Thanksgiving used to be a vegetarian's worst nightmare, but no longer. More and more vegetarian groups are holding dinners and celebrations, and there are even caterers and food companies specializing in a wide selection of meatless alternatives.
You might want to contact a local vegetarian group and inquire if there are any events planned in your area. We have a short list of groups on our website at http://www.vrg.org/links/local.htm. There is a much larger list of websites on the International Vegetarian Union website at: http://www.ivu.org/global/
VRG also maintains a database of local and national groups and can possibly provide contact information about a group in your area.
As a reminder, please don't forget The Vegetarian Resource Group in matching gifts at work, United Way, and federal employee (CFC) campaigns. Thanks to those of you who have supported VRG over the years. We couldn't do everything we do without your help!
SOUL VEGETARIAN CATERERS OFFERS A "HOLIDAY ROAST SPECIAL"
Soul Vegetarian Caterers have designed a vegan "Holiday Roast Special." The
meal includes Vegetarian Stuffed Roast (made with wheat gluten and corn bread),
Tofu-Spinach Quiche, Potato Salad, Cole Slaw, BBQ Twists, Vegan Southern
Style Macaroni and Cheese, and five kinds of pies and cakes. They can deliver
anywhere in the US. For more information call (202) 291-9244; Fax: (202)
291-9149; Or e-mail
[email protected].
TURTLE ISLAND FOODS, MAKERS OF THE POPULAR TOFURKY VEGETARIAN ROAST
Turtle Island Foods also offers a complete Tofurky Vegetarian Feast which
includes a TofuRoast, Tempeh Drummettes, Tofurky 'Giblet' Gravy, and one
Wishstix. I recently sampled all of the products and they are very tasty.
For more information contact Turtle Island Foods at:
http://www.tofurky.com; E-mail:
[email protected]; Phone: (800) 508-8100;
Fax: (541) 386-7754; Or write: PO Box 176, Hood River, OR 97031.
NOW AND ZEN'S [UN]TURKEY AND HIP WHIP
I sampled the Now and Zen [Un]Turkey at the Natural Products Expo and I was
very impressed with the flavor. [Un]Turkeys come in two sizes and are completely
vegan. They are made of seitan with a "skin" of soy. Now and Zen also makes
Hip Whip, the first dairy free whipped topping. It comes in chocolate and
vanilla. Other Now and Zen meat alternatives include UnRibs, UnChicken, and
UnSteakout. For more information visit their website at:
http://www.nowandzen.net; E- mail:
[email protected]; Phone: (415)
695-2011; or write: 665 22nd St., San Francisco, CA 94107.
THANKSGIVING TREASURES
We still have a few copies of our popular handout Thanksgiving
Treasures. The four page guide offers recipes by Mary Clifford, RD, for
Tempeh with Leeks and Mushrooms, Herb-Seasoned Potatoes, Tofu in Phyllo,
Creamy Winter Squash Soup, and more. If you would like a copy just send a
self-addressed envelope and two first class stamps to: Thanksgiving Treasures/The
VRG, PO Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.
VRG'S 18TH ANNUAL PRE-THANKSGIVING POTLUCK
On Sunday, November 21st, at 5:30 p.m. join VRG staff and friends at St.
John's Church, at St. Paul and 27th Streets in Baltimore for a vegetarian
Thanksgiving potluck dinner. Admission is $3 per adult, plus a vegetarian
dish (no meat, fish, or poultry) or, preferably, a vegan dish (no animal
ingredients including dairy and eggs) that will serve four or more people.
Children are free. Please write the recipe on a 3x5 card and note if it is
vegetarian or vegan. Also, please bring a serving utensil for each dish.
Paper cups, plates, napkins, and plastic utensils will be provided, however,
we suggest participants bring their own reusable dishes and utensils to help
reduce waste. We also encourage you to bring a non-perishable vegetarian
canned food item to give to St. John's Church, which will distribute it to
those in need. Bring your family and enjoy a guiltless Thanksgiving dinner
with VRG.
VEGETARIAN THANKSGIVING BUFFET HOSTED BY THE VEGETARIAN SOCIETY OF DC
(VSDC)
VSDC will be hosting a vegan dinner Thanksgiving Day, Thursday November 25,
1999. The menu includes soup, a cold buffet of salads and appetizers, a warm
buffet of main selections, fresh-baked breads, and desserts. The dinner is
being held at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia. The
cost before Friday November 5th is $34 for members and $37 for non-members.
After the 5th tickets are $37 for members and $40 for non-members. Children
between 3-12 are half-price. Check can be made payable to VSDC and mailed
to VSDC TG, PO Box 4921, Washington, DC 20008. Tickets will not be available
at the door. For more information call (202) 362-VEGY, e-mail
[email protected], or visit the website at:
http://www.vsdc.org/.
CHICAGO VEGETARIAN SOCIETY'S 21ST ANNUAL TURKEY FREE THANKSGIVING
DINNER
The event will be held Sunday, November 21, 1999 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare.
The reception begins at 4 PM, and there will be a silent auction and raffle.
The dinner will be traditional Thanksgiving fare with Tofu Turkey - served
family style. Chicago Vegetarian Society Members: $33.75, kids $13.75;
Non-members: $39.75, kids $19.75. Add $5 for tickets postmarked after November
12. Tickets will not be sold at the door. For more details or to order tickets
with a credit card call 312-975-VEGY. You can also visit the CVS website
at:
http://www.chicagovegetariansoc.org.
To order by mail send a check payable to CVS to: Turkey-Free, c/o CVS, PO
Box 61, Berwyn, IL 60402
TRIANGLE VEGETARIAN SOCIETY IN DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
TVS will be holding its annual Thanksgiving feast and raffle at Cafe Parizade
in Durham on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday November 25, from noon through 3pm.
Parizade is one of the Triangle's finest gourmet Mediterranean restaurants.
The all-inclusive price will be $18.50 for current TVS members, $22 for
non-members, $9 for children ages 5-10, and free for children under 5.
Reservations are strongly recommended as this event is the biggest of the
year for TVS and has sold out in the past. You can make a reservation by
calling or emailing Lauren in Cary, NC at 919-363-8595 or
[email protected], or calling Colleen in
Hillsborough, NC at 919-643-2011. Cafe Parizade is located at 2200 W. Main
in Durham, NC.
LOS ANGELES EVENTS
The Vegetarian Dining Club has two events planned. There is a pre-Thanksgiving
buffet dinner, on November 21st at 5 p.m. at Chandni Restaurant in Culver
City. Vegan tandoori "chicken," basmati brown rice, cranberry sauce, vegetable
dishes and pumpkin pie will be served. On Thanksgiving day there will be
a buffet dinner at Vegetable Delight Restaurant, (vegan Chinese) in Granada
Hills with vegan turkey, cranberry sauce, a vegan mock fish dish, a noodle
dish, a vegetable dish, organic juice, and pumpkin pie. The restaurant seats
140 people and tickets are $25. For more information contact Randy Ellis,
323-953-0543.
Also, Andy Mars of Veg-LA Digest is involved in organizing a vegan Thanksgiving Pot Luck on November 25, Thanksgiving day, at Rancho Park in Cheviot Hills, CA. The event will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Bring your own plates, utensils, cups, and a vegan dish with a card listing the ingredients. When entering the park, go past the first parking lot, straight to the lot at the end. The potluck will be set up in the area to the left. No RSVP necessary, just come and enjoy. For additional information about events in Southern California visit the Vegetarians in Paradise website at http://www.vegparadise.com.
As a VRG News subscriber SPECIAL offer Tofurky and The VRG will be giving away FREE samples of the new Tofurky Wishstix. They are made from organic tofu and vital wheat gluten marinated in shoyu soy sauce and smoked in a real smokehouse. Early in 2000 the wishstixs will be packaged as Tofurky Jerky. A limited quantity is available. The sample comes with a 50¢ coupon good for Tofurky Deli Slices. To receive a sample of the Wishstix and the coupon send your mailing address to [email protected] with "Tofurky" in the subject line.
I attended the Natural Products Expo in Baltimore this past weekend and was amazed at the array of vegetarian and vegan products offered. These are a few that caught my eye...
POTATO SMASHES AND KNISHES
The crowd around the RF Bakery table was a clear indication of their delicious
products. They make 5 varieties of vegan kosher knishes including Spicy Potato,
Potato, Mushroom and Garlic, Broccoli, and Spinach. They also have a new
product line - Smashed Potato Snax - which are like bite sized knishes. They
were fantastic and I found myself dropping by their table far more than I
should have. The Smashed Potato Snax come in Sun Dried Tomato, Garlic, and
Spinach. For more information call (800) 543-2011 or write RF Bakery
International, Inc., 8101 Orion St. #6, Van Nuys, CA 91406.
VEGAN LIP BALM
The quest for a vegan lip balm has been long, but I found one. The Merry
Hempsters have created a vegan lip balm in anise, chocolate, vanilla, and
peppermint. For more information go to:
http://www.merryhempsters.com/.
You can also call (888) SEED-OIL or e-mail
[email protected].
NASOYA ENRICHED TOFU WITH B-12
Nasoya has created a new enriched tofu made with fortified calcium, and vitamins
A, D, E, and B-12. It also has 50% less fat than regular tofu. It comes in
firm and silken. For more information visit the Nasoya website at:
http://www.nasoya.com or call (800) 4-NASOYA.
VEGAN AND VEGETARIAN FRUIT BEARS
Two companies at the Expo were promoting new gelatin-free gummy bears.
Edward & Sons have created vegetarian and vegan fruity bears. Their Mixed Fruity Jelly Bears are vegan (although they are made with sugar, which some vegans abstain from) and organic. The vegetarian version, Fruity Baby Gummi Bears, is made with beeswax. For more information contact Edward & Sons, PO Box 1326, Carpinteria, CA 93014, (805) 684-8500, or e-mail them at [email protected].
Harmony Foods was promoting their vegetarian and vegan candy products. Their candies made without gelatin are clearly labeled as vegetarian on the packaging. The Natural Fruit Bears are sweetened with fruit juice. For more information visit the Harmony Foods website at: http://www.harmonyfoods.com.
SALT AND VINEGAR CHIPS
There is one food that I was mournfully resigned to live without after I
became vegan - salt and vinegar potato chips. I know that it isn't the most
health conscious of foods, but we all have our vices and that was mine. When
I came across the Rocky Mountain Snacks booth I saw they had salt and vinegar
chips on the table. Ever hopeful I read the label. I read it three times
before I believed that there was no lactose used. The woman who did the recipe
formulation said that it was difficult to make it without lactose, but they
had succeeded. I tried them at home that night and they were delicious! Rocky
Mountain Snacks are organic and use no hydrogenated oils. For more information
visit their website at:
http://www.rockymountainsnacks.com
or call (800) 665-5521.
CORN-BONE FOR DOGS
Nylabone has created some new vegetarian and vegan dog bones. I got a
"wolf-sized" sample of the Corn-Bone (made with corn starch, potato starch,
calcium carbonate, and turmeric). I gave it to Bela, the only one of my dogs
who wouldn't fight over it, and he was thrilled with the treat. Bela, who
is 133lbs, chewed away the rest of the evening and there was barely a dent
in the bone. For more information visit the Nylabone website at:
http://www.tfh.com or write Nylabone Products,
PO Box 427, Neptune, NJ 07754.
Do you know what kosher gelatin can be made of? How about the number of vegetarians in the US? What about finding non-leather shoes? The answers to these questions and more are now available on the *NEW* FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS page of the VRG website. We hope to continue to expand this section in the coming months. The page is at: http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/faq.htm.
The November / December 1999 Vegetarian Journal articles online are:
Sweet and Savory Sweet Potatoes by Debra Daniels-Zeller
Disaster Planning for Vegetarians by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD
Guide to Poultry Alternatives by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD
Note from the Coordinators
Read them at: http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj99nov/index.htm
Also in the issue:
A Gourmet Moroccan Feast by Bill Maddex
The Right Stuff, dolmas recipes from Larry Litt
Japanese Holiday Recipes by Hiroko Kato
Europe - A Piece of Cake by Jim Dunn
Regular features include:
Nutrition Hotline: Iron overload or hemochromatosis
Note from the Coordinators
Veggie Bits
Scientific Update and Notes from the Scientific Department
Product Reviews
Vegetarian Action and more
The Journal features informational and recipe articles, product and book reviews, news for vegetarian activists, and up-to-date information about vegetarian health and nutrition. If you are not currently a subscriber to the Vegetarian Journal, why not subscribe today?
Subscriptions to Vegetarian Journal are $20/year in the US (please inquire for subscription rates outside the US). Accepted forms of payment, all in US funds, are Visa, MasterCard, checks drawn on US banks, and postal money orders. When joining, please send us your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address. If paying by credit card, please include the card number and expiration date.
If you join online at http://www.vrg.org/journal/subscribe.htm for $30 or more, you will receive a FREE copy of the VEGAN HANDBOOK, a $20 value! (US addresses only)
If you choose to join by mail, subscriptions should be directed to:
The Vegetarian Resource Group
PO Box 1463
Dept. 2
Baltimore, MD 21203
Phone: (410) 366-8343
Fax: (410) 366-8804
E-mail: [email protected]
Are you raising a vegetarian or vegan child? If so, Susan Petrie, a member of The Vegetarian Resource Group, invites you to be a part of a network of vegan parents interested in exchanging ideas on various topics such as creating tasty snacks for toddlers, the challenges of non-vegetarian family/friend gatherings, how to talk with your child about vegetarianism, helping kids handle peer pressure, even shopping resources for leather/wool alternatives! Susan Petrie, will be maintaining the list as a VRG Volunteer. To join the network, simply contact Susan with the information noted below. Also, please indicate your preference for kind of contact--phone, e-mail, U.S. postal service. Please specify what information you would like public and what you would like kept private. Please email your response to [email protected] and put "Veg-Parents" in the subject line.
Please supply responses you'd feel comfortable sharing with other members of the VRG Vegetarian and Vegan Parent Network:
Your name:
Telephone:
E-mail address:
Area you live in:
Age(s) of child(ren):
How long your child/family has been vegan/vegetarian:
Issues you'd like to discuss with other parents:
Would you be interested in helping with media interviews concerning vegetarian and vegan families/children?
Would you be willing to volunteer to help maintain the VRG Vegetarian and Vegan Parent Network list or help with other related activities?
Please email your response to [email protected] and put "Veg-Parents" in the subject line.
EDITOR (P/T) to produce bi-monthly vegetarian magazine. Job is in Baltimore, MD. Desktop publishing, layout experience, editing, and science background is helpful. Send resume with writing and layout samples to Editor Position, VRG, Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.
This recipe originally appeared in The Lowfat Jewish Vegetarian Cookbook by Debra Wasserman.
Romanian Apricot Dumplings
(serves 8 - 3 dumplings each)
Although this dessert is not easy to prepare, it's so good that it's worth the effort. You can substitute different fruit such as peaches.
4 pounds potatoes, peeled and chopped
10 cups of water
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
6 ripe apricots, pitted
1 teaspoon oil
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Cook potatoes in salted water in large pot over medium heat until tender. Drain and cool, saving liquid to use later. Mash potatoes once (not too much). Stir in maple syrup. Slowly add flour to make a dough that's not too thick, but not too sticky either.
Chop apricots into quarters. Take a handful of dough and flatten with your palm. Put chopped apricot quarter in center of dough. Roll dough into ball, covering apricot. Repeat process to make approximately 24 dumplings.
Bring potato water that was set aside earlier back to a boil. Add oil. Place six dumplings into boiling water. Dumplings are done when they float to the top of the pot. Remove from boiling water and strain them in a colander. Repeat this process four times. Sprinkle dumplings with cinnamon and serve warm.
Total calories per serving: 363
Fat: 1 grams
Protein: 8 grams
Carbohydrate: 82 grams
Calcium: 37 mg
There are over 150 recipes in The Lowfat Jewish Vegetarian Cookbook. Dishes include eggless challah, hamentashen, knishes, soups, dips, croquettes, paprikash, stuffed peppers and much more. To read more about the book go to: http://www.vrg.org/catalog/ljvc.htm. Copies are just $15 (includes special standard shipping). You can order using the online order form https://skyport.net/vrg/order.htm or call (410) 366-8343 to order with a Visa or MasterCard over the phone.
Our health professionals, activists, and educators work with businesses and individuals to bring about healthy changes in your school, workplace, and community. Registered dietitians and physicians aid in the development of nutrition-related publications and answer member and media questions about vegetarian diets. The Vegetarian Resource Group is a non-profit organization. Financial support comes primarily from memberships, donations, and book sales. The Vegetarian Journal, a bi-monthly print magazine, is a benefit of membership in The VRG. (For more information, please see the July / August 1999 Vegetarian Journal preview above.)
If you would like to make a donation, become a member, or find out more about The VRG, contact us at: The Vegetarian Resource Group PO Box 1463 Baltimore, MD 21203 Phone: (410) 366-8343 Fax: (410) 366-8804 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.vrg.org
VRG-News is the monthly e-mail newsletter of The Vegetarian Resource Group. This is an announcement list, so subscriber messages are not accepted by the list. If you have a technical question about the list, please contact the list manager, Bobbi Pasternak, at [email protected]. If you have any suggestions, ideas, or corrections to VRG-News, direct them to [email protected]. Thanks!
If you are a new subscriber, you might enjoy reading past issues of VRG-News online at http://www.vrg.org/vrgnews/index.htm.
If you wish to cancel your subscription to VRG-News, send an e-mail message to [email protected] with the following message: SIGNOFF VRG-NEWS
If you wish to subscribe to VRG-News, send an e-mail message to
[email protected]
with the following message:
SUB VRG-NEWS {your first and last name}
Do not include the {} when you enter your name. The newsletter will be sent to the e-mail address from which you are subscribing.
Contents of VRG-News are copyright 1999 by The Vegetarian Resource Group. The newsletter may be freely distributed in electronic or print form provided its contents are not altered and credit is given to The Vegetarian Resource Group, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.
This newsletter was converted to HTML by Stephanie Schueler.
|
||||
| Last Updated November 12, 1999 |
Graphic design by | 
|
||
| The contents of this web site, as with all The Vegetarian Resource Group publications, is not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. Any pages on this site may be reproduced for non-commercial use if left intact and with credit given to The Vegetarian Resource Group. Web site questions or comments? Please email [email protected]. |
||||
