Recent topics brought up include:

– Does anyone know recent research or surveys that show how many 8 to 13-year-olds are vegetarian? (Asking for an eco- soul-conscious kids vegetarian cookbook author.) – VRG shared their recent poll figures: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/Yougov2021youthteenwriteup.pdf

– Impossible Foods has secured Child Nutrition Labels for Impossible Burger, which will help in distributing the veggie burger in schools.

– The Vegetarian Resource Group Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels, PhD, RD will be leading a virtual online class for teens ages 12-18. It is through the San Jose, California public library. The class will be offered several times; however, you must pre-register.

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.

There are so many different types of mushrooms available in supermarkets today. Zel Allen’s previous Vegetarian Journal article titled “A Multitude of Mushrooms” offers interesting facts on the different mushrooms sold today, as well as numerous recipes. Enjoy: Marinated Buttons, Shiitake Walnut Pâté, Spinach and Shiitake Love Nest, Gourmet Mushroom Stroganoff, Shiitake and Crimini Risotto, Portbello Mushroom Patties, Cashew-Mushroom Bruschetta Spread, and Hunter’s Mushroom Sauce.

Read the article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2012issue4/2012_issue4_multitude_of_mushrooms.php

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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):

Casse-cou, 63 E. 4th St., New York, NY 10003

Check out Casse-cou to try a wide variety of fully vegan artisanal chocolates, including raspberry violet milk chocolate, white chocolate, passion fruit chocolate, espresso almond chocolate, and matcha filled. Casse-cou will also ship their items nationwide.

Chaumont Vegan,145 S. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90212

Bringing French patisseries to the streets of Beverly Hills, Chaumont Vegan offers an array of vegan pastries and coffees perfect for grabbing on the way to work or to enjoy in the restaurants lavish dining area. From French sweet classics such as their pain au chocolat too their unique savory options like the jalapeño and cheese roll they can satisfy any craving. Don’t forget to grab a freshly squeezed juice or try creative coffees like their pear orange blossom latte when you visit!

DC Vegan Delicatessen, 1633 P St. NW, Washington, DC 20036

DC Vegan offers a 100% vegan menu that satisfies both savory and sweet tooths. Their menu includes classic sandwiches such as meaty ball and spicy sausage and several bowl meals. Vegan cupcakes, cannoli, and Italian cookies are available in the bakery section. They also have a grab-and-go section if you don’t have time to enjoy your meal inside or on the balcony.

Plant Life Living Cuisine, 1038 White St. SW, Atlanta, GA 30310

Raw Chef Jericho ventured off to Bali, Indonesia to learn the art of raw food preparation. After immense study she returned to the States and began developing recipes that would please the standard American palate. Enjoy dishes such as Spring Rolls, Baby Kale Salad, Cajun Mushroom Wrap, Chikinless Salad Wrap, and more. Also, don’t forget dessert options such as Blueberry Cheezecake and Bliss Balls.

Stalk and Spade, 740 Lake St. East, Wayzata, MN 55391

Standard fast food but 100% plant-based. Burgers, Chick’n sandwiches and nuggets, regular and sweet potato fries, shakes, ice cream, and kid’s meals. Also has a “paw-tio” with plant-based pup cups and doggy bags for your furry friends!

Sunflower Diner, 771 Haywood Rd., Asheville, NC 28806

Whether you need to go on a quick grocery run, are seeking out a new brunch place, or wanting to indulge in veganized Mexican comfort food, the Sunflower Diner has it all. Located inside the West Village Market, the Sunflower Cafe offers a variety of items from their Rancheros Brekkie Bowl, a seasoned, roast potato-base generously topped with tofu scramble, avocado salsa, and the restaurants signature hippie ranch, to locally sourced specialty roast Costa Rican Cold Brew that you can sip as you shop!

Sunny’s Backyard, 3526 East 7th St., Austin, TX 78702

Sunny’s Backyard is a vegan pub that offers fun dining with amazing sides, meals, and drinks. They have a great variety of burgers, salads, wraps, bowls, and alcoholic drinks that represent the Texas experience.

Taco Dive Bar, 4080 Paradise Rd., Las Vegas, NV 89169

If you’re searching for delicious Mexican street food paired with the funky atmosphere of a dive bar then look no further than the Taco Dive Bar located just a five-minute car ride from the University of Nevada. Immerse yourself in live music, gaming, and a full bar while enjoying vegan versions of classic dishes like elote, birria, nachos, and street tacos or venturing into this restaurant’s unique flavors like the Garbage Bag, a medley of flavors on a Frito nacho base, and their signature Burta, a combination of a vegan-burger and torta!

Ybor City Vegan Deli, 1903 N. 19th St., Tampa, FL 33605

Enjoy salads, sandwiches, burgers & subs, pizza, wraps, sides, vegan wings, lil’ bites, and more. Mouth-watering options: Cali Wrap, Big Whack Classic, Mega Side of Crackoroni, Cookie dough “DREAM” pie=cookie dough sandwiched between two chocolate chip cookies…um, yes please, Breakfast sandwiches served all day!

Are you looking for some creative new recipes to prepare for family and friends Memorial Day weekend? Here’s some vegan suggestions from articles that ran in Vegetarian Journal.

Picnic Pleasures
Nava Atlas serves up these dishes: Herbed Potato Salad, Pinto Beans with Watercress or Arugula, Dried Tomato Tapenade, Lemony Blueberry Muffins, Corn Relish Salad, Couscous Tabbouleh, Chunky Bean Spread, and Chocolate Chip-Raisin Blondies

Cold Salads for Warm Months
Chef Nancy Berkoff serves up creative salads and dressings including Lots of Crunch and Color Salad, Vietnamese “Beef” Salad, Indian Curried Grapefruit Dressing, Mediterranean Creamy Dressing, Retro Green Goddess, Southwestern Chili Pepper Dressing, Continental Shallot and Caper Dressing, Thai Peanut Dressing, Chinese Sesame-Soy Dressing, Chopped Veggie Vinaigrette, and Italian Sun-Dried Tomato-Rosemary Vinaigrette.

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By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Impossible Foods, the maker of the Impossible Burger, recently announced that they have obtained Child Nutrition labels for Impossible Burger products.

What does this mean? According to the USDA, a Child Nutrition label statement clearly identifies what a product contributes toward school meal requirements. In other words, does a product supply 1 serving of vegetables or of whole grains or of another meal requirement? A product with a Child Nutrition label statement is not necessarily a higher quality product than another food without this label. The Child Nutrition label also does not mean that a food is safer to eat or free of pathogens or allergens. Child Nutrition labels do help those responsible for purchasing food for school lunch and similar programs to see how a product fits into USDA’s requirements.

Impossible Foods confirmed that the following statements have been approved for their products:

Foodservice 5 lb brick: One pound (16.00 oz) of (raw) Impossible™ Burger made with Soy Protein Concentrate and Potato Protein provides (when cooked) 11.09 oz equivalent meat alternative for the Child Nutrition Meal Pattern Requirements.

and

Foodservice ¼ lb patties: Each 4.00 oz (raw) Impossible™ Burger Patty made with Soy Protein Concentrate and Potato Protein provides (when cooked) 2.75 oz equivalent meat alternative for the Child Nutrition Meal Pattern Requirements. 

The requirements for meats/meat alternatives for school lunch are:

• Preschool – 7-1/2 oz equivalents per week; at least 1-1/2 oz equivalents per day
• Grades K-5 – 8-10 oz equivalents per week; at least 1 oz equivalent per day
• Grades 6-8 – 9-10 oz equivalents per week; at least 1 oz equivalent per day
• Grades 9-12 – 10-12 oz equivalents per week; at least 2 oz equivalents per day

Nutritionally speaking, the 4.00 oz (raw) Impossible Burger that has a Child Nutrition Program label has 240 calories, 19 grams of protein, 14 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat and 370 mg of sodium. It is fortified with calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin B12, and B-vitamins.

In contrast, 4.00 oz (raw) of ground beef (85% lean, 15% fat) has 243 calories, 21 grams of protein, 17 grams of fat, 6.5 grams of saturated fat, and 75 mg of sodium.

This suggests, from a nutrition standpoint, that the Impossible Burger has a significant amount of saturated fat and sodium and that it does not offer advantages over ground beef in this regard.

Impossible Burgers do not contain animal products (See resources for comments on animal testing in the development of Impossible Burgers). They are not organic. We do not know how the cost of these products will compare to ground beef. Cost is likely to have a large effect on whether or not school food services accept this product although consumer demand may also influence purchasing decisions.

Our article on burgers provides other ideas for products (including those based on beans and grains) that could also be incorporated into school lunch programs and other Child Nutrition programs.

For more information about school food service see https://www.vrg.org/fsupdate/index.htm#School

Resources

USDA. FNS meal programs. https://www.fns.usda.gov/cn/labeling/fns-meal-programs. 2013.

 USDA. National School Lunch Program Meal Pattern Chart. https://www.fns.usda.gov/nslp/national-school-lunch-program-meal-pattern-chart. 2019.

Impossible Burger nutrition. https://buy.impossiblefoods.com/products/impossible-burger-family-pack.

Brown PO. The agonizing dilemma of animal testing. https://impossiblefoods.com/blog/the-agonizing-dilemma-of-animal-testing. 2017.

Osmanski S. Did Impossible Foods really test on animals? https://www.greenmatters.com/p/does-impossible-foods-test-on-animals. 2020.

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 warmer weather outside might encourage you to start grilling again! Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD has some great tips and ideas to spice up your grilling season! If you’re looking for recipes, food safety tips, or meal ideas, then check out this article! https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2015issue2/2015_issue2_outdoor_feasts.php

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By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Sesame seeds are used in many products from being sprinkled on burger buns to being ground into sesame seed paste, which is also called tahini. Approximately 0.23% of children and adults in the United States are allergic to sesame and have reactions to sesame ranging from hives to anaphylactic shock. Until now, sesame was not one of the major allergens that must be named in plain language on the ingredient labels of processed foods. On April 23, 2021, President Biden signed a law making sesame the ninth major allergen that must be listed clearly on the ingredient label of foods. The other major allergens are milk, eggs, wheat, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, and soy.

     All products that use sesame seeds or items derived from them will have to be explicitly labeled after January 1, 2023. Passage of this law will make it easier for those with a sesame allergy to identify products containing sesame. Currently, according to FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education), consumers may see terms like benne seed, tahini, gomasaio, halvah, tehina, and sim sim on products containing sesame. In approximately 18 months, these products, and others containing sesame will have to have a statement on the label that indicates the common or usual name of the major food allergen followed by the food source in parentheses in the list of the ingredients. For example, the ingredient label for packaged hummus containing tahini, would say “tahini (sesame).” The manufacturer could also add “Contains sesame” although this is not required.

References

Warren CM, et al. Prevalence and severity of sesame allergy in the United States. JAMA Network Open 2019;2(8)e199144.

Food allergy advocacy win: the president signs the FASTER Act and makes sesame a major allergen. Kids with Food Allergies. https://community.kidswithfoodallergies.org/blog/sesame-allergy-and-food-allergy-research-supported-by-faster-act. April 23, 2021.

Sesame allergy. FARE. https://www.foodallergy.org/living-food-allergies/food-allergy-essentials/common-allergens/sesame

By Julia Comino, VRG Intern

It is no secret that finding vegetarian and vegan-friendly restaurants in the rural American South can be quite the feat. Having been a vegetarian for the past four years and a Hattiesburg, Mississippi resident my entire life, I have made it my mission to seek out plant-based dining in my area. While often my search has led me to make the trek to the advertised vegan restaurants of New Orleans and other larger cities or into whole-food groceries, I was excited to stumble upon the Petra Café in my own hometown.

Petra Café is a small business dishing out authentic Mediterranean and Greek meals to Hattiesburg locals with a variety of vegan and vegetarian options. The Hattiesburg location is just minutes from the University of Southern Mississippi, and although this restaurant’s exterior is not immediately remarkable, any local can attest to the restaurant’s uniqueness. After taking just one step through its doors, one is met with the heavenly aroma of spices and simmering flavors. The interior is vibrantly decorated with traditional Middle Eastern art and elaborate wall designs. Combining the indoor and outdoor tables, there is enough seating for approximately 50 people.

Although indoor dining has recently been reopened for Petra Café, I opted to order using their limited-exposure pick-up option. I was able to easily place my order online, using their website’s ordering option that clearly labeled which items were vegan, vegetarian, Halal, and gluten-free. Although there are multiple dishes that contain meat on their menu, with the removal of the Grecian sauce or feta cheese, most vegetarian dishes can be customized to be vegan. I only had to wait 15 minutes after ordering, and then my food was ready to be picked up. As I entered the restaurant to receive my meal, I was pleasantly welcomed by the employee at the counter. During our polite conversation, she remarked that Petra Café was like a family and mentioned her appreciation for the restaurant’s owner.

Petra Café was founded in 2007 as the brainchild of Ayman Al-Bataineh. Having moved to Mississippi from Amman, Jordan, Ayman decided to share the flavors he loved from his mother’s kitchen with the residents of Hattiesburg offering up traditionally veggie dishes such as Baba Ghanouj and Dolmas (stuffed grape leaves).

For my order I decided to try Petra’s hummus appetizer. This thick, creamy, chickpea dip was accompanied by slices of warm, freshly made pita bread. The hummus was topped with roasted chickpeas, a drizzle of lemon, a sprinkling of spice mix, and a sprig of cilantro. To fully enjoy this wonderfully composed classic I recommend incorporating each component of this dish into one flavorful bite. 

For my entrée, I chose Petra’s Falafel Sandwich. This item was composed of toasted pita bread stuffed full of homemade falafel (a crispy chickpea fritter), tomatoes, lettuce, and a generous spread of tahini and hummus. This sandwich requires two hands and biting into the packed pita is quite an accomplishment. Although I only tried a few items from their wide selection of flavors, I was more than satisfied by the portions of my meal.

Petra Café’s exuberant atmosphere and the exceedingly well-crafted traditional dishes offered have ensured me that I will become one of this restaurant’s regulars. I must admit, I have been back once already since my initial visit. Should you find yourself in Hattiesburg, Mississippi anytime soon, make sure to stop by Petra Café for amazing veggie Mediterranean and Greek flavors.

For more information about Petra Café, visit: https://petracafe.net/

For more information on vegetarian and vegan restaurants around the United States and Canada see our Restaurant Guide at: http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

Create and submit a video relating what you want to tell others about vegetarianism/veganism.

Some possible topics: food, nutrition, your feelings about veganism/vegetarianism, water usage and vegetarianism, veganism and animal rights, or other vegan topics which appeal to you. Humor and feelings are appreciated. All videos should be positive, not be critical of anyone, and not include any footage of animal cruelty. You may submit a video you have already made.

Aspects of judging include accuracy and judges wanting to share the video with others. Entrants give permission to The Vegetarian Resource Group to post and share the video, to link to and from the video, and share the video with the media. Deadline to enter this year is July 15, 2021.

Details on the contest can be found here:

https://www.vrg.org/videoscholarship.php

By Shantika Bhat, VRG Intern

(Makes 9 servings)

1 cup moong whole dal (lentils)

1 cup masoor dal (lentils)

7 cups water

5 teaspoons oil

2 teaspoons mustard seeds

2 teaspoons cumin (jeera)

2 broken dried red chilies

1-4 curry leaves

A pinch hing (asafoetida)

1-1/2 medium-sized onions, chopped

3-4 teaspoons minced garlic

3-4 teaspoons minced ginger

⅓ cup chopped green bell pepper

1 cup chopped cabbage

2 cups chopped carrots

4 medium-sized tomatoes, chopped

½ cup chopped cauliflower

3 teaspoons turmeric

2 teaspoons red chili powder

2 teaspoons garam masala

1 teaspoon coriander powder

4-5 cups water

Salt to taste

In a large pot put moong whole dal and masoor dal and rinse them (drain water). Add 7 cups water and let the dal cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes until soft. Set that aside. In another pot, add oil, mustard seed, dried red chilis, cumin, curry leaves, hing, and fry in oil for 4 minutes. Then add onion, garlic, and ginger and continue to fry. Add turmeric, red chili powder, coriander, and garam masala and prevent from sticking to the pot by quickly adding tomatoes and green bell peppers and continue frying slowly. Once that’s cooked add cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, and 1 cup of water. Let that cook for 4 minutes. Add the dal from the other pot into this pot and add around 3-4 cups of water depending on how thick you want the dal. Add salt. Cook for 10-15 minutes.