photo from Freepik

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

There’s no question – food costs are going up. Every time I go to the grocery store, my total seems to be higher than the week before. Despite price increases, black beans, lentils, pinto beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, and other beans are still a relatively low-cost source of protein, iron, and other nutrients. Many articles on reducing food costs call for cooking dried beans from scratch. Is that really a lower cost option compared to canned beans?

With the help of several interns and volunteers, we determined the price of 14-15.5-ounce cans of several kinds of legumes (beans/peas/lentils) and the price of a 1-pound bag of dried legumes. We looked for the lowest cost products, which were usually store brands. We did not use sale prices. We checked prices at major supermarkets in Maryland, New Jersey, Texas, Alabama, and California in June and July 2025. On average, a ½ cup of legumes cooked from dry cost about 40% less than a ½ cup of canned beans. In real numbers, this was a difference of between 16 and 30 cents less per ½ cup serving. Not a fortune, but, if you’re eating beans daily, cost savings could be significant over a month.

I’m not saying that you have to start cooking dried beans. There are costs in terms of time and energy use that were not factored into the costs I mentioned. It’s convenient to open a can of chickpeas and quickly make hummus or to use canned beans for chili and not to have to remember to soak and cook dried beans ahead of time. That convenience may be worth the extra cost. On the other hand, if you cook a big batch of plain dried beans, they can be portioned into containers and frozen, ready to be thawed when you need the equivalent of a can of beans. A 14-15.5-ounce can of beans has about 1-3/4 cups of beans, after draining off the canning liquid.

In any case, eating beans often can offer health benefits and help to reduce food costs.

Thank you to Chaltu Watkins, Ellie Meyerstein, Neha Vivek, and Aileen Zhang for their work on this project.

To read about beans see:

What are Beans, Legumes and Pulses?

The Cost of Beans vs Meat

Quick Ideas for Using Canned Beans or Leftover Cooked Beans

Using the Ol’ Bean and many more recipe ideas on our website

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by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

I was squatting down in front of a bin in the bulk foods section when someone asked, “What are you making with that?” He was curious about the textured vegetable protein (TVP) chunks that I was scooping into a container. I told him that I planned to use the chunks in a curry sauce with cauliflower. More questions followed: How do you cook TVP chunks? What else can you do with them? How do they taste? Do TVP chunks have protein? We chatted for a while. Afterwards, I kept thinking about TVP chunks, a product I use every few weeks.

TVP is made from defatted soy flour that is made into a paste and formed into different shapes like strips, chunks, and flakes. The shapes are dehydrated and thus shelf-stable. I often use the chunks in recipes in place of seitan strips or cubes or instead of diced tofu. Since the dehydrated TVP chunks are shelf-stable, they can be kept on hand to use anytime.

According to USDA’s nutrient database, one ounce of dried TVP has approximately 125 calories, 17 grams of protein, 1 gram of fat, 11 grams of carbohydrates, and 6 grams of fiber. TVP supplies iron, zinc, and some calcium and is low in sodium.

To rehydrate TVP chunks, I put them in a heatproof bowl and add boiling water to cover. I let them sit for about 10 minutes and then drain off any excess liquid. Rehydrated TVP has a fairly neutral, bland taste. Some recipes call for soaking TVP chunks in hot broth instead of water to add flavor. Since I typically cook them in highly seasoned, flavorful sauces, I don’t find it necessary to use broth for soaking.

Ideas for Dishes that Include TVP Chunks:

• Make or buy a curry sauce, heat it, and mix with rehydrated TVP chunks and steamed, sautéed, or roasted vegetables of your choice.
• For barbecue TVP chunks, combine rehydrated TVP chunks with store-bought or homemade barbecue sauce and heat on the stovetop, in the oven, or in the microwave. Serve on a bun or over cornbread.
• Make a flavorful brown gravy and add rehydrated TVP chunks and pre-cooked stew vegetables (e.g. carrots, potatoes, turnips, and parsnips). If you are looking for a good gravy recipe, Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD, has lots of ideas. See: vrg.org/journal/vj2023issue1/2023_issue1_cooking_tips.php
• Rehydrated TVP chunks are great in a stir-fry! Add them at the same time as longer-cooking vegetables like onions and carrots so they can soak up lots of flavor.
• TVP chunks can be added to your favorite soup recipes or canned soups. If adding them to a soup recipe, you can skip the rehydrating, as long as they are in a hot liquid in the soup pot for at least 10 minutes. If you are adding them to canned soup, either heat them in the soup or rehydrate the chunks before adding them to your bowl.
• Sauté rehydrated TVP chunks with sliced peppers, onions, and spices and wrap in a whole wheat tortilla or sandwich in whole wheat rolls.
• When you make fried rice, add rehydrated TVP chunks along with the vegetables.
• Try a shepherd’s pie. Combine rehydrated TVP chunks with leftover cooked vegetables, add some gravy, top with mashed potatoes, and bake until hot.
• Mix rehydrated TVP chunks with Mexican mole sauce and serve with rice or tortillas.

Ethical Entrepreneurs. Careers with Values. Vegan Businesses, Founders, Owners, Employees, and Self Employed tell how they make a living while living their values. Hints for starting a business. How do you overcome obstacles? What should you think about? What experience and education is important? See: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvSyCToa_i9fA4D5CLCAFWw

Vegan Journal is published by The Vegetarian Resource Group. Enjoy in-depth original research, product and book reviews, scientific updates on veggie nutrition, delicious vegan recipes with gorgeous photos, plus so much more. Both long-term vegans and those new to a vegan life-style will enjoy this magazine.

To subscribe in the USA only, see: https://www.vrg.org/member/

Save money while being vegan. Vegan Journal editor Hannah Kaminsky gives hints for saving money while shopping. Rebate and salvage app to look for. Find more tips at https://bit.ly/vj-budget Visit Vegan Journal and The Vegetarian Resource Group at https://www.vrg.org/

See Hannah’s video at

https://youtube.com/shorts/bnxnm_MgQF0

https://youtube.com/shorts/bnxnm_MgQF0?feature=share

Friday, July 31, 2026 to Monday, August 3, 2026.

Whether you’re new to advocacy or a seasoned changemaker, #TakingActionforAnimals has something for you. Explore workshops covering policy, advocacy, skill-building, coalition building and beyond. Visit the website to plan your TAFA schedule and use discount code ESMT26 to get $10 off full conference registration: https://cvent.me/mRA9Rr?RefId=Social+Media

If you attend this conference, please be sure to stop by The Vegetarian Resource Group booth and say hello.

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By Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD

Sometimes it seems as if you can’t get enough fresh, in-season corn on the cob! But, just in case you are craving a bit of corn diversity, consider a cold soup or a cold corn salad…or a fresh corn dessert.

To make about 4 servings of creamy cold corn soup, clean 4 large ears of fresh corn. Cut the kernels off each cob. Place corn kernels, about ½ cup of plain almond or coconut milk, 2 Tablespoons shredded fresh basil, 2 Tablespoons shredded fresh parsley (leaves only), 2 Tablespoons chopped scallions (white part only), 2 teaspoons lime juice, and ½ teaspoon garlic powder into a food processor or blender. For a thicker soup, add two or three ice cubes when blending. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, and then your soup is ready to consume!

A fast, cold, corn-gazpacho soup can be created by puréeing ripe avocados, fresh corn kernels, and chopped, very ripe, or canned tomatoes until creamy. Season with pepper, chopped fresh chilies (if you like the heat), and shredded fresh herbs from your garden. Allow to chill for about one hour before serving.

For a cold corn salad, serving about 4-6 people, cut kernels from four large ears of corn and combine, in a large bowl, with 1 cup chopped, seeded bell pepper (use several colors), ¼ cup chopped sweet onion, and, if desired, 2 teaspoons chopped, diced fresh chilis and set aside. In a small bowl, combine about ½ cup vegan mayo, ½ cup vegan silken tofu or plain vegan Greek-style yogurt, 2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice, and a sprinkle of garlic and onion powder and mix well. Add to the corn mixture and combine. Chill for at least one hour prior to serving.

Create Cowboy Caviar by combining cooked black-eyed peas with fresh corn kernels, chopped onion, tomatoes, avocado, and bell peppers along with a dressing of lemon juice, vegetable oil, cumin, black pepper, and minced garlic. If you happen to find fresh black-eyed peas at the market, sample a few, uncooked, for their crunch and sweetness. You may want to use them uncooked for this hot weather salad.

If you have leftover “juice” from pickle jars, save it and add washed, sliced from the cob, corn kernels to it and refrigerate overnight. Your “pickled corn” will last several days in the refrigerator.

Side note: reserve corn cobs for later use, as they make a wonderful base for a summer-in-a-bowl vegetable broth. If you’re not going to use the cobs right away, they can be frozen until ready to cook. When using fresh cobs or thawed frozen cobs, scrape the cob with the back of a large spoon, to release the “corn milk.” The flavor is intense and adds thickness and creaminess to soups and sauces.

If you have extra, fresh corn-off-the-cob kernels, think about tossing them into salads and salsas or stir into dips, as well as adding to a cornbread or zucchini bread batter. Sweet corn ice cream can be Thai- or Korean-influenced, usually made with a base of cashew nuts or coconut milk. We’ll let you do your own web research for the technique, but the ingredients generally include either canned coconut milk or soaked cashews (or both), sweetened, condensed oat milk (optional), cut corn kernels, maple syrup, cornstarch, and vanilla extract and can be prepared without an ice cream maker.

Recent topics brought up include:

– How might vegan toddlers get some extra iron? Here are some ideas, in toddler-friendly form.

– Here’s a list of some vegan-friendly children’s books.

– The Foundation for Fresh Produce produced a coloring book promoting fruits and veggies that you can print out for your kids.

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 Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Maybe you made a big pot of soup that you couldn’t finish in one day or even two. Or perhaps you went out to eat and, knowing that you couldn’t consume everything that you ordered, brought some food home with you. Leftovers are a part of life for many people. I love having leftovers that I can reheat and eat for lunch or dinner.

While leftovers are great, no one wants to get sick from eating spoiled food. Just how long can leftovers be safely stored?

According to the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the USDA (See: www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/leftovers-and-food-safety), leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. One helpful trick is to write a date 3-4 days from the time the food was first refrigerated on a sticker or a piece of masking tape on the container. That way, you’ll know that this is the last date to eat the food. If you prefer, you can set up an alert on your phone to remind you to either eat the food or discard it. If you don’t think you’ll eat all of the food within 3-4 days, you can freeze all or part of it. According to the FSIS, properly packaged leftovers can be stored in the freezer for 3-4 months without any loss in quality. After that, the food is still safe to eat but may be dried out and not as flavorful. I keep a list of frozen leftovers on my refrigerator to remind me that they are there waiting to be used for an easy meal.

For the sake of food safety, leftovers should be refrigerated within two hours of being cooked. If it’s a hot day and the food has been sitting out in a place where the air temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, the food should be refrigerated within an hour of being cooked.

Cold perishable foods such as hummus or tofu salad should be discarded if they’ve been left out of the refrigerator for more than two hours at room temperature or for more than one hour if the air temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Each issue of Vegan Journal (published by The Vegetarian Resource Group) contains a wide variety of vegan recipes. You can search through our recipe index here and find something new to prepare at home: https://www.vrg.org/journal/CookingAndRecipes.htm