By Chef Nancy Berkoff, RD, EdD

To mold or shape rice for an elegant or fun presentation, select short-grained rice. Pack cooked rice into an oiled mold, oven-proof cookie cutters, muffin tins, or individual baking cups. Place the mold in an oven-safe dish with 2 inches of water, open-side up. Bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes or until set. Allow to cool and unmold.

If you’d like to create rice balls, to use as hot entrée or cold snack, cook a batch of short-grained, sticky/glutinous, or sushi rice, and allow to cool. Select one of the blends listed here, and mix with rice. Roll and pat larger balls for an entrée, smaller balls for a snack. To heat rice balls, wrap in plastic wrap and microwave for several minutes on medium heat, or place in a steamer and heat for a few minutes.

Savory:

Green bell pepper, chopped tomatoes, chopped parsley, and chopped walnuts

Chopped parsley, breadcrumbs, and lemon juice

Chopped green bell peppers, onions, celery, pimentos, mushrooms, cayenne, and paprika

Cooked wild rice, minced garlic, sautéed onions and mushrooms, and dry sherry

Red bell peppers, soyrizo, paprika, oregano, and shallots

Scallions, water chestnuts or jicama, cilantro, and soy sauce

Chopped fresh parsley, minced garlic, curry powder, and olive oil

Forest blend mushrooms and sherry

Sweet:

Pineapple and organic brown sugar or date sugar

Roasted chestnuts or chestnut purée, cinnamon, and ginger

Minced dried apricots, raisins, and almonds

Shredded coconut, organic brown sugar, nutmeg, and cloves

Looking for something new to do with your kids during the Thanksgiving break? You might want to use Jessica Dadd’s Veggie-Friendly Memory Cards for Kids! See: https://www.vrg.org/family/memory_cards.php

photo from Freepik

By Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD

Red, yellow, green, pink, fresh, dried… There is a type and form of apple for everyone’s taste. Apples are wonderful eaten out-of-hand. To change up your apple snacking, shake on some chili, ginger, curry powder, or a spice-blend of your choosing. If you have a last-minute, “can you bring something” event, arrange thinly sliced green and red, tart and sweet varieties, on a serving platter, and sprinkle with spices.

When you have time to cook, you might like to try Apple Curry. Chop tart apples (such as Granny Smiths), onions, garlic, and chili or bell peppers and sauté with curry powder until soft. Add coconut milk, a bay leaf, and a splash of apple cider and maple syrup. Cover and allow to simmer until flavors are blended. Serve over rice, polenta, or your favorite cooked grain. Also, use as a wrap filling or blend and serve as a flavorful soup.

If you don’t have time to cook, create an Apple Salsa using firm apples (such as Delicious, Fuji, Gala, or Pink Lady), and combine with diced sweet onions, seeded fresh chilies, minced fresh cilantro, a splash of fresh lime or lemon juice, and ground white pepper.

Quick Applesauce requires equipment, but not much time. Core and peel apples, chop coarsely, place in a microwaveable bowl, cover, and microwave until soft. Place in a blender or food processor; add maple syrup or sweetener of choice, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, and ginger; blend; and serve! Enjoy applesauce as a side dish or dessert, or use as a baking ingredient.

Finely chopped fresh apples can be added to hummus, your favorite sandwich spread, cooked grains, hot or cold cereals, and smoothies. Sliced apples, quickly sautéed in your vegan margarine or oil of choice and tossed with walnuts or almonds and dried fruit, can be used as a side dish, a grain or sweet potato topper, or the base for a dessert.

No time to bake a pie? Create Apple Pie Burritos by filling tortillas with sautéed apples, garnishing with chopped nuts and dried fruit. For an apple pie enchilada dessert casserole, preheat oven to 375 degrees, spray a baking dish with vegetable oil, and layer sautéed apples with shredded tortillas dusted with cinnamon and a sweetener. If desired, moisten with a small amount of apple cider. Top with dried cranberries and dried apples, dot with a small amount of margarine, cover, and bake until hot.

Be sure to follow The Vegetarian Resource Group on Instagram: @vegetarianresourcegroup

photo by Rissa Miller

Surprise your guests with fancy mocktails this Thanksgiving! Previously the Journal featured an article titled “Non-Alcoholic Thirst Quenchers,” by Mikiel Peratino. Mikiel is a former assistant manager and bartender at Great Sage vegan restaurant in Maryland. Enjoy recipes for Strawberry Fauxjito; Virgin Piña Colada; Warm Golden Pumpkin; Black Rose Mule; Watermelon Cooler; S’mores Mudslide; Virgin Cucumber Basil Gimlet; and Butterfly Margarita. These drinks look absolutely gorgeous and will bring a smile to your face!

Read the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2020issue3/2020_issue3_thirst_quenchers.php

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

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

On October 28, 2025 Representatives Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) and Alma Adams (D-NC) introduced the Plant Powered School Meals Pilot Act, H.R. 5867. The bill was referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

This bill, if approved,  would create a voluntary grant program for school districts to support schools providing 100% plant-based food and milk options. According to the text of the bill, a 100% plant-based food or milk option would not contain “any animal products or byproducts, such as meat, poultry, honey, fish, dairy, or eggs.”

The funds that would be made available through the grant program could be used for:

• Training school foodservice staff,
• Purchasing plant-based sources of protein and milk from “socially disadvantaged producers, local producers, and women, veterans, and beginning farmers,”
• Promoting the plant-based foods to students and providing nutrition education,
• Additional labor costs related to preparing and serving plant-based foods,

The bill would also require schools to offer a non-dairy milk substitute to any student with a written request from the student’s parent or guardian. The bill also allows schools to provide non-dairy milk alternatives, consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, to any student as part of a reimbursable meal, with no requirement for a doctor’s note.

Photo by Linda Tyler

We are all told to eat whole grains; however, do you know how to prepare vegan meals with ancient grains. The Whole Grains Council states that grains that are largely unchanged over the last several hundred years can be called “ancient.” This means that modern wheat, which is constantly hybridized by growers, is not an ancient grain, while other types of wheat, including einkorn, emmer, farro, Khorasan wheat, and spelt, would be considered ancient grains. Most lists of ancient grains encompass amaranth, barley, bulgur, freekeh, millet, teff, and quinoa. To add even more nuance—or confusion—to the definition of “ancient grains,” amaranth, buckwheat, and quinoa are actually pseudo-grains; they are seeds from broadleaf plants, not from grasses.

In a previous issue of Vegan Journal, Linda Tyler shares several recipes including Granola with Ancient Grains; Carrot Cake Hot Cereal with Ancient Grains; Black Bean and Sorghum Chili; Greek Farro Salad; Shawarma Spelt, Chickpea, and Cauliflower Bowls; and Walnut Cookies with Toasted Quinoa. Read the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2024issue2/2024_issue2_ancient_grains.php

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

VRG volunteer Phil Becker staffed VRG’s outreach table at the San Francisco World Fest in California. He reports that the event was a huge success with the number of attendees rising from the past few years. Thanks Phil!

photo by Rissa Miller

Chef Nancy Berkoff has you covered! See: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2023issue1/2023_issue1_cooking_tips.php

Spaghetti Squash and Meatball Pie photo by Hannah Kaminsky

A past issue of Vegan Journal features “Pies to Savor,” by Senior Editor Hannah Kaminsky. Recipes include: Wholesome Whole Wheat Crust; Taco Pie; Cheesy Mac Pie; Primavera Pot Pie; Spaaghetti Squash and Meatball Pie; and Holiday Quiche. Read the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2024issue4/2024_issue4_pies_to_savor.php

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