VRG-NEWS: The Vegetarian Resource Group Newsletter
Volume 21, Issue 3

March 2017

By Shani Stewart

CONTENTS

  1. VEGETARIAN RESOURCE GROUP RESEARCH AND NEWS
  2. VRG BOOTHS AND EVENTS
  3. A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE VRG VOLUNTEERS
  4. VEGANWORK.COM
  5. VEGAN ORGANIC MEALS DELIVERED TO YOUR HOME
  6. 4TH ANNUAL P-POD CONTINUING EDUCATION CONFERENCE, MAY 18-20, ALBUQUERQUE, NM
  7. VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE QUICK SERVICE CHAIN
  8. BEING VEGAN IN A FOODSERVICE CLASS
  9. SEEKING HOST FOR VEGAN EXCHANGE STUDENT
  10. MATCHING DONATIONS FOR VEGAN EDUCATION -- DOUBLE YOUR CONTRIBUTION
  11. BECOME A MONTHLY OR QUARTERLY DONOR FOR VRG
  12. ABOUT THE VEGETARIAN RESOURCE GROUP
  13. ABOUT VRG NEWS

1) VEGETARIAN RESOURCE GROUP RESEARCH AND NEWS

  • D2 PERMITTED IN ORANGE JUICE
  • PROGRESSO VEGAN SOUPS
  • CHIPOTLE
  • UPDATED GUIDE TO VEGGIE FRIENDLY BOOKS FOR KIDS AND PARENTS
  • FAUX LEATHER
  • HONEYGROW OFFERS VEGAN OPTIONS
  • EATING VEGAN IN COPENHAGEN
  • EATING VEGAN IN SWEDEN
  • PEI WEI
  • L-CYSTEINE
  • ADVOCACY AT LEG UP FARMERS MARKET IN YORK, PA
FAUX LEATHER
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2017/01/24/faux-leather/ ]
SUPPORT THE VEGETARIAN RESOURCE GROUP YEAR ROUND BECOME A MONTHLY OR QUATERLY DONOR
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2017/01/24/support-the-vegetarian-resource-group-year-round-become-a-monthly-or-quarterly-donor-2/ ]
EATING VEGAN IN CHARLESTON, SOUTH CARONLINA
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2017/01/25/eating-vegan-in-charleston-south-carolina/ ]
FDA TELLS THE VRG THAT VITAMIN D2 IS PERMITTED IN ORANGE JUICE
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2017/01/27/fda-tells-the-vrg-that-vitamin-d2-is-permitted-in-orange-juice/ ]
CELEBRATE THE CHINESE NEW YEAR ENJOY VEGAN CHINESE FOOD
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2017/01/27/celebrate-the-chinese-new-year-enjoy-vegan-chinese-food/ ]
VEGAN FOOD IN YOUR FOODSERVICE?
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2017/01/30/vegan-food-in-your-foodservice/ ]
HONEYGROW OFFERS MANY VEGAN OPTIONS
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2017/01/31/honeygrow-offers-many-vegan-options/ ]
EATING VEGAN IN COPENHAGEN DENMARK
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2017/02/06/eating-vegan-in-copenhagen-denmark/ ]
CHIPOTLE AND AVOCADOS
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2017/02/07/chipotle-and-avocados/ ]
PROGRESSO INTRODUCES VEGAN SOUPS
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2017/02/08/progresso-introduces-vegan-soups/ ]
VEGETARIAN LIVING IN CORDOBA ARGENTINA
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2017/02/08/vegetarian-living-in-cordoba-argentina/ ]
SOY GROWERS SOYFOODS ASSOCIATION DEFEND SOYMILK OPPOSE DAIRY PRIDE ACT
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2017/02/09/soy-growers-soyfoods-association-defend-soymilk-oppose-dairy-pride-act/ ]
THANKS FROM VEGANWORK.COM
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2017/02/09/thanks-from-veganwork-com/ ]
USDA REMOVES ANIMAL WELFARE REPORTS FROM ITS WEBSITE
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2017/02/10/usda-removes-animal-welfare-reports-from-its-website/ ]
NEW RESTAURANTS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE VEGETARIAN RESOURCE GROUPS ONLINE GUIDE TO VEGAN VEGETARIAN RESTAURANTS IN THE USA AND CANADA
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2017/02/10/new-restaurants-have-been-added-to-the-vegetarian-resource-groups-online-guide-to-veganvegetarian-restaurants-in-the-usa-and-canada-8/ ]
SHAMAYIM VARETZ NATIONAL RETREAT 2017
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2017/02/13/shamayim-varetz-national-retreat-2017/ ]
THE VEGAN GUIDE TO STOCKHOLM SWEDEN
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2017/02/14/the-vegan-guide-to-stockholm-sweden/ ]
PARADISE MEADOW OMEGACRANS AND OMEGA
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2017/02/14/paradise-meadow-omegacrans-and-omega-3/ ]
MY INTERNSHIP WITH THE VRG UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND NUTRITION STUDENT
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2017/02/15/my-internship-with-the-vrg-university-of-maryland-nutrition-student/ ]
UPDATED GUIDE TO VEGGIE FRIENDLY BOOKS FOR KIDS AND PARENTS
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2017/02/16/updated-guide-to-veggie-friendly-books-for-kids-and-parents/ ]
MULTIPLE ADVENTURES TO BY CHLOE
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2017/02/16/multiple-adventures-to-by-chloe/ ]
VEGAN OPTIONS AT PEI WEI ASIAN DINER
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2017/02/17/vegan-options-at-pei-wei-asian-diner/ ]
L-CYSTEINE
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2017/02/20/l-cysteine-2/ ]
ADVOCACY AT LEG UP FARMERS MARKET IN YORK, PA
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2017/02/20/advocacy-at-leg-up-farmers-market-in-york-pa/ ]

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2) VRG BOOTHS AND EVENTS

The Maryland Dietetics in Health Care Communities Conference
Tuesday, April 4, 2017 from 7:15 AM - 3:10 PM
Located at The Gathering Place
6120 Day Long Lane
Clarksville, MD 21029
Harford County Earth Day
Saturday, April 22, from 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Park located at 60 N. Parke Street
Aberdeen Maryland
Charlottesville Eco Fair
Sunday April 23rd from 11 AM - 5 PM
The Downtown Mall & Sprint Pavilion
700 E Main St, Charlottesville, VA 22902
New England VegFest
Sunday April 30, 2017 from 11 AM - 5 PM
Located at DCU Center
50 Foster St Worcester, MA
DC VegFest
Saturday September 2nd from 11 AM - 6 PM
Located at Lot H/I in Yards Park
355 Water Street SE, Washington DC, 20003
Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo
October 21 - 24
Located at the McCormick West Building
2301 S King Dr, Chicago, IL 60616

To volunteer at VRG booths, please contact Brigette at [email protected]
To support Vegetarian Resource Group outreach, donate at

http://www.vrg.org/donate ]

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3) A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE VRG VOLUNTEERS

Thank you to the following VRG Volunteers, for all of your hard work with The Vegetarian Resource Group's activities such as HTML work, restaurant guide entries, doing blog postings, staffing booths etc.:

  • Heather Francis
  • Kendra Ganobsik
  • Marissa Thobe
  • Laneece Hurd
  • Anna Lam
  • Morgan Fitzgerald
  • Nicole Turner
  • Catherine Conway
  • Natalie Allen
  • Matt Baker
  • Casey Brown
  • Suzanne DeFelice
  • Josephine Hoffman
  • Savannah Lawrence
  • David Milner
  • Franco Smeriglio
  • Whitney Gray
  • Eveian Salmon
  • Whitney Blomquist
  • Natalie Allen
  • Laura McGuiness
  • Shani Stewart
  • Jenny Saccenti
  • Jill Venezian
  • Julia Mathew
  • Guilio Venezian
  • Kay Stepkin
  • Alicia Hückmann
  • Maddie St. John
  • Nanette Blanchard
  • Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD
  • Reed Mangels, PhD, RD
  • Suzanne Hengen
  • Jane Michalek

To volunteer at VRG booths, please contact Brigette at [email protected]
To support Vegetarian Resource Group outreach, donate at

http://www.vrg.org/donate ]

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4) VEGANWORK.COM

Dear VRG Team,

First off, thank you for the work you do maintaining the very useful resource that is [ http://www.vrg.org ] . When I transitioned to a vegan diet over 15 years ago, your site was an indispensable resource at the time. And ever since I have had occasion to consult your site on various topics.

Last month I launched VeganWork.com, a niche job board for vegans and vegetarians. I am writing to ask if you would kindly link to [ http://VeganWork.com ] .

On VeganWork.com, visitors can browse jobs by state and select cities.

Chris Schults
http://VeganWork.com ]

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5) VEGAN ORGANIC MEALS DELIVERED TO YOUR HOME

For information about vegan meals delivered to your home, go to

http://trifectanutrition.com/vrg ]

Click “Claim My Deal” for 20% off first order.

Vegan Meals in the past included:

Monday
Breakfast: Breakfast Loaf
Lunch: Coconut Basil Rice Bowl
Dinner: Tomato Basil Quinoa Blend
Tuesday
Breakfast: Breakfast Muffins
Lunch: Cauliflower Curry Rice Salad
Dinner: Creamy Pepper White Beans
Wednesday
Breakfast: Hearty Granola
Lunch: Maple Sesame Chickpea Mix
Dinner: Basil Cranberry Quinoa Delight
Thursday
Breakfast: Chia Pudding
Lunch: Dual Pepper Tomato Pasta
Dinner: Dual Beet Rice Bowl
Friday
Breakfast: Breakfast Loaf
Lunch: Ginger Asparagus Lentils
Dinner: Cilantro Cauliflower Lasagna
Saturday
Breakfast: Breakfast Muffins
Lunch: Sesame Pepper Rice
Dinner: Pinto Beans & Cabbage
Sunday
Breakfast: Chia Pudding
Lunch: Smoked Vegetable Quinoa
Dinner: Smoky Tomato Black Bean

Go to:

http://trifectanutrition.com/vrg ]

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6) 4TH ANNUAL P-POD CONTINUING EDUCATION CONFERENCE, MAY 18-20, ALBUQUERQUE, NM

Join us! Registration for May 18-20 is open!

4th Annual National Plant-based Prevention Of Disease (P-POD) Conference
May 18-20, 2017, Albuquerque NM, University of New Mexico

We have arranged walkable on-campus lodging at the University of New Mexico. We warmly invite professionals, students, and public alike to REGISTER for this highly affordable event! Keynoter T. Colin Campbell will deliver our 1st annual Denis Burkitt Memorial Lecture.

See our 33 speakers!.... all distinguished researchers, clinicians, or educators.
http://www.p-pod.org ] | [ http://www.PreventionOfDisease.org ]
[email protected]
Our mailing address is:

Plant-based Prevention Of Disease Conference
PO Box 286
Asheville, NC 28802-0286

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7) VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE QUICK SERVICE CHAIN

Go to: [ http://www.vrg.org/vote/ ]

Currently readers selected as their top chains:

  1. Chipotle
  2. Taco Bell
  3. Qdoba Noodles and Company

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8) BEING VEGAN IN A FOODSERVICE CLASS

By Casey Brown, former VRG Intern

As a Dietetics Student at the University of Maryland, College Park, we are required to take Foodservice Operations. One of our projects for this class was to work in groups of three and design a theme meal to serve 55 people. This meal had to meet certain requirements for nutritional standards and budgeting.

As a vegan, I was hoping that our meal could be 100% plant-based. I met with my friends who were my group members (both of them were non-vegetarians), and they were both eager to design a vegan menu. We all knew it would be a unique meal plan. It would likely be lower cost since we did not have to purchase meats, it would be lower in fat, and it would show everyone that vegan food can be nutritious and delicious!

After forming our groups, the first step was to design our menu. We had to pick a theme for our meal and then decide on our recipes. Our menu had to consist of a bread, an appetizer, an entree, a starch, a vegetable, and a dessert. As a group, we made a huge list of potential vegan recipes that we could use and then used those options to select our theme. We originally planned to do a Southwestern Vegan menu, but ultimately decided to do a Plant-based Picnic theme. Our professor was hesitant about our menu since meat is the main component of the meal in her culture. She was skeptical about us serving tofu, but she let us continue on as we planned. Our menu underwent many changes as we continuously planned the meal and tried new recipes. The final menu consisted of herb drop biscuits, an autumn fruit salad, tofu strips with ketchup, grilled zucchini, a couscous salad, and key lime pies. While planning the menu seemed like hard work, there was a lot left to do. We had to quantify all of the recipes to serve 55 people, determine the nutritional content of each item, determine the overall cost of the meal, schedule each of the student employees for the day, and more. It was time consuming but rewarding work, which paid off in the end.

On the day of the theme meal, we decorated the room with picnic tablecloths, mason jars with flowers and greenery, and upbeat music. While the dining room appeared peaceful, the kitchen was fairly hectic. We had eight people to cook enough food for 55 people in three and a half hours, and it was our first day in the kitchen. Even though all of the dishes piled up, the seven of the recipes were prepared and ready to serve by lunch time. We had about 30 reservations for our meal and additional to-go orders. In total we served about 45 people, including our professor, who was very impressed with the meal. We received decent reviews on almost every item, although not everyone seemed to like the couscous salad (this was most likely due to a lack of seasoning). We received comments that the meal was “so yummy,” “perfectly cooked,” and a “delicious, filling, and healthy meal.”

It was such an exciting event being able to prepare and serve vegan recipes to such a large crowd! These individuals often come to our theme meals, which are usually not vegan. It was a great opportunity to expose people to these recipes and show them that vegan meals taste great and are healthy!

To see the recipes we prepared, visit:

http://www.vrg.org/fsupdate/CaseyQuantityThemeMealRecipes.pdf ]

For foodservice information, see:

http://www.vrg.org/fsupdate/index.htm ]

For information about VRG internships, see:

http://www.vrg.org/student/index.php ]

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9) SEEKING HOST FOR VEGAN EXCHANGE STUDENT

Hosting a 16-year-old vegan high school student from Germany could be educational, fun, and illuminating for all involved.

Inquire into this opportunity and contact Jennifer (541-357-4526) with questions or for more information.

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10) MATCHING DONATIONS FOR VEGAN EDUCATION -- DOUBLE YOUR CONTRIBUTION

In honor of our 35th anniversary, a Vegetarian Resource Group supporter has pledged $15,000 to match donations towards outreach. So every donation you make towards ours programs will be doubled. If you would like to donate towards a veg world, please mail to

VRG
P.O. Box 1463
Baltimore, MD 21203
call (410) 366-8343, or go to
http://www.vrg.org/donate ]
Write “matching donation” in the comments. Thank you for your support!

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11) BECOME A MONTHLY OR QUARTERLY DONOR FOR VRG

The Vegetarian Resource Group greatly appreciates the support given by our monthly and quarterly donors. You can join our monthly giving group with a minimum gift of just $10 a month by going to

http://www.vrg.org/donate ]
You will be part of a network of givers who support our outreach efforts on an ongoing basis. These donations allow us to continue vegan education in a wide variety of venues including schools, doctor and dietitian offices, libraries, various professional conferences, animal rights events, health fairs, environmental festivals, and much more. Thank you for your support! Go to:
http://www.vrg.org/donate ]

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12) ABOUT THE VEGETARIAN RESOURCE GROUP

Our health professionals, activists, and educators work with businesses and individuals to bring about healthful 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, bequests, and book sales. The Vegetarian Journal, a print magazine, is a benefit of membership in The VRG. (For more information, please see the Vegetarian Journal online [ http://www.vrg.org/journal/ ] ) To sign up for the The Vegetarian Resource Group national email newsletter, please visit:

http://www.vrg.org/vrgnews/ ]
We are also on Facebook and Twitter

If you would like to make a donation, become a member, volunteer, or find out more about The VRG, contact us at:

The Vegetarian Resource Group
P.O. Box 1463
Baltimore, MD 21203
Phone: (410) 366-8343
FAX: (410) 366-8804
E-mail: [email protected] or to volunteer: [email protected]
Website: [ http://www.vrg.org/ ]

To donate: [ http://www.vrg.org/donate ]

Copyright The Vegetarian Resource Group 2017 The contents of this newsletter, and our other publications, including Vegetarian 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 own best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

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13) ABOUT VRG NEWS

VRG-NEWS is the 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 us at [email protected]. If you have any suggestions, ideas, or corrections to VRG-NEWS, please 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/ ]
Please support our outreach and assistance to others. Join VRG:
http://www.vrg.org/journal/subscribe.htm ]

Donate: [ http://www.vrg.org/donate ]
Free email news: [ http://www.vrg.org/vrgnews/index.htm#subscribe ]
[email protected]http://www.vrg.org ]
The Vegetarian Resource Group / Vegetarian Journal
P.O. Box 1463
Baltimore MD 21203 US
(410) 366-8343

The VRG is an educational non-profit group providing information on vegetarianism and veganism. To subscribe to VRG-NEWS, go to

http://www.vrg.org/vrgnews/ ]

To unsubscribe, or otherwise manage your subscription to VRG-NEWS, go to

http://lists.vrg.org/mailman/listinfo/vrg-news_lists.vrg.org ]
(Go to the bottom of the page where it says "unsubscribe" or "edit options". You do not need a password.)

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The Vegetarian Resource Group
P.O. Box 1463
Baltimore, MD 21203
Phone: (410) 366-8343
FAX: (410) 366-8804
E-mail: [email protected] or to volunteer: [email protected]