In honor of The Vegetarian Resource Group’s 40th anniversary later this year, three members have pledged a $8,500 match. So your donation to support vegan education will be doubled. You can donate at www.vrg.org/donate and write MATCH in the comments area. Thank you!

For short cooking video, see https://youtu.be/84T8Nph3NGU

Enjoy this Chili Fries recipe and other low-cost vegan dishes from Skyler Kilmer. See: https://www.vrg.org/blog/2020/10/15/vegan-at-the-dollar-tree-store/

Recent topics brought up include:

– Member posted: “I’m looking for quick vegan lunch ideas for toddlers attending a nut free school. We have twin, 3.5 y/o daughters who are not picky eaters but we pretty much rotate the same 3-4 lunches each week.” Suggestions were given.

– Posted info on The Vegetarian Resource Group’s Essay Contest for Kids

– Information on vegan summer camps was shared.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/VRGparentsandkids is intended to be a group that offers support for families raising children on vegan diets and for vegan kids around the world. We envision it as a place to get advice about a wide-variety of topics: pregnancy, birthday parties, school lunches, Halloween, non-leather apparel, cruelty-free products, summer camps, and more. Please use it as a place to share your wisdom, seek advice, or just find a sympathetic ear. The goal is to offer support.

Consequently, any profane, defamatory, offensive, or violent language will be removed. Feel free to disagree, but do so respectfully. Hateful or discriminatory comments regarding race, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or political beliefs will not be tolerated. We expect that posts should relate to vegan diets and lifestyles. The Vegetarian Resource Group reserves the right to monitor all content and ban any user who posts in violation of the above rules, any law or regulation, SPAM, or anything otherwise off topic.

Please share this information with any veggie families that you know! Thanks.

Chen Zeng wrote this based on his experience as a student researcher while pursuing his Master of Food Science at Cornell University.

Vegan cheese alternatives is one of the categories that is growing rapidly in recent years and different styles of vegan cheese alternatives (mozzarella, cheddar, pepper jack, etc.) have started to pop up. In general, there are two categories of vegan cheese alternatives available produced with different processing techniques. Starch-based cheese products usually come in shredded or sliced form and they are produced by simply mixing all the ingredients together. Nut-based cheese products are usually sold as a spread or block and they are produced in a way similar to dairy cheese, which involves fermentation and aging. Even though these two types of cheese alternatives fill out part of the market demand, many in the past both lacked certain properties that consumers are looking for. For the starch-based cheese, they usually have very little amount of protein as starch is used to mimic the melting and stretching properties of dairy cheese. For the nut-based cheese, they have a certain amount of protein and nutritional value but the texture is very different from dairy cheese and they are not suitable for people with nut allergies. Consumers are looking for a product that is high in protein but also has dairy cheese-like texture.

My project on fava bean based vegan cheese is targeted at filling out this market blank by creating a vegan cheese product that has some amount of protein while maintaining a desirable stretching and melting properties. Unfortunately, the limiting factor of the texture of vegan cheese is plant protein itself. Casein, a type of dairy protein, has the unique properties of melting and forming stretchable strings upon heating. It is difficult to find a substitute for dairy protein in the plant protein world simply because the protein structure and the way protein molecules interact with each other are different between casein protein and plant protein. A 1:1 substitution of plant protein to casein protein in vegan cheese will end up with a product that is tough and doughy in texture. To solve this problem, some forms of processing is needed to improve the functionality of plant protein so that a higher amount of protein can be incorporated into the cheese without compromising texture. There are mainly three types of processing that include physical, chemical, and enzymatic processing. Extrusion processing, a form of physical processing, was chosen for this study. Extrusion is commonly used to produce vegan meat analogs, pasta, cereal, etc. Ingredients will go through mixing, heating, and shearing stages and finally through a die to form the ideal shapes. Many research studies suggested that extrusion processing is also capable of alternating plant protein orientation and possibly improving the functionality of protein besides the common uses. Therefore, we tested out this hypothesis with fava bean protein and used the products that came out of this process to make our final vegan cheese product. Compared to a prototype using unprocessed fava bean protein, extruded fava bean protein prototype has shown a 40% improvement on stretching quality and 10% improvement on melting quality. This extruded fava based vegan prototype is also able to achieve a comparable texture profile (stretchability and meltability) as commercial vegan cheese but with a higher amount of protein at 10%.

These promising results are suggesting that plant protein could be an option for protein-rich vegan cheese products after proper treatment and dairy protein is not a necessary element to produce protein-rich cheese with good texture. Despite the promising results from stretch test and melt test, this study did not address much on the evaluation of the sensory aspects of the extruded fava cheese prototypes. In the future, this project will shift toward investigating the sensory aspect and further improving the stretching and melting properties of protein-rich vegan cheese to the next level.

The contents of this posting, our website, and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal and 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.

Below is a list of some of the vegan chicken-style products available today.

Alpha Foods offers Original Chik’n Nuggets Sizzlin’ Spicy Chik’n. Chick’n Strips, Crispy Chick’n Patties, and Sizzlin’ Spicy Chik’n Patties. For more details, see: https://www.eatalphafoods.com/products#NUGGETS

BeLeaf produces Drumsticks, Half Chicken, Patties, Nuggets, and Crispy Nuggets. See: https://www.beleafvegan.com/MeatlessProducts.php

Better Chew offers Fried Chicken Nuggets. See: https://eatbetterchew.com/

Beyond Chicken offers Beyond Chicken Tenders. For details, see: https://www.beyondmeat.com/en-US/products/beyond-chicken-tenders

Daring Foods produces Plant-Based Chicken Pieces in several varieties including Original, Breaded, Cajun, and Lemon & Herb. For information, see: https://www.daring.com/

Field Roast sells Classic Nuggets and Buffalo Wings. See: https://fieldroast.com/products/

Gardein offers Ultimate Plant-Based Chick’n Tenders, Chick’n Fillets, and Chick’n Nuggets. They also offer Crispy Chik’n Sliders, Chick’n Patties, Golden Chick’n Nuggets, Nashville Hot Chick’n Tenders, Spicy Gochujang Style Chick’n Wings, and Chipotle Georgia Style Chick’n Wings, Chick’n Strips, Teriyaki Chick’n Strips, Seven Grain Crispy Tenders, Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick’n, Sweet and Tangy Barbecue Wings, Chipotle Lime Flavored Chick’n Tenders, and Lightly Seasoned Chick’n Scallopini. For details on all these products, see: https://www.gardein.com/chickn-and-turky

Hungry Planet produces Chicken Pattie sand Chicken Chipotle Patties. Visit https://www.hungryplanetfoods.com/ for information.

Impossible Foods sells Chicken Nuggets and Wild Nuggies. See: https://impossiblefoods.com/products/chicken

Jack & Annie’s offers Nuggets made from Jackfruit. See: https://www.jackandannies.com/our-products/nuggets/

Lightlife produces The breaded Plant-Based Chicken Tenders and Plant-Based Fillets. See: https://lightlife.com/our-food/?active_filter=chicken

Lily’s Vegan Pantry offers Ginger Chicken, Chicken Bites, Gong Bao Chicken, Teriyaki Chicken, Lemon Chicken, Smoked Drumsticks, Chicken Nuggets, Whole or Half Chicken, and Chicken Legs. See: https://www.lilysveganpantry.com/Vegan_Chicken_s/1516.htm

Morning Star Farms offers MorningStar Farms® Veggie BBQ Chik’n Nuggets; MorningStar Farms® Veggie Chik’n Nuggets; MorningStar Farms® Veggie Buffalo Chik Patties®; MorningStar Farms® Veggie Original Chik Patties®; MorningStar Farms® Veggie Zesty Ranch Chik’n Nuggets; and MorningStar Farms® Veggie Sweet Mustard Chik’n Nuggets. For details on these products, see: https://www.morningstarfarms.com/en_US/products/chikn.html

Sweet Earth sells Frozen Vegan Mindful Chi’n. See: https://www.goodnes.com/sweet-earth/products/mindful-chikn/?tag=10951&category=8381

Tofurky sells Chick’n in several flavors including Lightly Seasoned, Thai Basil, Sesame Garlic, and Barbecue. For more information, see: https://tofurky.com/what-we-make/chickn/

VFC Foods offers Chick’n Fillets, Popcorn Chick’n, and Chick’n Bites. See: https://vfcfoods.com/en-us/

The Vegetarian Resource Group is celebrating its 40^th Anniversary this coming fall and this year we have changed the name of our quarterly magazine to Vegan Journal. You’ll find the same type of articles and recipe pieces in an updated format. Enjoy in-depth original research, product and book reviews, scientific updates on veggie nutrition, delicious vegan recipes with gorgeous photos, plus so much more. Both long-term vegans and those new to a vegan life-style will enjoy this magazine.

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

Each year The Vegetarian Resource Group holds an essay contest for children. SUBJECT: 2-3 page essay on any aspect of veganism/vegetarianism. Vegetarianism is not eating meat, fish, and birds (for example, chicken or duck). Vegans do not use any animal products. Among the many reasons for being a vegan/vegetarian are beliefs about ethics, culture, health, aesthetics, religion, world peace, economics, world hunger, and the environment.

Entrants should base their paper on interviewing, research, and/or personal opinion. You need not be a vegetarian to enter. All essays become the property of The Vegetarian Resource Group. DEADLINE: Must be postmarked by May 1, 2022 for current year of judging.

Previous winning essays and complete details can be seen here: http://www.vrg.org/essay/

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Warm weather picnics and parties are great for seeing friends and family. Following a few rules can help to make sure that you and your guests stay healthy. According to FDA’s website:

• Any perishable foods including salads, dips, main dishes, desserts that need to be stored in the refrigerator, and vegan cheese platters should be discarded after being left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
• If it’s a hot day with temperatures above 90 °F, perishable foods should be discarded after being left out at room temperature for more than an hour.
• If you send food home with your guests, make sure that they can refrigerate their leftovers within the 2 hour (or 1 hour for hot days) limit.
• If cold food is going to stay out longer than 2 hours (or 1 hour on a hot day), keep food on ice so that it stays chilled.
• Foods that are served hot should be kept at an internal temperature of 140 °F or warmer in a slow cooker or chafing dish or on a warming tray. Use a food thermometer to check the temperature of the food.

The FDA’s website offers many more ideas for food safety although not all are specifically for vegans.

To read more about vegan food safety see:

A Quick Food Safety Review

Nutrition Hotline (see page 2)

Sakoon Indian Fusion offers a wide array of vegan dishes that are clearly marked on their menu. Portions are generous and beautifully presented. Sample dishes include Lentil Soup, Bhindi Masala (an okra dish), Saag Aloo Channa (chickpeas, spinach, potatoes, and ginger), Dhansaag (lentils with spinach), Channa Masala (chickpeas with onions, tomato, and spices), plus more. They are located near Johns Hopkins University Homewood Campus in Charles Village.

Restaurant info can be found here: https://www.sakoonindianfusion.com/

Also see The Vegetarian Resource Group’s online guide to veggie restaurants in the USA and Canada here: https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

We recently spotted Beyond Meat Jerky in a Wawa convenience store in New Jersey. This new jerky comes in three flavors: Original, Hot & Spicy, and Teriyaki. Enjoy this snack while on the road, hiking, at school, or in your office.

For more information on the Jerky, see: https://www.beyondmeat.com/en-US/press/beyond-meat-and-pepsico-s-planet-partnership-debuts-beyond-meat-jerky-the-joint-venture-s-first-product-at-retailers-nationwide