587 1899
Organic/fusion

Dongcheng
*Baihe – Lily Vegetarian
23 Caoyuan Hutong, Dong Cheng District, Beijing, China
+86-1064052082
Chinese

*Fairy Su
30 Yonghegong Da Jie, Dongcheng District (next to Yonghegong Lama Temple), Beijing, China
+86 010-58444596, 58444598
Chinese

**The Veggie Table
19 Wudaoying Hutong, Dong Cheng District, Beijing, China 100007
+86-10-6446-2073
Western/international

*Xu Xiang Zhai
26-1 Guozijian Dajie, Hutong (opposite Lama temple, next to Confucian temple, Dongcheng District), Beijing, China
+86-010-64046568, 64046566
Chinese/western/buffet

Haidian

**SUHU – Vegetarian Tiger
203, Southeast Huayuan Office Building, 88, Shuangqing Rd, Haidian District, Beijing, China
+86-010-82527078
Chinese

Shunyi

Avocado Tree
310 Pinnacle Plaza
+86-186-0010-8613
Mexican

*Elaine’s
North of LuoMa Roundabout, HouShaYu Town, Shunyi District, Beijing, China
+86-10-80485088
Chinese

Emily Li is a Vegetarian Resource Group volunteer living in China.

According to CBS News, Taco Bell will be removing carmine from its red tortilla strips.

See: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/taco-bell-pizza-hut-booting-artificial-ingredients/

For more information on quick service chains, see: http://www.vrg.org/fastfoodinfo.php

The contents of this postings, 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 judgement about whether a
product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or
confirmation on your own.

These reviews originally appeared in Vegetarian Journal Issue 2, 2011. To subscribe to the Vegetarian Journal, visit: http://www.vrg.org/journal/.

How to Grow a School Garden

By Arden Bucklin-Sporer and Rachel Kathleen Pringle

The authors of How to Grow a School Garden: A Complete Guide for Parents and Teachers are involved with the San Francisco Green Schoolyard Alliance. They strongly believe that it is important for children to spend as much time as possible outdoors, both to prevent obesity and to connect with nature. When children (and adults) work with school gardens, they hopefully develop a better understanding of the importance of nutrition and health.

The first half of How to Grow a School Garden focuses on creating and developing a school's garden space. The second half of the book includes tips on getting your community involved, raising funds to build and maintain your garden, designing a school garden, and finding the materials you will need. A handful of primarily vegan recipes using crops that may be grown are also featured.

Especially helpful is a section about making the case to build a school garden. Comments include the fact that students who grow their own food are more likely to eat fresh produce and to express preference for these items. Making gardens also encourages creativity and cooperation.

Additionally, the book includes examples of letters to use as guidance when introducing the project to your community or going after funds. Sample garden designs are also offered, as well as lesson plans that teachers can use year-round.

How to Grow a School Garden (ISBN 978-1-60469-000-2) is 224 pages and includes color photographs that will grab your attention. It is published by Timber Press. This book retails for $24.95 and can be purchased online or at your local bookstore. Reviewed by Debra Wasserman.

Vicki's Vegan Kitchen

By Vicki Chelf

Vicki Chelf has been a cooking teacher for years, and Vicki's Vegan Kitchen offers a wide range of healthful vegan options. Her creative recipes include Whole Wheat Waffles, Pumpkin Seed Paté, Rosemary and Garlic Focaccia, Petit Coconut-Ginger Scones, Arame-Orange-Watercress Salad, and Chestnut Porcini Bisque. The book also has recipes for Vegan Pesto, Homemade Stuffed Ravioli, Eggplant and Sun-Dried Tomato Pizza, Cajun-Style Okra, Bulgur and Sweet Potato Pilaf, Lentil Pie, Carrot Maple Cake, Melon Sorbet, plus more.

In addition to Vicki's recipes, I was especially impressed with her hand-drawn illustrations. Several of these depict step-bystep instructions to prepare dishes.

Vicki's Vegan Kitchen includes chapters about kitchen staples, cooking methods, and food preparation techniques, such as baking bread. Useful tips are also provided throughout the book. Although nutritional analyses are not provided, most of the recipes appear not to be high in fat.

Vicki's Vegan Kitchen (ISBN 978-0-7570-0251-9) is published by Square One Publishers. The book is 320 pages and retails for $17.95. Purchase this cookbook online or at your local bookstore. Reviewed by Debra Wasserman.

Viva Vegan!

By Terry Hope Romero

Latin cooking can go far beyond chips and guacamole dips! Venezuelan-American vegan chef Terry Hope Romero shows you just how festive and inventive Latin cuisines can be with her new book, Viva Vegan!

Among the 200 recipes are Habanero-Melon-Papaya Salsa, Salvadorian Marinated Slaw, Yellow Chile Grilled Tempeh, and Chorizo Seitan Sausages. The book also includes recipes for Braised Brazilian Shredded Kale, Peruvian Potatoes with Spicy 'Cheezy' Sauce, Homemade Soft Corn Tortillas, Black Bean-Sweet
Potato Tamales, Corn-Crusted Pumpkin-Potato Empanadas, and so much more.

Nutritional analyses are not provided; however, most of the recipes are not high in fat. The cookbook includes color photos and offers helpful tips throughout.

Viva Vegan! (ISBN 978-0-7382-1273-9) is published by Lifelong Books and is 285 pages. It can be purchased online from The Vegetarian Resource Group
at www.vrg.org/catalog. Reviewed by Debra Wasserman.

Caribbean Vegan

By Taymer Mason

As the title implies, Caribbean Vegan focuses on cooking traditions from islands such as Barbados, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Grenada, and the French West Indies. There are over 125 recipes, including a chapter about condiments and sauces, which play a vital part in Caribbean cuisine. Learn how to make Jamaican Jerk Seasoning, Bajan Pepper Sauce, and Trinidadian Coconut Chutney. Breakfast options include Sweet Potato Drop Biscuits and Banana Fritters, while the entrées chapter lets you sample Jerk 'Sausages,', Lentil Roast, and Jerk Pizza with Sweet Potato Crust. For dessert, try Gingerbread, Barbadian Coconut Turnovers, or Piña Colada Ice Cream.

Caribbean Vegan (ISBN 978-1-61519-025-6) is published by The Experiment, LCC, and is 256 pages. It retails for $18.95 and can be purchased online or at your local bookstore. Reviewed by Debra Wasserman.

Kansha – Celebrating Japan's Vegan and Vegetarian Traditions

By Elizabeth Andoh

It is often difficult to find great-tasting Japanese vegetarian food since many Japanese dishes contain fish sauce or broth. Fortunately, Kansha is a terrific book serving up Japan's finest vegan cuisine. This cookbook features stocks and soups, rice and noodle dishes, soybased entrées, desserts, and more. Some wonderful recipes include Festive Flower Sushi Rolls, Miso- Glazed Bitter Melon with Kabocha and Tofu, Candied Sweet Potatoes, and Roasted Rice Dumplings with Sticky-Sweet Soy Sauce.

Kansha (ISBN 978-1-58008-955-5) is a 296-page hardcover book with color photos and is published by Ten Speed Press. It retails for $35 and can be purchased online or from your local bookstore. Reviewed by Debra Wasserman.

Vegan Unplugged

By Jon Robertson with recipes by Robin Robertson

Vegan Unplugged – A Pantry Cuisine Cookbook and Survival Guide teaches readers how to prepare for an emergency, such as a hurricane or earthquake, as well as when you lose power at home.

Chapter 2, "The Five-Day Meal Box," includes menus and a shopping list for non-perishable items that can be stored in a 50- gallon lidded container. Dishes like Corn Chowder and Beat-the-Blahs Black Bean Patties, Curry in a Hurry, and Layered Tortilla Skillet serve four. Many of the recipes require short cooking times (using a camp stove); others, such as Chickpea Spread, Texas Twister Caviar, and Emergency Gazpacho, require no cooking at all.

Chapter 12, "Emergency Preparedness Guide," includes a disaster supply kit list. And Chapter 13, "The Animals Need a Plan, Too," reminds you to have an emergency plan for cats, dogs, and other animals in your care.

Vegan Unplugged – A Pantry Cuisine Cookbook and Survival Guide (ISBN 978-0-9800131-2-2) is published by Vegan
Heritage Press. It is 202 pages and retails for $14.95. You can purchase it online at www.veganheritagepress.com/order.html or at your local bookstore. Reviewed by Debra Wasserman.

Sunfood Traveler

By John McCabe

As raw foods establishments become more popular, Sunfood Traveler: Guide to Raw Food Culture, Restaurants, Recipes, Nutrition, Sustainable Living, and the Restoration of Nature will become a valuable resource. This new paperback guide provides information about where to find raw foods restaurants and retreats around the world, businesses that promote raw foods, raw foods websites, raw chef training, and so much more.

In addition, the book features a section called "Random Recipes for a Raw Kitchen" with approximately 70 dishes. These include Cabbage Pumpkin Seed Pâté, Sundried Tomato Butter, Stuffed Red Bell Peppers, Veggie Loaf with Gravy, No Bean Hummus, Marinated Mushrooms, Lemon Pudding, Apple Cobbler, Raw Ice Cream, and Holiday Nog.

Sunfood Traveler (ISBN 978-1-88470-209-9) is published by Carmania Books. It is 376 pages and retails for $13.95. Purchase it online or from your local bookstore. Reviewed by Debra Wasserman.