Have you ever wondered if an ingredient listed on a food label is vegan or not? The Vegetarian Resource Group has an online guide to food ingredients that lets you now whether a specific food ingredient is vegan, vegetarian, non-vegetarian, typically vegan, typically vegetarian, may be non-vegetarian, or typically non-vegetarian.

You can search through this guide here: https://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php

To support this type of difficult research, please consider making a donation to The Vegetarian Resource Group: vrg.org/donate

Debra Daniels-Zeller’s article Perfect Pears provides recipes for Reisling-Braised Kale and Pears With Basmati Rice; Sweet And Spicy Yams And Pears With Toasted Pecans; Maple-Sautéed Pears; Creamy Rosemary, Acorn Squash, and Pear Soup; Coconut-Cranberry-Pear Sauce Hazelnut-Orange Asian Pear and Beet Salad; Pear Crisp With Cranberries; Pear-Walnut Bread; and Berry-Poached Pears. She also explains the differences between popular varieties of pears. See: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2004issue3/2004_issue3_perfect_pears.php

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

Colonial Diner in Woodbury, New Jersey, offers a huge separate vegan section on their menu. Breakfast dishes offered are Banana Blueberry Pancakes, Plant-Based Sausage Sandwich, and Colonial’s Vegan Skillet. Appetizers include Seitan Wings, Vegan Chicken Nuggets, and Vegan Onion Rings. Among numerous main dishes, you’ll find Vegan Lasagna, Vegan Greek Gyro, Vegan Reuben, Vegan Chili Tacos, Middle Eastern Vegan Falafel Wrap, Mediterranean Power Bowl, and more! And for dessert, choose between Chocolate Brownie, Ginger Scone, Chocolate Coconut Mousse, Banana Walnut Rice Pudding, and other options.

Colonial Diner is located at 924 N. Broad St., Woodbury, NJ 08096. They are open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For more information, visit https://www.thecolonialdiner.com/

Are you looking for some alternatives to Turkey this Thanksgiving? Fortunately, there are many options today.

Field Roast offers these choices:
1. Celebration Roast with Traditional Bread Stuffing and Gravy – made with fresh onions, celery, cranberries and butternut squash.
2. Hazelnut Cranberry Plant-Based Roast – a rich, hazelnut-infused grain meat stuffed with Field Roast sausages, crystallized ginger, cranberries and apples – wrapped in a savory puff pastry. It’s even Toaster Oven friendly! See: https://fieldroast.com/products/#roasts-loaves

Gardein offers a plant-based Turk’y Roast. See: https://www.gardein.com/chickn-and-turky/classics/turky-roast

Tofurky offers Tofurky Roast and Gravy. The Roast includes stuffing. See: https://tofurky.com/what-we-make/roasts/

They also have a Ham Style Roast. For details see: https://tofurky.com/what-we-make/roasts/ham-roast/

Vegetarian Plus offers Vegan Whole Turkey. See: https://myrtlegreens.com/products/vegan-whole-turkey

Vegan Journal is published by The Vegetarian Resource Group. 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 only, see: https://www.vrg.org/member/

Smashed Potato and Vegetable Bake photo by Linda Tyler

Now that the weather is cooler, you might want to tryout Linda Tyler’s Casseroles piece in a previous issue of Vegan Journal. She serves up the following recipes: Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole, Succotash Gratin, Green Bean Casserole, Smashed Potato and Vegetable Bake, Sesame Soy Curls with Rice, and Millet à la Puttanesca. Start cooking today!

Find the recipes here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2022issue4/2022_issue4_casseroles.php

Subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA only at https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

World Vegan Day is celebrated on November 1^st each year! World Vegan Day first occurred on November 1st, 1994 as a way of commemorating the 50th anniversary of the United Kingdom Vegan Society and the term Vegan. Consider treating a non-veggie friend or co-worker to a delicious vegan meal today. This way you support vegan establishments while showing others how wonderful vegan food can be.

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

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

I’ve written before about the very low levels of iodine in plant milks in the United States and said that one study (1) found that plant milks had about 3% as much iodine as cow’s milk does. Iodine is an essential nutrient which is needed for the thyroid gland to function properly. Although the iodine content of fruits, nuts, and vegetables varies depending on growing conditions, most of these staples of a vegan diet are low in iodine (2). Cow’s milk and other dairy products are a main source of iodine for many people in the United States.

A colleague recently contacted me and pointed out that Silk Soy Original (red carton) is fortified with iodine. According to the product label which I checked on October 15, 2025, a cup of Silk Soy Original has 15 micrograms of iodine (10% of the Daily Value). Also, according to the product label, Silk Soy Vanilla (also in a red carton) has 15 micrograms of iodine in a cup of soymilk. The Silk website indicates that Silk Kids Oatmilk Blend has 30 micrograms of iodine (20% of the Daily Value) in a cup. I am not aware of other plant milks that are fortified with iodine.

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for iodine for adults is 150 micrograms per day so it’s unlikely that you’ll get all the iodine you need from fortified Silk. Vegans can also get iodine from iodized salt, iodine supplements, and sea vegetables although the amount of iodine in sea vegetables is variable.

References

1. Ma W, He X, Braverman L. Iodine content in milk alternatives. Thyroid. 2016;26(9):1308-10.
2. Ershow AG, Skeaff SA, Merkel JM, Pehrsson PR. Development of databases on iodine in foods and dietary supplements. Nutrients. 2018;10(1):100.

To read more about iodine see:

Iodine in the Vegan Diet

Iodine in Prenatal Supplements

Iodine in Plant Milks

Food Sources of Iodine

The contents of this 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.

Saturday, November 1, 2025

Please come visit The Vegetarian Resource Group booth at San Francisco World Fest in California.

For more details on the Festival, see: https://www.sfvs.org/worldveganfest

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Imagine a pair of spooky eyes staring up at you from a plate of pale orange strands (or, could it be hair?), topped with red sauce. Then picture “bones” to dip into more red sauce (blood?) and you have the makings of a Halloween dinner.

Vegan Eye Balls (Adapted from Vive le Vegan! By Dreena Burton)

(makes 18 balls)

7 ounces firm or extra-firm tofu, torn or cut into pieces

1 Tablespoon cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce

1½ Tablespoons catsup

1 teaspoon minced garlic (or to taste)

1 teaspoon oregano

1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes

1 Tablespoon olive oil plus additional oil for baking sheet

Pepper to taste

1½ cups breadcrumbs

½ cup quick-cooking oats (uncooked)

18 pitted olives (pimiento stuffed olives are a nice touch, but black or green olives would also work)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drizzle on a little olive oil. In a food processor, purée tofu until smooth. Add remaining ingredients except breadcrumbs, oats and olives and process until smooth. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in breadcrumbs and oats. Let sit for 5 minutes to firm up. The mixture should hold together – add more breadcrumbs if necessary.  Form mixture into balls about the size of a golf ball, carefully pressing an olive into each ball, and place on the baking sheet, olive facing up. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.

Spaghetti Squash

You can start baking this while you prepare the “eye balls.” Cut a spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and place cut-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-45 minutes, until squash is soft. Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle. Remove seeds. Use a fork to comb through the squash, separating the strands. Place the strands in a serving bowl.

Top the spaghetti squash (or you can use regular spaghetti) with pasta sauce (homemade or your favorite vegan brand) and then add a couple of “eye balls.”

Breadstick “Bones” (Adapted from The Farm Vegetarian Cookbook, edited by Louise Hagler)

(makes 15 small breadsticks)

1 teaspoon vegan sugar

1 Tablespoon baking yeast

6 Tablespoons warm water

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup wheat flour

½ teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes

In a medium bowl, combine sugar and baking yeast and add warm water. Stir and let proof for 5 minutes. Add olive oil, all-purpose flour, wheat flour, salt, and nutritional yeast and stir, adding water or flour to make a smooth dough. Knead dough for 5 minutes. Form dough into relatively thin bones shapes (or just make thin breadsticks), place on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet, and let rise for an hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 9 minutes or until done. Serve with a small bowl of pasta sauce for dipping.

Happy Halloween!