photo from Portobello Road

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:

Bitchin’ Donuts, 193 Lark St., Albany, NY 12210

Along with a variety of donuts, enjoy sandwiches, burritos, coffee, and more.

Frondescence, 103 N. 10th St., Boise, ID 83702

Enjoy a variety of sandwiches including “chicken” avocado ranch and BBQ “pork.” Also enjoy build your own burritos, tacos, soups, and sides. They also have a kid’s menu.

Grass VBQ Joint, 777 Oak St. SW, Atlanta, GA 30310

Grass VBQ Joint proves beyond a doubt that you do not need meat to have a delicious, authentic Southern barbeque. All their recipes are made from scratch. Their smoker utilizes a signature blend of hickory, maple, and cherry wood. The result? Mouthwatering meals to entice vegans and carnivores alike, including the Nashville Hot Chic’n sandwich, with a sweet-spicy-smokey sauce, ranch, lettuce, tomato, and pickle, or the Titustown—a smoked Veef Brisket served with cole slaw, VBQ sauce, and pickle. No Southern BBQ is complete without the sides, and there are plenty of options, including Southern potato salad, Southern-style collard greens, mac & cheeze, & sweet potato fries.

Niku Nashi, 7302 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90036

This is a 21+ restaurant/bar. Enjoy dining on vegan sushi including specials, Izakaya, hand rolls, cut rolls, Nigiri, and Sushi Boat. Try the udon noodles stir-fried with carrots, mushrooms, and bell pepper topped with green onion and sesame seeds. They also offer dessert.

Portobello Road, 21 Bond St E., Oshawa, ON, Canada L1G 1A8

Enjoy a variety of sourdough pizzas including Margherita and Spicy Mushroom, as well as handmade pasta dishes such as Bucatini and Agnolotti. They also have appetizers and dessert.

Real Roots Café, 607 North Market St., Ste. 103, Chattanooga, TN 37405

Enjoy a variety of fresh juices, smoothies, smoothie bowls, toasts, and hot meals including burritos, tacos, chili, jackfruit sandwich, paninis, salads, and more. Outdoor seating available.

Workshop Food and Drink, 1407 SE Belmont St., Portland, OR 97214

Workshop Food and Drink serves vegan Cuban and Spanish snacks and shared plates meant to be enjoyed with wine, cocktails, and zero proof cocktails. Plates to share include oyster mushroom escabeche in a spicy sauce, embutidos vegetales koji vegetable charcuterie with celery pickles, and black lentil-millet tempeh and pumpkin seed curd and charred calçots. Guave tarts and pineapple sundaes are available as sweet plates. Cocktails and house-made fermented beverages like kombucha and kefir are featured prominently on the menu.

Trail Mix Cookies

Shannon Cebron offers a number of vegan recipes you can prepare and take with you on your next camping and/or hiking trip. Her article “Take it Outside” offers recipes for Curried Tofu Salad Sandwiches, Roasted Garlic Everything Bagel Dip, Watermelon Herb Salad, Trail Mix Cookies, Whole Wheat Banana Bread Muffins, and Kale & Chickpea Scramble Burritos. Read the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2020issue2/2020_issue2_take_outside.php

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

Zucchini Pâté photo by Hannah Kaminsky

Hannah Kaminsky is the author of several vegan cookbooks and wrote an article titled “From A to Zucchini” in an issue of Vegan Journal (formerly Vegetarian Journal). Zucchini is a relatively inexpensive vegetable and easy to find in stores. Enjoy recipes for Greek Zucchini Carpaccio; Falafel-Stuffed Zucchini, BBQ Zucchini Chips; Zucchini Pâté; and Zucchini Bread Thumbprints.

Read the entire article with recipes here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2020issue2/2020_issue2_a_zucchini.php

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

Nanette Blanchard previously wrote an article titled “A Cinco de Mayo Fiesta” for Vegan Journal. Since today is Cinco de Mayo, we thought you might enjoy preparing some vegan dishes in honor of this day. Enjoy Jicama and Orange Salad; Sopa de Pasta (a stew); Calabacitas (a squash dish), Green Chilies Stuffed with Frijoles (Beans); Red Chili Sauce; and Easy Capirotada (a bread pudding). See: https:/www.vrg.org/journal/vj2007issue2/2007_issue2_cinco_mayo.php /

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

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Beans, actually legumes (see Vegan Journal for an explanation of terms), are associated with many health benefits including a lower risk of heart disease (1) and type 2 diabetes (2). A new study suggests that higher consumption of legumes is associated with a lower risk of mortality from all causes and a lower risk of dying from stroke (3).

This study combined results from 31 other published studies using a technique called meta-analysis. Higher intakes of legumes, compared with lower intakes, were not associated with a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease or from cancer but were associated with a lower risk of dying from all causes. A 50 gram increase in legume consumption was associated with a 6% lower risk of all-cause mortality. Fifty grams of legumes is about 1-3/4 ounces or about ¼ cup of cooked legumes.

References

1. Bazzano LA, He J, Ogden LG, et al. Legume consumption and risk of coronary heart disease in US men and women: NHANES I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study. Arch Intern Med. 2001;161:2573-2578.
2. Becerra-Tomás N, Díaz-López A, Rosique-Esteban N, et al. Legume consumption is inversely associated with type 2 diabetes incidence in adults: A prospective assessment from the PREDIMED study. Clin Nutr. 2018;37:906-913.
3. Zargarzadeh N, Mousavi SM, Santos HO, et al. Legume consumption and risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies. Adv Nutr. 2023;14(1):64-76.

For some ideas about adding more beans/legumes to your diet see:

Quick Ideas for Using Canned or Leftover Cooked Beans

Quick and Easy Beans

Usin’ the Old Bean

Grilled Pepper and Quinoa-Millet Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Debra Daniels-Zeller article titled Healthy Vegan Dishes on a Budget! provides tips on how to save money when preparing vegan meals and also shares recipes for:
Spicy Black Beans
Grilled Pepper and Quinoa-Millet Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
Zucchini-Corn Chowder with Tomatoes
Kidney Bean-Sweet Potato Stew
Lemon Cornbread
Lemon-Carrot Coleslaw
Tofu-Broccoli Noodle Bowl

You can read the entire article here:
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2017issue3/2017_issue3_dishes_budget.php

Subscribe to Vegan Journal by visiting: http://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Do you have any idea how many servings of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, protein, and more that you should aim to eat each day on a vegan diet? If not, you may want to check out this handy guide: https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/foodguide.php

In an article by Laura McGuiness titled, “Get Cultured with Homemade Fermented Foods.” You’ll find recipes for:
Classic Caraway Sauerkraut
Kimchi
Fermented Veggies
Simple Sourdough Loaf
Strawberry Cream Cheese
Pomegranate Kombucha

Read the article here:
https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2018issue4/2018_issue4_fermented_foods.php

Please subscribe to Vegan Journal at:
https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Vegan pizza and calzones are the perfect comfort food. Debra Daniels-Zeller’s article “Dairy-Free Pizza & Calzones” serves up these delicious recipes that you can prepare in your own home:

Basic Pizza, Calzone, or Focaccia Dough

Quick Fruit Pizza

Mushroom and Artichoke Calzone

Pesto Potato Calzone

Vegan Pesto

Amaranth-Kamut Individual Pizzas

Black Bean Fiesta Pizza

Roasted Vegetable And Sun-Dried Tomato Pizza

Debra also shows you how to rescue over risen dough and describes pizza essentials. See: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2002issue4/2002_issue4_pizza.php

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

The next time you stop at a Barnes and Noble bookstore, you might want to stop by their café and order their new Vegan Just Egg Breakfast Sandwich. Enjoy JUST Egg Folded, plant-based aioli, and Violife’s vegan provolone on ciabatta bread.