Have you ever gone to a supermarket, looked at the salad choices in the deli case, then think the vegan options are slim and often unexciting. We’ve got you covered. A previous Vegetarian Journal article called “Deli Salads,” by Rachel Haley Himmelheber offers a wide range of recipes for creative deli salads.

You can prepare Mexican Cole Slaw; Potato Salad with Thai Peanut Dressing; Asian Slaw; German Potato Salad; Middle Eastern Macaroni Salad; or Pecan and Red Pepper Pesto Macaroni Salad.

Find the entire article, including recipes, here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2000jul/2000_jul_delisalads.php

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Photo above from Doshi.

Some online vegan retailers have been able to continue shipping during the coronavirus pandemic. If you’re still working and are able to support these vegan establishments, we’re sure they would greatly appreciate it!

Avesu Vegan Shoes

https://www.avesuveganshoes.com/

American shop selling women’s and men’s sneakers, sandals, and all types of other shoes, bags, backpacks, belts, wallets, and more.

Doshi

https://doshi.shop/

This American online store offer all types of bags for men and women including backpacks and brief cases, as well as wallets and belts.

Free Rangers

www.freerangers.co.uk

British shop selling men’s and women’s shoes, bags, belts, and accessories.

Herbivore Clothing

www.herbivoreclothing.com

American shop selling bags, wallets, belts, and shoes for women and men.

Holster Australia

www.holsterfashion.com

Australian shop that offers shoes for children and women.

Mooshoes

www.mooshoes.com

American shop on both the East and West coasts, as well as online shopping. Their online shop offers men’s and women’s shoes, bags, wallets, and belts.

Native Shoes

www.nativeshoes.com

Canadian shop and online store that sells kid’s, men’s and women’s shoes, boots, and sandals

Vegan Essentials

https://veganessentials.com/

American shop offering belts and wallets.

Vegan Warehouse

www.theveganwarehouse.com

American shop offering a wide variety of handbags for women and belts, wallets, and more for men.

 The Vegetarian Site

www.thevegetariansite.com

American shop selling men’s and women’s footwear, belts, and accessories such as wallets.

Nothing beats a bowl of soup! If you’re in a rush, Chef Nancy Berkoff offers some creative simple soup suggestions in her Vegan Cooking Tips column from a previous issue of Vegetarian Journal.

Nancy states, “Soup meals are comforting and convenient meals. One way to ensure that there can always be soup on the table is to make a basic soup to use as a base for other types of soup.

For example, create a basic vegan vegetable soup. Use your broth or stock of choice, add diced or chopped seasonal or frozen veggies, allow to simmer, and you have a basic soup. Use your favorite fresh or dried herbs, such as parsley, cilantro, basil, sage, thyme or rosemary, to create your own flavor profile. Next…add some cooked beans, purée, and you have a creamy soup.”

Another idea she offers is: “You might want to try a soup with an interesting flavor and texture such as a West African-style soup. Mince and sauté garlic and onions, stir in tomato paste, stir in peanut butter (or soy nut butter), stir, and allow to heat, then add in broth or stock, add in shredded greens, and allow to simmer. This soup is ready to go, or you can add in veggie crumbles, shredded coconut, chopped nuts, raisins, leftover cooked veggies, cooked rice or couscous, etc. This soup lends itself to being served over cornbread, steamed breads, or potato pancakes.”

To read the entire column including many more soup ideas, go to: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2018issue1/2018_issue1_cooking_tips.php

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

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

Subscribe to Vegetarian Journal on kindle in the USA and the United Kingdom.

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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

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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