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 (Note: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic many are doing take-out and/or delivery now):

Blissful Burgers, 5714 Evers Rd., San Antonio, TX 78238

Enjoy various burgers and fries.

Cajou Creamery, 411 N. Howard St., Baltimore, MD 21201

Cajou Creamery is committed to making ice cream better, using real vegan ingredients that are responsibly sourced. Their frozen treats are nut-based and come in creative flavors such as Mexican CaCao, Horchata, Baklava, Blueberry Cheesecake, and more.

Grown Together, 209 E. Mills Ave., El Paso, TX 79901

If you want “incredible vegan food” and “exceptional customer service” included in a restaurant experience, check out Grown Together. Originally a meal prep service, they now have a dine-in option as well, where one can order from a changing menu. Sample dishes have included Sweet and Sour Tofu and Veggies, UnSteak Fajita Skillet, and Lemon-Garlic Veggie Linguine.

Honey’s Ice Cream, 1448 Dundas St. W., Toronto, ON M6J 1Y6 Canada

Ice cream flavors available include Peanut Butter Cup, Cookies & Cream, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and many more. They also offer ice cream sandwiches, pies, and bars.

JackBeQue, Hilton Denver Inverness, 200 Inverness Dr. W., Englewood, CO 80112

Enjoy a variety of barbecue sandwiches such as smoky jackfruit or buffalo cauliflower, crispy comfort foods such as potato scallion fritters or green chili mac bites, various veggies and sides, as well as desserts. Weekend brunch items include Belgian style waffles and a brunch burrito.

Peach & Pine, Long Island, NY

This vegan food truck moves around Long Island. Check their Instagram page for location and hours. Enjoy bake goods and vegan comfort food such as New Bacon-ings, which consists of a hot honee buttermilk biscuit, buttermilk fried chik’n, cheddar, bootleg bacon, arugula, and maple paprika aioli. They have offered also Buffalo Cauliflower, Fried Pickles, and more.

Reed & Co., 4113 Butler St., Pittsburgh, PA 15201

Reed & Co. is a restaurant and juice bar. They serve an assortment of hot foods, such as burgers and wraps, as well as cold grab-and-go meals such as salads and noodle bowls. But their main focus is their cold-pressed, raw juices and vegan ‘mylks’. Their juices are made fresh and with whole ingredients. The juices can be ordered individually, as well as in the form of a package deal.

Sprout Vegan Café, 10 Wailea Gateway Pl., B102, Kihei, HI 96753

Enjoy a wide variety of sandwiches, wraps, and bowls. They also offer three types of fries: regular, loaded, and kimchi. Also enjoy smoothies and desserts.

Ziggy’s, 594 California Blvd., San Luis Obispo, CA 93405

Enjoy burgers, tacos, salads, sides, and desserts. They also offer vegan milk shakes!

Each issue of Vegetarian Journal features a column titled Scientific Update, by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD. The latest column covers the topics of Plant-Based Protein as Effective as Animal-Based Protein for Strength Training and New Report Connects Food Choices and Climate Change.

Read the entire column here: Scientific Update

To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal in the USA, see: vrg.org/member

The latest issue of Vegetarian Journal offers a review of ZUBI’S, a sauce line that includes Crema, Queso, and Salsa. Read the review here: Veggie Bits

To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal in the USA, see: vrg.org/member

Have you ever wondered if plants contain cholesterol? Reed Mangels, PhD, RD answers this question in the latest issue of Vegetarian Journal. See: Cholesterol in Plants?

To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal in the USA, see: vrg.org/member

Sophisticated and refreshing, Chef Morgan’s Greek Bowls are sure to please a crowd any time of year. Try her recipe for Greek Marinated Tofu on top of couscous and veggies, all smothered in lemon tahini dressing for lunch, dinner, snacks, or even a meal on the go. See this Vegetarian Resource Group video at: https://youtu.be/Q53AiF75M5k

More videos at:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvSyCToa_i9fA4D5CLCAFWw
https://www.vrg.org/veg_videos.php

Each issue of Vegetarian Journal features book reviews. Our latest issue features The Vegucated Family Table and Vegan Revolution.

Read the entire column here: Book Reviews

To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal in the USA, see: vrg.org/member

Each issue of Vegetarian Journal features a column titled Scientific Update, by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD. The latest column covers the topics of Vegetarian Diet Associated with a Lower Risk of Cataract; Vegan Diet Offers Health Benefits Regardless of Blood Type; and Soy Isoflavones Associated with Moderately Reduced Risk of Heart Disease.

Read the entire column here: Scientific Update

To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal in the USA, see: vrg.org/member

Tocaya, with over 20 restaurants in California and Arizona, states that they have vegan and vegetarian options. Some of their selections are Take and Bake Nachos (seasonal), Shredded Kale and Quinoa Salad, Street Corn en Fuego Bowl, Spicy Chick’N Soup, and Mushroom & Jalapeno Quesadillas. You can select Vegan Chick’n, Adobo Tofu and Vegan Mozzarella.

For more information go to https://tocaya.com/menu/ and select vegan.

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

For information about veg restaurants in the U.S. and Canada, see https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

There are times during these last days of summer when I crave a frozen dessert. There are no pints of vegan ice cream in the freezer nor do I want to walk or drive to the store. I happily turn to one of my seasonal favorites – banana soft-serve.

     Some preparation is needed for this dessert to happen. It’s based on frozen bananas so when I have overripe bananas on the counter, I peel them, cut them into slices and put them in a container in the freezer.

     When I’m ready for dessert, I take out the equivalent of one frozen banana and put it, unthawed, in the food processor. I add a spoonful of cashew butter or any other nut or seed butter and sometimes a drizzle of maple syrup. I close the food processor and process until the mixture is creamy – it comes together around the blades. Other frozen fruits can be added before processing or you can slice fresh fruit and use it to top the soft-serve. Vegan chocolate chips and nuts are other possible mix-ins or toppings.

     That’s it – in about 3 minutes I have a cold, creamy dessert. It doesn’t keep well so it should be eaten right away. You can double or triple this recipe for more servings.

     The lovely cup holding the soft-serve in the photo is from vegan potter, Molly Cantor. See more of her work here: http://www.mollycantor.com/ and here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MollyCantorPottery

By Lucia Rivera, VRG Intern

Plantega — the New York City program spreading plant-based options throughout local bodegas — cites community interaction and connection as central to its mission and work. Playing a significant role in these interactions are the Plantega Community Advisors (CA): local community members “responsible for community engagement, field marketing, in-store inventory management and quality control,” according to the Plantega website.

Community Ambassador Jailene Encarnacion is one of three CA’s currently working for Plantega, which has ten current locations.

“As a Community Ambassador, it is my job to directly speak and interact with the community, bodega workers and their customers. And as I am now coming up on my 9th month working at Plantega, I can honestly say that no other work I could be doing right now, is as community involved as this one,” Encarnacion said.

Additionally, Encarnacion explained how, after initially being introduced to Plantega, she “ultimately decided to apply for the job, because I like what Plantega stands for. I wanted to make it easier to bring affordable vegan/plant-based food into NYC as a whole, and I knew that this was going to be the best way to do that.”

On a similar note, Community Ambassador Ava Nadel is a four-year vegan familiar with bodegas and her home area, whose passions also align with Plantega.

“As a Brooklyn native and vegan, I am able to represent two unique communities. I’m so happy to represent a NYC staple of my childhood/adolescence. However, I’ve only been vegan for four years — I was always jealous of my non-vegan friends being able to pop into their local bodega and freely order [from] any menu. Plantega has completely changed that,” Nadel stated.

Part of Plantega’s goal is to be both community powering and to empower the community, according to Plantega head Nil Zacharias. For Encarnacion, this goal is reached in part through the way that the Plantega team reflects the NYC communities. Community Ambassadors can also help bridge language divides between the Plantega team and local bodegas, as different NYC neighborhoods very in culture and demographics.

“Although none of what we do is about racial justice, it is important to highlight that the whole team is made up of people of color, just like how NYC is. We represent what NYC looks like. We work with the people that feed NYC, from the most broke resident, to the richest citizen in these five boroughs,” Encarnacion stated.

Furthermore, Nadel explained how “Plantega is 100% a community initiative.” As their website ensures, “Plantega was created by New Yorkers for New Yorkers.” Nadel uses her own experiences to connect with both bodega employees and the bodega customers — who then become Plantega customers.

“Not only has the consumption and demand for plant-based foods increased exponentially, so has the demand for accessibility. Thus, Plantega empowers bodegas to offer exactly that!” Nadel shared. “In order to connect with store owners/workers, you have to remember you weren’t always vegan yourself and that a large portion of the customers base won’t always be people who are 100% vegan; some people like to dabble, some are curious, and some may not have had the same access to resources and education on plant-based foods and veganism you or I may have.”

Regardless of personal experience, Encarnacion enthusiastically recommends for “anyone and everyone” from NYC to apply to be Plantega community ambassadors. Nadel further suggested that “anyone who is sociable and goal minded, who enjoys hopping around the 5 boroughs, […] apply to be a CA. I have increased my knowledge around the plant-based revolution and have built so many connections both within the vegan community and within bodegas!”

In the end, since its conception during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Plantega team has built its program with help of Community Ambassadors and the NYC communities themselves. You can read more about Plantega here: vrg.org/blog/2021/08/19/plantegas-collaboration-with-bodegas-and-activists-promoting-vegan-items-in-latino-grocery-stores/, or learn more about them at their website: https://eatplantega.com.

For resources in Spanish, see vrg.org/nutshell/information_in_Spanish.htm

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