You’re in the same dark and crowded
room you’ve been in since you were born, 6 years ago. You’re being pushed into
a truck. You see sunlight for the first time, through the windows of the truck.
Are you being freed? You find out the ugly truth when you are forced out of the
truck and into… the slaughterhouse. You are beaten into a small cage. Watching
your friends be beaten, thrown, or stabbed to death. You choke on toxic air as
you kick and scream until death. Sadly, this is what happens every time you
have bacon, ham, pork, or ribs. Each time you are causing the suffering of an
innocent animal. And that’s only what happens to pigs. Going vegan is easy and
worth it for the suffering you don’t cause.
I learned the truth three years ago when I went vegan. I was a big meat
eater but also considered myself an animal lover. My older sister and mom went
vegan and tried to force me to watch documentaries of the slaughtering of
animals. I refused. One night, after a dinner through them talking about
suffering, I had a dream. I had to face each animal I had eaten. I heard the
screams of “why?” “Why would you put us through that?” They wanted to kill me.
They wanted to show me how much suffering I had really caused.
That morning I went from your regular chicken nugget lover, to a full
vegan. The transition can be weird but pretty soon I no longer looked at the
animal products as food I was missing out on but instead an animal who has to
suffer for that bite. I was picky too. I didn’t even like French fries! And for
pizza I had to get it with no sauce. But when I went vegan I ended up not
limiting the foods I liked to eat but I expanded. I tried new things and really
liked them.
If ten-year-old me can go vegan so can you! Some may say that a vegan
diet is expensive but it doesn’t have to be. A can of chickpeas can cost a
dollar while a dead chicken can cost 4-20 dollars! Even restaurants are moving
towards cheaper vegan meals. At Chipotle the sofritas cost the same as chicken
and are cheaper than steak. Also tofu and beans can last longer than meat so
you can worry less about it going bad. So why are you still eating expensive
animal corpses when you can be eating cheaper, healthier food that comes from
plants? Now is the best time too! With the pandemic you don’t have to worry as
much about people judging you and there’s a vegan version of everything so you
don’t even have to give up some of your favorite foods.
Being vegan has tons of benefits other than cost. Animal agriculture
produces more greenhouse gasses than all travel put together. The decision to
go vegan could be the decision of the next generation having a future or not.
And as for the animals their decision is already made. They don’t get a say if
they want to be food or not. If COVID has taught us anything it’s how it feels
to be locked up or have loved ones taking away. The animals live this way their
whole lives only to be brutally killed. Cows have best friends too that are
stressed when apart. Pigs are just as smart as dogs and would respond to their
name being called. Cows are forced into pregnancy and then have their child
ripped away from them right after birth. Only so we can drink the milk that was
meant for the baby. Male chicks are grinded alive because they are useless to
the industry. The animals suffer and the planet is dying all so you can have
that one bite.
So why are you paying money to kill our planet and make animals suffer?
Does it really taste that different from the alternatives? Is all the cruelty
that you cause that worth it? That’s your decision. You can keep eating that
overpriced animal corpse cause it’s only going to cost us the future of the
planet, a life of suffering and a brutal murder. Or you could just go vegan.
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):
Berbere,
510 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90401
With the goal of offering the best combination possible of
both flavor and nutrition, Berbere’s menu is Ethiopian with a twist—or, as its
website admits: “not your typical menu.” Its menu is quite expansive, with some
gluten-free options, and offering Breakfast, Lunch (Salads, Small Plates, and
House Specialties), and Desert plus a Kids’ Menu and drinks that include juices
and smoothies. You can see where the twist comes in with items like the T&T
Breakfast Burrito, made with scrambled tofu, bulgur, and potato, wrapped in a
whole wheat tortilla and served with tangfaye sauce, or the Et Twist Tacos that
include lentils, mushrooms, and cilantro.
Dear
Bella Creamery, 1253 Vine St. # 12, Los Angeles, CA 90038
Flavors change seasonally at this vegan ice cream parlor.
They offer scoops, pints, Build-Your-Own Sammie, sundaes, floats, shakes, and
soft-serve, ice cream cakes.
Fancy
Plants Restaurant, 1443 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago, IL 60614
Fancy Plants Restaurant is a vegan farm-to-table
restaurant that offers a variety of breakfast and lunch items throughout the
day. House-made baked goods include cinnamon rolls, muffins, and croissants
(plain, almond, and chocolate). The daily lunch specials include classics such
as BLT sandwiches with tempeh bacon as well as seasonal items such as grilled
mushroom focaccia sandwiches and breaded eggplant sandwiches with house-made
giardiniera. Their expanded weekend brunch menu includes tofu scrambles, cashew
ricotta toast, and cauliflower wings, and waffles. The menu changes frequently,
so check for updated offerings.
Float
Dreamery, 1255 E. Palmer St., Philadelphia, PA 19125
Float Dreamery sells their vegan gelato out of a local
Italian market window every Saturday. The gelato combines a coconut and oat
milk base with several add-ins including cookies, cakes, and marshmallow fluff.
Their menu changes regularly and always includes unique flavors such as
birthday cake with marshmallow fluff, chocoLOT with chocolate chips and sauce,
and Canadian coffee with a maple espresso base. They sell by the pint and also make
ice cream sandwiches and soft serve. Flavors are announced on Fridays.
Preorders are recommended for pints.
Gãia
& Loki, 346 Grove St., Jersey City, NJ 07302
This all-vegan restaurant in downtown Jersey City (2
minutes from the Grove St. PATH station and not far from the Holland Tunnel to
Manhattan) serves up fresh, healthy food amidst a cool ambiance, with sleek
navy, white and silver décor. Serves a
choice of salads, sandwiches/burgers, and more unusual choices such as Filipino
style lumpia/spring roll, with several choices of each, with options including
vegan feta, fake meat, and mushrooms. Although they do not serve alcohol, they
allow patrons to bring their own.
Grilled!, 264 Sudyam, Brooklyn, NY 11237
Locate in the Bushwick section of
Brooklyn, Grilled! serves burgers, dogs, sandwiches, subs, and sides. They have
a kid’s menu and offer shakes and desserts as well.
The
Happy Pig, 1503 Bellmore Ave., Bellmore, NY 11710
Food options from this food truck include a soy/seitan
based fried chick’n sandwich, tacos, chick’n in a bucket, empanadas, potato
tots, and quesadillas.
Herban
Vegans, 1809 Elm St., Cincinnati, OH 45202
Herban Vegans started in 2017 as a meal prep and pop-up
service, operating in local Cincinnati breweries and cafes. With its initial
success, in 2021 it was able to expand into its own location, across the street
from the historic Findlay Market. Wanting to prove that homestyle cooking can
be vegan and healthy and still delicious, Herban Vegans prides itself on its
herbed and spiced creations with a focus on vegan seafood, which every vegan,
whether new or experienced, can attest is quite the challenge. Herban Vegan has
pulled it off, however, based on the rave reviews for its dishes including the
Krab Cakes, the Baja Tacos, and the Po Boy Sandwich. The meal plan service,
which includes a subscription option, further increases its appeal to vegans
and non-vegans alike.
Versatile cauliflower
can take center stage for dinner! Try these seasoned “steaks” for a dramatic
supper.
(Serves
4-5)
2 Tablespoons vegan margarine, melted
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Salt, to taste
1 head cauliflower
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment
paper.
In a small bowl, combine melted
vegan margarine, olive oil, and all spices. Stir until well mixed, the texture
will be like a paste.
Remove exterior leaves from
cauliflower. Slice through the entire cauliflower vertically, making it into 6
steaks, each about 1 inch thick. Smear cauliflower slices with spice paste,
coating both sides of each slice evenly. Place on prepared sheet pan.
Bake 12-15 minutes per side,
flipping once during baking. Finished cauliflower should be tender and lightly
browned. Serve warm with your preferred vegan side dishes or sauce.
Fall is here and root veggies are in season in the USA. Debra Daniels-Zeller offers a variety of recipes featuring root vegetables in her previous Vegetarian Journal article titled Vegan Roots. Enjoy these recipes: Rosemary Roasted Roots; Orange-Marinated Beets; Carrot-Rutabaga Coleslaw; Tomatoes and Lentils with Carrots, Turnips, and Kale; Mashed Celeriac-Potatoes with Roasted Garlic; Jerusalem Artichokes with Caramelized Onions; Curried Parsnip Soup; and Sweet Potato Dip. Find the article here: Vegan Roots
A Vegetarian Resource Group member contacted us asking for ideas for snacks that their vegan child can bring to school for snack time. Snacks cannot be chips/popcorn, cannot have peanuts or tree nuts, and must be low-sugar.
We’re happy to help with some ideas.
If you have other suggestions, please add them in the comments section. All
snacks listed appear to be nut-free, peanut-free, vegan, and have 5 grams of
added sugar or less per serving. Be sure to check product labels since
ingredients can change over time.
My preference is for snacks with
minimal packaging or packaging that can be reused. I’ve included some packaged
snacks that some may want to use for convenience or to support the child who
wants snacks that look like what other kids are bringing.
When brand names are listed below,
they’ve been included to provide some examples of products. This is not an
all-inclusive list of products.
Fruit can be a
refreshing snack. Make sure it’s easy to eat – cut seedless grapes into small
bunches, slice oranges, make a fruit cup with melon chunks or berries. Choose
seasonal fruits – apple slices sprinkled with lemon juice to keep them from
browning in fall, clementine sections in winter, strawberries in late spring.
Even canned or jarred unsweetened fruit can work – try juice-packed pineapple
chunks or unsweetened applesauce with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
One of my kids’
favorite snacks were home-grown grape tomatoes which are even smaller than
cherry tomatoes. Grape or cherry tomatoes can be sent with a dip like hummus
for a savory snack. Other vegetables also make good hummus dippers – carrot and
celery sticks, jicama sticks, cucumber slices, red pepper strips. Since hummus
comes in many flavors, this snack can be different each week.
Mini bagels
thinly spread with vegan cream cheese. Check the vegan cream cheese ingredient
list since many have nuts as a base. Tofutti
and Violife
both make nut-free products that have 0 grams of added sugar.
Roast chickpeas
or other cooked or canned dried beans by mixing rinsed and well-drained beans
with a little olive oil, nutritional yeast, and a dash of salt; spreading them
on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer and baking at 400 degrees
about 30 minutes or until crisp. You can add different spices. These can be
eaten by the handful.
If you’d prefer a
commercial product, Seapoint Farms makes dry roasted edamame.
Dry roasted
pumpkin seeds are another snack that can be eaten by the handful as long as
your child is old enough that these aren’t a choking hazard. Eden
Foods has various size
bags of pumpkin seeds including a 1-ounce single-serve bag.
Make a cereal
mix, choosing low-sugar cold breakfast cereals and adding raisins or other
unsweetened dried fruits. Have your kids help – maybe they’ll even want to name
their recipe.
Homemade muffins
– banana, corn, blueberry, oatmeal, carrot – for example. Avoid nuts, nut
butters, or nut milks or very sugary recipes. Mini-muffin pans are nice for
snack-size muffins. Make a batch and freeze them so they’re always handy when
you need to pack a snack.
Store-bought or
homemade bread sticks with a refried bean dip. Amy’s Kitchen has lower sodium refried beans.
Seedy crackers or
rice cakes thinly spread with tahini or sunflower butter and made into a
sandwich. Rice cakes can also be eaten plain. I’ve found Lundberg Family
Farms Tamari with
Seaweed Rice Cakes and Real Foods
Multigrain Corn Thins to be especially tasty. Lundberg Farms also has mini-rice
cakes and thin stackers – just watch for lots of added sugar in the sweet
varieties.
Baked tofu strips
either homemade or commercial
Vegan jerky
(check label for nut ingredients or excess sugar). Savory Wild Jerky is made with mushrooms; there are many
varieties of vegan jerky.
Commercial low
sugar fruit leather, fruit bars, or fruit wraps – here are a couple of products
that meet our criteria (vegan, nut/peanut-free, <5 grams of added
sugar/serving):
Commercial snack
bars – here are a few brands we found that have vegan, nut-free, low-sugar
versions (check the label since not all of these companies’ products are
nut-free and low-sugar):
If you’re looking for more ideas and
are interested in making your own snacks, this website has a lot of low-sugar, kid-friendly ideas.
Look for recipes without nuts or nut butters like the Lea Bars, Unbaked Granola
Bars (make with suggested substitution for nut butter), and Magic Green
Muffins.
It’s the spookiest night of the year… and you
want to give out vegan candy to all the little ghouls and goblins that knock on
your door. But what to do? Are there vegan Halloween candy options? YES! We’ve
got you covered.
Are you looking for places to purchase vegan candy and other treats for
Halloween? Here’s some online sources that sell vegan goodies with a Halloween theme,
as well as items sold in stores:
Casey Brown, RD states, “The new meat-like, plant-based
burgers are now widely available at supermarkets and quick-service chains like
Burger King. Anecdotally, many omnivores like them equally to meat burgers. We
often hear they are good alternatives environmentally, as well as for animal
welfare and flavor reasons. But how do they stack up nutritionally?”
The Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public on veganism and the interrelated issues of health, nutrition, ecology, ethics, and world hunger. We have been helping health professionals, food services, businesses, educators, students, vegans, and vegetarians since 1982. In addition to publishing the Vegan Journal, VRG produces and sells a number of books.
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