The Vegetarian Resource Group’s Annual Scholarship Program for Graduating High School Seniors in the USA Promoting Veganism

Due to the generosity of anonymous donors, The Vegetarian Resource Group each year will award one $10,000 and several $5,000 college scholarships to graduating U.S. high school students who have promoted veganism in their schools and/or communities. Entries may only be sent by students graduating from high school in SPRING 2026

We will accept applications emailed or postmarked on or before FEBRUARY 20, 2026. Early submission is encouraged.

Applicants will be judged on having shown compassion, courage, and a strong commitment to promoting a peaceful world through a vegan diet/lifestyle. Payment will be made to the student’s college (U.S. based only). Winners of the scholarships give permission to release their names to the media. Applications and essays become property of The Vegetarian Resource Group. We may ask finalists for more information. Scholarship winners are contacted by e-mail or telephone. Please look at your e-mail.

If you would like to donate to additional scholarships or internships, go to www.vrg.org/donate

Applications

For information on applying, visit: https://www.vrg.org/student/scholar or call (410) 366-8343 or email [email protected].

This contest is sponsored by The Vegetarian Resource Group/Vegan Journal, PO Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.

photo from Fifth House

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: www.vrg.org/restaurant

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:

Fifth House, 3157 Farnam St. #7113, Omaha, NE 68131

Fifth House offers a menu of vegan comfort food classics. The buffalo burger is made in house with seitan and lentils and is topped with almond-based blue cheese, buffalo sauce, and caramelized onions. Smoked seitan porq chops are served with pink apple slaw, sweet potato mash, and roasted brussel sprouts. Fried chick’n is made with locally grown oyster mushrooms and served with brown gravy, mashed potatoes, slaw, and a biscuit. Desserts include citrus lavender sponge cake, almond boy brownies, and warm cranberry pudding.

Floralia Pizza, 1124 Kona St., Honolulu, HI 96814

Serving Neapolitan style pizza, Floralia aspires to “old world Italian cooking with a modern, plant-based approach” and to celebrate “…the abundance that the garden provides!” Some Antipasti are Focaccia, Garlic Knots, Pasta, Caesar Salad, and more. While they don’t offer gluten-free pizza, their dough is “naturally slow leavened.” Besides Margherita, Sicilian, White Pizzas, and others, the Brooklyn offers tomato sauce, ricotta, basil, meatball, mozzarella, and parm. The Paradiso showcases tomato sauce, mozzarella, bacon, local pineapple, jalapeño, and parmesan. Basil Pesto Royale features ‘goat’ cheese, sausage, and marinated peppers. They offer lots of toppings made in house from scratch including Pizzetta Calabrese presents spicy ‘Nduja, San Marzano tomato, mascarpone, “bee-free” honey, and parmesan crust. Calzone Napoletana is San Marzano tomato, ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, and basil. For Dessert there are Cannolis–Pistachio or Chocolate Chip, Tiramisu, and a couple varieties of Cheesecake. They have outdoor seating.

Le Botaniste, 2501 Hempstead Turnpike, Bldg. E, Unit E9a, Elmont, NY 11003

This sophisticated cafe features an inventive plant-based and organic menu with dishes like the young coconut ceviche, summer roll, pasta Bolo, mezze (assortment of spreads served with veggie balls and gluten-free crackers), and quinoa peanut butter cookies. They also have a natural wine list and take care to add only minimal amounts of oil to their dishes.

Stir It Up, 6 Prince St., Charlottetown, PE C1A 4P5 Canada

Stir It Up aims to provide comfort food focused on local, organic products. Noted as a very popular item, Mo: Mo is steamed or deep-fried dumplings made with spices and mixed vegetables. Veggie Burrito is a warm tortilla with rice, black beans, corn, fajita- style peppers, onion, crisp jerk veggie patty, cheese, cilantro lime sauce, and tomato sauce. Pakora packs crisp mixed vegetables dipped in chickpea flour and spices, deep-fried. Samosa showcases pastry filled with potatoes, peas, and spices, served with tamarind and mint sauce. Sweet Chili Balls features crisp vegan chicken with herbs, sweet chili, and tamarind sauce. Mix Vegetables with Rice combines broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, and bok choy stir-fried with garlic sauce. They also have Caesar or House Salads and Grab N Go items. For Kids there’s Happy Burger or Chick’n Nuggets and chips.

Trixie’s, 144 Main St., Beacon, NY 12508

Trixie’s Pizza serves whole 16” “Hand-crafted New York-style pizza” noting organic tomato sauce and cold fermented dough. Some Appetizer possibilities are Cannellini Bean Dip or Meatballs with Sauce—both with Pan Rustico. Though Pizza toppings rotate, here are just a few of their many selections. The Vita features Tomato Sauce, fresh House-Made Cashew Mozzarella, Fresh Basil, and EVOO. Sausage and Peppers presents Tomato Sauce, House-Made Mozzarella, House-Made Fennel Sausage, pickled Cherry Peppers, and Calabrian Oregano. Veg Pepperoni offers Tomato Sauce and 2 types of vegan cheese. You may also add House-Made Side sauces to your pizza like Garlic or Ranch for dipping. Sweet Treats include small batch Zandy’s PB&J Cookie crafted with Peanut Butter and Raspberry preserves, as well as Zandy’s Coco Loco–Coconut and Chocolate cookies.

UnAltrd, 139 NE 1st Ave., Hallandale Beach, FL 33009

With an aim toward wellness, UnAltrd celebrates “plant-based living” focused on alkaline food. The very popular Hibachi Bowl offers seared bell peppers, zucchini, crisp shredded oyster mushrooms, and tangy-sweet chili glaze. For your base choose spicy noodles or seasoned quinoa drizzled with “creamy, slightly tangy” Yum Yum sauce. Chk’n N Fries features Burro Banana Fries with chickpea flour-breaded fried Oyster mushrooms. Italian Bowl brings smokey Red pepper pasta, grilled veggies and seared mushrooms. UnAltrd Bowl combines seasoned mushrooms, stewed chickpeas, seasoned quinoa, and grilled veggies. Kamut Spaghetti and Sausage is topped with apple fennel sausage patties and marinara sauce. Waffle and Sausage Plate has a crisp kamut and spelt waffle, fried oyster mushrooms battered in unaltered chick’egg flour, fennel apple sausage patty, quinoa, and an “electric spice blend.”

Viet Chay, 768 Wilson Ave., Toronto, ON M3K 1E2 Canada

The hope at Viet Chay is that “…every dish provides a connection to Vietnamese culture while catering to a plant-based lifestyle…” For starters there’s Thai Salad Rolls, Papaya Salad, Spring Rolls, as well as many other choices. Soups are Pho, Curry Chicken with Rice or Noodles, Seaweed, Mixed Conjee, and lots more. Sandwiches include Vegan Fish, BBQ, and several others. Some examples of possible Daily Specials are Tom Kho Man (vegan stewed lobster), Spicy Fried Tofu Lemongrass, Vegan BBQ, and Vegan Ribs stewed. For dessert there’s vegan ice cream.

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

Mah Maiz photo by Rissa Miller

Enjoy vegan Mexican recipes from Chef Carlos Erez. Chef Carlos was born and raised in New York City. His beautiful mother, a native of Mexico, taught him to cook. He’s been vegan for many years and loves translating her recipes and his heritage into compassionate new meals.

Recipes included in his article are: Mah Maiz! (a corn-based soup), Siete Mares (in Mexico, Caldo de Siete Mares is a classic seafood stew. In my vegan version, enjoy seven vegetables, including meaty oyster mushrooms, and a taste of the ocean from kelp powder!), Puebla Con Amor (Stuffed peppers in a rich broth), Señora Tortilla (a deeply authentic meal, originating in the state of Tlaxcala. His version finds its depth from toasted dry peppers and fresh tomatoes.), Mexican Rebel Veggie Stew, and El Rico (a hearty soup).

Find the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2020issue1/2020_issue1_soup_stews.php

Subscribe to Vegetarian Journal in the USA only by visiting https://www.vrg.org/member/

photo from Freepik

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

If you travel by air, chances are that you’ll spend some time in an airport waiting for your flight. If you’re like me, you bring vegan food with you but sometimes, flight delays or being hungrier than you expected can prompt a search for a vegan meal. How easy is it to find that meal? It varies from airport to airport. We checked the websites of the ten busiest airports in the United States in December 2025 to see how helpful they’d be at identifying airport dining that included vegan meals.

According to the FAA, in 2024, the ten airports with the greatest number of commercial aircraft enplanements (passengers boarding a flight) served more than 350 million people. We went to each airport’s official site and spent a few minutes trying to find establishments offering vegan meals.

1. Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International Airport: The website has a link to a 2020 article on vegetarian/vegan options which has not been updated but could be a starting place. There is also a drop-down menu that lists 22 destinations with vegetarian/vegan options. Several of these are either juice bars or pizzerias (unlikely to offer vegan options). There is no indication of which destinations serve vegan, as opposed to vegan/vegetarian food. You’d need to visit each establishment to see what they offer.
2. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport: A search for “vegan” on the website resulted in four locations with vending machines. There is no indication on the website as to which dining establishments have vegan offerings.
3. Denver International Airport: A drop-down menu lists 14 destinations with “vegetarian” options, some of which are juice bars. Some listed destinations have links to their menu; none that we checked indicated which menu items were vegetarian or vegan. You’d need to visit or individually contact likely dining sites to see what they offer.
4. Chicago O’Hare International Airport: A drop-down menu allows you to choose dining sites with “vegetarian/vegan” options. Many options are grab and go markets or vending machines. Restaurants have links to menus (although some were broken). Menus do not appear to indicate which items are vegan/vegetarian. You’d need to visit or individually contact likely dining sites to see what they offer.
5. Los Angeles International Airport: No listing on website for establishments with vegetarian/vegan options. Some menus indicate vegan items, but you need to review each dining establishment individually.
6. John F. Kennedy International Airport (New York): An interactive map allows a search for “vegan” and resulted in a list of 22 establishments, 15 of which appeared to be bakeries, markets, vending machines, or coffee shops. There were no links to menus. You’d need to visit or individually contact likely dining sites to see what they offer.
7. Charlotte/Douglas International Airport: This website allows you to select a “vegan” filter which resulted in 17 places, 10 of which were coffee shops, markets, or bakeries. There were no links to menus. You’d need to visit or individually contact likely dining sites to see what they offer.

8. Harry Reid International Airport (Las Vegas): The website does not allow you to search for vegan (or vegetarian) restaurants. You can see a list of all dining establishments, at least some of which have links to menus. Helpful if you have a lot of time to individually check restaurant websites or if you’re familiar with chains that have vegan options.
9. Orlando International Airport: A search for “vegan” resulted in a single listing for a juice bar.
10. Miami International Airport: A search for “vegan” had one result which listed a couple of vegan options on their menu. There was also a tab for “vegetarian/vegan” which had 10 results, most of which looked like possible places to get a meal. Most had links to menus although only one indicated vegan options.

If you know you’re going to be looking for a meal in an airport, some advance planning may help unless you have a long lay-over and want to check out restaurants as you walk around the airport. Ahead of time, you can see which restaurants are in your terminal and contact possible venues and ask what they offer vegans. Otherwise, you may get lucky and find a place like Moe’s Southwest Grill in the Dallas Love Field Airport which allowed us to customize a Burrito Bowl which was prepared in front of us and where the workers were knowledgeable about which items were vegan.

Finally,  on a side note, BWI airport (Baltimore/DC) has one great restaurant with items clearly marked vegan: https://www.silverdiner.com/bwi

To read more about food for travel see:

Vegan Food for the Plane

Budget-Friendly Airport Tips for the Conscious Vegan Traveler

Waffled Tofu with Red Eye Gravy photo by Hannah Kaminsky

Tempeh hails from Indonesia where it is still eaten by people of all walks of life. Tempeh is made fresh daily by thousands of small family-run shops and sold within hours of completion. Soy tempeh is simply made from soybeans, water, and a culture.

In a previous issue of Vegan Journal, Seth Tibbott introduces several tempeh recipes including Finger Lickin’ Tempeh; Low-sodium Tempeh; Marian’s Tempeh Stroganoff; Tempeh Salad; and Tequila Tempeh.

Find the recipes here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2025issue1/2025_issue1_tempeh.php

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

Be sure to follow The Vegetarian Resource Group on Instagram: @vegetarianresourcegroup

Sweet Taters and Greens photo by Rissa Miller

James Craig Thieman shares the following skillet recipes in a previous issue of Vegan Journal:

Deconstructed Blackened “Fishy” Taco

Skillet Chili Mac

Italian-Style Eggplant on Zoodles

Kimchi Tofu Stir-Fry Veggies

Jackfruit BBQ and Slaw

Sweet Taters and Greens

Read the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2023issue1/2023_issue1_skillet_suppers.php

Subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA only by visiting https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

photo from Freepik

Starting in 2026, Americans who do not itemize on their tax returns, will be able to deduct charitable contributions, such as to The Vegetarian Resource Group, up to $1,000 for individuals and $2,000 for married couples.

photo from Freepik

• Add to salad dressings: Creations include a basil walnut vinaigrette or creamy salad dressing with almonds, mustard, and dill with added chopped pine nuts.
• Add to sandwiches: Chopped walnuts, almonds, peanuts, and pecans add a toasty flavor and extra texture to grilled vegetable sandwiches, falafel, and hummus. Or add chopped nuts to smooth peanut, almond, or soy butters to make a crunchy sandwich.
• Use as garnish: Increase protein, flavor, and texture by adding to bean and rice casseroles, baked potatoes, hot and cold cereal, baking batters, puddings, or vegan ice cream sundaes.
• Add to pasta: Top tomato-sauced pasta with chopped almonds or pine nuts, creamy-sauced pastas with walnuts or pecans, or toss pasta with olive oil, sautéed garlic, and chopped almonds.
• Add to sauces: Stir peanut butter or soy butter into mushroom sauces for a Thai effect; add ground almonds or pine nuts to creamy sauces and pecans or pistachios to fruit sauces.
• Add to breakfast: Baked apples, oatmeal, hot cereals, cold cereals, and muffins can all benefit from a variety of chopped nuts.