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

Thank you to more generous donors, in 2024 The Vegetarian Resource Group will be awarding $30,000 in college scholarships! Deadline is FEBRUARY 20, 2024.

We will accept applications postmarked on or before FEBRUARY 20, 2024. Early submission is encouraged.

Applicants will be judged on having shown compassion, courage, and a strong commitment to promoting a peaceful world through a vegetarian (vegan) diet/lifestyle. Payment will be made to the student’s college (U.S. based only). Winners of the scholarships give permission to release their names to the media. Applications and essays become property of The Vegetarian Resource Group. We may ask finalists for more information. Scholarship winners are contacted by e-mail or telephone. Please look at your e-mail.

If you would like to donate to additional scholarships or internships, go to www.vrg.org/donate

Applications

Please click here to download a PDF of the application. However, applicants are not required to use an application form. A neatly typed document containing the information below will also be accepted as a valid application.

Please send application and attachments to [email protected] (Scholarship application and your name in subject line) or mail to The Vegetarian Resource Group, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.

If emailing, please put your essay in a separate attachment with your first name and last initial. A PDF or Word document is preferred, but if you send a Google document, make sure permission is given so readers can access it. For more information call (410) 366-8343 or email [email protected].

See IHOP’s vegetarian and vegan menu guide https://www.ihop.com/-/media/ihop/nutrition/ihop-vegan-and-vegetarian-guide-core-2-2023–92723.pdf

With the caveat that they use shared cooking and prep areas, including common fryer oil, and are unable to guarantee that any menu item be completely free of animal products, they list as vegan:

• Crispy Breakfast Potatoes
• Fresh Fruit
• Hash Browns
• Multi-grain toast (no butter or jam)
• French Fries
• Plant-Based Sausage Patties
• Steamed Fresh Broccoli (no garlic butter

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.

photo from Friends of Animals

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.

For more information, see https://ctexaminer.com/2023/10/27/vegan-lunch-options-expand-in-ct-schools-nonprofit-advocates-for-change/

photo from VeGreen

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:

Banu Vegan, 2534 S. Roxboro St., Durham, NC 27707

This restaurant uses fresh ingredients sourced from local farmers’ markets. Thursday special includes “Spanish chikn/Spanish mushrooms with black beans, rainbow rice, avocado, kale salad, and pineapple cake.” Menu also includes burgers and burritos (served with chips and Sofrito salsa), sandwiches and subs (e.g., “Skrimp Po Boy,” which is vegan shrimp made of tapioca starch, seasoned with onions, peppers, lettuce, tomato, and topped with house Cajun sauce), also served with chips and salsa.  Additionally, you’ll find appetizers, salads, desserts, as well as a separate Sunday Brunch Menu.

Dead Bird Brewing, 1726 N. 5th St., Milwaukee, WI 53212

This is a brewery but also offering all vegan appetizers and pizza. Appetizers include Togarashi carrot taco (roasted carrots tossed in an orange sesame togarashi sauce, topped with cilantro cabbage slaw, red onions, and crispy fried wonton strips) and Backyard BBQ (vegan beef or Cedar Teeth Chick’Un, sweet BBQ sauce, cabbage slaw, raw red onions, and jalapenos). Pizza options include “SHMO (house red sauce, vegan mozzarella, spicy Italian sausage, white onions, and fresh mushrooms”).

El Hongo Magico, XMarket, 804 W. Montrose Ave., Chicago, IL 60613

El Hongo Mágico (The Magic Mushroom) Taqueria specializes in tacos and other Mexican favorites made with culinary mushrooms for their “magic and versatility.”  It is located uptown in the all-vegan food hall XMarket, which frequently hosts special events such as comedy and karaoke.

Make Waves, 3^rd Street Market Hall, 275 W. Wisconsin Ave., Ste. 100, Milwaukee, WI 53203

Wave bowls include Citrus Surf (mango base, granola, pitaya orange base, candied orange, lemon and pineapple slices, toasted coconut, almond slices, pineapple honee, and maple granola); various Boba drinks and smoothies; flatbread wraps and toast include Veggie Pesto (basil hummus, chickpea croutons, arugula, cucumber, sundried tomato, feta, and lemon vinaigrette served on toasted flatbread) and Breakfast Flatbread (carrot bacon, sprouts, roasted red pepper, cheddar cheese, avocado, Just Egg, and chipotle aioli served on toasted flatbread).

Roughage Eatery, 126 Sherbrook St., Winnipeg, Manitoba R3G 2B4, Canada

Roughage Eatery is a vegan comfort food haven. Their menu boasts an amazing Mac & Cheeze, topped with house-made Bacun, broccoli, and cashew parm. They also offer a one-of-a-kind Apple Brie Sandwich and a classic NoBSLT, a creative spin on the American BLT. On Saturdays, they serve breakfast, and when the weather gets cold, you can warm up with their delicious soups. Please note that they are searching for a new location.

Veganarie – Resto Vegane, 19H Rue Du Centre Commercial, Pierrefonds, QC, H8Y 2N9 Canada

Plant-based vegan Greek inspired restaurant serving your favorite Greek, American, and Canadian comfort food classics such as fries, falafel pitas, gyro pitas, veggie burgers, and more.

VeGreen Noodle, 2660 Mall of Georgia Blvd., Ste. 100a, Buford, GA 30519

This ambitious restaurant offers over 50+ dishes that are all 100% plant-based. When it comes to starters, the choices are tough to make. You can try the Salt Pepper Calamari, kale chips, mini Soup Buns, and the list goes on. As the name suggests, they offer noodles in a variety of flavors, but they also provide stir-fry noodles, fried rice, vegan sushi rolls, and entrées that we all know and love. Don’t forget to give their smoothies or teas a try.

Wild in the Treats, 183 First Ave., Atlantic Highlands, NJ 07716

This is a gluten-free vegan bakery. Menu items include granola bars, scones, chocolate whiskey ganache, brownies, jelly bars, biscotti, muffins, turnovers, large cakes, cheesecakes, bundts, and even applesauce molasses dog treats.

You generally have to start taking withdrawals from your IRA, SIMPLE IRA, SEP IRA, or retirement plan account when you reach age 72 (73 if you reach age 72 after Dec. 31, 2022).  Roth IRA’s are under different rules.

Your withdrawals will be included in your taxable income except for any part that was taxed before (your basis) or that can be received tax-free (such as qualified distributions from designated Roth accounts).

Required beginning date for your first RMD (Required Minimum Distribution) is April 1 of the year following the calendar year in which you reach age 72 (73 if you reach age 72 after Dec. 31, 2022).

For each year after your required beginning date, you must withdraw your RMD by December 31. (You can make your first withdrawal by December 31 instead of waiting until April 1 of the following year. This would allow the distributions to be included in your income in separate tax years.)

Generally, you can distribute up to $100,000 each year directly from a Traditional IRA to qualified charities, such as The Vegetarian Resource Group. This qualified charitable distribution (QCD) can count toward your RMD and won’t be included in your taxable income. You can start QCD at 70½. Note that the QCD can’t be paid to the IRA owner first, but must be paid directly to the charity. You’ll have to assess your situation and benefit of starting QCD at 70½ or waiting until 72, 73, or older.

This is not specific or personal tax or legal advice, for which you should speak to your financial advisor. Here is IRS information: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/reminder-to-ira-owners-age-70-and-a-half-or-over-qualified-charitable-distributions-are-great-options-for-making-tax-free-gifts-to-charity

Two pediatric dietitians and a pediatrician have developed a course for parents and caregivers who are raising kids on vegan, vegetarian, and predominantly plant-based diets. The course includes 8 hours of interactive videos, practical resources such as recipes and a food guide, and handouts. Topics covered include fundamentals of nutrition for children, answers to feeding questions, current research on plant-rich diets for kids, and meal and snack ideas. You can learn more about the course, including cost information at https://plantbasedjuniors.com/learning-center/plant-based-nutrition-for-kids-your-a-to-z-guide/.

The Vegetarian Resource Group continues to be very busy on a daily basis. Below are some examples of successes and activities. Your support is greatly appreciated! You can donate to VRG at vrg.org/donate

Here’s a sampling of some of our accomplishments and outreach:

• Over 1,400 registered dietitians visited The Vegetarian Resource Group virtual booth at the national Food and Nutrition Conference & Expo. Many requested information for themselves or to use with clients.
• The Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research asked to reproduce VRG’s My Vegan Plate (vrg.org/ nutshell/MyVeganPlate.pdf) in print and electronic content for use with patients and health care providers.
• Thanks to Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, The Vegetarian Resource Group sent in official Testimony for the following:

– To the FDA on the Labeling of Plant-Based Milk Alternatives (2023)

– To the USDA on WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) proposed changes (2023)

– To the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) concerning “healthy” on food labels (2023)

– To the FDA Regarding Food Allergen Labeling Requirements (2023)

– To USDA, EPA, FDA requesting Information for; Identifying Ambiguities, Gaps, Inefficiencies, and Uncertainties in the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology (2023)

• VRG Foodservice Advisor, Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD, presented on tips for serving vegan options in long-term care facilities at Maryland Dietetics in Health Care Communities.
• VRG sent 600 I Love Animals and Broccoli Coloring Books plus El arco iris vegetariano coloring books to PG County Maryland WIC. A nutritionist from a county health department in New Jersey asked to reprint our My Vegan Plate. We sent 400 Vegan Journals for grab bags for the Columbia, South Carolina VegFest and alsoSarasota, Floridia VegFest, and we shipped a box of brochures for tabling at a Black Family Wellness Expo in Alabama. We also shipped 4 boxes of Vegan Journals and VRG handouts to the Vegan Society of Hawaii to be shared at the Climate Fair on the lawn of the Hawaii State Capitol and at the Windward Coast Emergency Preparedness Fair.
• VRG had a booth at the Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary 2^nd Annual Fall Fest in Colorado; Portland, Maine VegFest; Richmond, Virginia VegFest; and San Francisco, California World VegFest.

This is just a small sampling of what we are doing at VRG every day. Thank you so much! We couldn’t do this without your support.

You can donate directly to VRG at www.vrg.org/donate

You can also mail donations to The Vegetarian Resource Group, PO Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203 or call in your donation to (410) 366-8343 Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm EST.