photo from Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant

The Vegetarian Resource Group will host a networking dinner in Denver, Colorado, during the annual FNCE meeting of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Within one mile of the Colorado Convention Center. The public is invited. Participants from Denver and places from around the country will have a chance to share veg related activities they have coordinated.

RIO GRANDE MEXICAN RESTAURANT BUFFET:

Chips and Salsa

Guacamole

Black Beans

Portabella and Squash

Grilled Peppers and Onions

Plain Rice

Pico de Gallo

Selection of Salsas

Flour Tortillas

Soft Drinks, Coffee, Tea

PLEASE RESERVE IN ADVANCE. SEATING IS LIMITED

$30 for The Vegetarian Resource Group and Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group members. $35 for nonmembers. Includes tax and tip.

Please prepay at vrg.org/donate. Write in the comments section names of participants and that it is for the Denver dinner. Or call (410) 366-8343, or mail payment to The Vegetarian Resource Group, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.

It’s tomato season in America and you might be looking for some quick-and-easy vegan recipes featuring tomatoes. Try these:

Sautéed Collard Greens and Tomatoes (by Debra Wasserman)

(Serves 4)

1 teaspoon oil

1 pound collards, chopped

2 ripe tomatoes, chopped

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon mustard powder

Sauté all ingredients together over medium-high heat for 7 minutes. Serve warm.

Broiled Herbed Tomatoes (from Simply Vegan)

(Serves 3)

3 tomatoes, cut in half

1 Tablespoon vegan margarine

1 teaspoon dried basil

2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast

Dash of salt and pepper

Place margarine, basil, yeast, salt, and pepper on top of tomatoes. Broil for 4 minutes, until tops are slightly brown.

 Tomato Sauce (Sugo di pomodoro fresco from Vegans Know How to Party)

(Serves 4)

This is an uncooked tomato sauce, great for fresh tomatoes that are ripe or overly ripe. This sauce is not meant to sit, as it is most flavorful freshly prepared and served. This sauce will not freeze well, so make just enough to top al dente pastas, rice, or steamed greens.

1-1/2 pounds (about 4 cups) peeled, seeded, and chopped fresh tomatoes

3 chopped green onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a glass or plastic bowl (not metal). Spoon over hot pasta and serve immediately.

Black Betty Arepa photo from Que Ricas

Que Ricas in Haddon Township, New Jersey, offers Venezuelan food with plenty of clearly marked vegan options. We sampled their delicious Harvest empanadas filled with sweet potatoes, black beans, and kale, as well as their Apple empanadas. Also, we tried two varieties of arepas: the Black Betty (home-made black bean burger, with sweet plantains, and guacamole) and the Dario (falafel, hummus, sweet cabbage slaw, and Pico de Gallo).

Que Ricas is located at 46 A Haddon Ave, Haddon Township, NJ 08108. They are open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday. For more info., see: https://www.que-ricas.com/

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

photo from Thrive Tribe Café

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:

Apothica Café, 3 Dexter St, Cumberland, RI 02864

Beverages play a starring role here. Flavors are “made in house, from scratch.” Besides hot chocolate, they serve locally roasted coffee in classic drinks, at least 16 specialty lattes at last count including:  Peanut Butter Maple and Cardamom Vanilla. When you visit Apothica, you can find out for yourself about their Hot Donna and Sacred 7. These are all in addition to a myriad of imaginative Moon Milks/Tea Lattes like Blue Lotus Lavender with Butterfly Pea Flower, Ashwagandha and more. You just might meet your Matcha with several wonderful flavors like Lavender, Rose, and Dragon fruit. Maybe a flash of inspiration will strike you as you sip their Lightning Bolt Lemonade or Elderberry Hibiscus—another of many possibilities, all fresh squeezed. Breakfast offers Bagels with vegan spreads, weekly rotating baked goods, a Burrito, as well as sandwiches and wraps with eggs and cheese, some veggie fixings, hot sauces or garlic herb spreads. Lunch brings a Mexican-inspired Wrap, a burger and a couple of Mac N Cheese varieties served with a cashew sauce. Their Apothica at Night menu serves up house-made basil-enriched, Penne alla Vodka, and they’ve reinvented the Pot Pie with a veggie version of edamame, carrot, potatoes, asparagus and a house-made biscuit. Enchanted by rosemary, lavender, gin, mescal, and maple, you might get happily Lost in the Woods of their vast Cocktail/Mocktail selections which include both Fig and Espresso Martinis, as well as a host of herb and fruit infused rum, gin and liquor blends. Is it one of those mornings? How about a Breakfast Cocktail, like Iced Coffee Spiked with black walnut vodka, or a rum, cinnamon, sweet almond Horchata? Maybe a Classic Mimosa or one of their more exotic flavors like Passionfruit would do the trick? Don’t forget Dessert: Gluten Free Fruit tart with vanilla custard, Crème Brulee or Warm Chocolate Cake drizzled with mocha for even more pizazz.

Dale and Dollips, 69 Main Ave, Ocean Grove, NJ 07756

Located a few blocks from the Atlantic Ocean, enjoy vegan comfort food in a diner with a 50s vibe. You can order wraps, sandwiches, salads, and more along with smoothies, sundaes, and vegan soft serve! This is a kid-friendly spot.

Matcha Thomas, 179 Main St., Beacon, New York 12508

A fast-casual, wellness teahouse offering purposefully crafted matcha (powdered green tea) lattes, seasonally inspired boba (bubble tea) drinks, and occasional classic treats. As a mindful and calming alternative to a typical coffee shop, Matcha Thomas underscores the value of thoughtfully executed menu items that are vegan, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free. Their matcha is a cornerstone of their lineup and is high quality. Be sure to try the hojicha Thomas, milk & matcha, or milk + matcha boba. Expect the smoothest matcha blended with decadently creamy plant milk, accompanied with superbly chewy and slightly sweet tapioca pearls if you choose the boba drink. The teahouse itself is a sensuous delight, with Japanese and Scandinavian-influenced interior design elements, scents of rose and jasmine, and a forest scene projected on the wall in the shop’s lounge featuring nature sounds. Moreover, the business is family-owned and veteran-owned.

Melange Eatery, Main Street Market Bldg. (Basement), 406 E. Main St., Medford, OR 97501

Melange serves organic items as much as possible. They even grow some of their own produce. To name a couple of the “Small Plates” available, there’s veggie sushi varied by a myriad of sauces such as caramelized ginger peanut sauce, ponzu, cashew and sriracha, as well as pan seared “Scallops” with oyster mushrooms, fermented Chinese black bean, ginger aioli and cilantro cream. Some main dishes offered include A La King Encroute–Wild mushrooms, garbanzos and peas in a white sauce on puff pastry, Spinach Mushroom Crépes made of buckwheat in a roasted pepper cashew sauce, a variety of Bowls, a Deconstructed Lasagna of garlic roasted vegetables, almond ricotta and other ingredients. Besides “Rawsome” choices like their Burger or Spaghetti, they offer a Taco with a walnut carrot cumin filling, Salads and a Caesar Wedge–portobello “anchovy” with cashew parmesan on romaine. For dessert, they offer a version of cinnamon twist they highly endorse called Barefoot Twist. There’s also vanilla, berry or chocolate Raw Cheezcake, Raw Brownie and Coconut Tapioca. Check their deli case for additional possibilities.

Moss Vegan, 539 Flatbush Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11225

Breakfast items include ckn’ n’ waffles with deep fried oyster mushrooms and a variety of fried pies. Lunch specials such as jerk chicken made with jackfruit or ginger chkn’ are served with rice, beans, and soup. Other main dishes are also available including a mini vegan fish sub, mac & cheese pie, and drumsticks with a choice of house-made sauce.

The Vegan Pantry, 34 Ross St., Barrie, ON L4N 1E9 Canada

Focusing on the “underserved” vegan, The Vegan Pantry offers a menu that is not only vegan but also gluten-free and refined sugar-free. Some might consider those qualities restricting, but, rest assured, this is one bountiful pantry. The bakery items steal the spotlight, with selections such as the Ah Caramel (a rich brownie topped not only with vanilla frosting and house made caramel sauce but also then dipped in vegan milk chocolate) and the Hello Dolly Bar (with a graham cracker crust and loaded with toasted coconut, pecans, and “oodles” of melted chocolate chips). But if you’re looking for something savory, they also offer vegan cheese; grab’n go items such as the buffalo jackfruit dip or their omelet mix made with chickpea flour; freezer meals that include the 6-pack of Cheezy Mozza Sticks, breaded with a mix of gluten-free breadcrumbs and herbs; and ready-to-eat pizza. If you are in party-planning mode, wow your guests and save yourself the stress by ordering from their selection of party platters, followed by a scrumptious party cake, like the carrot cake or the vanilla sponge cake with strawberry frosting.

Thrive Tribe Café, 60 Maple Ave., Barrington, RI 02806

The founders of Thrive Tribe Café are united by a love of coffee and a commitment to well-being. Starting with the coffee, you can choose from options such as a Dirty Vanilla Chai Latte or a Cappuccino–or if tea is more your beverage, there are iced and hot options, including a Matcha Tea Latte made with maple syrup and oat milk. And music to every vegan’s ears: three types of milk appear on the menu—almond, oat (regular and dark chocolate), and soy. In addition to crepes and arepas, they offer acai bowls, sandwiches, and toasts, as well as baked goods including donuts. In the spirit of healing and alignment, you may opt for the Chakra Acai Bowl, which is gluten-free and made with peanut butter plus a wide variety of fruit including pineapple and blueberries, topped with granola, goji berries, and chocolate chips. Or you may want to conquer the day by starting it off with The Boss Boss crepe—made with cinnamon almond butter, blueberries, maple syrup, granola, and powdered sugar.

Root Beer Float Pie photo by Hannah Kaminsky

Cookbook author and photographer Hannah Kaminsky previously penned an article called “Keep Your Cool! Refreshing No-Bake Desserts” in VRG’s Journal.  Recipes include Peaches and Cream Icebox Cake, Orange Dream Ice Cream Bars, Raspberry White Chocolate Macaroons, Root Beer Float Pie, and Bananas Foster Crème Brûlée.

You can find the entire piece here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2019issue3/2019_issue3_keep_cool.php

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

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Have you ever seen phrases like “The RDA for calcium for adult women is 1,000 milligrams per day” or “Older adults have significantly increased protein needs as well—up to 50% higher than the DRI”? You may know that RDA stands for Recommended Dietary Allowance but what does that mean? And what is the DRI?

Over the next weeks, we’ll talk about some nutrition terms that often pop up in articles and books. A general understanding of these terms is helpful when thinking about nutrition policy. And, as we’ll see in upcoming posts, nutrition policy influences everything from what is served in school lunch programs and military cafeterias to which foods are provided in the WIC program, to what labels on food packages can say, to evaluating the adequacy of a vegan diet.

Let’s start by looking at DRIs. DRIs stands for Dietary Reference Intakes. DRI is a general term for a set of values that have been developed based on scientific research that are used to determine the amount of each nutrient that is needed by people of different ages and sexes. For example, for the essential mineral zinc, there are different recommendations for zinc needs for males and females in seven different age groups as well as for pregnancy and lactation.

There are DRIs for nutrients including essential vitamins and minerals, protein, fats, carbohydrates, and fiber. For each of the nutrients, different kinds of DRIs are developed. The types of DRIs that you’re probably most familiar with are Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) and Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (ULs).

We won’t talk a lot about ULs. These are the maximum daily amount of a nutrient which is not likely to cause adverse health effects. For example, the UL for preformed vitamin A (the kind of vitamin A found in meat, fish, dairy products, eggs, and supplements) for adults is 3,000 micrograms a day. This means that unless you are taking vitamin A for medical reasons under the care of a doctor, your total daily intake of preformed vitamin A from food, beverages, and supplements should not exceed this UL. Getting too much preformed vitamin A is usually due to vitamin A coming from supplements.

An RDA is the average daily level of intake of a nutrient that meets the needs for that nutrient of nearly all healthy people. For example, the RDA for zinc for adult women is 8 milligrams a day. If you are a healthy adult woman and your food or your food and supplements, on average, provides 8 milligrams of zinc a day, it’s likely that you are getting enough zinc.

You may find tables like this one that give the RDA for different nutrients. An explanation of the science used to develop each RDA for each nutrient has been published by the National Academies Press so if you want to dive into the details, you can access the published volumes of DRIs on their website. Be warned, most are hundreds of pages long.

The DRIs (one component of which is the RDAs) are determined by the National Academy of Medicine, an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. According to its website,  “we [the National Academy of Medicine] harness the talents and expertise of accomplished, thoughtful volunteers and undertake meticulous processes to avoid and balance bias. Our foundational goal is to be the most reliable source for credible scientific and policy advice on matters concerning human health.”

To read more about DRIs and RDAs see:

Dietary Reference Intakes Calculator for Health Professionals

BBQ Tofu Cobb Salad

On a warm day you can create a delicious hearty salad for supper! In an issue of Vegan Journal, Amber Murtoff serves up a wide variety of hearty salads. Enjoy preparing Grilled Peach Salad with Corn Fritters, BBQ Tofu Cobb Salad, Bacun-Kale-Tomato Pasta Salad, Zucchini Salad with Walnut Pesto, Warm Farro Salad with Fig Vinaigrette, and Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh with Carrot Falafel.

See: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2022issue3/2022_issue3_salad_for_supper.php

Subscribe to Vegan Journal: https://www.vrg.org/party/

Zucchini Bread Thumbprints photo by Hannah Kaminsky

Hannah Kaminsky is the new Senior Editor of Vegan Journal. Hannah is the author of several vegan cookbooks and wrote an article titled “From A to Zucchini” in an issue of Vegan Journal (formerly Vegetarian Journal). Zucchini is a relatively inexpensive vegetable and easy to find in stores. Enjoy recipes for Greek Zucchini Carpaccio; Falafel-Stuffed Zucchini, BBQ Zucchini Chips; Zucchini Pâté; and Zucchini Bread Thumbprints.

Read the entire article with recipes here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2020issue2/2020_issue2_a_zucchini.php

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

These are some items listed as vegan on the Del Taco website:
Chips & Fresh House-made Guac
Crinkle Cut Fries
Pinto Beans
Seasoned Black Beans
Snack Taco Shell
Tortilla
Tortilla Chips

Del Taco states:
“Please be advised that there is a possibility for cross contact with allergens and animal products within Del Taco kitchens and prep areas. A vegetarian diet does not include any meat, poultry, game, fish, shellfish or by-products of animal slaughter. A vegan diet avoids animal foods such as meat, poultry, game, fish, shellfish, dairy, eggs and honey.”

“*Please be aware that our restaurants use the same frying oil to prepare menu items that could have meat in them. All vegetarian ingredients may possibly come into contact with meat ingredients, which may be unacceptable to particular kinds of vegetarian eating plans. We cannot confirm whether any of our ingredients did not come into contact with meat products. This holds true for Del Taco and/or our franchisees.”

For more info, see https://deltaco.com/files/pdf/2023/allergens-05-2023.pdf?v=1

In addition, a Vegetarian Resource Group reader wrote: “Hello! I use your website a lot when I eat at the big food chains so I wanted to contribute too now that I have a chance to. I reached out to Del Taco to confirm their cheese enzymes are not from an animal source.”

Del Taco responded: “Thank you for reaching out to Del Taco. In answer to your question about Del Taco’s cheese products, our cheese products contains microbial rennet and is not derived from an animal source.”

For more on other restaurant chains, see https://www.vrg.org/fastfoodinfo.php

For information about veggie restaurants in the USA and Canada, see https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

The contents of this posting, our website and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal and 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.