Each issue of Vegetarian Journal features a column called “Scientific Update.” Here you will find reviews of recent scientific papers related to vegetarianism written by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD. Topics covered in the latest column include Urinary Tract Infections in Vegetarians; Vegetarian Pregnancy; and Certain Food Choices Promote Health and the Environment. See: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2020issue3/2020_issue3_scientific_update.php
Whole Foods Market is voluntarily recalling Vegan Vanilla Cake from 21 stores across Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and one store in Tallahassee, Florida, due to an undeclared soy (soy milk) allergen. The affected product was sold as whole, 6-inch cakes in both the cake case and self-serve areas of the Bakery Department. The product was packaged in plastic dome containers with Whole Foods Market scale labels, a PLU code of 41070 and product sell-by date through August 24, 2020. All affected product has been removed from store shelves.
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.
The latest issue of Vegetarian Journal features an article by The Vegetarian Resource Group’s Research Director Jeanne Yacoubou, MS titled Sweet Stuff: Not all Cane Sugar is Processed Through Bone Char. In this article you will learn which Domino plant locations in the USA still use bone char to whiten sugar and which don’t. See: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2020issue3/2020_issue3_sweet_stuff.php
When someone
becomes vegan they are usually advised to eat a varied diet. But what does that
actually mean? For example, if you’re told to eat 6-8 servings of whole grains
per day, how much of which whole grain foods should you be eating?
Each issue of Vegetarian
Journal contains a column called Nutrition Hotline written by Reed Mangels,
PhD, RD. Her recent column discusses the issue of what to do if pregnant and
anemic. Dr. Mangels states that while your dietitian is correct to encourage
you to increase your iron intake, it’s not necessary to start eating meat. Read
the entire column here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2020issue3/2020_issue3_nutrition_hotline.php
“Family, Tradition, Cultura. All gone vegan while preserving and celebrating Mexican regional cuisine,” is the opening line of Dora Stone’s video on the best vegan Mexican recipes. Founder of the blog Dora’s Table, Dora Stone is a Mexican food photographer and recipe developer that works to spread vegan eating within the Hispanic community.
One day, I stumbled upon Dora’s Table and was thrilled. As the only person in my Mexican family to be exploring veganism, I was eager to find something like this. I love experimenting with new vegan recipes, whether for dessert or dinner, but I had never tried out a veganized Mexican recipe.
After I spent hours pursuing the website and watching enthralling videos of chiles being cooked and tamales being steamed. I soon knew that I needed to try out a recipe from Dora’s blog, and chose the jackfruit vegan pozole rojo.
Throughout my early childhood, my paternal grandmother’s pozole had been just one of the many traditional mexican dishes that reminded me of my family and my heritage. But since I became vegetarian at the age of seven – now nine years ago – I hadn’t enjoyed a bowl of pozole. So as I excitedly planned to take on this veganized pozole recipe, I went in search of the necessary ingredients, which were not those I normally used on a day to day basis. White hominy, chiles de árbol, and chiles anchos might not have been in my pantry, but I was familiar with their presence in supermarkets in the Southwestern border community I am part of.
I easily recruited my father to take me to a nearby market and connected
with him as we learned the shapes and names of the numerous chiles and spices
that were arrayed in bins next to pan dulce. After I collected all my ingredients,
including the canned jackfruit that would replace the usual meat of pozole, I
arranged my workspace on my kitchen counter and began.
Several hours later I finished the simmering, sautéing, grinding,
chopping, and mixing required in the recipe and presented the soup to my
parents. While it was not perfect, and the spices may have been a little bit
off, I smiled wide when my dad proclaimed his satisfaction. Later that week my
abuela let me know it was a bit spicy for her taste, which was unexpected but
happily taken critique.
I never expected that a blog of vegan cooking would help me connect to
my Mexican heritage, but that is exactly what Dora’s Table helped me do. Generations of women before me cooked
with the same chiles and served their families dinner proudly, and with
veganized Mexican recipes, I can now do the same.
Add cubed potatoes to a large cook pot and cover with water.
Bring to a boil and cook for 30-40 minutes, until potatoes are fork-tender. Put
aside 1 cup of cooking liquid before draining potatoes. Once drained, return
cooked potatoes to cook pot and add ½ cup cooking liquid and ½ cup vegan milk. Using a potato masher, sturdy
fork or electric mixer, mash the potatoes and blend with liquid to desired
texture. If smoother, creamer texture is desired, add more of the cooking
liquid and re-mash. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm.
Cook’s Note: These
potatoes are wonderful with various add-ins such as a teaspoon of garlic powder
or onion powder, chopped fresh parsley or chives, or even a palm full of
nutritional yeast.
– Info about the launching of an occasional So Many Kids in
the Kitchen group and our first virtual show is next week.
– Parent posted: Part of my doctoral research is focused on
school lunch programs. What is your opinion or take on it? Do your kids eat
school lunches and if yes, do you find enough vegetarian options. For example,
Child Nutrition Program (CNP) officially introduced tempeh as a meat-equivalent
last year. However, how many schools really serve tempeh? Ours does not!
– What is your take on “organic” veggie/fruit
produce? Do you “trust” them enough to spend extra $$ on organic
produce? Do you “believe” they are better for the health of your
children?
– Mention of new veggie book for children called The Turtle Who Fights For Animal Rights.
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. 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.
Lasagna Bolognese with Ricotta Mozzarella from BAIA
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 coronavirus pandemic many are doing
take-out and/or delivery now):
The Andaluz Vegan, 10540 Cypress Creek Pwky., Houston, TX 77070
The Andaluz Vegan
specializes in Mexican Street food. The menu is filled with delicious options
like jackfruit flautas and gorditas. The flautas are filled with jackfruit and
topped with queso and either creamy chipotle cheese, nacho queso, or creamy
elote green. On the side order the empanadas available in three different
fillings: squash blossom and cheese, potato and cheese, or beans and cheese. To
drink order either the homemade Agua fresca or the horchata. The papaya,
banana, and oat Agua fresca is especially delicious. For dessert order the rice
pudding or churros served with chocolate dipping sauce.
BAIA, 300 Grove St., San Francisco, CA 94102
BAIA is a vegan
restaurant serving delicious plant-based classic Italian dishes. Some favorites
include: Cacio e pepe, lasagna, and the market vegetable pizza. The Cacio e
pepe features black pepper cream with mozzarella, parmesan, and ricotta. The
pasta is tasty and creamy. The lasagna is stuffed with Bolognese sauce,
ricotta, and mozzarella. It is delicious and filling. The market vegetable
pizza is topped with fresh vegetables, greens, and herb sauce. This pizza is
the perfect combination of savory and flavorful. For dessert, order the Torta,
a rich chocolate and hazelnut cake. BAIA will become a new plant-based favorite
with the rotating menu offering new exciting options every week.
Happy Vegan, 1279 Main Ave., Clifton, NJ 07011
The Happy Vegan
specializes in Turkish vegan food. Order the Vegan Çig Köfte made with crack
wheat, tomatoes, pepper, red pepper juice, pomegranate sauce, garlic, and mint.
Another great option is the crispy tofu salad filled with fried tofu, walnuts,
salad, tomatoes, and carrots. On the side, try the dr. OZ Green Juice with apple,
celery, ginger, and lemon. For dessert try the delicious Baklava stuffed with
dough, pistachio, and vegan butter.
House of Vegans, 1426 North 3rd St., Harrisburg, PA 17102
House of Vegans
offers vegan soul food, and on Sundays offer their signature burgers; the Slap
Burger, Open House, and the Big Zaddy. Along the counter runs the phrase “For
the Culture,” which House of Vegans says is at the center of what they do. They
also offer fresh H.O.V. juices, like Banana Express.
M!LK Gelato, 535 Queen St. W., Toronto, ON M5V 2B5 Canada
M!LK Gelato serves
vegan gelato and sorbet made with coconut, oats, and mix-ins to create one of
many different flavors. On top of their cold treats, the shop also serves
cupcakes and waffles, which you can fill with your gelato, and beverages.
They’re located off of Queen Street in the Alexandria Park district, within walking
distance of Alexandria Park.
Sestina, New York, 67 2nd Ave., NY 10003
This upscale eatery
focuses on a variety of vegan pasta dishes along with antipasto, desserts,
espresso, and wine. Call or check on the web to make reservations.
SO Veganly, 26515 Preston Ave., Bldg. C, Spring, TX 77373
Described to have
welcoming customer service and great vegan food, SO Veganly is a woman-owned,
Black-owned, soy-free, organic restaurant. SO Veganly alternates menu themes
monthly, with “Comfort food” or “Mexican food” from one month to the next.
Anyone can order breakfast dishes like cinnamon pancakes, entrees like Coney
style chili dogs and personalized power bowls, while also having catering and
meal prep options.
Uncooked, Fulton Market, 210 N. Carpenter St., Chicago, IL 60607
Uncooked is a vegan,
whole foods, gluten-free restaurant. Located in Fulton Market, they offer delivery
within a 3-mile radius for orders that can be placed through their app.
Delivery or sit-in orders can range from cakes, breakfast dishes, salads, and
entrees, to dips, juices, smoothies, smoothie bowls, coffee, and teas!
In a food
processor or strong blender, combine flour, nutritional yeast, flaxseed meal,
turmeric, paprika, and salt. Pulse twice to mix. Add olive oil and yellow
mustard. Pulse again several times to combine. Next add 4 Tablespoons of water.
Process until well blended and when done, see if dough will hold its form in a
ball. (Open it and check by hand.) If it doesn’t roll into a ball, add only one
more Tablespoon of water at a time until it holds a ball shape. Don’t overdo it
on adding water, or the cracker dough will become too moist.
Tear off two sheets of parchment
paper that are the size of the baking sheet you plan to use in the oven. Form
dough into a ball on top of one piece of parchment on the counter and allow to
rest for 10 minutes for flaxseed meal to form its bonds. When ready, top with a
second parchment sheet and roll the dough until it’s an evenly shaped oval or
rectangle, less than 1/8 inch, about 2 millimeters—very thin to get crispy!
Remove the top layer of parchment and slide onto the baking sheet. Using a
knife or pizza cutter, score the dough into crackers, about 1½ inch square.
It’s likely they won’t be perfect—that’s part of the charm of homemade crackers.
Bake at 350 degrees, turning once
during baking, for 18-20 minutes until edges are browned and crackers are
crisp. Allow to cool for 20 minutes on a baking sheet before eating.
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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