photo from Magnific

By Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD

Fresh apricots have a fleeting season, so enjoy then while you can! Eat them as is for their once-a-year specialness or halve them and add to salads, couscous, pasta, or hot cereal. You can also include apricots as a “secret” ingredient for savory-sweet casseroles, salsas, or salad dressings or grilling sauces, or toss them into smoothies. Fresh apricots can be pitted and halved, placed on toast with a sprinkle of maple syrup, and broiled in the toaster oven for a quick minute, creating an alternative to avocado toast!

Fresh apricots are fairly delicate, so, if you are not able to eat your fresh apricots within a few days, make some plans to process them. Halved, pitted apricots can be sautéed quickly in vegan margarine or butter and served over frozen desserts or baked goods. Cook them down with water and a dry vegan sweetener to create syrups, or pit and halve and store in vinegar, in the refrigerator, for a week or less, and use as a condiment or an ingredient in salsa, sweet iced tea, or salads. You can chop fresh apricots and mix with a small amount of chopped tomatoes, sweet onions, red pepper flakes along with a solace of orange juice and use as a condiment for savory entrées, such as grilled seitan or six-bean chili. If you have the time, halve and bake apricots until just soft; stuff apricot halves with a filling of almond paste (or chopped almonds), chopped raisins, and maple syrup.

Pitted and halved fresh apricots can be frozen, initially in a single layer to allow for uniform freezing, and then in freezer bags, to be used later in the year for smoothies or baking. Apricot halves can be dried, using your dehydrator or in a very low temperature oven. Make an apricot cream pie by dicing fresh apricots, blending with silken tofu, some minced ginger and syrup of your choice (rice, maple, agave), and pour into a pie shell and freeze for about an hour until firm.

Cashew Parm produced by Farmer Foodie is versatile and delicious! It’s available in two flavors: Golden Chedda and Italian Herb. Read the review here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2026issue2/2026_issue2_veggie_bits.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal is the USA only, visit www.vrg.org/member

The Vegetarian Resource Group is once again sponsoring a video contest. We will be awarding several monetary awards. The deadline for entries this year is July 15, 2026 and the contest is open to all ages.

Create and submit a video relating what you want to tell others about veganism. Some possible topics: food, nutrition, your feelings about veganism, 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. Please do not enter videos made completely using AI.

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

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

On May 19, 2026, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced “a $7.5 million investment” that would redirect “surplus protein to families in need.” The same press release announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)  “will provide up to $7.5 million to help eligible nonprofit organizations safely distribute nutrient-dense proteins such as meat, eggs, seafood, and dairy to Americans in need.”

In addition to wondering what is meant by “surplus protein,” and “families in need” [do you have to be a family to need food?] I had other questions about this program.

1. Why the emphasis on protein? What is the evidence that Americans don’t get enough protein? The comprehensive Scientific Report of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (1) states that “across the lifespan … intakes of … total Protein Foods and Meat, Poultry, and Eggs are generally at or above current recommendations.”
2. Why the focus on animal-based protein, something that Americans are not lacking in? While most people get enough protein, their intakes of Vegetables (a group that includes dried beans), Nuts, Seeds, and Soy Products are generally lower than recommended (1).
3. What are the health implications of increasing intake of meat, eggs, and dairy product? These are foods that are high in saturated fat which has been associated with an increased risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes (2). Health care costs in the United States are already astronomical. Why are foods being promoted that increase the risk of chronic disease?
4. What are the environmental costs of promoting a greater intake of animal products?
5. If protein is a concern, why not support increased provision of dried and canned beans, products that have been associated with health benefits (3)?
6. What about perishability? Food banks may have limited refrigerator and freezer space to keep perishable foods refrigerated or frozen leading to food safety concerns. Lower-income consumers may be unhoused or, for other reasons, have limited ability to safely store and cook fresh meat, seafood, dairy products, and eggs.

And then there’s the recent news that the 2027 Agriculture Appropriations Bill (HR 8646) provides reduced funding for WIC, including less funding for WIC’s fruit and vegetable benefit. Why are funds being cut for a food group that Americans truly don’t eat enough of?

References:

1. 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Scientific Report of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/2025-advisory-committee-report. 2025.
2. Mangels R. The Latest on Saturated Fat. Vegetarian Journal. 2022; issue 2. https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2022issue2/2022_issue2_nutrition_hotline.php
3. Mangels R. What are Beans, Legumes, and Pulses? Vegetarian Journal. 2022; issue 4. https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2022issue4/2022_issue4_nutrition_hotline.php.

Hannah Kaminsky reviews Veggie Underground’s Cheese Slices in Vegan Journal. She states that they have crafted vegan cheese slices that melt properly. Read her review here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2026issue2/2026_issue2_veggie_bits.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal is the USA only, visit www.vrg.org/member

Lois Ellen Frank, PhD, has written Seed to Plate – Soil to Sky, a book that is rooted in promoting health and wellness in Native American communities. Included are vegan recipes featuring corn, beans, squash, chiles, tomatoes, potatoes, cacao, and vanilla. Read in Vegan Journal a review of this book here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2026issue2/2026_issue2_book_reviews.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal is the USA only, visit www.vrg.org/member

istockphoto

By Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD

Fresh cherry season can be fleeting. You may not think beyond eating as many fresh cherries as you can get your hands on. But, just in case, we are including some ideas of enjoying both sweet and tart cherries throughout this summer season.

If you plan on cooking with fresh cherries, you may want to invest in a cherry pitter. Basic cherry pitters may be found online, selling for about $10. If you have real patience, and if the cherries are fairly ripe, you may be able to pit cherries with a metal straw, a chopstick, or even a small cake decorating tip.

Preparing Cherry Dishes and Beverages

For sweet or tart cherries, consider a cherry salsa. Combine pitted cherries with diced, seeded chilies (heat of your choice), chopped sweet onion, fresh cilantro (leaves only), and a splash of lime juice. Cherry salsa combined with hummus makes a colorful, flavorful dip or sandwich ingredient.

You can also top a toasted baguette or flat bread with a thin layer of vegan cream cheese, diced fresh cherries, and shredded fresh mint. Pitted, diced fresh cherries can be tossed into pancake, muffin, or cornbread batter. If you have a bit of time, and patience, pit and dry cherries, place them on a skewer, dip in melted chocolate and freeze. Quickly cook or microwave (to soften) pitted, halved cherries, combined with a splash of maple syrup and water. Combine with silken tofu or vegan yogurt and create a parfait with the cherry mixture, granola, and dried fruit.

For a decadent beverage, blend fresh, pitted cherries with lime juice and ice; if you would like, add a splash of rum for an adult slushy. If you have some kombucha available, add in blenderized fresh, pitted cherries and fresh basil to create a naturally bubbly and flavorful beverage.

Cherries Jubilee

Cherries were popularized on the menu, in the form of Cherries Jubilee, by the classic French chef August Escoffier. Escoffier created this soon-to-be classic in 1897 for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. Although served with ice cream nowadays, the original recipe called for only poached cherries. Of course, the small bowls of cherries were set aflame, at the table, for a dramatic presentation. You can create your own version of Cherries Jubilee, flame optional, with pitted fresh cherries or whole, frozen cherries. Escoffier used tart cherries, because, either that was the cherry crop available at the time or he wanted to really ramp up the syrup component. Sweet cherries work just fine for our seasonal treat. As a side note, if a batch of cut-up or cooked cherries are too sweet, a splash of vinegar helps to balance the flavor.

Fresh cherries have their flavor and juiciness locked inside, so, when using fresh cherries for any type of dessert, you’ll want to steam them, covered, to release the flavor and retain the juice. To prepare Cherries Jubilee for about six people, combine ½ cup dry vegan sweetener with ¼ cup orange, ¼ cup water, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract in a medium pot and heat, stirring, until sweetener is dissolved. Add 4 cups of fresh, pitted cherries with ½ teaspoon of orange or lime zest, cover, and cook until cherries are softened (what is termed “fork tender”), about 5 minutes, depending on the ripeness of your cherries. Uncover pot and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until cherries are very soft, and the sauce has begun to thicken. Traditionally, about 3 Tablespoons of cherry liqueur, brandy, or kirsch is added at this time to help thicken the sauce, but maple syrup can be used as well. Continue to cook until the sauce is the thickness you like. And there you have your Cherries Jubilee! If you are going to serve over sorbet or other frozen vegan desserts, allow to cool, so the ice cream doesn’t melt. If you would like to flame your cherries… there are helpful tutorials online.

Special thanks to Arnie Alper, MD for staffing VRG’s booth at the Santa Cruz VegFest in California. The event was a huge success!

White Castle said, “White Castle … today announced the permanent addition of a veggie slider to its menu system wide, giving Cravers a craveable, flavor-packed nonmeat option in addition to its popular beef, chicken, and fish Sliders. The new menu item, the Southwest Veggie Slider, features a crispy brown rice crust and a savory blend of six vegetables — sweet potatoes, black beans, corn, red bell peppers, onions, and carrots — seasoned with smoky chipotle and sweet BBQ flavors and served on a classic Slider bun with a slice of jalapeño cheese. (Customers can substitute American or cheddar cheese.)”

More ingredient and allergen information is not yet available on their website. They say: all food is prepared in common kitchens that may involve some shared cooking and preparation areas, equipment and utensils, and the possibility exists for your food items to come in contact with other food products, including allergens.

White Castle Vegan Sliders available in H.E.B. Supermarket is labeled as Dr. Praeger’s brand, containing: Carrots, Onions, String Beans, Oat Bran, Soybeans, Zucchini, Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Peas, Broccoli, Corn, Soy Flour, Spinach, Red Peppers, Arrowroot Powder, Corn Starch, Garlic, Corn Meal, Sea Salt, Parsley, Black Pepper, Bun: Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Sugar, Soybean Oil, Contains 2% or Less of Each of the Following: Yeast, Salt, Vital Wheat Gluten, Mono- and Diglycerides, Corn Starch, Calcium Stearoyl Lactylate (CSL), Oat Fiber, Corn Syrup Solids, Guar Gum, Sodium Alginate, Monocalcium Phosphate, Enzymes, Xanthan Gum, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C).

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.

photo from Good To-Go

Enjoy camping and hiking with some of the vegan backpacking and camping meals listed in Vegan Journal. Read the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2026issue2/2026_issue2_backpacking_camping.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal is the USA only, visit www.vrg.org/member