Restaurants throughout Maryland will be participating in MD Vegan Restaurant Month August 2nd-31st, 2024. For a list of participating restaurants and more information, see:
https://www.instagram.com/mdveganeats/?hl=en
By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD
You may have seen the headlines that proclaimed, “Beyond Bad: Fake Meat And Other ‘Ultra Processed’ Vegan Food Linked To Heart Disease, Early Death” and “Vegan Fake Meats are Linked to Increase in Heart Deaths.” Other headlines were more measured – “When Plant Foods are Ultra-processed, the Health Benefits Disappear” but the accompanying article Identified “meat substitutes, including imitation burgers and sausages” as examples of ultra-processed plant foods.
In reality, the study that these headlines were based on wasn’t able to determine how much risk was associated with vegan meats. Let’s step back and take a look at the study.
What is the study?
The study (1) was from the United Kingdom and included more than 118,000 adults age 40-69 years old at the start of the study who recorded what they ate for two different days between 2009 and 2012. The subjects were followed for a median of 9 years to track health issues and deaths. Foods that the subjects reported eating were classified as either plant-sourced or non-plant/animal-sourced. These food groups were then divided into ultra-processed foods and non-ultra-processed foods. Ultra-processed animal-sourced foods included sausages, chicken nuggets, battered fish, ice cream, and mayonnaise. Packaged bread, crackers, pastries, cookies, margarine, salty snacks, sugary breakfast cereals, fruit juice, soft drinks, canned soup, tofu, tempeh, and veggie burgers were included in the category of ultra-processed plant-sourced foods. Note that many foods classified as ultra-processed plant-sourced foods are not necessarily vegan foods.
What did this study find?
Higher consumption of ultra-processed foods, whether plant-sourced or animal-sourced, was associated with a greater risk of heart disease and of dying from heart disease. A 10% higher consumption of ultra-processed plant-sourced foods was associated with a 6% increase in the risk of developing heart disease and an 18% higher risk of dying from heart disease. In contrast, a 10% higher consumption of non-ultra-processed plant-sourced foods was associated with an 8% lower risk of developing heart disease and a 20% lower risk of dying from heart disease.
It is important to note that the foods in the ultra-processed plant-sourced food category were primarily commercial baked goods including breads, pastries, cakes, cookies, and frozen pizza and that these represented, on average, almost a quarter of the study subjects’ calories. Snack foods and candy supplied about 7% of the calories in the subjects’ diets and soft drinks and fruit juice supplied 2% of calories. The entire category of “meat alternatives” which includes veggie sausages and burgers, tofu, tempeh, and TVP supplied 0.2% of total calories. In other words, the vegan fake meats that were condemned in some headlines were a very minor part of the diets of the subjects of this study.
Are there practical implications?
One key message is to question headlines and to look for multiple reliable sources of information. Additionally, the results of this study point to the benefits of eating mostly less processed plant foods including dried beans, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and nuts and seeds. Tofu, tempeh, and vegan meats can supply a variety of nutrients and the results of this study do not support avoiding these foods.
Reference:
To read more about vegan processed food see:
Vegan Processed Foods – Embrace Them? Shun Them?
Ultra-Processed or Smartly Processed?
You can read other commentary on this study at:
Vegan Health – Vegan Meats and Poor Health Outcomes
CNN – Plant-based Ultraprocessed Foods Linked To Heart Disease, Early Death, Study Says
Scientific American – Are Plant-Based Ultraprocessed Foods Linked to Heart Disease?
By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
In his book Regenesis, vegan author George Monbiot promotes precision fermentation (PF) as the high-tech solution to humanity’s need to discover a reliable and ample food source in a climate emergency.
Monbiot applauds Solein, protein-rich microbial biomass grown by bacteria able to use atmospheric hydrogen and carbon dioxide as their food. Remarkably, no photosynthesis–the photochemical process by which green plants make food–is required to produce it.
In this way, Solein is different from conventional plant and animal foods and PF recombinant animal proteins that are all dependent on the sun–either directly or indirectly–for their existence. Invented by the company Solar Foods, Solein is already an ingredient in food products on the market in Singapore. The company plans to expand globally.
Strictly speaking, PF, as defined as a transgenic method to produce animal proteins via microbes, is not used to produce the protein-rich microbial biomass called Solein. Solein is, however, produced in a bioreactor (fermentation tank) like recombinant (transgenic) animal proteins are.
As we noted in part 1 of this series on PF, bioreactors are energy-intensive. Their electricity requirements are on the same order of magnitude as those needed to produce meat and dairy proteins. This means manufacturing recombinant animal proteins by precision fermentation may take considerable energy, comparable to what it takes to produce meat and dairy proteins in confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs).
Monbiot uses Solar Foods’ energy usage data and a 2019 study to calculate 16.7 kWh of electricity needed to yield 1 kg (2.2 pounds) of protein. This value seems low considering that it’s even less than the theoretical minimum energy cost to manufacture protein: 17.8 kWh/kg of protein.
Using the 16.7 kWh/kg value, Monbiot further estimates that the protein needs of the global population could be met with only 11% of the world’s current electricity consumption.
In his book Saying NO to a Farm-Free Future, social scientist and farmer Chris Smaje questions Monbiot’s estimates based on a 2021 PNAS Study (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) and his own calculations published on his blog. Smaje arrives at approximately 65.3 kWh/kg of protein using solar (photovoltaic) energy under optimal conditions.
This value does not include energy conversion inefficiencies which could, if Solar Foods were to use fossil fuel energy which they say they do not, make the final value 2-3 times higher. Nor does it include the energy to construct the bioreactors made of steel or the solar panels made with silicon, both energy-intensive materials.
In his book, Smaje calculates that meeting global protein needs today with Solein would require at least 43% of the world’s electricity consumption, 89% of the world’s low-carbon electricity (nuclear, hydropower, wind, and solar), or 924% of its solar energy supply.
How much protein can a hectare of land really produce?
The PNAS study cited above states that, under ideal conditions, a single hectare (~2.5 acres) of protein-rich microbial biomass production powered by solar energy could potentially yield 15 tons of protein annually. By contrast, the same study reports that an equivalent area of land cultivated with soybeans would produce only 1.1 tons of protein.
In terms of the energy needed to grow soybeans, Smaje estimates, using the PNAS study, relevant studies on soybean production, and recent USDA data, that it takes approximately 1.0 kWh of electricity to yield 1 kg protein from conventionally produced soybeans.
This is less than the energy required to power Solein manufacture. By extension, it’s also less than the energy needed to make transgenic animal proteins via precision fermentation or to produce conventional meat and dairy proteins.
Food calories from Solein
Although PF and microbial biomass companies talk about the value of their manufactured proteins, measuring the food calories of their products may be a better way to judge their potential to feed the global population if land can no longer yield sufficient crops in a climate crisis.
Based on data from the previously cited PNAS study, Smaje calculated in his book that to meet all of the global population’s calorie needs by Solein, it would require more than three times the world’s current electricity supply, more than eight times its current low-carbon electricity supply, or more than 91 times its current solar energy supply.
Aligned with this view of the unsustainability of microbial foods (in terms of energy requirements) is the opinion expressed in a 2023 article written by a food tech industry insider who stated that “…leading scientists and technologists…[say]–often in hushed tones, and sometimes only off the record–that the economics of food-grade precision fermentation is nowhere near competing with commodity dairy or eggs. This problem…will not be solved by simply upscaling to larger tank volumes. At best, scaling up production to immense tank volumes will reduce costs by 35% to 40% instead of the many fold reduction needed.”
Bioreactor contamination
Besides the high-energy requirements of bioreactors, the tanks are prone to contamination. This has proven to be a major stumbling block in scaleup efforts of similar technologies, such as lab-grown (cultured) meat. Precision fermentation will may face similar contamination problems until the industry undergoes major improvements in the near future. As a source of manufactured food ingredients, PF may also face other technological roadblocks as the cultivated meat industry is currently discovering.
Conclusions on microbial foods
Fermentation-enabled alternative proteins (FEAPs), also known as microbial or manufactured foods, are marketed as being an environmentally friendly and sustainable food source that will feed the human population when traditional agriculture cannot do so in a climate crisis.
Although generally there may be less land use with FEAPs, most require plant-based carbon feedstocks for the microbial growth media in which they are made. In a climate crisis, it will be difficult to produce–to feed eight billion humans–the needed quantities of corn or cane sugar to put in the media.
While growing cane sugar is especially environmentally destructive, both corn and sugar crops, when conventionally grown, require large amounts of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. The heavy carbon footprints of these fossil fuel-based commodities are not included in the industry-funded life cycle assessments of FEAPs that we have seen. Although organic foodstuffs bear a comparatively lighter carbon footprint, they are not yet cost-competitive.
Given the limitations of today’s fermentation technologies, there may not yet be a way to avoid the extremely high energy requirements for manufacturing microbial foods. If that energy is produced by burning fossil fuels, the carbon footprints would be huge.
There are complex discussions when trying to meet the daily caloric needs of eight billion humans, while addressing the issues of economics, politics, ethics, nutrition, and environment. It will be interesting to watch as companies and scientists develop and debate the different approaches and opinions. Think about the development of home computers and the internet. In their early stages, who predicted which companies would end up becoming dominant, and how different problems would be solved?
The contents of this posting, our website and our other publications, including Vegan 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.
Share this handy poster with family and friends. You can also print it out and post it on your refrigerator. See: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/VeganDietsinaNutshellPoster.pdf
photo from Gardein
Below is a list of some of the vegan chicken-style products available today.
Alpha Foods offers Original Chik’n Nuggets Sizzlin’ Spicy Chik’n. Chick’n Strips, Crispy Chick’n Patties, and Sizzlin’ Spicy Chik’n Patties. For more details, see: https://www.eatalphafoods.com/products#NUGGETS
Better Chew offers Fried Chicken Nuggets. See: https://eatbetterchew.com/
Beyond Chicken offers Beyond Chicken Tenders, Nuggets, Fillets, and more. For details, see: https://www.beyondmeat.com/en-US/products/beyond-chicken-tenders
Daring Foods produces Plant-Based Chicken Pieces in several varieties including Original, Breaded, Cajun, and Lemon & Herb. For information, see: https://www.daring.com/
Gardein offers Ultimate Plant-Based Chick’n Tenders, Chick’n Fillets, and Chick’n Nuggets. They also offer Crispy Chik’n Sliders, Chick’n Patties, Golden Chick’n Nuggets, Nashville Hot Chick’n Tenders, Spicy Gochujang Style Chick’n Wings, and Chipotle Georgia Style Chick’n Wings, Chick’n Strips, Teriyaki Chick’n Strips, Seven Grain Crispy Tenders, Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick’n, Sweet and Tangy Barbecue Wings, Chipotle Lime Flavored Chick’n Tenders, and Lightly Seasoned Chick’n Scallopini. For details on all these products, see: https://www.gardein.com/chickn-and-turky
Impossible Foods sells Chicken Nuggets, Tenders, and Patties. See: https://impossiblefoods.com/products/chicken
Jack & Annie’s offers Nuggets made from Jackfruit. See: https://www.jackandannies.com/our-products/nuggets/
Lily’s Vegan Pantry offers Ginger Chicken, Chicken Bites, Gong Bao Chicken, Teriyaki Chicken, Lemon Chicken, Smoked Drumsticks, Chicken Nuggets, Whole or Half Chicken, and Chicken Legs. See: https://www.lilysveganpantry.com/Vegan_Chicken_s/1516.htm
Morning Star Farms offers MorningStar Farms® Veggie BBQ Chik’n Nuggets; MorningStar Farms® Veggie Chik’n Nuggets; MorningStar Farms® Veggie Buffalo Chik Patties®; MorningStar Farms® Veggie Original Chik Patties®; MorningStar Farms® Veggie Zesty Ranch Chik’n Nuggets; and MorningStar Farms® Veggie Sweet Mustard Chik’n Nuggets. For details on these products, see: https://www.morningstarfarms.com/en_US/products/chikn.html
Skinny Butcher offers Crazy Crispy Chick’n Tenders and Nuggets. See: https://skinnybutcher.com/
Tofurky sells Chick’n in several flavors including Lightly Seasoned, Thai Basil, Sesame Garlic, and Barbecue. For more information, see: https://tofurky.com/what-we-make/chickn/
VFC Foods offers Chick’n Fillets, Popcorn Chick’n, and Chick’n Bites. See: https://vfcfoods.com/en-us/
By Nadely Requena, VRG Intern
As a returning intern with The Vegetarian Resource Group, I’ve previously had the opportunity to embark on many adventures with the organization. This time, I was able to attend the Animal and Vegan Advocacy (AVA) Summit for their 4-day in-person event at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center just outside of Washington, D.C. on May 2024.
The summit encouraged anyone working in animal rights, animal welfare, alternative proteins, food system change, and related movements to attend. It was a gathering full of panel discussions, informative workshops, and thought-provoking keynote speeches. It was organized by AVA International.
As someone about to enter their final year at the University of Texas at Austin studying Journalism and Latin American Studies, I was particularly interested in the panels related to diversity, inclusion, and collective liberation. Adding on, my headspace during the summit was particularly clouded as I was overcoming some personal challenges and panels related to mental health caught my attention heavily.
The first day of the conference was dedicated to mostly chatting and getting situated with each other before jumping into the official events the following three days. From what I surveyed, past and first-time attendees of the summit enjoyed this day layout.
I, for instance, excitedly attended the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and other people of color) meetup. It was meant to provide a space for those of us from these backgrounds passionate about animal rights and veganism to share our experiences, challenges, and victories in advocacy while building a supportive community. It was here where I met many of the people I would go on to further interact with during the summit.
I can’t stress enough how important these diversity and inclusion spaces are, as someone who’s always been looked at weird for my vegan and environmental advocacy due to my Mexican (Indigenous) background. Many of the common sentiments felt among those in the BIPOC space is that we have to fight harder to make our particular voices heard as opposed to our white counterparts.
I also attended the Latin American Advocacy meetup later that day, organized by Fundación Veg. To my surprise, it really was a gathering of Latin America as it seemed there was someone from every country and that warmed my heart tremendously to speak completely in Spanish and mix in my Portuguese every other sentence. Later that night, I went to the Latin American dinner.
The next day, Friday, was the official first day of events for the summit. I attended many including: “How to Empower Youth in the Vegan Movement” led by four incredibly young activists (one being the 2024 winner of VRG’s scholarship), “Animal Advocacy in Universities and Training the Future Leaders,” “Crustacean and Insect Advocacy,” and “Mexican-American activism”. There truly wasn’t a shortage of interesting lectures, as even another VRG intern found themselves splitting their time between panels happening at the same time so they wouldn’t completely miss one!
The following day I attended three talks: “Integrative Activism for Collective Liberation: the Indispensable Role of Fostering BIPOC Allyship Towards Animal Liberation,” “Advocacy at the Edge: Transformative Strategies in Animal Rights Law and Investigation,” and “Empowering Voices: the Role of DEI in Revolutionizing Animal Advocacy”.
The last one, in particular, was one of my favorite. It was led by Dr. Nelva Lee from MiTio and Naijha Wright-Brown from Black Veg Society. It was all about the importance of having a diverse workforce, improving employee communication, and retention rates. As said in the presentation, “If you want to grow your company or organization, diversity, equity, and inclusion are important and cannot be overlooked.”
The talk resonated heavily coming from Texas where many of the DEI initiatives are being revoked by the Texas legislature since the passing of Senate Bill 17 in 2023. Yet, Lee and Brown spoke heavily on how to appreciate culture, different perspectives, and challenge biases with a mixture of open communication and open listening. As they said, “You can be invited to the party, but not to dance” as a metaphor for people of color continuously not feeling welcomed in their workspaces. It’s in that cross-pollination where productivity occurs.
That night, I got together with other vegan, animal, and environmental activists from Austin and can proudly say that I have made some new friends not only on the east coast, but also in my home away from home, Austin.
On the last day, Sunday, of the conference, I was quite thrilled to hear Braille Ringer, a wellness educator, and Leah Garces from Mercy for Animals, speak on “Personal Transformation for Collective Liberation”. This workshop discussed the importance of “honoring your sacred no and embodying your inherent worth” relating to advocacy work where it’s not uncommon to become burnt out. They spoke about why cultivating spaciousness is important, about the external system and factors that breathe exhaustion, and how crucial it is to divest from animal infrastructure that is making us sick.
A good quote from the session: “You are not so important that you shouldn’t take a break, and too important to not take care of yourself.” It’s a very weird feeling to fight for compassion, but to not be fighting for that for ourselves. The session ended with the following from Ringer: “I am whole, worthy, and divine. I have nothing to prove.”
The summit was, without a doubt, filled with many amazing lectures and exhibits. This summit was crucial to me understanding how I want to view the rest of my career. For a while, I’ve hoped to become a correspondent based in Latin America. That remains unchanged.
My favorite quote from this conference, which I will use time after time: “We have nothing to lose but our chains.”
For information about VRG internships, see https://www.vrg.org/student/index.php
Chickpea Lasagna
In a previous issue of Vegan Journal Leslie Gray Streeter shared the following creative lasagna recipe. The entire article can be read here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2021issue1/2021_issue1_sheet_pan.php
Chickpea Lasagna
(Serves 6)
One 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1-2 teaspoons dried oregano, to taste
1 teaspoon garlic powder
One 25-ounce jar vegan marinara sauce, divided
3 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
2 cups chopped portobello mushrooms
One 10-ounce package no-bake lasagna noodles
1/4 cup nutritional yeast, plus 1 Tablespoon to serve
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Fresh basil, chopped, to serve
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a small bowl mix the chickpeas, oregano, and garlic powder. Mash into a paste using a fork or potato masher. If needed, add a little water to make smooth.
Cover the bottom of the sheet pan with edges at least 9 x 13-inch with 3/4-1 cup of marinara sauce, then cover the sauce with 6-8 lasagna noodles, depending on the size of your pan. Spoon more sauce onto the noodles, followed by the chickpea-mash, spinach, and portobellos. Cover with 6-8 more noodles.
Finally, mix the remaining sauce with 1/4 cup nutritional yeast and olive oil to give the mixture a cheesy consistency, and entirely coat the noodles with it.
Cover tightly with foil, as the lasagna may be taller than pan edges, and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 8-10 minutes or until the edges are crispy. Serve warm topped with chopped fresh basil and sprinkle with reserved nutritional yeast.
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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.
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wallet from Couch
Are you looking to buy a non-leather vegan wallet? The following companies in the USA, Canada, and Europe all offer a variety of wallets for men and women.
USA
Couch sells a variety of wallets for men and women.
Doshi offers wallets for men and women.
Fabric Horse sells wallets for men and women.
Green Banana Paper sells wallets made out of banana leaves.
K Carroll sells wallets for women.
Labante has offices in the USA and United Kingdom and offer wallets for women and men.
Matt and Nat sells wallets for men and women. Ships internationally.
Mechaly sells a variety of women’s wallets.
Moo Shoes sells a variety of wallets for men and women.
Vegan Chic sells women’s wallets.
The Vegetarian Site sells hemp wallets.
CANADA
Jeane & Jax is a Canadian company selling a wide variety of wallets for women.
Pixie Mood is a Canadian company that sells a variety of women’s wallets.
EUROPE
Avesu in Germany offers a wide range of wallets in various colors made from different materials.
Corkor in Portugal sells wallets for men and women made out of cork.
Labante has offices in the USA and United Kingdom and offer wallets for women and men.
Photo from Vegan Galaxy Miami
The Vegetarian Resource Group maintains an online Guide to Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants in the USA and Canada. Here are some recent vegan restaurant additions. The entire guide can be found here: www.vrg.org/restaurant
To support the updating of this online restaurant guide, please donate at: www.vrg.org/donate
Here are some new additions to VRG’s guide:
Hijo de Su Madre, 2180 Westwood Blvd., Unit 1G, Los Angeles, CA 90025
Located about a 10-minute drive from the UCLA campus in Westwood, California, Hijo de su Madre, which started off as a food truck before graduating to the current brick-and-mortar location, has made its mark in the competitive Los Angeles food scene. Inspired by the tastes and aromas of the owner’s family origins in the Yucatan (as indicated by its name), Hijo de su Madre is also very environmentally aware, using up-cycled furnishings in their space and recyclable wrappings, and even the aprons are made from 100% recycled materials. For those who dined at their food truck, some of those favorites have kept their place on the menu, including the Phat Hass Taco, made with a beer-battered and deep-fried Hass avocado, fresh pico, and a house spicy chipotle cream. The taco selection also includes No Stas Cochinita (tangy, sweet Yucatecan-style jackfruit, off-the-cob corn, and homemade black beans). Tacos are served on organic yellow corn tortillas, and if you’re especially hungry you can turn the tacos into a burrito or bowl—which have 3 times the taco portion. For those seeking traditional Yucatecan fare, there are options like the Kibis (lightly fried croquettes served with a side of black bean purée, guacamole, and pickled onions) and the Papadzules (rolled corn tortillas dipped in a sauce of pepitas and epazote, filled with a house made “hard-boiled egg” and topped with chiltomate sauce). The dessert menu is likewise an homage to family recipes, including the Pastelitos—empanadas filled with sweet potatoes and coconut, garnished with powdered sugar.
Moody Mike’s, 802 N. Limestone, Lexington, KY 40505
A vegan soul food truck with a variety of options including vegan chicken and fish sandwiches, lattes, and desserts.
Next Stop Vegan, 88 Livingston St., Brooklyn, NY 11201
Next Stop Vegan has burgers, burritos, salads, and several Latin dishes on their menu. Sandwiches and burgers include the sweet and spicy oyster mushroom sandwich with homemade chipotle sauce and sweet plantains as well as Cesar’s Philly Cheesesteak made with portobello mushrooms, peppers, onions, and vegan cheeses. The twisted burrito is loaded with seasoned and grilled portobello mushrooms, homemade mac n cheese, vegan beef, and fresh pico de gallo. Other Latin-inspired flavors include crispy mofonguitos (plantain-shredded baskets stuffed with quinoa meat, pico de gallo, and homemade cilantro and chimi sauce), plantakos (soft green plantain tacos), and loaded fries with vegan sausages, jalapeños, pico de gallo, and drizzled with homemade cilantro sauce, mayo, chimi sauce, and tangy BBQ sauce.
Odd Burger, 1050 Bank St., Ottawa, ON K1S 3X2 Canada
Odd Burger specializes in vegan fast food. This restaurant offers sides, “chickUN,” all day-breakfast, dessert, burgers, and more. All the ingredients used in specific dishes can be found on their website, where you can also place orders. Odd Burger also uses a variety of faux meats including house-made chickpea burgers, house-made sausage, gyro meat, and more! These are used in dishes like the “Vopper” burger and “Famous Style Fries”.
Ruby Baking Company, 811 E. Yellowjacket Ln. #122, Rockwall, TX 75087
A lighthearted, wholesome bakery with sweet treats for everyone. Desserts are all gluten-free, nut-free, and vegan. Some delicious options include cinnamon rolls, tiered cakes, and brownies.
Samata Vegan House, 1435 Highland Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90028
For Starters, there’s Mixed Tempura with pumpkin, broccoli, carrots, and more, Dumplings (choose steamed or fried,) Deep fried veggie Crispy Spring Roll with sweet and sour sauce, soy based Fries, Nuggets and all sorts of Wings. Salads include Cucumber Salad with Japanese ponzu sauce and sesame seeds, green Papaya Salad or Seasonal Fruit Salad—the last two with tomato, carrot, peanut, and chili lime dressing. In some cases, you may select your spice level. Stir-fried entrées include crispy fried, Orange Soy Chicken with homemade fresh orange sauce and sesame seeds, Broccoli Mushroom with stir-fried carrot and garlic, Spicy Eggplant or Ginger Delight—both with bell pepper, garlic, and other veggies to name a few. All come with “meat” – your choice of tofu, chicken, mixed veggies (or shrimp costs more). The last three come with homemade brown sauce. You might explore their virtual rainbow of Curry dishes—Red, Yellow, Green, or Panang. Most feature combinations of peas, bell pepper, green beans, and bamboo shoots. Soup choices include Coconut or Tom Yum – both with carrot, broccoli, cabbage, mushroom, and tomato in spicy and sour broths, the former with coconut milk. With oodles of Noodle dishes, you’ll have to use yours to narrow the choices! There’s Pad Thai, Udon, yakisoba, glass noodles, and many more. One of several Rice dishes is jasmine Pineapple Fried Rice with peas, carrot, onion, raisins, cashews, and curry powder. For a fruity kick, dessert choices are Coconut Ice Cream with Banana Roll or Mango with Sweet Coconut Rice.
Vegan Galaxy Miami, 90 NE 22nd St., Miami, FL 33137
Vegan Galaxy Miami is known for its good vibes. Some of their featured foods include Spinach Feta Borek, Folded Kimbap, and Baklava.
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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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