photo from Sorbae Frozen Treats

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:

Ave 26, 242 North Ave. 25, Los Angeles, CA 90031

Taking on the role as Los Angeles’ only vegan Philly cheesesteak provider, Ave 26 offers more cheesesteak options than most West Coast natives could ever dream of. Served on Amoroso rolls, best sellers from their menu include the Meatball Sub (vegan meatballs, grilled onions, mushrooms, marinara and pesto sauces, with a dusting of almond Parmesan) and the Buffalo Chick’n Cheesesteak (vegan chicken and grilled onions with buffalo sauce, bleu cheese dressing, and house special cheese whiz). And because every sandwich needs a good side, there are a variety of fry options, including the Trinity Fries (seasoned fries with grilled onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms, served with a side of cheese whiz). And if there’s still room for dessert, there’s the Brownie Bomb, the perfect sweet counterpart to the savory sandwiches—a fudgy brownie with chunks of vegan cookie and pretzels.

Plant Baked by Sarah, 400 E. 29^th St., Baltimore, MD 21218

Plant Baked by Sarah is a Boutique Vegan and services the greater Baltimore and DC Metro Area. Sarah uses fresh fruit and pure extracts to craft made to order vegan Signature and Custom Celebration Cakes including Wedding Cakes and Cupcakes, as well as Smash cakes for the wee ones! She strives to coordinate her confections with clients’ taste and dietary and décor preferences. Let’s talk Flavors. For Cakes, there’s Rich Chocolate, Vanilla Bean, Almond, Lemon, Carrot, Cinnamon Mocha, Snickerdoodle, and more. Besides the basics, Buttercream choices include Maple Cinnamon, Cookies and Cream, Peanut Butter, Raspberry, Cream “Cheese,” and more. Filling options are Lemon Curd, Raspberry, Strawberry and Chocolate Ganache. Cakes are nut free unless otherwise noted. Gluten-free is an additional charge. View her webpages and social media and prepare to be swept up in the beauty of multi-petal Blossom Cupcakes and other artistic creations and to see how this former environmental and chemical engineer has transferred her skills to take flavors from nature and alchemize flour into flowers.

Plantitude, 431 1st Ave., Ladysmith, BC V9G 1A1, Canada

At Plantitude the goal is fresh, made-from-scratch, local, organic food whenever possible; this extends to their coffee, wine, beer offerings as well. While Brunch includes some items in common with the Dinner menu, you could fortify yourself with some Comfort Fuel like Chikin and Waffles with sriracha maple syrup and candied bacon; Sausage Mushroom Melt with aioli, spinach, mushrooms, and “Beyond Meat” breakfast patties on a toasted English muffin topped with melted cheddar and crispy oyster mushrooms; Cinnamon Maple French Toast or Waffles and Bacun with maple syrup, coconut whip and fruit cup; or Plantitude Benny–toasted English muffin with aioli, sautéed spinach, and mushrooms, bacun, tofu-fried ‘egg’ with cheddar yolk, almondaise, and potato nuggets. Dinner choices begin with Small Plates like Garlic Butter & White Wine Sautéed Prawns crafted with Konjac root prawns, arugula, and ciabatta toast. There’s also Soup & Salads. There are a few Bowls including Spicy Lemongrass Chikin and Veg Bowl with sautéed peppers, onions, chickpeas, and zucchini, topped with carrot, cabbage shreds, sprouts, black sesame seeds, and brown rice. Grilled Better Brat features “Beyond Meat” brat sausages with mushroom red-wine gravy, garlic mashed potatoes, and grilled seasonal veggies. Smokie Mac & Cheese with Bacun, offers caramelized onions, baby peas, creamy three cheese sauce topped with mixed cheese shreds. Mushroom Risotto showcases mixed mushrooms, baby peas, garlic, sage, and sunflower parma. Peppercorn Sirloin Burger is a peppered “Impossible” burger with caramelized onions, cheddar, arugula, and peppercorn mayo. Many Gluten-Free options are available. You may want to leave room for Desserts like Brownies, Fudge Bars, Tiramisu, Caramel Pecan Torte, and more.

Root2Rise, 359 Manville Rd., Pleasantville, NY 10570

An upscale fast casual café, bakery, and juice bar featuring a wide range of breakfast items, baked goods, salads, plant-based burgers, pizzas, beverages, and more. All of their menu options are gluten-free, vegan, 100% plant-based, and organic. Some popular dishes include Mushroom Toast, Blueberry Cardamom Scone, Chickpea Quinoa Chaat Salad, Smashed Pea Guacamole, Spicy Thai Peanut Ramen, Beety Burger, Mac & Cheese, Mulligatawny Soup, and Black Daal Soup. Overall, the menu is seasonal, unique, and globally inspired. Additionally, there is limited seating available inside the establishment and outside.

Sorbae, 1353 Purchase St., New Bedford, MA 02740

The mission at Sorbae is to expand the variety of what’s typically available in non-dairy frozen treats and to enrich our experience by introducing our palates to culturally diverse flavors. Crafted from a cashew and coconut base, Sorbae’s vegan frozen treats are available in a myriad of imaginative flavors. Never had a Sweet Corn frozen dessert? Here’s your chance to try this Brazilian-inspired treat! There’s also Acai, blended with strawberries and bananas, Goiabada (Creamy Guava), Coco Key Lime, Brigadeiro (a chocolate truffle-like fudge), Caramel Macchiato, and many more! Enjoy these frozen desserts as Soft serve, Pops, or as the cool filling in a warm Bae Bun (a shout out to Italy’s Brioche con Gelato) complete with your chosen toppings! Talk about an “ice cream” sandwich! Choose one of their signature options like Americana with Vanilla vegan frozen dessert, apple pie filling, caramel, and cinnamon or Vacay Bae with chocolate, passionfruit, and coconut flakes to name a couple. Or Design Your Own Bae Bun with chocolate or vanilla and Toppings like Chocolate dip, Oreos, White Chocolate, Marshmallows, Cookie Butter, Caramel, Peanut butter, Almonds, Berry sauces—the list goes on!

The Cutting Board Plant Based Kitchen, Fuel & Iron Food Hall, 400 S. Union Ave., Pueblo, CO 81003

The Cutting Board features a concise menu of original appetizers and entrees incorporating portobello mushrooms, Beyond Burger patties, “good’a chz”, and other vegan favorites. Popular dishes include Cauliflower Wings, Cucumber Quinoa Wrap, and Green Chili Nachos. Located at the Fuel & Iron Food Hall in central Pueblo (down the street from the Railway Museum and Union Depot, and just across the river from the Library District Main Branch).

Veggie In, 2516 Peach Orchard Rd., Augusta, GA 30906

This restaurant is known for its great vibes and delicious, flavorful food and smoothies. The atmosphere is warm and uplifting, and the staff are especially welcoming. Positive affirmations and quotes can be found posted around the store, and the interior design is colorful and eclectic. Sample dishes include the Portobello Mushroom Sandwich and Chick-less Chicken Salad Sandwich, and they serve smoothies and smoothie bowls such as the Green Lean smoothie and Berry Smoothie Bowl.

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Fruits and vegetables are beautiful! They come in a variety of bright colors – intensely orange carrots, vivid green peas, and shiny red apples. You can certainly celebrate fruits and vegetables by eating vegan meals featuring a variety of produce. Fabrics printed with pictures of fruits and vegetables offer another way to showcase these foods.

Think of a fruit or vegetable and it’s likely that someone has created a fabric featuring it. Some prints are realistic, others may be comical or abstract. There are large scale prints and tiny prints and everything in between.

If you have a sewing machine or are willing to take the time to hand-sew a project, you can create all sorts of household items and clothing using fruit and vegetable prints. For example, cut a strip of fabric as long as your table plus some overhang and as wide as you’d like. Hem all four sides and you have a decorative table runner. Try a harvest print for Thanksgiving or a print with summer fruits for July 4^th. You can use a larger piece of fabric (or several strips of fabric sewn together) the length and width of your table plus overhang and hem it to make a tablecloth.

Napkins are easy, and you can make a set featuring matching fabric or let everyone choose their favorite fruit or vegetable for personalized napkins. The simplest napkin involves cutting a rectangle a bit larger than the finished size of the napkin and hemming all four sides. Placemats can be made using a single fabric or fabric scraps or strips.

Look for simple patterns for tote bags, aprons, hats, curtains, and pillowcases if you’d like to surround yourself with colorful produce. And then there’s clothing – shirts, skirts, vests, pants, dresses, even ties can all be made featuring everything from apricots to zucchini.

Quilts can showcase a variety of vegetables and fruits. Look for quilt patterns on-line or at your library.

In my experience, quilting cotton is easy to sew and features lots of prints and is my fabric of choice for projects featuring fruits and vegetables. For fabric needs, stop by your local fabric store. You can see some of the variety that is available by visiting the links below:

Clothworks – Berry Sweet, Strawberry Days

Cotton + Steel – Under the Apple Tree

Elizabeth’s Studio – Berry Good, Food Festival

Paintbrush Studio – Farmer John’s Garden Party, Fruit Stand, Homestead Harvest, Sweet & Sour, Tropicana

Rifle Paper Company – Orchard, Primavera

Robert Kaufman – Sweet Pumpkin Spice, Strawberry Season, Artisan Batiks Farm Stand

Timeless Treasures – Orchard Valley

Note: Links to specific lines of fabric may no longer work with time. If that happens, use the listing for the fabric company and search for fruit and vegetable prints.

Chakra is a vegan Thai-Indian restaurant located at 317 E. 5th St. in New York City. They are open daily for dinner and for lunch delivery only Monday through Friday. Chakra offer a Thai vegan menu, Gluten-free menu, SOS-free menu, fruitarian menu, Jain menu and Swaminarayan menu, along with peanut free options and low and no oil options. They were extremely accommodating to a diner with nut allergies. Among a wide variety of dishes, you’ll find Mango Salad, Spicy Sour Soup, Fresh Spring Rolls, Dumplings, Lentil Curry, Pad Thai, Drunken Noodles, and Black Sticky Rice with Mango and Banana.

Learn more about this restaurant here: https://chakra.kitchen/

Find other veggie restaurants throughout the USA and Canada here: https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

photo from Freepik

Over the years we’ve published many terrific recipes. Below are links to a few articles that have dishes you may want to prepare July 4^th weekend.

Gourmet Grilling (recipes by Chef Nancy Berkoff for Grilled Eggplant, Mediterranean Grilled Portobello’s with Pine Nuts, Curried Barbecue Tempeh, Roasted Pepper and Eggplant Dip, Pineapple-Peach Salsa, Grilled Asparagus-Japanese Style, Grilled Sweet Peaches, and Roasted Corn)

Picnic Pleasures (recipes by Nava Atlas including Herbed Potato Salad, Pinto Beans with Watercress or Arugula, Dried Tomato Tapenade, Lemony Blueberry Muffins, Corn Relish Salad, Couscous Tabbouleh, Chunky Bean Spread, and Chocolate Chip-Raisin Blondies)

Outdoor Feasts (recipes by Chef Nancy Berkoff for Roasted Corn, Souped-Up Cole Slaw or Macaroni Salad, Raita, Tofu and Potato Kebabs, Vietnamese “Beef” Salad, Lime and Chile “Steaks,” and Grilled Pineapple

Deli Salads (recipes by Rachel Himmelheber including Mexican Cole Slaw, Potato Salad with Thai Peanut Dressing, Asian Slaw, German Potato Salad, Middle Eastern Macaroni Salad, and Pecan and Red Pepper Pesto Macaroni Salad)

To subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA, visit: Subscribe to Vegan Journal

The Vegetarian Resource Group is once again sponsoring a video contest. We will be awarding several $100 awards. The deadline for entries this year is July 15, 2024.

Create and submit a video relating what you want to tell others about veganism. Some possible topics: food, nutrition, your feelings about veganism and/or vegetarianism, water usage and veganism, veganism and animal rights, or other veggie topics which appeal to you. Humor and feelings are appreciated. All videos should be positive, not be critical of anyone, and not include any footage of animal cruelty. You may submit a video you have already made.

Aspects of judging include accuracy and judges wanting to share the video with others. Entrants give permission to The Vegetarian Resource Group to post and share the video, to link to and from the video, and share the video with the media.

To see the video contest rules, visit: http://www.vrg.org/videoscholarship.php

Previous wining videos can be found here: http://www.vrg.org/veg_videos.php

Colombian Black Bean Soup photo by Hannah Kaminsky

Every July 3^rd is Eat Beans Day! In a previous Vegan Journal Hannah Kaminsky shares a wide variety of black bean-based dishes including Colombian Black Bean Soup, Mole Enchiladas, Black Bean Chipotle Chili, Loaded Spanish Sweet Potatoes, and Tex-Mex Pasta Salad.

You can find the recipes here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2023issue3/2023_issue3_modern_classics.php

Subscribe to Vegan Journal: https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

photo from Food As Medicine-Santa Cruz

The Vegetarian Resource Group will be tabling at the Food As Medicine Conference in Santa Cruz, CA on October 20, 2024. Below is information on this event.

You are invited to Food As Medicine – Santa Cruz, a premier one-day conference uniting healthcare professionals, researchers, and experts to delve into the transformative power of plant-based diets.

Date: Sunday, October 20, 2024
Location: Santa Cruz, CA and Online

Explore the latest scientific findings on plant-based nutrition, the effects of diet on chronic disease prevention and control, and about designing an optimum plant-based diet for patients and clients in a clinical setting.

This conference is designed for healthcare professionals, but others with strong interests in nutrition and health are welcome to attend. Application for CME credit has been filed with Adventist Health Ukiah Valley and the California Medical Association for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Determination of credit is pending.

For more information on our program, speakers, and registration, please go to: foodasmedicinesantacruz.org

photo from Impossible Foods

Joey Chestnut won the Nathan’s hot dog eating contest for over 15 years. Evidently he has signed up to endorse Impossible hot dogs, and now is excluded from the contest. To find out where to sample Impossible hot dogs, look at https://impossiblefoods.com/locations Let us know what you think. But probably don’t eat as many as Mr. Chestnut!

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.

Thanks to Emily Klesitz and Heather Francis for staffing a VRG Booth at New England VegFest held in Massachusetts.

Image from Freepik

By Neha Vivek, VRG Intern

I stare at the pot in front of me, and its contents are suspiciously bland, despite the overwhelming amount of spices I had tossed in. Accepting defeat, I called my mother over and asked her to taste the pasta sauce. After taking a spoonful, she paused.

“Neha, you’re missing salt.” She reached over and added Himalayan salt, and admittedly, it solved all my tasteless problems. The process of learning to cook can feel like a daunting task, a lonely trek filled with successes and failures, but my experiences, along with other Vegetarian Resource Group interns and volunteers, have shown the role of others on a plant-based journey as well as their motivations for turning vegan.

For Priscila Reis, her friend came over and taught her how to cook vegetarian food, her first dish being vegan lasagna and a banana pie, which she shared with the neighborhood, especially with the neighbor who lent them the cake pan, allowing her to become better friends with her neighbors (who now always gives her mangoes from their yard) and share vegan dishes with others.

Similarly, for Jill, making her favorite cuisine, Thai food, has always been a flavorful and fun adventure that she can share with her nonvegan friends as well as connect with her community.

For many others, it was a love for the environment or goals of limiting animal cruelty that inspired their switch to a vegetarian and vegan diet.
For Danielle Choma, she first challenged herself to cut out meat for a week as she knew it was good for the environment and found it was easier than expected, continuing on the diet for the sake of the environment and animals.

Similar to Danielle, for Sundari Maharajh and Noelle Merveilleux, it was researching about the animal industry and learning about the ethical implications of animal exploitation that inspired their switch. To Sundari, who grew up in a vegetarian household, reading the book Dominion opened her eyes to the cruelty of how we treat animals in general, inspiring her to switch to veganism. Additionally, Noelle had wanted to follow a lifestyle without the exploitation of animals for a long time, as she wanted to see animals as autonomous beings, which is why she was motivated to go vegan in recent years.

For others, veganism was something they stumbled upon, such as Akua Oppong, who found a video by the YouTuber PickUpLimes and decided to try a dish, her first being an oatmeal recipe with peanut butter, blueberry compote, and chia seeds that she found delicious, reframing her mindset on oatmeal and how food could be transformed into amazing, versatile recipes with just plants. This allowed her to explore more recipes, prompting a two-week vegan trial similar to Danielle’s that she found herself sticking to. Since then, Akua has explored more about veganism’s nutritional benefits as a Nutrition Science major in her first two years of college.

For me, my journey was an amalgamation of all their experiences. As an eight-year-old, I decided to give up meat because I didn’t want to harm animals. However, as I got older, I got more into cooking, exploring vegan alternatives and dishes out of curiosity while also learning more about the ethical implications of how animals are treated through watching documentaries such as You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment as well as the environmental impact of raising livestock for meat consumption, pushing me towards a more plant-based diet.

Regardless of why you explore a plant-based diet, friends, environment, animals, or curiosity, each person’s journey is unique and should begin with excitement. So, if you need a push to begin your vegan journey (or one to keep exploring!), take this as your sign. Read a VRG article or cook a new vegan dish for yourself and have fun!

For more info for newbies, see:

https://www.vrg.org/teen/#plans

https://www.vrg.org/journal/CookingAndRecipes.htm