Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD, serves up several vegan tempeh recipes in an article that appeared in a previous issue of Vegetarian Journal, published by The Vegetarian Resource Group. Try preparing Breakfast Tempeh, Tempeh Sausage, Tempeh Noodle Soup, Grilled Tempeh Salad with Peas and Pineapple, Tempeh in a Roll, and Tempeh on Toast.
Like many other college students, I spent the better part of January 2021 searching for a virtual internship. I knew I wanted to find one that would allow me to hone in on my writing and journalistic skills, but I wasn’t sure what kind of company or organization would be a good fit. Once I stumbled upon The Vegetarian Resource Group internship page, however, I was immediately excited about the possibility of combining my interest in media with my passion for vegetarianism. Throughout the duration of my internship, I was able to complete a variety of projects that allowed me to do just that!
I started by
writing entries for the VRG online USA/Canada
restaurant guide. This was a great way for me to practice compiling
information from a variety of sources. It was also awesome to get to learn
about a variety of vegan and vegan-friendly eateries throughout the country! I
look forward to hopefully visiting some of the restaurants I wrote about one
day.
One of my
favorite parts of my internship was reading and responding to essay
applications to the VRG College Scholarship Contest. It was truly amazing to
hear the inspiring stories of today’s vegetarian youth! So many applicants
wrote engaging essays about how their vegetarian lifestyle has empowered them
to make an influence in their local community.
Another highlight
of my internship was contributing to Veggie Bits– a Vegetarian Journal column dedicated to vegan product reviews. I was
sent a package of LongEve Plant-Based Protein Crumbles and Breadless Crumbs,
which I used to make lettuce wraps and heart of palm “crab” cakes. It was great
to be exposed to a product I had never heard of before and to have the chance
to make two new dishes out of them.
Throughout my
internship, I also wrote a series of blog posts. The first one was a review of
Wildseed, an amazing plant-based restaurant in San Francisco, CA. I tried a
variety of different dishes with my parents and enjoyed the opportunity to
summarize the memorable experience in a review. I also worked with another VRG
intern to write a blog post about tips on starting a vegetarian club in high
school. Being able to connect and collaborate with a fellow VRG intern was fun
and rewarding for both of us.
The next blog
post was about the vegan options available at my school, Santa Clara University
in California. It was fun to reflect on what I ate on and around campus,
especially since I haven’t been able to go back to campus in a while.
Another memorable
experience was writing a book review of In
Search of the Wild Tofurky, Seth Tibbott’s memoir centered around his life
and journey of founding the Tofurky Company. The story was heartfelt, engaging,
and full of lessons for both life and business, so I thoroughly enjoyed reading
and reviewing it.
The final blog post I wrote was a profile of Hiroko Kato, a freelance writer based in Tokyo and a former VRG intern. I loved hearing about her current work on a vegan
nutrition book. In addition, it was fascinating to hear her thoughts about the
state of vegetarianism and the movement’s future within Japan.
All in all, my
VRG internship was a rewarding experience that allowed me to grow as a writer
and expand my knowledge of vegetarianism. I highly recommend it to any student
interested in writing, media, and the vegetarian lifestyle!
For more information on The Vegetarian Resource Group
internships, see
Are you searching for
some new breakfast ideas? Debra Daniels-Zeller serves up a wide variety of
dishes in her previous Vegetarian Journal
article Super
Savory Breakfast Ideas. Enjoy these recipes:
A recently released survey of 995 households in the United
States compared consumers who used plant milks with those using dairy milk.
About 60% of the households surveyed used dairy milk exclusively or almost
exclusively. About 23% of the households used plant milks, mainly almond milk, exclusively
or almost exclusively. A little more than 15% of households surveyed use both
dairy milk and plant milk.
These results,
suggesting that more than a third of households use plant milks, are supported
by trends in dairy milk consumption in the United States. Per capita dairy milk
consumption declined by 41% between 1975 and 2018. We should note that overall
per capita dairy product consumption has increased over this period.
Plant-based yogurt, cheese, and butter are increasingly available, but have
seemingly not yet had a large effect on consumption of dairy yogurt, cheese,
and butter.
Survey
respondents whose households used plant milks, either exclusively or along with
dairy milk, tended to be younger than those whose households used dairy milks
exclusively. This has potential implications for future trends in plant milk
consumption. Those respondents whose households used plant milks either
exclusively or partially were likely or somewhat likely to use plant milks in
place of dairy milk as a beverage, in coffee or tea, in cooking, on cereal, in
smoothies, in desserts, and for children.
Interestingly,
almost 10% overall of the households that were surveyed said that at least one
person in the household was vegetarian or vegan. Eleven percent of households
almost exclusively using plant milks had at least one vegan or vegetarian in
the household compared to 27% of households which used plant and dairy milk and
4% of households which exclusively used dairy milk. No information was provided
as to how the survey defined “vegetarian” or “vegan.”
Reference:
Wolf CA, Malone T, McFadden BR. Beverage milk consumption
patterns in the United States: Who is substituting from dairy to plant-based
beverages? J Dairy Sci. 2020;103(12):11209-11217.
This recipe is from No
Cholesterol Passover Recipes by Debra Wasserman. This small
paperback book contains 100 vegan Passover recipes including eggless blintzes,
dairyless carrot cream soup, festive macaroons, apple latkes, sweet and sour
cabbage, knishes, vegetarian chopped “liver,” no oil lemon dressing, eggless
matzo meal pancakes, and much more.
Chopped “Liver” Spread (makes 1 cup)
3 Tablespoons oil ½ pound mushrooms, chopped 1 small onion, chopped 1 cup chopped walnuts Pepper and salt to taste 1 Tablespoon water
Sauté mushrooms and onion for 8 minutes. Pour into blender or food
processor, adding walnuts, seasonings, and water. Blend until smooth. Serve on
matzo as a spread or with raw vegetable sticks.
No Cholesterol Passover Recipes is available on Kindle here.
No Cholesterol Passover Recipes is available for purchase through our
bookstore here.
2 Tablespoons fresh basil
(optional, more to garnish)
Olive oil, to garnish
(optional)
Plain vegan yogurt, to
garnish (optional)
Vegan croutons, to garnish
(optional)
In a large pot over low heat,
sauté onion and celery in about 1/4 cup broth until tender and fragrant, about
5-7 minutes. Add all remaining broth, peas, ginger, and salt/pepper. Cook over
low heat for 10-12 minutes until all veggies are warmed through and soft.
Remove from heat and add fresh mint and basil.
Purée in a blender or food
processor, or with a hand blender until smooth and creamy. Serve warm,
garnished as desired with fresh mint or basil, olive oil, vegan yogurt, or
croutons.
Spring has arrived in the USA
and now is the time to prepare meals with seasonal ingredients. Chef Nancy
Berkoff says, “Cabbage, cilantro, parsley, Swiss chard, green peppers,
chilies, leeks, scallions and chives, snow peas, petit pois (young green peas),
spinach, kale, collards, mustard and beet greens, romaine, and endive are some
of the greenery we can use to brighten our spring menu!” In her previous Vegetarian Journal article Cooking
with Early Spring Greens you’ll find recipes for Fennel Salad, Green Pea
Mockaguacamole, Spring Greens and Lentil Sauté, Smoky Collards, Grilled Romaine
Salad with Vinaigrette Dressing, and Vinegary Green Beans with Dill.
Easter falls on April 4th in 2021; however,
you might want to shop for vegan Easter treats now! Here’s some online shops
offering vegan Easter Chocolate and Candy:
The Vegetarian Resource Group is a vegan activist non-profit organization that does outreach all-year-long. For example, VRG has been participating in numerous virtual events throughout the USA by providing speakers on a wide variety of vegan topics. We also send literature free of charge to other groups/individuals doing educational activities in schools, hospitals, camps, restaurants, libraries, offices, etc. Our ability to continue doing this depends on people like you! Your donations allow us to promote the vegan message whenever we’re called upon for assistance. Please consider becoming a monthly, quarterly, or single-time donor to The Vegetarian Resource Group.
Thanks so much for your support.
You can make a donation online here: vrg.org/donate
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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