By Amy Dell, VRG Intern

I became vegetarian when I was nine years old, and I went vegan at ten. I was in elementary school, and I was the only vegan my age that I knew. I brought my own lunch every day in a little pig-themed lunch bag, and I sat next to my friends who ate burgers and pizza from the cafeteria. My sister was vegan, but our parents weren’t, and neither was our brother. It felt a little isolating at first, but looking back on my past eight years of veganism, I wouldn’t change it for the world.

It was a tough discussion with my parents. They worried about protein and getting enough nutrients. They said I was still growing, and that I would need to be really mindful about making sure to eat enough. My parents took me to the doctor to get blood-work done and to see if it was even safe for a kid to go vegan. They learned that as long as I knew what to look for in foods, I would be fine (and that a multivitamin, a vitamin-B12, and vitamin-D supplement wouldn’t hurt). I got blood-work done every couple of months for the first year in order to reassure my parents, and soon they realized that I was consistently getting enough iron, vitamin-D, and calcium from my vegan diet. [Note from the editor: Routine screening, including blood work, is a part of pediatric preventive care for all children and adolescents (https://www.aap.org/en-us/Documents/periodicity_schedule.pdf.) The more frequent and extensive testing that was done for Amy was by her parents’ request This type of testing is not required for someone choosing a vegan diet. Vegans, like meat eaters, should have reliable regular sources of iron, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, and other important nutrients.]

I transitioned slowly from vegetarian to vegan, first going ovo-vegetarian (no meat, fish, dairy, or poultry, but still eating eggs) for a couple of months until I could prove to my mom that I would be able to get enough protein without eggs in my diet. I cooked a lot of my own meals, but I was still able to eat with my family. My dad cooked big batches of spaghetti, and my mom made vegetables and vegan mashed potatoes as sides for her meat main-course. They made conscious decisions to prepare food I could eat and to include me in the family meals. My sister taught me lots of vegan recipes and we made them to share with the rest of our family, too.

Since then, I’ve been the only vegan in the family for many years. I taught myself how to cook, or, more accurately, the internet taught me how to cook, and I’ve been cooking for myself for almost five years now. I’ve been able to delve deeper into my own understanding of why I went vegan and why I stay vegan. It’s become part of my identity; I actively chose to eat vegan every day.

I am so happy that I went vegan as a kid. It has given me more time to learn and grow as a vegan citizen and more time to cherish the choices I make. I honestly don’t think I’ll ever go back to eating non-vegan, and it’s not out of habit. It’s because each day I’m confronted with the same reasons why I went vegan in the first place, and they’re just as convincing now as they were eight years ago.

For more information, see:
https://www.vrg.org/teen/
https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/VeganNutritionForTeenagers.pdf

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.

By Hannah Greene, VRG Intern

For many people in inner-city communities, vegetarianism seems like it is simply not an option. A lot of neighborhoods have never been exposed to any sort of vegetarian restaurant, and people have rarely ever interacted with the concept. Vegetarianism is particularly foreign to classmates who grow up in inner-city communities and neighborhoods known as food deserts. In these areas, fast food is the primary option, so meals are dominated by meat. Many students at my school come from such communities, and to them vegetarianism seems like an impossible lifestyle. In order to build nutritional equity, I began a Vegetarian Support Group at my school. Through this club, I tried to show that vegetarianism is a feasible option for better health, a more compassionate lifestyle, and environmental preservation, without being too expensive or time-consuming.

Many of my peers had never considered adopting a meatless diet. Even my closest friends have a prejudice against veganism, so it is sometimes challenging to maintain my own lifestyle among their attitudes. Some think of vegetarianism solely as a form of self-deprivation, and this is a barrier in opening the minds of members of my school community.

To raise awareness about veganism and vegetarianism, I plastered school walls with dozens of eye-catching posters I had designed. Some posters featured surprising statistics, while others included colorful images of popular snacks and fast foods which happen to be vegan. I wrote morning announcements with information about the impacts of a vegetarian diet, appealing to the science and math enthusiasts who comprise my school, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. Through these, I attracted people of all different backgrounds and welcomed everyone to our Vegetarian Support Group.

Unfortunately, not many people attended, but those who came seemed very passionate about animal rights. Our club tried to meet weekly to discuss vegetarianism and serve as a support system for one another. The purpose of the club was not to proselytize other meat-eating students, but to support each other and encourage friends to try vegetarianism with us. A few of us were already vegetarian, but some were just intrigued by the idea, finding it difficult to commit to such a diet. We aimed to take down imagined barriers and myths about vegetarianism in order to make our school community more inclusive of and accommodating for compassionate diets.

I wish I had begun my activism earlier in high school, since I could have found a larger network of fellow vegetarians and would have made a more established club. Finding a teacher advisor was initially challenging, since I didn’t know of any vegetarian teachers. Eventually, I approached the advisor for the Yoga and Meditation Club, who although not vegetarian (she eats fish) kindly offered to take on a vegetarian club as well.

I created a Google Forms survey to learn about the obstacles preventing some peers from being vegetarian, and to see how I could help. One of the biggest deterrents cited by wannabe-vegetarians was simply not knowing how to maintain a vegetarian lifestyle. It can seem challenging to find easy, inexpensive meatless meals, and to maintain vegetarianism among a family that may be less than encouraging. To lessen this barrier, I thought we could create a school wide recipe exchange to spread inspiration and encourage people to try vegetarian meals, even if they aren’t ready to fully commit to vegetarianism. I compiled five of the cheapest, easiest, fastest vegan recipes I could find and gave them to club members.

Recognizing that vegetarianism is ultimately an individual choice, we did not try to force anyone into conversion: instead, we practiced patiently explaining our perspectives while respecting the lifestyle and opinions of people who may disagree. Many of us encourage omnivores to be open to the merits of vegetarianism and do their part by making small changes in their diets. I hope my efforts have started the conversation about animal rights and inspired other classmates to take on activism of their own!

For more information on starting vegetarian groups, see:
https://www.vrg.org/teen/#activism

Here are some tips for promoting vegetarianism within a public school.

How do I get started?
1. Figure out the purpose of your club and create a mission statement.
Do you want to find vegetarian friends? Get more vegan options in the cafeteria? Raise awareness about the environmental impacts of meat consumption? Have fundraisers for animal rights groups? Exchange recipes? Test vegan food samples together? Start a veganic garden at school? Figure out the main purpose of your club. Have this brief description ready when approaching potential club advisors and recruiting new members. Clarify that your mission is not to aggressively convert non-vegetarians, but to offer a support network for people who are interested in trying a meatless diet.

2. Find a faculty advisor. Seek vegetarian teachers, or any favorite teacher who might be willing to host your club meetings. Some schools may ask a lot of the teacher in charge, but others might just have to sign a few papers saying they approve the club’s existence. Talk to administrators and clarify what your advisor will be tasked with, so that you can tell potential advisors exactly what to expect. Be very polite even if teachers reject you; just ask if they can spread the word and name other colleagues who might be interested.

3. Talk to administrators. Find out what steps are needed to create a new school club. Many schools require a “Club Constitution”– an outline for the purpose of your club, the activities you hope to sponsor, and who is invited to join the club. (See an example below). Some schools might require certain scheduled meeting days or times. Some may offer funding to support clubs, but in those that don’t, you would have to fundraise.

4. Have an interest meeting. Invite everyone to an Interest Meeting, where you talk to students who might be interested in joining your club. Tell them about who you are, why you want to start the club, when you will meet, and what activities you are thinking of doing. Leave plenty of time for questions.

5. Be flexible. Once you find a faculty advisor and other interested students, listen to them. Let your club advisor decide which days of the week are best to meet. Guide the club around what your other members want– a recipe exchange, activism opportunities, samples of vegan food, etc.

How can I find other vegetarians?
Make announcements. If your school reads club notifications, write an announcement inviting students to an interest meeting.

Design posters. Create colorful, interesting posters to attract people to learn more about vegetarianism or veganism.

See some sample posters here:

Add a QR code which students can scan to read more information. Don’t use graphic images like slaughterhouses, because these posters will probably be torn down quickly. Instead, present funny photos, catchy phrases, interesting facts, or yummy vegan recipes.

Where should I hang posters?
Near water fountains and bathrooms, where pretty much everyone stops by.
In the hallways on the way to the cafeteria, since people will already be hungry thinking about food when they see your posters.
In classrooms – ask teachers if you can hang a poster at the front of their room. Target
environmental science or biology classes, since they might talk about the impacts of animal agriculture.

What should we do as a club?
Here are some ideas for club activities:
Do a survey. Find out how many vegetarians are in your school, and what barriers prevent others from trying this diet. You can tailor your club outreach activities to help accommodate recurring challenges. Share the survey during homeroom sessions, in school-wide emails, and during announcements. Consider partnering with the Statistics or Environmental Science classes to conduct this survey.
Start a garden. Create a veganic garden, which doesn’t use animal-sourced fertilizers or pesticides. This is a great way to bond with club members, enjoy nature, help the environment, and grow vegan food yourself!
Have a poster designing contest. This can be open to the entire school to engage the rest of the community. If possible, offer a prize to the poster with the most votes. Remind participants to avoid graphic images. Don’t try to convert by disgust, but rather enlighten peers so that they can make their own informed decisions.
Make announcements about vegetarianism. Share statistics, exciting recipes, or other resources.
Host information sessions to share information about vegetarian diets. Provide pamphlets, coloring books, cookbooks, and other resources so people can find answers to their questions.
Recruit guest speakers. If you’re able to, reach out to dietitians who can answer questions about transitioning to and maintaining a meatless diet; local vegetarian group representatives; former meat industry employees; authors of cookbooks or vegetarian materials.
Host film screenings for students who want to watch documentaries about the agriculture industry.
Be supportive and share tips about how to maintain vegetarianism even in an environment that is often hostile to vegans/vegetarians.
Exchange recipes. Ask everyone to bring their favorite vegan recipe, or to modify a usually-non-vegetarian recipe to be delicious and compassionate. Encourage students to try vegetarianism.
Offer samples of vegan food. Reach out to local markets or retailers to see if they could offer samples to club members.
Have vegan bake sales. Prove to your classmates that vegan food can taste delicious! Plus, you can raise money for your club.
Design T-shirts. Have a t-shirt which invites classmates to ask you questions about your diet and can make peers excited about joining your club.
Lead Homeroom sessions. If your school allows you to, create a presentation to share with homeroom classes about the environmental impacts of agriculture; delicious vegan recipes; the history of the vegetarian movement; vegan celebrities; or ancient ethical arguments about food.
Remember, don’t try to convert by disgust; just educate and share the truth.

How can we get more vegetarian options in school lunches?
This is a complicated issue. Public school cafeterias are subject to very specific guidelines and regulations – so no matter how nicely you ask, your lunch staff can’t create a whole new menu. Still, have your club discuss more vegan options with the school foodservice. There is some flexibility for what is served, but don’t expect any sudden major overhaul – especially because schools are on a strict budget and are reimbursed just $1.80 per free meal. To learn more about federal school cafeteria guidelines, see https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-01-26/pdf/2012-1010.pdf (especially pp. 16-17). Also see: https://www.vrg.org/fsupdate/index.htm#School and https://www.vrg.org/teen/#food

If student would buy non-dairy milks, you could start by asking for them to be offered in vending machines, if they can’t fit in the cafeteria menu.

What if no one comes to my club?
Don’t give up! Surely there is at least one other person who wants to learn more about vegetarianism. Continue your efforts, and work even harder! Make more announcements and ask to hang posters in teachers’ classrooms. Ask a friend what would be attractive to them, and try a new style of poster. Connect with related clubs and activities, like a Health Club, Cooking Club, Yoga and Meditation Club, Culture Clubs, or any other club you could share vegan recipes with. Try to work together.

What if people make fun of my club?
Remember why you became vegetarian/vegan in the first place. Use this to guide you even when following your beliefs feels challenging. Stick with your beliefs even if others aren’t respectful of them.

Don’t criticize non-vegetarians, just like you don’t want them to criticize you. Remember that people don’t like being told they are wrong, and they are often resistant to hearing the truth.

What if my classmates don’t live near grocery stores?
This is certainly a big barrier for some people who wish to be vegan. In Baltimore, for example, almost 1 in 4 residents live in “food deserts,” or areas with low median incomes and without access to adequate healthy food. Many inner-city families rely primarily on small corner stores, which often lack fresh produce, and consist mainly of canned, boxed, or otherwise over-processed foods. In a city, residents shouldn’t be expected to walk more than five minutes or a quarter mile to reach a grocery store, but supermarkets can be challenging to reach without a car. Sometimes, it is easier to find orange soda than to buy fresh oranges. Many inner-city students have immense barriers in front of them simply to eat healthfully, and even more to be vegetarian. Be mindful of this when suggesting recipes. Many students can’t find meat analogues or high-cost vegan products, such as vegan mayonnaise or veggie burgers, and usually can’t afford them. To accommodate this, you can share simple recipes using easily-accessible staples.

Suggest international recipes. These are often less expensive, and many neighborhoods offer ethnic foods stores even when supermarkets aren’t available. Staples like beans and rice last a long time, are inexpensive, and can be found in almost any culture’s cuisine!

Sample Club Constitution:
Vegetarian Support Group Club Constitution
The purpose of this club is to promote vegetarianism in the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (“Poly”) community and to support students as they try to live by a vegetarian diet.

We will encourage Poly students to try out a vegetarian diet by displaying posters, making announcements, and offering information sessions to share information about plant-based diets.

We will help foster awareness about the benefits of vegetarianism and importance of sustainable living through film screenings, poster-making contests, and other events involving the Poly community. We will host events to offer samples of vegan food, exchange recipes, and encourage students to try vegetarianism. We will encourage one another and share tips about how we can maintain vegetarianism even in an environment that is often hostile to vegans/vegetarians.

We meet every Thursday in Room 163.
Our teacher advisor is Ms. Boose.

By Amy Dell and Hannah Greene, VRG Interns

Our Daily Bread Employment Center’s Hot Meal Program, run by Catholic Charities in Baltimore, Maryland provides lunch for up to 1000 people every day of the year. This program helps those in need find a consistent source of nutritious, hot food, regardless of snowstorms, hurricanes, and other weather events.

In order to support the Program, we (VRG interns) decided to prepare three Sweet Potato and Black Bean Casseroles and one Creamy Bean and Potato Casserole with Carrots (both recipes created by VRG Food Service Advisor Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD). These recipes, along with the Brunswick Stew are all vegan, and allow the clientele to receive hearty, vegetarian meals.

Our Daily Bread patrons have expressed gratitude for vegan casseroles since 1 in 3 patrons usually requests vegetarian options. Additionally, these vegetable-rich meals are a great option even for patrons that aren’t vegan. Previous interns said that the Sweet Potato and Black Bean casseroles were the most popular, so we purposely planned to make most of that variety.

First, we went shopping at a local grocery store to find all the necessary ingredients. We had to do some quick math to ensure that we had enough of every ingredient to make all four casseroles, including several cans of beans and tomatoes, and lots of sweet potatoes. We found the appropriately sized pans in the grocery store and returned home to begin cooking.

We prepped the ingredients and took turns peeling the sweet potatoes and chopping the rest of the vegetables. Once we gathered all of the ingredients, we realized we had enough to make two extra Sweet Potato and Black Bean Casseroles!

We began the Sweet Potato and Black Bean Casseroles first, fitting as many batches as we could in two large pots. While they were simmering, we prepared the second variety, Creamy Bean and Potato Casserole. This was much simpler to make since most ingredients came from a can and just had to be layered in a pan and baked for 20 minutes. This would probably be a fun recipe for young children to help with!

The process of cooking food for those in need was a really rewarding experience. It was also a great bonding exercise and will bring any group closer together as a result. We encourage everyone to donate to your local food program, and if you’re in Baltimore, to try cooking a casserole for Our Daily Bread.

Some helpful tips when you make your own casseroles for donation:
-Pick one recipe and multiply it. It is easier to make a large batch of one variety than to follow multiple distinct processes and make a few different types of casserole.
-Buy a 10-pack of casserole pans, since you might end up with more ingredients than expected! Plus, you’ll have extra to make more donations in the future. Be sure to follow the recipes exactly, since many kitchens mix all the donated casseroles of a certain variety together.
-Wash your hands often!
-Get ingredients from a wholesale retailer, where you can buy extra-large cans and packages.
-Figure out where you’ll freeze the casseroles ahead of time. For many meal programs, casserole donations must be completely frozen before delivery. Be sure your freezer will accommodate the required casserole pan size, and make sure you have enough room for all the casseroles once completed (or have a neighbor willing to share extra freezer space).
-Make these casseroles at least one day before you plan to deliver them because they must have time to freeze fully.
-Get the entire family involved! This is a great way to teach young children about cooking and to engage them in meaningful community service.
-Invite all your friends to participate! Have a casserole-making marathon, in which you work together in a few kitchens to make casseroles, then reunite to celebrate and deliver the donations.

If you would like to make casseroles to donate to Our Daily Bread or another local food program, the recipes can be found here (scroll down to the last 3 recipes):
http://www.catholiccharities-md.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/casserolerecipes.pdf

Information on Our Daily Bread’s Hot Meal Program in Baltimore City: https://www.catholiccharities-md.org/services/our-daily-bread-hot-meal-program/

Blog posting on previous VRG interns preparing food for Our Daily Bread.
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2016/03/10/vegan-casseroles-for-our-daily-bread/

By Amy Dell, VRG Intern

I love baking. But if you’re anything like me, you’ve gone to bake your favorite cookies, measured out the flour, the baking soda, and the sugar, and added them to a bowl, only to realize you don’t have any vegan butter in the fridge. Here’s a list of vegan baking substitutions for when you find yourself in a similar situation:

Eggs:
Eggs are used for leavening, binding, and as moisture in baked goods.
1 egg = ⅓ cup applesauce
This is my go-to. You can taste a slight apple flavor, but it’s not overpowering. I use it in cookies, cupcakes, and cakes.
1 egg = ⅓ cup pumpkin purée
I always keep canned pumpkin in the kitchen in the fall, so this one has saved me more than once.
1 egg = ¼ cup vegan yogurt
This is one of my all-time favorite tricks for making a fantastic pound cake. It’s so good.
1 egg = 1 mashed medium banana
Works well with very ripe bananas. I like using bananas in chocolate baked goods, such as brownies and rich chocolate cakes.
1 egg = ⅓ cup puréed canned fruit (do in a food processor)
You will be able to taste the fruit in the final product, but it works in a pinch. I’ve used apricots and peaches before, and they both worked.
1 egg = 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 Tbsp water (let sit 5 minutes before adding to recipe)
I love using “flax eggs” in pancakes and muffins.

Milk:
Milk is used for moisture and fat in most baked goods.
1 cup milk = 1 cup milk alternative
Soy, almond, rice, hemp seed, sunflower seed, cashew, coconut, pea, etc. We all have our favorites and ones we hate. Keep an extra in the pantry as a spare. Beware what you use for people with nut allergies
1 cup milk = 1 cup water + 1 Tbsp melted vegan butter
This gives the recipe the fat and the moisture of the milk.
1 cup milk = 1 cup water
It might not taste as creamy and delicious, but it still works for some baked goods when you’re out of milk and vegan butter. Be careful when the milk is being used for fat and not moisture or when a large amount of milk is being used.
Sweetened condensed milk = sweetened condensed coconut milk
If they don’t sell pre-made sweetened condensed coconut milk at your local health food store, it’s easy to make it yourself. Here’s my favorite recipe from Detoxinista: https://detoxinista.com/sweetened-condensed-coconut-milk/ I use agave nectar instead of honey.
1 cup buttermilk = 1 cup soy milk + 1 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar
Here’s the recipe I use: https://lovingitvegan.com/how-to-make-vegan-buttermilk/ Make sure you let the mixture sit until it curdles.

Butter:
Butter is used as a fat in baked goods, and most egg replacements also work for butter, including pumpkin purée and yogurt.
1 cup butter = 1 cup vegan butter
Brands include Earth Balance, I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter Vegan, Nutiva, Fora Foods, Miyoko’s Kitchen, WayFare, and many others.
1 cup butter = ¾ cup coconut or vegetable oil
My favorite gingerbread cookie recipe uses coconut oil instead of butter. You might read online that you can use olive oil, but don’t make my same mistake. Olive oil makes sweet baked goods weirdly savory, and it’s just not good. Stick with coconut or plain vegetable oil.
1 cup butter = 1 cup vegetable shortening
Watch out for trans-fats and hidden lard, but this works really well if you find a vegan brand. Brands include Nutiva Vegan, Crisco All-Vegetable, and Earth Balance. It makes amazing flaky crusts and is great for cookies, too.

I would not recommend using these substitutions in bread, as those recipes tend to be very precise. I’ve been a vegan for over 8 years now, and have tested these in pretty much any unintentionally-vegan boxed mix I could find, and they really work. Feel free to experiment on your own baking in order to figure out what works best for you.

For more information, see
https://www.vrg.org/journal/CookingAndRecipes.htm#ac-baked-goods
https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2014issue4/2014_issue4_egg_replacers.php

VRG’s Parents and Kids Facebook Groupis 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.

Recent discussion topics include:
How do you give Vitamin B12 to your toddler?
What do you do when your family says you need to feed your child meat?
What is your child’s favorite packed lunch to take to school, camp, etc.?
Plus more!

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

The Vegetarian Resource Group will have a Booth at Richmond VegFest in VA Saturday June 23, 2018. For more information on this event, visit:
Richmond VegFest

Reliable, responsible, outgoing people in the Baltimore area needed to assist veg manufacturers in their booths at the Natural Products Expo East at the Baltimore Convention Center on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, September 13, 14, and 15, 2018. Must be available to work all 3 days. Paid positions. If interested, please email [email protected]

By Amy Dell, VRG Intern

The Vegetarian Resource Group had a booth at the Waverly Farmers Market on 32nd Street in Baltimore, Maryland. This event gave the organization an opportunity to engage with the community and provide resources and literature to those interested in vegetarianism and veganism.

As a VRG intern, I worked alongside another intern, Hannah Greene, and a volunteer, Certified Wellness Coach Marcy Schveibinz, to answer questions and represent the VRG to patrons of the Market. Many people expressed a desire to go vegetarian, or at least limit their meat consumption for health reasons. We were able to provide these visitors with a pamphlet detailing how to eat a heart-healthy vegetarian diet and explain that health is a common reason why people go vegetarian.

Some others conveyed that they were already vegetarian or vegan, but were interested in finding new recipes or events happening nearby. We offered them the Vegetarian Journal and suggested that they sign up for our newsletter to be notified of local events.

There were many children attending the Market with their parents. It was so much fun being able to offer the kids VRG’s “I Love Animals and Broccoli Coloring Book” and see their reactions. One little girl was so excited about the coloring book that she started jumping up and down and hopped away from the booth with her parents.

The most rewarding part of the morning was when a woman approached the booth looking for resources for her and her granddaughter. The woman explained that her 9-year-old granddaughter was curious about going vegan and that the woman wanted to support her choice and provide vegan food and information for her. This interaction reminded me of when I became vegan at 10 and how concerned, but still supportive, my parents were. I was so excited to be able to help another young vegan on her way through the transition into this lifestyle.

Overall, the experience was very rewarding and I would be interested in hosting booths at other local markets and events in order to provide the community with information and encouragement towards vegetarian lives.

If you are interested in volunteering at a VRG booth in the future, please contact Gene at [email protected]

If you would like to support VRG’s mission, please donate at Donate to The Vegetarian Resource Group

To join The Vegetarian Resource Group, go to https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Summer is right around the corner, which is the perfect time to start grilling again! Chef Nancy Berkoff, Edd, RD has some great tips and ideas to spice up your grilling season! If you’re looking for recipes, food safety tips, or meal ideas, then check out this post!

What are your favorite grilling recipes?
https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2015issue2/2015_issue2_outdoor_feasts.php

Subscribe to Vegetarian Journal by visiting:
Subscribe to Vegetarian Journal

How fun is an interactive buffet during warm months? Lots of fun, with a bit of planning and preparation. Depending on your plan, the interaction may begin in the kitchen, with some of the participants assisting in the preparation, or it may begin when everyone helps themselves to build their own meal. Either way, you’ll need lots of containers and some imagination.

The idea is to bring many containers of ready-to-eat ingredients. The containers may be placed in the center of a picnic blanket or on an outdoor table. Participants may pass the containers around, or they may circulate around the containers, depending on your setup. It’s a great way for everyone to interact and to have their meal exactly as they like.

Nancy then shares these ideas:
Build-Your-Own Burrito or Wrap
Build-Your-Own Salad Entrée
Build-Your-Own Gazpacho
Stuffed Produce
Cold Pizza
Fruit or Vegetable Sushi
Build-Your-Own Dessert

Read the entire column here:
https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2018issue2/2018_issue2_cooking_tips.php

To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal, visit:
Subscribe to Vegetarian Journal