photo from CHLOE

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:

CHLOE, 185 Bleecker St., New York, NY 10012

Chloe aims to incorporate “thoughtfully sourced ingredients.” There are some gluten-free options. A couple of the Appetizers are Butternut Nachos with butternut-cashew cheese, spicy maple seitan, mango salsa, avocado, and coconut lime drizzle and seasonal Summer Corn Mac made with corn-cashew cream, pine nut ricotta, and jalapeño pesto. To get to the “meat” of the matter, you might try Chloe’s house-made Classic Burger featuring butternut-cashew cheddar and charred Trumpet mushroom on a brioche, or Avocado Burger with corn and Calabrian chili aioli. Feeling spicy? How about the Hot Italian meatballs with cashew mozzarella, basil pesto, and almond parmesan, amped up with Arrabbiata sauce and hot cherry tomato jam? The “meat” in all three is a blend of mushrooms, walnut, and soy. One Salad option is seasonal Farmers Market with greens, cucumber, watermelon radish, minted pearl couscous, white balsamic vinaigrette, oven dried tomatoes, tofu feta, edamame hummus and grilled bread. One of their Sides is Spicy Cashew Kelp Noodles crafted with chili cashew sauce, scallions, black sesame, and crushed peanuts. Raw, organic Cold Pressed Juices are among the many Beverage options. For Dessert, a myriad of Cookie choices includes Cinnamon Espresso, Rocky Road, and Vanilla Caramel Chocolate Chunk to name a few. There are also Cupcakes and Cakes, Chocolate Chip Pecan Banana Bread, Matcha Soft serve served in a coconut, Tiramisu, and more.

Coffee and Plants, 12334 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, CA 91604

Their mission is “to help the planet one cup at a time!” Enjoy a wide variety of coffee and tea, as well as muffins, croissant, danish, cookies, pie, and more. They also offer an avocado sandwich and JustEgg coconut bacon sandwich during breakfast and lunch.

Providence Vegan Deli, 783 Hope St., Providence, RI 02906

An old-school deli offering a variety of innovative, high-quality seitan, carefully made classic deli sandwiches, a tasty assortment of salads, and more. Their variety of types of seitan are created in-house on a daily basis. Sandwiches are flavorful, fresh, and consistent with the spirit of traditional deli versions, featuring fresh bread from a nearby bakery and huge portions. However, it’s all vegan! A few menu items seem to have a cult-like following among devoted customers (the “Frank” Italian grinder sub, the Cannonball sub, and Potato Salad come to mind). Some other customer favorites include the Firestorm spicy grinder sub, the Big Toona grinder sub, Olive Medley, Dropdead Kale Salad, and Artichoke Salad. There are a few gluten-free options on the rotating menu. Orders can be placed online or in person, and there are a few tables available on site for diners. The shop is located on the east side of Like No Udder (with which they share a space), only four miles from the Massachusetts border.  In addition, the location is wheelchair accessible, with no steps or stairs on site. As for parking, please note that there is a small lot in front of the building, as well as street parking available.

The Modern Vegan, 304 N. Main St., Royal Oak, MI 48067

Enjoy a wide variety of items including Popcorn Chick’n, Breakfast Potato Skins, Cauliflower Wings, Breakfast Burrito, various skillet dishes, waffles galore, pasta dishes, wraps and sandwiches, and so much more. They also offer floats and shakes.

The Vegan Cupcake Factory, 115 Wholesale Ave. NE, Huntsville, AL 35811

A great place to get vegan cupcakes, smoothies, and meals. Perfect for satisfying a sweet tooth! Desserts include The Banana Cream cupcake, The Strawberry cupcake, The Creamy Walnut cupcake, cupcake parfaits, and more! Breakfast items include pancakes and vegan sausage and for lunch enjoy a veggie burger with fries.

Veganica, 124 Church St., New Brunswick, NJ 08901

Veganica strives to serve flavorful, organic meals from scratch. They have some gluten-free options. They describe their colorful ambiance as “wildly artistic.” Stained glass fixtures add an Art Nouveau vibe.  Appetizers include two grilled Oyster Mushroom choices–either BBQ or Grillin in an herb vegetable marinade. Pizza choices abound. Select either the 10” Personal Pie or a slice. There’s Mackin’ Out—their popular Mackin’ Cheeze on homemade pizza crust with pasta shells, sweet potato truffle cashew cream, smoked shiitakes, and roasted broccoli, Philly Pizza with cashew cheese, peppers, onions, sherry garlic cremini mushrooms, and arugula; Roma Pizza with cashew cheese, slow roasted Roma tomatoes, caper Kalamata tapenade, pesto, and arugula to note a few. Sandwiches Forget the BLT, Veganica has recreated it with a vegan twist. S-P-L-A-T Sandwich showcases smoked Shiitake mushrooms, Pickles, Lettuce, Avocado, Tomato, and Caesar spread on a fresh baguette. There’s also Angelica Sandwich with lemon rosemary tofu, lemon pesto, roasted carrots, and roasted onions on a fresh baguette, or Banh Mi of smoked tofu, house mayo, kimchi, avocado, fresh cilantro, and lettuce on a fresh baguette. There are a couple of Salads too. If you’re hoping to make some sweet memories, Pastry possibilities include Chocolate Brownie, Double Chocolate Hazelnut Cookie with a chocolate base, chocolate chips, hazelnuts, and orange zest; Chocolate White Chocolate Cherry Cookie featuring a chocolate cookie, white chocolate chips and dried cherries; Coffee Cake and more.

Wish Tree, 437 W. Main St., North Adams, MA 01247

Based on what they feel is in their employees best interest, Wish Tree has chosen to be tip free, so their menu prices reflect the included gratuity. “Vegetable forward,” they aim to source most of their ingredients locally.  As such, the menu may constantly vary. They offer gluten-free options and are working to expand them. If you email or phone them in advance, they’re open to discussing dietary allergies. The following are current menu examples of their cuisine. Small Plates include two peach based salads—one with greens, cultured cashew blue cheese, and elderflower vinaigrette, šaltibarščiai (Lithuanian Cold Beet Soup) with dill and deviled potato, and Mini Tacos featuring Royal Corona bean purée, mozzarella, sweet potato, arugula, sunflower, and aioli in corn tortillas and more. Large Plate options are garlicky Polenta “Pizza” topped with tomato, mozzarella, and basil, served with blistered shishitos and cashew-hemp ranch, Pierogi crafted with roasted beet, potato, dill–butter, caramelized onion, grated fresh horseradish, cashew sour cream, and cardamom applesauce, as well as Spicy Green Curry with pepper, bamboo shoots, fava beans, basil and jasmine rice, and more. Dessert is Lemon olive oil cake with cashew mascarpone, blueberry coulis, and a mint leaf.

The Internal Revenue Service states that individual retirement arrangement (IRA) owners age 70½ or over can transfer up to $100,000 to charity (such as The Vegetarian Resource Group) tax-free each year. These transfers, known as qualified charitable distributions or QCDs, offer eligible older Americans a way to give to charity. For those who are at least 73 years old, QCDs count toward the IRA owner’s required minimum distribution (RMD) for the year. You need to have your IRA trustee send the money to the charity directly, and not to you first. You do not need to itemize your taxes for this benefit. For more information, see https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/qualified-charitable-distributions-allow-eligible-ira-owners-up-to-100000-in-tax-free-gifts-to-charity

This is not legal or tax advice, for which you should speak to your financial and legal advisors.

To make direct donations to VRG and support vegan education and research, donate at www.vrg.org/donate

Twin Cities VegFest is looking for registered dietitians to volunteer a couple hours at their “Ask a Dietitian” booth on September 22 at Harriet Island Park. This is an opportunity to share information with people interested in plant-based eating, and to share information about your personal consulting practice if you have one.

Interested? Contact Laura Matanah, festival organizer, at [email protected]

What can you pack for a vegan lunch? Whether you’re going to school, work, a picnic, or on a road trip, you need options for lunch. Check out 50 ideas to fill your lunch bag!

See this Vegetarian Resource Group Video at https://youtu.be/kqoFDjQO2fs

More videos at:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvSyCToa_i9fA4D5CLCAFWw
https://www.vrg.org/veg_videos.php

Image by Racool_studio on Freepik

In the latest Nutrition Hotline column of Vegan Journal, Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, covers the topic of diet and hearing loss. Read the column here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2024issue3/2024_issue3_nutrition_hotline.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal visit www.vrg.org/member

Carrot Dogs photo by Hannah Kaminsky

In the latest issue of Vegan Journal, Lauren Bernick shares recipes that won’t break your budget. Enjoy Incredible Carrot Dogs; Portobello Mushroom Fajitas with Mango Salsa; Pumpkin Seed Sauce; Meaty Texas Chili; and Old-Fashioned Biscuits. Find the entire article here https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2024issue3/2024_issue3_economical_vegan_meals.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal visit www.vrg.org/member

By Akua Oppong

My time at The Vegetarian Resource Group has been a fulfilling and exceptional experience. I have had the opportunity to explore my interests, learn about community outreach, and connect with impactful people.

A few weeks before my internship officially started, VRG was generous enough to provide me the opportunity to attend the Animal and Vegan Advocacy Summit with them. It was a truly enriching experience as I had the opportunity to connect with vegan activists, professionals, and companies.

One of the biggest projects I worked on during my internship was an article, meal plan, and recipes describing Ghanaian food and culture. This project was important to me because I have always wanted to do things to help promote veganism and healthy eating among the Ghanaian and African communities in the United States. I feel that my work on the project will help Ghanaians find ways to eat their cultural food in a healthy, fulfilling way, as well as anyone else who may want to try it. I collaborated with Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, a dietitian who works with VRG. Working with Reed was amazing as she provided specific, detailed feedback. This project has inspired me to continue sharing vegan resources and recipes with my community.

VRG has also allowed me to gain experience in many aspects such as networking, interviewing, writing articles, and reviewing events and products. The AVA summit was a great vessel for networking and I met many amazing people from around the world. I had the pleasure of interviewing Nancy, an exceptional student who has advocated for vegan foods at her high school, and met a young man from Ghana who is vegan and created a startup company that promotes animal advocacy in Ghana. During the internship I virtually observed a class by Kara Hall, a nutritionist who teaches vegan cooking and nutrition classes at Christopher Place, a residential employment academy for formerly homeless men in Baltimore.

I also conducted an interview with Dr. Peterson, a vegan dietitian and professor at Morgan State University, who I wrote about for a “Vegan Action” entry for Vegan Journal. Nadely, another VRG intern, and I, also had the chance to interview and record each other, describing our internships. I also had the chance to review a vegan pizza product for a Veggie Bit and a vegetarian Indian restaurant for VRG’s email newsletter.

For an exploratory assignment I got the chance to examine starches that are eaten in cultures around the world, and by reading VRG articles I learned about worldwide veganism, how to eat vegan on a budget, traditional, cultural, and religious vegan and vegetarian practices, what “plant-based” really means, and more. It was nice to see the many different vegan recipes that are made in African countries including Morocco, Ethiopia, and South Africa.

The main community health skill that I was able to apply during my internship were forms of qualitative studies. Qualitative studies are usually conducted by interacting with people, and I was able to do so through interviews. I then used the information or “data” I collected from the interviews or my experiences to write articles for the VRG blog.

Some ways in which this internship has shaped my future includes fueling my desire to work with people in communities, and possibly even a nonprofit organization like The VRG. I have been able to see how nonprofits work and how I can find a career in it. I look forward to seeking similar opportunities in the future.

Overall, the people at The VRG are a great, informative, genuine group of people who are passionate about what they do and want to share their passion and knowledge of veganism and vegan resources with the world. It has been a great honor to work with them this summer for my internship.

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

To support VRG internships, donate at vrg.org/donate or join at https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

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

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

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

I don’t know about you, but tomato season is never long enough for me! Nothing compares to the flavor of a fresh, local tomato, preferably just picked and still warm from the sun. I reluctantly buy an occasional tomato in the winter and am reminded, once again, how these don’t have the taste or texture of summer tomatoes.

So, I accept surplus tomatoes from friends with gardens and, at the farmers market, buy more tomatoes than I could possibly eat. When that glut of tomatoes happens, I have 2 tried and true solutions for easily preserving summer’s tomatoes.

Easy solution Number 1: Cut and freeze

Supplies needed: Cutting board, knife, freezer containers, measuring cup or kitchen scale (optional)

Wash ripe tomatoes. Remove the core, cut into small pieces, place in freezer container and freeze until you need tomatoes. If you freeze 14 ounce portions (a scant 2 cups or use a scale), you can easily use a thawed portion the same way you’d use a 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes. I don’t mind tomato skin or seeds in my dishes but if that’s a concern, you can put tomatoes in boiling water for one minute, transfer them to an ice bath, and then easily remove the tomato skin with your fingers. Cut the peeled tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds with clean fingers or a spoon and then cut into pieces for freezing.

Easy solution Number 2: Oven roast and freeze

Supplies needed: Cutting board, knife, baking sheet, immersion blender or food processor, freezer containers

Wash ripe tomatoes, core, and cut them in half. Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, place a clove of garlic in each tomato half, drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and/or pepper to taste. Bake at 225 degrees until they are very soft. This could take several hours or longer. Once the tomatoes have baked and cooled, you can put them, the garlic, and any juices left after roasting in a bowl and purée into a sauce with an immersion blender. Alternatively, put roasted tomatoes, garlic, and any juices into a food processor and pulse into a chunky sauce. Freeze in containers of your choice. When thawed, the sauce can be served over pasta or used as the base for a soup or sauce.

I should note that I haven’t tried canning tomatoes. It’s simpler, in my opinion, to freeze them. If canning is something you want to try, be sure to follow proper procedures including ensuring safe acidity by adding bottled lemon juice or citric acid. USDA’s Complete Guide to Home Canning is a reliable reference for canning tomatoes.

For more tomato ideas see:

What To Do With All Those Tomatoes

Quick and Easy Dishes Featuring Fresh Tomatoes

Tomato Heaven

REMI Vegan Backpack – Purity Matt & Nat Canada

If you’re in the market for a vegan backpack, you’ll be happy to know that there’s a wide variety of stylish vegan backpacks available in the USA, Canada, and Europe.

The French company Arsayo offers backpacks.

Doshi, an American company, makes backpacks for men and women.

Gunas offers backpacks for men and ships internationally from America.

Matt and Nat sells internationally a wide variety of backpacks in several colors.

Pixie Mood ships backpacks to both Canada and the USA.