Pizzeria Uno is featuring Vegan Garden Pizza (pictured above), Vegan Cheese Pizza, and Vegan Cheeseburger Deep Dish Pizza. See https://www.unos.com/menus/glutenfree-vegan-pizza.php
See ingredients and nutrition breakdown at https://www.unos.com/nutrition.php
As of December, where they list zero calories for fat, but do list a number for total fat, you may not want to depend on the zero calories. Has anyone tried these pizzas?

For information about vegetarian and vegan restaurants in the U.S. and Canada, see https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php
For information about other chains, see https://www.vrg.org/fastfoodinfo.php

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.

To support The Vegetarian Resource Group research, donate at www.vrg.org/donate
Or join at https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

photo by Hannah Kaminsky

Hannah Kaminsky shares several delicious black bean-based vegan recipes in an issue of Vegan Journal. Enjoy Colombian Black Bean Soup, Mole Enchiladas, Black Bean Chipotle Chile, Loaded Spanish Sweet Potatoes, and Tex-Mex Pasta Salad.

Read the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2023issue3/2023_issue3_modern_classics.php

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

Ben and Jerry’s will be switching all their non-dairy flavors to oat milk. For more information, see https://www.benjerry.com/whats-new/2023/10/best-non-dairy-recipe

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.

Recent topics brought up include:

– The Norwalk, CT school district will start having a vegan option on the menu each day. Offerings will include hummus, plant-based chicken nuggets, sweet and crunchy chickpea wraps, plant-based “beef crumbles” and burgers, and a Mediterranean salad.

– I was curious if anyone is ever concerned about their children not growing to their full height potential due to being vegan?

– The Vegetarian Resource Group will once again be awarding $30,000 in college scholarships to graduating American high school seniors promoting the veggie lifestyle. See: https://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

https://www.facebook.com/groups/VRGparentsandkids is intended to be a group that offers support for families raising children on vegan diets and for vegan kids around the world. 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.

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

By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

In a previous article, we calculated the carbon footprints of vegan pizza vs. meat pizza. The carbon emissions associated with the meat pizza were seven times greater than those resulting from the vegan pizza. In this post, we’ll see whether the difference between the water footprints of the same vegan and meat pizzas is as great.

Agricultural water use in a climate crisis

Approximately 70% of the world’s freshwater is used for food production every year. That is a huge withdrawal of the meager 3% total freshwater on Earth compared to saltwater (97%).

Compounding the problem of water availability is that only 0.5% out of the 3% is available for human use. (The rest is tied up in melting glaciers and polar ice caps, on their way to diluting salty oceans.) What is that quantity in gallons?

Based on estimations by the United States Geological Survey, in which the volume of all the freshwater on Earth is roughly 2,551,000 mi³ and one cubic mile of water equals more than 1.1 trillion gallons, the 0.5% of freshwater available for human use is approximately 2,551,000 x 0.005 x 1.1 ≅ 12,755 x 1.1 ≅ 14,031 trillion gallons ≅ 14 quadrillion gallons.

So, if agriculture uses 70% of the planet’s freshwater, that’s approximately 14,031 x 0.7 ≅ 9,821 trillion gallons ≅ 10 quadrillion gallons per year. That volume of water would fill roughly 9,821/660,000 ≅ 0.015 trillion ≅ 15 billion Olympic-sized swimming pools (holding 660,000 gallons each).

It makes sense in a climate crisis where global heating leads to extreme droughts or flooding in major agricultural regions to use that freshwater wisely. This is where foods’ water footprints can guide us to prudent water consumption.

What is a food’s water footprint?

The amount of freshwater (ground and surface water) needed to produce a particular food from farm to fork is called that food’s blue water footprint. In this post’s calculations, based on the work by Poore & Nemecek as interpreted by Our World in Data, only blue water, referred to as freshwater withdrawal, is counted.

The data used here do not include green water (rain/snow), or grey water defined as the freshwater needed to dilute pollutants – such as fertilizer and pesticide runoff – resulting from a food’s production to levels that meet local water quality standards. Nor do the data include where or when the water is used.

All types of water and where or when they are used are important in determining a food’s water footprint as accurately and precisely as possible. Other researchers consider all of these factors and more in their calculations of the water footprints of foods.

Water is used at every step of the process in food production including:

• Growing and harvesting crops
• Raising and slaughtering animals
• Processing all agricultural foodstuffs
• Packaging and transporting foods

Water footprints of pizza ingredients

Using Poore & Temecek’s data as presented by Our World in Data, we modified our ingredient tables used in our carbon footprint article to include water footprint data.

Vegan Pizza Ingredients

Total: 1,551.55 L ≅ 387.89 gallons

Meat Pizza Ingredients

Total: 2682.45 L ≅ 670.61 gallons

Conclusions about pizza water footprints

The water footprint of a meat pizza is 1.73 times higher than the water footprint of a vegan pizza. This result is similar to that of our 2017 assessment of the comparative water footprints of a bean/tofu burrito vs. a meat burrito. In that investigation, we found the water footprint of a meat burrito was 2.14 times as great as that of a bean/tofu burrito.

You may wonder why there is not a greater difference between the water footprints in our pizza and burrito examples like there was for carbon footprints (7-fold).

A 2020 review article on the water footprints of diets provides an answer to this question. In that meta-analysis, researchers noted that animal foods have significantly larger green water footprints while plant foods generally have larger blue water footprints.

Since our pizza example considered blue water footprints only, our final tabulation does not realistically quantify the total water footprint of the animal foods (beef, bacon, and dairy cheese) on the meat pizza. In other words, if both blue and green water footprints had been included, the difference between the water footprints of vegan vs. meat pizza – and, by extension, those of vegan vs. meat burritos – would be greater.

A.Y. Hoekstra, a leading water researcher, argues that the significantly larger water footprints of animal and dairy foods vs. plant foods have not been taken into account by nations overly concerned with sustainable production instead of sustainable consumption. Hoekstra points out that since raising animals for meat and dairy significantly adds to humanity’s water footprint, as well as to water pollution and water scarcity, countries searching for ways to save water must acknowledge that reducing animal products in our diet is an obvious solution and act on this fact.

In a world of increasing water scarcity in a climate emergency, every drop of water – green, blue, and grey – counts.

See other environmental articles here. https://www.vrg.org/environment/

To support The Vegetarian Resource Group research, donate at www.vrg.org/donate

Or join at https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Wayfair advertises this Coomer Vegan Leather Barrel chair. The description says it’s faux leather, but also indicates that the arm is leather. The customer service agent said the upholstery material of this item is faux leather, and the arm is also faux leather. Here is information. https://www.wayfair.com/furniture/pdp/corrigan-studio-coomer-2675-w-barrel-chair-w004332449.html

You should still check when you go to order.

Here is our list of other non-leather items including shoes, wallets, belts, etc.: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/leather.php

Orange & Sweet Tater Bowl photo by Rissa Miller

You might enjoy these recipes for Easy Bowls created by James Craig Thieman:

Tikka Masala Bowls

Southern Anytime Bowls

Garden Cabbage & Barley Bowls

Orange & Sweet Tater Bowls

Wasabi Rice Bowls with Peas

Deconstructed Samosa Bowls

Read the entire article here: Easy Bowls

To subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA, see: vrg.org/member

photo from Brick City Vegan

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:

Black Market Meats, 15613 Detroit Ave., Lakewood, OH 44107

Located near Kauffman Park in Lakewood (west Cleveland area), this “grab-and-go” restaurant features a rotating menu of soups, salads, and sandwiches with vegan deli meats, cheeses, and condiments, all made from scratch. A few notable items include broccoli salad, jambalaya, and stuffed peppers. Online ordering is available.

Brick City Vegan, 2 South Willow St., Montclair, NJ 07042

Brick City Vegan offers healthy food, using locally-sourced ingredients, in a casual, friendly manner, thereby fulfilling its mission of proving that being vegan can be easy. The only hard part is trying to decide which items to order from the menu that celebrates American regional foods, such as the Southern-inspired biscuits, the Philly cheesesteak, or the all-American burger. The country biscuits are baked daily from scratch. And make sure to leave room for a fruit shake, like the Piña Colada made with coconut milk, pineapple, banana, lime and agave.

Monster Baby Donuts, East Market, 212 Kelton Ave., Columbus, OH 43205

Having been inspired by the founder and her family’s food allergies, Monster Baby Donuts has opened a permanent space in the East Market food hall. The scrumptious mini donuts are not only vegan but also gluten-free, and they are so cute that you may be tempted—albeit briefly—to admire and not bite into them. But it will be hard to resist with such offerings as Death by Chocolate (a triple chocolate donut); the SunButter Buckeye Donut (a double chocolate donut with a SunButter glaze); and the Cinnamon Roll Donut (featuring a cinnamon vanilla glaze and a vegan buttercream). If you are able to distract yourself from the donut offerings, other menu options include items such as a chocolate-covered pretzel, fudge, and a chocolate chip cookie sandwich.

PLANTA, 11754 San Vicente Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049

Planta’s wide ranging menu should appeal to many different palates and cravings. Here’s what’s for dinner. Two of the many imaginative Sushi choices are Ahi Watermelon Nigri with ginger and citrus soy or Crispy Mushroom Hand Roll sauced with the savory, sweet heat of Korean gochujang, pickled ginger and eggplant unagi–a vegan interpretation of eel. One example from Chilled & Raw is Avocado Lime Tartare featuring beetroot tuna, pine nuts, capers, citrus soy, sesame, cilantro and taro chips. Some Signature dishes include Tagliatelle pasta in truffle-mushroom cream and bread crumbs and Spicy Lumaconi Pasta with tomato rosé sauce, cashew mozzarella, almond parmesan, and calabrese chili. Brick Oven tempts with choices like Leek Bianca garlic cream, cashew mozzarella and mushroom bacon, or Vodka Pizza–tomato cream, cashew mozzarella, pesto, basil, and chili bomba. Snack & Share options include Bang Bang Broccoli with sweet chili peanut sauce, or Coconut Ceviche—a tropical melange of pineapple, coconut milk, sweet potato, corn nuts, cilantro, lime, and avocado. They offer Daily Specials too. Lunch features some of the dinner menu ítems, but also includes more Wraps, and some different Signature dishes such as Funghi Salad comprised of butternut squash, chick n’ fried mushrooms, almond parmesan and a balsamic glaze. Many of the Lunch & Dinner ítems show up for their weekend Brunch, but there’s also cinnamon glazed Monkey Bread, a spicy spinach artichoke Omelet, Banana Waffle with roasted pecans, French Toast with granola, and more. For Dessert there’s Keylime Cheesecake, Chocolate Brownie, and more.

PlanTita’s Kitchen, 1950 W. Willow St., Long Beach, CA 90810

Come on down to PlanTita’s Kitchen where you are sure to feel right at home! This establishment serves veganized versions of Mexican dishes including an enmolada plate, elote fried ribs, pozole verde, flauta plate, and even tres leches cake. With recipes passed down through generations, this restaurant prides itself on showcasing vegan Mexican dishes without sacrificing the classic flavors. Come enjoy a meal under the dim lights and music surrounded by Latino heritage/culture decorations. Make sure to hi to the portrait of Frida Kahlo.

Vegan Wangs, 1038 White St. SW, Atlanta, GA 30310

An entirely vegan takeout, delivery, and catering service that offers a variety of hearty options such as wheat protein-based chick’n wings, chick’n fingers with fried oyster mushrooms, salads with coconut-based feta, drinks, and desserts. The wings are offered in a selection of distinctive flavors, including Lemon Buffalo, Thai Sweet Chili, BBQ, Jerk, and Mango Habenero. Moreover, they are available in 5, 6, 10, 12, and 20-piece sizes that can include French fries. Please kindly note that Vegan Wangs is not a sit-down restaurant. Orders are placed on their website, Uber Eats, Door Dash, or Grubhub; then an estimated time is given. In that vein, the pickup location might be hard to find. If you are facing the 1038 building from the entrance, it’s the first green door on the left with yellow rails and a ramp. Kindly knock on the door, and someone will assist you.

Vice Burger, 1515 W. Magnolia Ave., Fort Worth, TX 76104

At Vice Burger, the classic burger joint meets the modern magic of plant-based meats to offer a menu chock full of your fast-food favorites, including burgers, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, fries and tots, and, of course, milkshakes. The Vice Dog is made using a Field Roast Stadium Link, while the burgers are made using either Beyond or Impossible patties. The Smoky Bacon Vice Burger is a menu star, made with vegan bacon slices, on a butter toasted sesame bun, with a smoky Vice sauce, PepperJack cheese, and lettuce, tomato, and grilled onions. Shakes are made using NadaMoo vegan ice cream from Austin, with flavor options of Cookies & Cream, Double Chocolate, and Mint Chocolate Chip. With offerings like this, Vice Burger is clearly living up to its slogan: “Have your vice and eat it too.”

Are you looking to put a new spin on your New Year’s Eve/Day meal? If so, a previous Journal article by Anna Lam serves up a number of creative Southern-style ideas including Cornbread Flapjacks with Jalapeño-Mayhaw Jelly, Hoppin’ Johns, Turnip Greens, and Seitan Ham.

Find the recipes here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2017issue4/2017_issue4_new_year.php

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

The latest Vegan Action column in Vegan Journal focuses on Avery Yale Kamila’s Maine Veg History Project. Avery has been researching and publicizing vegetarian/vegan history, work she believes is important because conventional history mostly leaves out the vegetarian movement. Read the article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2023issue4/2023_issue4_vegan_action.php

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