photo from Soli Grill

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: http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

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:

Blooming Lotus Bakery, 2215 E. North Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53202 and 3948 N. Maryland Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53211

Features grain-free, dairy-free, processed sugar-free, and egg-free food made with nut flours and seed flours. Features breads, rolls, muffins, pies, cakes, cookies, dessert bars, and biscotti, with no added oils or fats. Samples include Cardamon Pistachio Scone, Lemon Poppyseed Muffin, Peach Blueberry Danish, Foccacia Bread, Apricot Fig Loaf, Tiramisu Bar, Cherry Pecan Chocolate Cookie with Chocolate Drizzle, and Chocolate Cashew Date Truffle. Also available are dozens of pies and cakes.

The Grain Café, 4222 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90019; 10032 Venice Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232; 4403 E. 4^th St., Long Beach, CA 90814; 715 N. Pacific Coast Hwy., Redondo Beach, CA 90277; and 14440 Gilmore St., Van Nuys, CA 91401

With an emphasis on natural, organic foods, and offering a diverse menu that includes pizza, crepes, and Mediterranean and Mexican dishes, there is something for everyone at The Grain Café. For those who really like to have options, you can select from The Grain Food, where you can mix and match from selections of veggies, grains/beans, plant proteins, and dressings/sauces to create a dish that is exactly what you want. Favorite crepes include the Chocolate Crepe made with chocolate mousse and strawberry and the Tropical Crepe, which includes mango, strawberries, kiwi, blackberries, and banana. You can even order a full-sized cake, choosing from flavors that include Tres Leche, Green Tea, and Berries & Almond. Considering all of these options as well as a robust beverage menu with lattes, teas, juices, and smoothies, you will want to make multiple trips to The Grain Café in order to try everything!

HAAM, 234 Union Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11211

Features appetizers, salads, entrées, sides, and desserts. Non-alcoholic drinks also available. Entrées include Bake and Shark (flatbread filled with cabbage, pineapple, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, and banana blossom drizzled with house-made chutneys, served with side of Mango Chow) and Curry Tofu Bowl (curry roasted tofu, sautéed bell peppers, purple cabbage, sweet plantains, and avocado served with quinoa and curry dressing).

Looking Meadow Café, 2500 Sutton Blvd., Maplewood, MO 63143

Features 10-12 different baked goods daily, including fried donuts, apple fritters, quiche, zucchini bread, house made granola, and cinnamon rolls. Highlights from the lunch menu include French onion soup, a Beyond Burger patty melt, and a French-dip sandwich (seitan on bread with vegan cheese and au jus).  A hearty Cobb salad features seitan and tofu, JustEgg, vegan bacon, tomatoes, and chives.

Plantees Burgers, 1030 N. Mills Ave., Orlando, FL 32803

Features burgers, fries, and shakes, plus a kale salad. Burgers include The Shroom (vegan provolone, grilled mushrooms, and truffle sauce). Sandwich option includes Deluxe Sandwich (chick’n, vegan cheese, tomatoes, pickles, and garlic sauce). Various drinks include vegan milk shakes and some alcoholic drinks.

Soli Grill, 1709 Benson Ave, Evanston, IL 60201

Lunch and dinner options include appetizers such as Poached Pear Flatbread (poached pear, vegan gorgonzola cheese, candied walnuts, arugula, and balsamic vinegar), salads, soups, sushi, tacos, sandwiches, wraps, and a number of dinner entrées such as Scallops and Chorizo (seared vegan scallops, spicy vegan chorizo, cauliflower purée, lemongrass cream sauce, and grilled asparagus) and Chicken Marsala Cassoulet (vegan chicken, marsala wine, Portobello and cremini mushrooms, and mashed potatoes). Features coffee, tea, sodas and mocktails, as well as several dessert options such as Vegan Chocolate Cake and Apple Tarte. Weekend brunch items include pancakes, waffles, French toast, and more. They also have a kid’s menu.

VeGreen Burger, Town Center Mall, 400 Ernest W. Barrett Pkwy. NW, Kennesaw, GA 30144

Located in the food court, VeGreen Burger offers a plethora of Asian-inspired fast food and American options. There are several varieties of its signature item (BBQ Pork, Teriyaki Mushroom, Beyond Meat, and more) as well as appetizers like Ginger Salad and Cream Cheese Rangoons. Some popular dishes include the Shrimp Burger, Chicken Nuggets, Drumsticks with General Tso’s sauce, Fried Kale Chips, and Crinkle Fries. The Shrimp Burger is crunchy, tender, and golden, with creamy mayo sauce and a tasty sesame bun. The Chicken Nuggets come with a sweet dipping sauce. The Drumsticks are delicious, while the Kale Chips and Crinkle Fries are fresh, hot, and crispy. There is also an array of cake cups and milk teas available. Please note that some items rotate on and off of their menu.

Looking for a creative vegan gift idea? Consider making culinary mixes in glass jars. Rissa Miller offers several options including Cajun-Spiced Red Beans and Rice; Lentil Noodle Soup; Cheezy Tater Soup; Savory Gravy Mix; Quick Ranch; and Berry Ginger Muffins in her article running in the latest issue of Vegan Journal. See: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2023issue4/2023_issue4_pantry_mixes.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal visit: https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

When I was growing up, every December, my mom made cookies, lots of cookies. Open the refrigerator, and there would be bowls of cookie dough, waiting to be shaped and baked. The counters were covered with repurposed coffee cans, filled with cookies. We shared plates of cookies with friends, neighbors, family members, and our teachers. The kinds of cookies varied a little from year to year. The basics included hand-painted sugar cookies, spritz, hermits, M & M cookies, and chocolate snowballs. Every year my mother would attempt to recreate the cookies of her childhood, the ones her German mother made. Her mother died young and hadn’t written down recipes, so all my mother had to go on was her memory of baking with her mother and the way her mother’s cookies tasted.

Her two favorite traditional cookies were Springerle and Pfefferneuse. Springerle, as my mother made them, were an anise-flavored dough, rolled with a special rolling pin that left little pictures imprinted in the dough. They were hard but softened with time and were great for dunking in coffee or tea. Pfefferneuse, or pepper nuts, were spice cookies that became even more flavorful with time. Mom said she came close to her mother’s cookies but decided that the flour she used was different from what her mother used and that explained why the cookies weren’t quite the same. These were sophisticated cookies, not the super-sweet sugar cookies that my brothers clamored for. I felt quite grown-up when I sipped milky tea while my mother drank her coffee and we shared the last of the Pfefferneuse and Springerle.

I’ve tried veganizing my mother’s cookie recipes for several years. This year, I decided to systematically test vegan variations on her Pfefferneuse recipe. The original recipe called for 2 eggs. My first trial was with two different egg substitutes – flaxseed and Ener-G powdered egg replacer. I made two batches of cookies. In one, I replaced 2 eggs with 2 Tablespoons of ground flaxseed and 5 Tablespoons of water beaten together. In the other, I replaced 2 eggs with 1 Tablespoon of powdered egg replacer and ¼ cup of warm water, mixed well.

The cookies were flavorful but the texture of both was odd. I can only describe it as rubbery, sort of cakey, a little dry but not crumbly. They did not get better with time. I thought of the two, the ones made with flaxseed were a bit better.

My mother’s Pfefferneuse recipe had no oil or fat of any sort. Perhaps that was the reason for the odd texture. Oil helps to reduce the development of gluten, resulting in a more crumbly texture. For my second trial, I used two different egg substitutes – flaxseed and aquafaba – and added a little canola oil. In one batch of cookies, I used the same flaxseed and water mixture as before. In the other batch, I replaced 2 eggs with 3 Tablespoons of aquafaba (the liquid from canned chickpeas).

The cookies made with oil were moist and chewy. They were not rubbery. The ones made with aquafaba had a vague off taste to me but were quite acceptable. The ones made with flaxseed were my favorites and that’s the recipe that I will share.

Vegan Pfefferneuse (makes about 4 dozen small cookies)

2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed

5 Tablespoons water

1 cup vegan brown sugar

¼ cup canola oil

2½ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon cloves

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ginger

½ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ cup chopped pecans (optional)

Mix flaxseed and water in a small bowl and set aside for 5-10 minutes. Place in a larger bowl with the brown sugar and oil and beat for 3 minutes. Combine flour, spices, and baking soda in a bowl. Add dry ingredients to the brown sugar mixture along with the nuts, if desired. Mix gently by hand (do not beat). Add additional water, a tablespoon at a time, as needed to make a soft, not sticky dough. I added about ¼ cup of water. Cover and refrigerate for several hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Shape dough into small balls, about the size of a walnut, and place on baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store in air-tight container at room temperature.

For more vegan cookie recipes see:

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies

Lemon-Poppyseed Cookies

Pumpkin Pillow Cookies

Caribbean Food Delights makes delicious vegan frozen seasoned patties that can be prepared in an air fryer, microwave, or on your stove-top in very little time. Some of the varieties include Jamaican Curry Jackfruit, Jamaican Style Jerk BBQ Jackfruit, Vegetable Patties, Spinach Patties, and Plantain Tarts. See our review in Vegan Journal: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2023issue4/2023_issue4_veggie_bits.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal visit: https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Photo by Rissa Miller

Vegan Journal Senior Editor Rissa Miller wrote an article titled, On a Roll. She provides vegan recipes for making the dough (including a gluten-free option) or if you’re in a rush how to use vegan canned crescent-style dough. You’ll also find three sweet roll fillings and three savory roll fillings. Start baking today!

Read the complete article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2020issue1/2020_issue1_on_roll.php

Subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA only by visiting https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Chanukah is a time that extended families gather together. Here are some vegan recipes from The Lowfat Jewish Vegetarian Cookbook (a vegan cookbook) you can share with your friends and family during the 8-day celebration.

Potato Latkes
Serves 4

1-½ pounds potatoes, peeled and grated
1 medium onion, peeled and grated
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
Dash of pepper
2 Tablespoons tamari or soy sauce

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Form 3-inch patties and fry in lightly oiled pan over medium heat for 10 minutes. Flip latkes and fry for another 10 minutes until crisp on both sides. Serve warm with applesauce or other cooked fruit.

Broccoli Latkes
Serves 5

1 pound broccoli, chopped into small pieces
2 pounds potatoes, scrubbed and cubed into small pieces
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 cups water
½ teaspoon celery seed
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon oil

Cook all the ingredients (except the oil) in a large covered pot over medium heat for 20 minutes. Drain mixture and mash ingredients together.
Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Form 10 pancakes. Fry 8 minutes on one side. Flip pancakes and fry for another 5 minutes on the other side. Serve warm.

You can purchase the vegan recipe book The Lowfat Vegetarian Cookbook here: https://www.vrg.org/bookstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=13

In the latest issue of Vegan Journal, Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, reviews recent scientific papers related to vegetarianism. Topics covered include Dietary Factors Associated with Type 2 Diabetes, New Guide for Vegetarian Athletes, and Phytoestrogens Are Associated with Lower Mortality. See: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2023issue4/2023_issue4_scientific_update.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal visit: https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Be sure to follow The Vegetarian Resource Group on Instagram: @vegetarianresourcegroup

Al Pastor Cheeseless-Steak Sandwich photo by Rissa Miller

Chef Roberto Carlos Perez shares a number of Mexican Fusion dishes in his Vegan Journal article. Enjoy Mexican-American Breakfast, No-Lomo Salteado Vegan Burritos, Mexican-Inspired Spaghetti, Fettuccine Roberto, and Al Pastor Cheeseless-Steak Sandwiches. See: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2023issue4/2023_issue4_mexican_fusion.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal visit: https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

In our latest Nutrition Hotline column, a Vegan Journal reader asks, “My husband and I are healthy long-term vegans. Neither of us eat much processed food nor cook with a lot of oil… Is a completely oil-free diet worth the effort? VRG’s Nutrition Advisor, Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, answers their question here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2023issue4/2023_issue4_nutrition_hotline.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal visit: https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php