Each year The Vegetarian Resource Group holds an essay contest for children.
SUBJECT: 2-3 page essay on any
aspect of veganism/vegetarianism. Vegetarianism is not eating meat, fish, and
birds (for example, chicken or duck). Vegans do not use any animal products.
Among the many reasons for being a vegan/vegetarian are beliefs about ethics, culture,
health, aesthetics, religion, world peace, economics, world hunger, and the
environment.
Entrants should base their paper on interviewing, research, and/or personal
opinion. You need not be a vegetarian to enter. All essays become the property
of The Vegetarian Resource Group. DEADLINE:
Must be postmarked by May 1, 2020 for current year of judging.
On a recent road trip, we arrived in Tucson, AZ ready for Mexican food. Fortunately for us, we found Tumerico. Tumerico, located near the University of Arizona campus at 2526 E 6th St, is a mostly vegan restaurant with a menu that changes regularly. The day that we ate there the menu included a Pad Thai Veggie Bowl, spicy Adobo Tacos, Ropa Vieja plate, tamales, and a mole bowl all of which came with rice, beans, salad, pico de gallo, and cashew crema. You could add queso fresco (soft cheese) and order either vegan or vegetarian tamales; otherwise all dishes were vegan.
Tamales
We tried Cuban Tacos, the vegan Tamale Plate, Viva la Mexico
Tostadas, and the Mole Bowl. The tacos were filled with jackfruit and had a
garlic-cilantro sauce. The tamales were my favorite – with a moist texture and
a blend of spices that was tasty but not fiery.
The tostadas were lovely and featured crisp tortillas spread with
guacamole and pesto, topped with beans, and served with a drizzle of cashew
crema. The mole bowl had a mixture of vegetables and beans in a mole sauce with
tortillas on the side.
Tostadas
The food was so good and the idea of a changing menu so
intriguing that we hoped to go back. Alas, Tumerico is closed on Mondays and
only open from 10-3 on Tuesdays. It’s open for breakfast/brunch, lunch and
dinner Wednesday through Sunday.
In the last issue of Vegetarian Journal,
we reported on a U.K. study that found that vegetarians (including vegans) had
a higher risk of a kind of stroke called hemorrhagic stroke and of stroke
overall than did meat eaters. A recently published study from Taiwan also
examined stroke rates in vegetarians and found that vegetarians (did not eat
meat or fish) had lower rates of hemorrhagic stroke and of stroke overall than
did nonvegetarians. The authors of the Taiwan study note that their vegetarian
subjects avoid alcohol whereas the British subjects were more likely to drink.
Since some studies show a higher stroke risk with higher alcohol consumption,
the researchers theorize that the British subjects’ alcohol use could supersede
protective effects of their vegetarian diet.
Chiu THT, Chang HR, Wang LY, Chang CC, Lin MN, Lin CL. Vegetarian diet and
incidence of total, ischemic, and hemorrhagic stroke in 2 cohorts in Taiwan.
Neurology. 2020 Feb 26. [Epub ahead of print].
New York State and California have passed laws that hospital
patients must be able to have a plant-based option at each meal. The final text
of the California law states “(c) For the purposes of this section,
“plant-based meals” shall mean entire meals that contain no animal products or
byproducts, including meat, poultry, fish, dairy, or eggs.” The New York
law states “plant-based food option” means a food or beverage that is
free of animal products and that has nutritional value comparable to the
non-plant-based food option that it replaces. These laws appear to be using
“plant-based” to mean “vegan.”
The non-profit nutrition organization Oldways has made it
simpler for hospitals to serve vegan meals. Oldways has created the Plant Forward Plates Healthcare Toolkit
that features more than 40 recipes scaled up to 100 servings, therapeutic meal
plans, nutritional analyses, and food-ordering guides. After reviewing the
menus and recipes, all of which are vegan, The Vegetarian Resource Group has
endorsed this useful tool.
The Plant Forward Plates Toolkit fee is being waived to
encourage hospitals to make 2020 the year they add healthy and delicious
plant-based meals to their menus. To download a free copy, visit https://oldwayspt.org/pfp
Did you know that you can make
seitan (wheat gluten) at home? Seitan is derived from the protein portion of
wheat. It stands in for meat in many recipes and works so well that a number of
vegans and vegetarians avoid it because the texture is too “meaty.”
A previous Vegetarian Journal article titled “Seitan—The Vegetarian Way,” by
Jill Nussinow, MS, RD, tells you how to prepare quick homemade gluten. Recipes
are also provided for Seitan Stew, Seitan
and Shiitake Mushroom Stroganoff, Seitan Fusion Sauté, Barbecued Seitan, Seitan-Squash
Sauté, and Mock BBQ Pork.
The Vegetarian Resource Group maintains an online Guide to
Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants in the USA and Canada. Here are some recent vegan
restaurant additions. The entire guide can be found here: http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php
To support the updating of this
online restaurant guide, please donate at: www.vrg.org/donate
Here are some new additions to VRG’s
guide:
A Peace of Soul Vegan Kitchen
2338 Main St., Columbia, SC 29201
Enjoy vegan soul food including
collards, purple cabbage, pinto beans and rice, coconut curry chickpeas, mac n’
cheese, chili cheese fries, sloppy Joes, fried “chicken” sandwich,
and more.
Go Vegan-Philly
401 Fayette St., Conshohocken, PA 19428
Serves fresh, made to order,
all-vegan food in this pop-up style restaurant located inside Izenberg’s Deli
Enjoy mini krab cakes, mac n’ cheese, cornbread and battered chick’n, collard
greens, quinoa stir-fry, and more. They also have vegan desserts.
Lulu Green
246 W. Broadway, Boston, MA 02127
Located in South Boston, just a
5-minute walk from the Broadway T-station. Menu includes a coconut yogurt
parfait for breakfast, hummus or avocado toast, cornmeal waffles on weekends,
salads and bowls, soup, sandwiches, baked goods, and more.
Mamak Vegan Kitchen
2390 Chamblee Tucker Rd., Chamblee,
GA 30341
Described to have a “trendy” ambience
by restaurant reviewers, Mamak Vegan Kitchen offers visitors dozens of menu
items, all 100% vegan. From curry pies, to Beyond Rendang, this restaurant is
focused on Malaysian cuisine and “timeless favorites,” according to their
website. Additionally, one can order a variety of colorful teas and desserts,
also plant-based.
The Native Bowl
Contact for location and times in Portland,
OR
According to their website, “Our
bowls are always made to order, using only the freshest vegetables and
ingredients available. We use locally made tofu and soymilk from Ota Tofu, and
Soy Curls from Butler Foods in nearby Grand Ronde, Oregon.” Among their
bowl choices are the Hollywood (consisting of Za’atar, lemon garlic tahini
sauce, grilled garbanzo beans, red cabbage, pita chips, peperoncinis and
scallions on a bed of jasmine rice) and the Albina bowl (containing Teriyaki
marinated chik’n, peanut ginger sauce, cilantro, roasted garlic cloves,
spinach, carrots, scallions and toasted sesame seeds on a bed of jasmine rice).
The Plant Society Kitchen
37 Mill St. East, Acton, ON L7J 1H1
Canada
Enjoy their Breakfast Plate
consisting of tofu scramble, slice tomato, toast, avocado, potato hash, and
fresh sprouts, Avo Toast, Kale Salad, or Falafel. They also serve desserts.
Wild Thyme Organics
81-6372 Hawaii Belt Rd., Kealakekua,
HI 96750
Enjoy all vegan dishes such as
Tempura Tacos, Philly Cheese Steak, Loaded Nachos, BLT, Chinese Chicken Salad,
Paniolo Burger, and more. They use locally sourced organic vegetables and fruit
when available.
Many years ago, Lisa Rivero wrote
a Vegetarian Journal article titled “Mix
Things Up.” Lisa states, “Dry mixes will keep well for several weeks; so have a
variety on hand for last minute meals or snacks. Just be sure to package them
carefully in air-tight jars or bags.”
These dry mixes would be useful
to have on hand in case you live in an area that is having to go on lock-down
due to the Coronavirus. The article includes recipes for CINNAMON RAISIN APPLE MUFFIN MIX, VEGETABLE
DIP MIX, MACARONI AND TVP SKILLET MIX, LONG-GRAIN AND WILD RICE MIX, SAUCEPAN
STUFFING MIX, BURGER MIX, and CAROB
DATE BROWNIE MIX.
Coming from more northern climates, Phoenix, AZ was delightfully warm. After a couple of sunny hikes, we realized that it was time to cool off. We made our first visit, of several trips, to Nami at 2014 North 7th St in Phoenix. Nami started as a vegan ice cream shop and expanded to include coffee and other hot beverages, baked treats, breakfast, and Sunday brunch.
Nami offers vegan soft-serve made with organic unrefined
cane sugar, organic soy and coconut milk, in vanilla, chocolate, and swirl
flavors. Then it gets fun. You can mix in any number of goodies, either
choosing your own or going with a suggested combination. For example, there’s
Life’s a Peach (deconstructed peach cobbler, granola, and caramel). Clunky
Monkey swirls soft-serve with bananas, pecans, banana syrup, and chocolate
syrup. And then there’s the Mash where the server surprises you with an
original concoction. Servings are large enough to share and they also offer
smaller cups with no mix-ins. The soft-serve was smooth and creamy with a light
flavor that blended well with the mix-ins.
Every time we stopped by, Nami was busy, showing people of
all ages how good vegan treats can be.
The latest issue of Vegetarian
Journal features an article by Ben Sarsgard titled, Stay the Course –
Running the Vegan Power 50K. Ben states, “A 50K is the shortest of the common
distances referred to as ultra-marathons, which means anything farther than the
marathon distance of 26.2 miles. They keep going from there: 50 milers, 100,
200, but 50 kilometers (31 miles) is more than enough for many. If you’ve run a
5K, imagine following it up with 9 more, carrying your own water, over
mountains and hills. You leap roots and rocks every few inches, sometimes
successfully, but usually eating dirt once or twice as your legs get heavy and
your toes can’t quite clear the hurdles. As a runner passes you with a splatter
of mud up one side of their shirt, you know they wear it as a badge of pride.”
– Just got back from my son’s one-year check-up, and the
only concern the doctor had about a plant-based diet was the amount of fat (or
lack thereof) in whatever plant-based milk we may choose to transition to.
Anyone know of any brands/varieties that have comparable fat to whole cow’s
milk and also hit the other main important points (protein, calcium, vitamins D
and B12)?
– How do you educate young children and tell them the truth
about where meat comes from and how animals are badly treated, but not terrify
them?
– Another option for vegan shoes for kids was posted.
– Live Video of 9-year-old vegan boy answering questions.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/VRGparentsandkids/ is intended to be a group that offers support for
families raising children on vegan diets and for vegan kids. We envision it as
a place to get advice about a wide-variety of topics: pregnancy, birthday
parties, school lunches, Halloween, non-leather apparel, cruelty-free products,
summer camps, and more. Please use it as a place to share your wisdom, seek
advice, or just find a sympathetic ear. The goal is to offer support.
Consequently, any profane, defamatory, offensive,
or violent language will be removed. Feel free to disagree, but do so
respectfully. Hateful or discriminatory comments regarding race, ethnicity,
religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or political beliefs will not
be tolerated. We expect that posts should relate to vegan diets and lifestyles.
The Vegetarian Resource Group reserves the right to monitor all content and ban
any user who posts in violation of the above rules, any law or regulation,
SPAM, or anything otherwise off topic.
Please share this information
with any veggie families that you know! Thanks.
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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