photo from Freepik

Chanukah is a time that extended families gather together. Here are some vegan recipes from The Lowfat Jewish Vegetarian Cookbook (a vegan cookbook) you can share with your friends and family during the 8-day celebration.

Potato Latkes
Serves 4

1-½ pounds potatoes, peeled and grated
1 medium onion, peeled and grated
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
Dash of pepper
2 Tablespoons tamari or soy sauce

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Form 3-inch patties and fry in lightly oiled pan over medium heat for 10 minutes. Flip latkes and fry for another 10 minutes until crisp on both sides. Serve warm with applesauce or other cooked fruit.

Broccoli Latkes
Serves 5

1 pound broccoli, chopped into small pieces
2 pounds potatoes, scrubbed and cubed into small pieces
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 cups water
½ teaspoon celery seed
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon oil

Cook all the ingredients (except the oil) in a large covered pot over medium heat for 20 minutes. Drain mixture and mash ingredients together.

Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Form 10 pancakes. Fry 8 minutes on one side. Flip pancakes and fry for another 5 minutes on the other side. Serve warm.

Read about activities VRG’s Scientific Department has been doing lately in the newest issue of Vegan Journal: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2025issue4/2025_issue4_scientific_department.php

Subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA only: www.vrg.org/member

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program are permitted to provide an allowable fluid milk substitute for cow’s milk for children without a disability who cannot drink cow’s milk (for example, for vegan children). Schools are required to provide a substitute for children with medical conditions such as a life-threatening cow’s milk allergy.

Fluid milk substitutes, such as plant milks, must meet specified nutritional standards, be requested in writing by a medical authority or the child’s parent or legal guardian, and the school must cover any expenses that exceed program reimbursements (1).

For a plant milk to be considered an allowable fluid milk substitute for the National School Lunch Program or the School Breakfast Program, a cup of plant milk must contain at least 276 mg of calcium, 8 grams of protein, 500 IU of vitamin A, 100 IU of vitamin D, 24 mg of magnesium, 222 mg of phosphorus, 349 mg of potassium, 0.44 mg of riboflavin, and 1.1 mcg of vitamin B12. The milk can be flavored or unflavored (1).

We wondered which plant milks meet these standards. The Connecticut State Department of Education has developed a helpful list of products that are acceptable for use in their school lunch programs (2, 3). Note that other brands of acceptable milk may be available in other areas of the country. Some national brands on this list include:

• Pacific Foods Ultra Soy Original Plant-based Beverage quart aseptic container (food service must pour 8-ounce portions)
• Kikkoman Pearl Organic Soymilk Smart Original, Smart Creamy Vanilla, Smart Chocolate, 8 oz aseptic container
• Ripple Plant-based Milk Vanilla or Chocolate, 8 oz aseptic container
• 8^th Continent Soymilk Original or Vanilla half gallon refrigerated container (food service must pour 8-ounce portions)

Silk Soy Original also appears to meet the USDA’s requirements. There may be other acceptable products that are not on this list.

This information may be helpful if you approach a local school to request a fluid milk substitute. At this time, the school is not required to meet your request for a child without a disability. Each school foodservice decides which, if any, allowable fluid milk substitutes it uses. If one product is offered and the student does not accept that product, the school foodservice is not required to offer a different substitute.

References

1. Food and Nutrition Service, Department of Agriculture. Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 7 CFR Parts 210, 215, 220, 225, and 226. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2024-04-25/pdf/2024-08098.pdf. 2024.
2. Connecticut State Department of Education. Allowable Fluid Milk Substitutes for Non-disability Reasons in the School Nutrition Programs. https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/SDE/Nutrition/NSLP/SpecDiet/Milk_Substitutes_SNP.pdf, revised 2025.
3. Connecticut State Department of Education. List of Acceptable Foods and Beverages. Dairy Alternatives. https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/sde/nutrition/hfc/fblist/acceptablefoodslist17.pdf?rev=933d1db3f7914464af4cb93f6f6c81bd&hash=1BBDF40F428A86726549F49683315792. Revised, November 2025.

For more information about school meals see:

USDA Issues Revisions to Child Nutrition Programs

Getting Vegan Food into Schools

Vegan Options in a California School

Vegan Options in Portland, ME School Lunch

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

Recent topics brought up include:

– I’m so interested in transitioning my daughter to being vegan. I’ve been having a tough time with her pediatrician. Can anyone recommend a vegan pediatrician?

– We’re traveling to visit non-vegan family for Thanksgiving. I was thinking of making a Thanksgiving casserole that could be pre-made and maybe even frozen for transport and would cover the basics: stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, gravy, etc. trying to simplify and make life a little less chaotic. If you celebrate Thanksgiving, have you made such a thing? Did it work out for your family?

– Do some whole grains stand out for their nutrient content?

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.

The latest issue of Vegan Journal includes a review of cocojun dairy-free dips that come in three flavors: Chipotle, Lemon Dill, and Tzatziki. You can find this product review here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2025issue4/2025_issue4_veggie_bits.php

Subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA only: www.vrg.org/member

Through December 31, 2025, you can give a gift membership to The Vegetarian Resource Group (includes a 1-year subscription to Vegan Journal) for $15 each. Offer is valid in the USA only!

This is a terrific way to share the vegan message, as well as support VRG outreach. Gift subscriptions can be done online by simply typing in your message and the name and address of each gift recipient in the comments field. Go to: www.vrg.org/donate

Hearts of Palm Ceviche with Grapefruit and Avocado photo by Hannah Kaminsky

Sing a Song of Citrus by Ellen Kanner in the latest issue of Vegan Journal features recipes for Hearts of Palm Ceviche with Grapefruit and Avocado; Angel Hair with Pumpkin, Annatto, and Lime; Feijoada (Black Bean Stew); Wild Rice with Winter Greens, Lemon, Raisins, and Pine Nuts; and Cranberry Orange Quick Bread. Read the entire article (with recipes) here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2025issue4/2025_issue4_sing_citrus.php

Subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA only: www.vrg.org/member

The Vegetarian Resource Group continues to be very busy on a daily basis. Below are some examples of successes and activities. Your support through Combined Federal Charity (CFC) or your Local/State Campaign is greatly appreciated! You can also donate directly to VRG at www.vrg.org/donate

Here’s a sampling of some of our accomplishments and outreach:

VRG Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, did a virtual presentation for students and registered dietitians at West Chester University in Pennsylvania, as well as a talk to Washington State WIC (Women Infants Children) personnel.

Reed co-authored Vegetarian dietary patterns and cardiovascular risk factors and disease prevention: An umbrella review of systematic reviews that was published in the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology. In addition, Reed co-authored Vegetarian and vegan dietary patterns to treat adult type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trial published in Advances in Nutrition.

We were asked permission to reprint VRG’s Vegan My Plate in an updated edition of Pearson Education’s Nutrition Science to You textbook by Joan Salge Blake.

A dietitian requested teen brochures and nutshell handouts to use at the University of Illinois in Chicago.

A bookstore in Providence, RI and vegan restaurants in MD, MA, NJ, OH, TX, and VA are offering VRG brochures to their customers.

VRG gave a box of Vegan Journals to be distributed at SEED Food & Wine Festival in Austin, Texas. We gave 200 cookbooks, 200 Vegan Journals, and 200 I Love Animals and Broccoli coloring books to the Holistic Plant-Based Living Program for various events. VRG also sent 700 Vegan Journals and 200 brochures to be distributed at the Vegetarians of Central Florida event, a box of VRG literature to be handed out by the Northern Ohio Vegan Advocates while doing outreach, and a large box of Vegan Journals and VRG brochures to the Vegan Society of Hawaii for various tabling opportunities.

VRG had booths at the Charlottesville and Richmond VegFests in Virginia, San Francisco World Vegan Fest in California, as well as the Academy of Nutriton and Dietetics meeting in Nashville, Tennessee.

Finally, VRG is hosting several high school/college interns and volunteers this year.

This is just a small sampling of what we are doing at VRG every day. Thank you so much! We couldn’t do this without your support.

You can donate directly to VRG at www.vrg.org/donate You can also mail donations to The Vegetarian Resource Group, PO Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203 or call in your donation to (410) 366-8343 Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm EST.

In the newest Vegan Journal the Scientific Update column covers the topics of All Foods Categorized as Ultraprocessed Do Not Have the Same Effects on Heart Disease and Stroke Risk as well as All Foods Categorized as Ultraprocessed Do Not Have the Same Effects On Heart Disease, Cancer, and Diabetes Risk. Read the scientific reviews here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2025issue4/2025_issue4_scientific_update.php  Subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA only: www.vrg.org/member

photo by Rissa Miller

Looking for a creative vegan gift idea? Consider making culinary mixes in glass jars. Rissa Miller offers several options including Cajun-Spiced Red Beans and Rice; Lentil Noodle Soup; Cheezy Tater Soup; Savory Gravy Mix; Quick Ranch; and Berry Ginger Muffins in her article running in the latest issue of Vegan Journal. See: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2023issue4/2023_issue4_pantry_mixes.php

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