photo from Sodexo

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

A recent press release from Sodexo, a global food service and facilities management company, announced that it has expanded its DefaultVeg strategy, which uses behavioral nudges to promote plant-based eating. At Sodexo dining halls on close to 400 college and university campuses in the United States, unless the school opts out, every dining hall will have an entirely plant-based entrée station and a station that alternates plant-based and animal-based meals as the main offering every day.

The program was pilot tested on 3 college campuses where a study found that alternating between plant-based and meat-based dishes as the default option at one hot entree station resulted in a 58.3 percent increase in students choosing plant-based dishes on the plant-based days. Even on plant-based days, students could ask for and receive a meat-based dish – it just wasn’t the default option.

According to the press release, Sodexo has committed to serving 50 percent plant-based meals at its campuses by 2025.

To read more about the use of default options to promote choice of vegan meals see:

Encouraging College Students to Choose Vegan Entrees

Sustainable Food Choices Lecture.

Veganizing Your Foodservice

To read more about vegan foods in college see:

How to Add More Vegan Foods to Your College Cafeteria

Introducing Vegan Foods into a College Foodservice and Tips for Students Who Want to Do the Same at Their College

How to Get Veggie Options Prepared by a Chef in a Frat House

Are you ever in such a rush that you don’t have time to chew your food? Then, your blender may hold the answer to fast but tasty dining options. Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD, offers many suggestions including for dinner:

-Fast Tomato-Potato Chowder

Scoop leftover mashed potatoes into a blender. Add some pre-made vegan tomato soup, such as the aseptic ‘boxed’ vegan soups from Imagine and Pacific brands, and blend until smooth. Pour into a container or mug and add your ingredients of choice. For a spicy flavor, stir in salsa. If you like your soup chewy, add drained, canned mixed vegetables or sliced mushrooms. You can season with onion, garlic, or curry powder; white pepper; parsley flakes; or nutritional yeast.

To make a tomato-potato-corn chowder, add some canned creamed corn (which is non-dairy when it consists of smashed corn thickened with cornstarch) and some drained canned or leftover cooked corn to your tomato-potato chowder.

-Broccoli or Cauliflower Cheddar Soup

Another good way to use leftovers! Place cooked broccoli or cauliflower into a blender and then add mashed potatoes, soft silken tofu, or soymilk. Blend for a short time, but leave the mixture chunky. You may want to blend in some ripe avocado as well, if you like. For lunch, pour one of the thicker soups above into a microwave-safe mug or canister. Then, toss an apple or orange and a bag of pretzels into your lunch box, knapsack, or briefcase, and you’ve got a meal ready to heat and eat. As for dinner, just blend, heat, and serve!

For Dessert try:

-Creamy Smooth

Fruit-flavored soy yogurt, rice milk, bananas, nutritional yeast, thawed orange juice concentrate, and drained canned apricots.

Read the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2008issue4/2008_issue4_vegan_cooking.php

Subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA only here: https://www.vrg.org/member/cabdacae.php

I am studying physics and mathematics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, minoring in Middle Eastern languages. I do physics research primarily modeling and analyzing many-body electronic systems in biological settings with quantum mechanics and computational chemistry. This year, I celebrate my sixth year of veganism. Though physics may seem detached from liberation theory, including the non-violence and sustainability central to veganism, these concepts are intertwined and thus fundamental to my work. I focus on this in my research and daily life from philosophical and humanistic perspectives.

A while ago, the Principal Investigator (PI) of my laboratory, Dr. Philip Kurian, asked me to define life. My answer began: What motivates the quest for a definition of life should inform how that definition is arrived to. Rooted in anthropocentric pursuits and bounded by moral considerations, human conception of life becomes a problem parameterized by survival and sanctity. We navigate the tension between the imperative to survive and the moral obligation to preserve life, particularly sentient beings. This definition can extend to consider the extension of survival and sanctity even to the smallest units of matter. Life can be human, animal, bacterium, quanta—it depends why one asks. Certainly, if I could, I would advocate for lepton rights as I do sentient beings’ rights and oppose violations of either. To do this, we must first determine exactly what is a lepton and how this elementary particle, in a given system, might behave when observed. I think there are deep ideological consequences from using physics to characterize the hot and wet systems of soft matter.

Outside of my studies, I spend my time helping lead our campus Society of Physics Students (SPS), where I started the department’s first free tutoring program targeting K-12 students in Orange County. I hope to instill in others similar philosophical understandings of math and physics to cultivate empathetic and liberatory mindsets. I also hope to convey that research in physics, trying to discover ways things work, is not so different from philosophies of non-violence and animal liberation; it requires creativity, thinking about different observers, and using reason to determine solutions to worldly problems.

Here is information about Jasmine’s high school work when she applied for the scholarship.

https://www.vrg.org/blog/2021/05/13/florida-student-jasmine-mace-wins-5000-vegetarian-resource-group-scholarship/

The deadline for VRG college scholarship applications is February 20 of each year for high school seniors. Go to https://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

To support VRG scholarships and internships, donate at www.vrg.org/donate

photo from Naked 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:

Cinnaholic, 10000 Research Blvd., Unit 136, Austin, TX 78759 and 5161 San Felipe St., Ste. 180, Houston, TX 77056

Enjoy “create your own” cinnamon rolls and other sweet treats like made from scratch brownies, cookies and edible cookie dough.

Fern Café Bakery, 1115 N. Park St. #1, Victoria, BC V8T 1C7, Canada

Enjoy a full café menú and drinks, with a featured brunch ítem on weekends. Everything made in house from scratch – burgers, hand-cut fries, mac n cheese, fried chickun. Sample breakfast ítem: Big Bad Breakfast Sandwich – spicy chorizo crumble, tofu egg, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, crispy fried hash brown patty, kétchup, and mayo on a toasted ciabatta bun. Sample burger: BBQ Plant Burger – plant-based burger patty, lettuce, tomato, mayo, “honey” mustard, BBQ sauce and pickles on a sesame seed bun.  Sample salad:  Kale and Romaine Caesar Salad – kale, chopped lettuce, croutons, and vegan parmesan. Outdoor seating weather permitting.

Greenstraw Café, 243 N. Sycamore St., Newtown, PA 18940

Bakery features donuts. Café features various fruit smoothies such as:  Hawaiian Healer – coconut water, orange juice, banana, pineapple, and Classy Berry – almond milk, orange juice, strawberry, banana.  “Featured Products” include avocado toast, homemade granola bites, various oatmeal dishes, Nutty Yum Acai Bowl (acai blended with banana, blueberry and apple juice, topped with house-made granola, peanuts, peanut butter, and a drizzle of agave), soup of the day, tofu egg salad, hummus and veggies, Super Bowl – almond milk blended with banana, mango, raspberry, spirulina, spinach, topped with granola, cacao, goji, and a drizzle of agave; plant-based egg sandwich, and almond berry toast.

Milky Way Shakes, 2324 E. Cesar Chavez, Austin, TX 78702

Milky Way Shakes most popular milk shake is their Oreo Borealis. This includes mint, Oreos, chocolate syrup swirl, and glitter star sprinkles. Their food truck is also surrounded by other fully vegan food venders as well! All of their shakes are made from an almond and coconut milk blend, and all of their sauces, creams, and syrups are homemade as well! There are picnic benches nearby.

Naked Vegan, 311a McAlister Rd., Greenville, SC 29607

From their delicious, creatively named food to their detailed and comical decor, Naked Vegan is a feast for all your senses, serving unique and healthy comfort food. At the restaurant, they have a variety of meals, from their ‘Comfort Me Please’ section containing meals like Hot Digg No Dog (vegan hotdogs) and Spoiled Brat to their selection of smoothies and power cups made of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Strange Town, 2101 N. Prospect Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53202

This upscale eatery in central Milwaukee (near McKinley Park) features natural wine, craft cocktails, and a seasonal menu of “small plates” (though most are shareable).  A few notable examples include Mushroom Tartine, Butternut squash Muhammara, and Eggplant Caponata Orzo.

The Joint, 19 N. Tejon St., Colorado Springs, CO 80903

The Joint serves sandwiches, tacos, and pizzas. They pride themselves in transparency of menu items ingredients. They have parmesan truffle fries, Birria Tacos, a ‘Cubano-FX’ which includes mojo marinated jackfruit, celery root, mustard aioli, and Swiss served with fries or their parmesan truffle fries.

Urban Lyfe Center and Juice Bar, 3223 Eastern Ave., Baltimore, MD 21224

Urban Lyfe Center is not only a juice bar; they also serve sweet treats such as vegan truffles and plant-based brownies, along with sandwiches such as Urban chick’ burgers, avocado toast, and a no-tuna sandwich. Additionally, they offer colorful different Acai Bowls and smoothies.

fancy toast photo by Rissa Miller

Jason Yowell shares several fancy toast recipes including Frico Caprese; Mushroom Medley Toasts with Herbed Cashew Cheeze; Seitan “Brat” Crostini; Sweet Potato Toasts with Beet Purée; BLT Toasts; and a dessert toast called Sweet Cream & Fruit Tartine. Find all the recipes here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2021issue3/2021_issue3_fancy_toasts.php

Subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA only here: https://www.vrg.org/member/cabdacae.php

Chef Nancy Berkoff’s previous Vegetarian Journal article International Maritime Stews serves up these creative recipes:

Paella Sans Pescado

Saffron Broth with Tomato

Orzo Pilaf

Bourride

BouillabaisseVegan or Non-Fisherman’s Stew

Saffron Mayonnaise

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

Are you looking for a vegan-friendly card game to use with young children? Jessica Dadds designed these: https://www.vrg.org/family/memory_cards.php Have fun!

The Vegetarian Resource Group has a very informative brochure titled Vegan Nutrition During Pregnancy and Childhood. The brochure cover topics such as Basic Needs for Infants (0-1 year); Feeding Vegan Children – Toddlers through School-Age; a Sample Meal Plan for Vegan Pregnancy; Feeding Schedule for Babies and Young Children; and Basic Needs in Pregnancy.

See: https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/vegan_pregnancy_brochure.pdf

Photo by Hannah Kaminsky

Vegan Journal Senior Editor Hannah Kaminsky shares vegan taco recipes including: Potato Samosa Tacos; Mojo Black Bean Tacos; Mushroom Ceviche Tacos; Sushi Tacos; and Beet Bulgogi Tacos. See: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2022issue2/2022_issue2_tacos_any_day.php

Subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA only here: https://www.vrg.org/member/cabdacae.php

The Vegetarian Resource Group is a vegan activist non-profit organization that does outreach all-year-long. For example, VRG has been tabling at a wide variety of events throughout the USA. We also send literature free of charge to other groups/individuals doing educational activities in schools, hospitals, camps, restaurants, libraries, offices, etc. Our ability to continue doing this depends on people like you! Your donations allow us to promote the vegan message whenever we’re called upon for assistance. Please consider becoming a monthly, quarterly, or single-time donor to The Vegetarian Resource Group.

Thanks so much for your support. You can make a donation online here: www.vrg.org/donate