Chef Nancy Berkoff offers creative suggestions on how to make pizza in your own home. The information below is from a previous Vegetarian Journal article.

Make Your Pizza

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (you can use a toaster oven for individual pizzas). The microwave won’t work for this — no one wants a “steamed” pizza.

Whatever type of “dough” you’ve selected, bake it, if necessary. If using bread, like English muffins or burger buns, slice thin and toast lightly.

Decide on your sauce and toppings — we’ve given some suggestions below. Smooth a thin layer of sauce on your “dough” and then go to town with the toppings — really pile them on.

Place your masterpiece on a nonstick baking dish and allow to bake until your “dough” is crunchy and your veggies or fruit are cooked to the texture you’d like. Times will vary depending on the thickness of the bread you used and the amount of toppings, but can take as little as 7 minutes or up to 20 minutes. Make enough so you can have cold pizza for breakfast, or pack some for lunch!

Super Pizza Combos

• English muffin topped with mushroom sauce and fresh and canned mushrooms, chopped canned tomatoes, and chopped green peppers
• Pita with mushroom sauce, topped with three different types of cooked beans, mushrooms, and onions
• Sliced French bread topped with tomato purée, rosemary, fresh and canned tomatoes, peppers, and onions
• Baked pizza dough topped with tomato sauce, shredded spinach, basil, oregano, and white beans
• Sliced burger bun topped with tomato sauce, chopped chilies and peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms
• Baked pizza dough with orange juice concentrate and peanut butter sauce (mix the two together for the consistency you want) topped with fresh and frozen strawberries, pineapple, chopped walnuts, and coconut, or topped with canned peaches and plums, shredded dried apricots, raisins, and dates

The entire article can be read here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2001nov/2001_nov_cooking_tips.php

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Many people are unemployed or under-employed today and are looking for inexpensive vegan menu ideas. Previously, VRG Dietetic Intern Melissa Wong created low cost vegan menu plans with some vegan recipes that ran in Vegetarian Journal. Melissa states, “Can someone follow a vegan diet and stay within a strict financial budget? The answer is yes! The following meal plans were devised for three specific populations: young adults, older adults, and a family of four. If you do not fit into one of these categories, you may still use the ideas in this article to develop a meal plan that is just right for you. Each plan features an array of meal ideas that are quick and easy to prepare, that contain the nutrients your body needs, and that won’t put a huge dent in your wallet.”

Read the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2006issue2/2006_issue2_mealplans.php

Perhaps you are vegan and you or someone else you know follows a gluten-free diet. The following handout offers helpful information: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/Gluten-Free-handout.pdf

This handout comes from a longer article on vegan/gluten-free diets and this piece also includes recipes: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2006issue4/2006_issue4_gluten.php

How often have you prepared a pot of rice, had leftovers after your meal, and were lacking ideas of what to do with the leftover rice the next day or two? One of Chef Nancy Berkoff’s previous articles in Vegetarian Journal offers quick ideas on how you can creatively use your leftover rice.

For example, Chef Berkoff says, Combine leftover white or brown rice with any of the following and then microwave or sauté with a small amount of vegetable oil spray:

Savory

• Chopped green bell peppers, chopped tomatoes, chopped parsley, and chopped walnuts
• Chopped parsley, bread crumbs, lemon juice, and minced smoked tofu or seitan
• Chopped green bell peppers, chopped onions, chopped celery, chopped mushrooms, pimentos, cayenne, and paprika
• Cooked wild rice, minced garlic, sautéed onions and mushrooms, and dry sherry
• Red bell peppers, Soyrizo or crumbled vegan sausage, paprika, oregano, and shallots
• Scallions, water chestnuts or jicama, cilantro, and soy sauce
• Chopped fresh parsley, minced garlic, curry powder, and soy margarine
• Forest blend mushrooms (a commercial mixture similar to mixed vegetables available in the produce, refrigerated, dried fruit and vegetable, or soup section in many supermarkets) and sherry

Sweet

• Pineapple and maple syrup
• Peanut, almond, hazelnut, apple, or soy butter, cinnamon, and ginger
• Minced dried apricots, raisins, and almonds
• Shredded coconut, maple syrup, nutmeg, and cloves

Her article also offers suggestions on how to spice up your rice, entrée suggestions, as well as how to take leftover rice and make rice milk or congee (rice porridge).

Read the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2006issue2/2006_issue2_tips.php

Subscribe to Vegetarian Journal on kindle in the USA and the 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

Chef Nancy Berkoff offers this idea for making a vegan Easter “egg” alternative.

FAST CRISPED RICE EGGS

(Makes 8-10 small eggs)

• ¼ cup vegan chocolate or carob chips
• 2 cups puffed rice cereal

Melt chocolate in a microwave or on the stove. Remove from heat, mix in cereal, and very quickly form into shapes. Store on a parchment- or waxed paper-lined tray.

Chef Nancy’s article “Usin’ the Old Bean“ offers several easy suggestions for preparing dishes with canned or leftover cooked beans. Nancy says, “Doesn’t it always seem as if you have either leftover cooked beans in the refrigerator or extra cans of beans staring out at you from the pantry? Cooked or canned beans are certainly edible in their natural state. But this can get so boring!”

Some of her international bean dish ideas primarily using garbanzo or white beans (also called Great or small Northern beans) include:

Italian: Toss lightly with tomato sauce, minced garlic or garlic powder (be careful, since garlic “grows” in power as it’s heated), dried red pepper flakes, and chopped fresh or dried basil.

Greek: Toss very lightly with olive oil, chopped fresh parsley, and chopped black olives; if you’d like to serve this cold, toss in some chopped cucumbers and fresh tomatoes.

Central American: Add in chopped fresh or canned tomatoes, chopped fresh cilantro, chopped onions, and chopped green bell peppers; if you’d like some heat, add some Tabasco or hot sauce.

English: Toss cooked white beans with ketchup or used canned vegetarian baked beans and serve on toast. (Beans on toast is a mild English teatime item.)

Indian (and this is a very Anglicized version): Toss cooked lentils or garbanzos with curry powder and chopped onions. If you have the time, purchase garam masala (spice mix) and some tandoori paste, then toss cooked beans with these and bake until bubbly.

Norwegian: Very mild, very pure-cooked, or baked beans flavored only with a small amount of bay leaf.

French: Invest in a small bottle of Herbes de Provence (found in most markets), an aromatic spice blend that includes lavender and thyme. Toss lightly with tomato juice, lemon juice, and Herbes de Provence. If you have the time, you can make a vegan cassoulet by simmering white beans with onion, garlic, tomatoes, vegan sausage, black pepper, and thyme.

Find the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2003issue1/2003_issue1_cooking_tips.php

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/categories.aspx?Keyword=easter

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

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

Enjoy Life (vegan and good for people with allergies): https://shop.enjoylifefoods.com/Seasonal-Chocolate-Minis/c/EnjoyLife@Seasonal

Serve this Vegan Chopped “Liver” Spread from No Cholesterol Passover Recipes on matzo or crackers if you’re not observing Passover.

Vegan Chopped “Liver” Spread

(Makes about 1 cup)

3 Tablespoons vegetable broth

½ pound mushrooms, chopped (use fresh or drained canned)

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup copped walnuts

Pepper and salt to taste

1 Tablespoon water

Sauté mushrooms and onion in vegetable broth over medium heat for 8 minutes. Pour mixture into blender or food processor cup and add walnuts, seasonings, and water. Blend until smooth.

Want vegan meals delivered to your home? Check for over 50 sources here: www.VegMealDelivery.com

If you’re unable to attend a Passover Seder due to the Coronavirus or perhaps you’re just looking for a new soup suggestion suitable for Passover, you may want to prepare this Carrot Cream Soup recipe from No Cholesterol Passover Recipes.

Carrot Cream Soup

(Serves 6)

1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 Tablespoon oil plus 3 Tablespoons water

6 cups water

Salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped finely (or 1 Tablespoon dried parsley)

In large pot, sauté the chopped onions and carrots in the oil and water mixture for 10 minutes over a medium heat. Add 6 cups water and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Purée in blender, return mixture to a pot, and reheat before serving.

Note: If you don’t purée the soup the mixture also makes an excellent vegetarian soup stock.