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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.

For additional Jewish recipes, see our Lowfat Jewish Vegetarian Cookbook.

By Rissa Miller, Vegetarian Journal Senior Editor

(Serves 4)

1 small onion, chopped

1-2 stalks celery, chopped

32-ounce box low-sodium vegetable broth

16-ounce bag frozen peas, thawed to room temp

1-2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and minced

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 cup fresh mint (optional, more to garnish)

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.

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

You can also subscribe to the Kindle version of Vegetarian Journal in the USA and United Kingdom. In the USA, visit: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LBY2Y7K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1544727482&sr=8-1&keywords=B07LBY2Y7K  In the United Kingdom, visit: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07LBY2Y7K/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1544731957&sr=8-1&keywords=B07LBY2Y7K

Easter falls on April 4^th in 2021; however, you might want to shop for vegan Easter treats now! Here’s some online shops offering vegan Easter Chocolate and Candy:

No Whey Chocolate: https://www.nowheychocolate.com/easterchocolate_s/159.htm

Natural Candy Store: https://www.naturalcandystore.com/category/vegan-candy

Vegan Essentials: https://store.veganessentials.com/easter-gift-ideas-c108.aspx

Rose City: https://www.rosecitychocolates.com/catalogs/display_catalog/vegan-easter

Lake Champlain Chocolates: https://www.lakechamplainchocolates.com/seasonal-chocolates/vegan-easter-chocolate

Moo Free: https://www.moofreechocolates.com/collections/easter-chocolates

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

By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

The VRG highlights several recent (2015 to the present) scientific reports that reveal the relationships between dietary choices and our climate crisis.

See: https://www.vrg.org/blog/2021/02/24/vegan-and-vegetarian-diets-and-our-climate-emergency-scientific-updates-2015-2021/

The following recipes are by D. Enette Larson-Meyer, PhD.

Colcannon
(Serves 4)

1 pound potatoes, sliced
2 medium parsnips, peeled and sliced
2 medium leeks
1 cup soymilk
1 pound kale or cabbage
1/2 teaspoon mace (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons margarine
Parsley

Cook the potatoes and parsnips in water until tender. While those are cooking, chop the leeks (greens as well as white parts) and then simmer them in the soymilk until soft. Next, chop the kale or cabbage and cook until tender.
     Drain the potatoes, and season with the mace, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add the cooked leeks with soymilk. Finally, blend in the cooked kale or cabbage and margarine. The texture should be that of smooth potato with well distributed pieces of leek and kale or cabbage. Garnish with parsley.

Scannels’ Soda Bread
(Makes 1 loaf; 8 slices)

1-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup oat bran
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 Tablespoons caraway seeds
1/4 cup currants or raisins
1 cup soymilk plus 1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Mix the dry ingredients well. Blend in the caraway seeds and currants or raisins. Add soymilk stirring to make a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead for 1 minute. Shape into a round loaf and put into an 8-inch oiled round pan. With a floured knife, cut an X into the top. Bake loaf at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until lightly browned. Cut into slices when cool.

Here’s a list of some companies offering dehydrated vegan meals that you can take on your next backpacking trip:

Backpacker’s Pantry: Search under the word vegan and many meals will come up including Organic Blueberry Walnut Oatmeal; Kathmandu Curry; Cuban Coconut Rice & Black Beans; Pad Thai; and Three Amigos Veggie Stew.

Firepot Choose vegan in the dropdown menu of this United Kingdom company and you’ll see that they offer meals including Cal and Rice with Spinach; Vegan Orzo Bolognese; and Posh Baked Beans.

Food for the Sole: Search under vegan and meals such as Ratatouille with Nutty Quinoa Pilaf; Triple Peanut Slaw; and Cinnamon Cherry Crisp will come up.

Good to Go: Choose vegan under type of diet and many meals will be listed including Herbed Mushroom Risotto; Smoked Three Bean Chili; Kale and White Bean Stew; and Bimimbap.

By Odette Olivares, VRG intern

VRG intern Odette Olivares selected 24 of the best websites with calcium information for vegetarians which includes information geared towards Latinos. The Vegan R.D. and The Vegetarian Resource Group turned out to be the best websites from this selection. Both sites were written by Registered Dietitians and have comprehensive and detailed information on calcium. Besides, this selection can also offer you other creative ways to present calcium information. For example, you can find entertaining YouTube videos containing an interview with a Registered Dietitian, or a vegan YouTuber talking about calcium while also showing you their calcium menus. There are plenty of different sites to choose from! Check them out and share this selection!

See: https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/Best-Websites-in-English-with-Information-on-Calcium-in-the-Vegan-Diet-for-Latin-Americans.pdf

In Spanish, see: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/los-mejores-sitios-de-internet-en-ingles-con-informacion-sobre-calcio-para-veganos-latinoamericanos.pdf