Posted on
November 04, 2019 by
The VRG Blog Editor
Pear season is now occurring in America and a previous by
Debra Daniels-Zeller offers a wide range of pear-based vegan recipes including Reisling-Braised
Kale and Pears With Basmati Rice, Sweet And Spicy Yams And Pears With Toasted
Pecans, Maple-Sautéed Pears, Creamy Rosemary, Acorn Squash, and Pear Soup, Coconut-Cranberry-Pear
Sauce, Hazelnut-Orange Asian Pear and Beet Salad, Pear Crisp With Cranberries,
Pear-Walnut Bread, and Berry-Poached Pears.
Posted on
November 01, 2019 by
The VRG Blog Editor
Today is World Vegan Day! World Vegan Day first occurred on
November 1st, 1994 as a way of commemorating the 50th anniversary of the United
Kingdom Vegan Society and the term Vegan. Consider treating a non-veggie friend
or co-worker to a delicious vegan meal today. This way you support vegan
establishments while showing others how wonderful vegan food can be.
Posted on
November 01, 2019 by
The VRG Blog Editor
Below is a list of some of the restaurants, caterers, and
groups offering vegan meals/potlucks for Thanksgiving (both before and on that
day) alphabetically by state. If you’re looking for some new recipes to prepare
for Thanksgiving, visit: http://www.vrg.org/recipes/vegan_thanksgiving.php
We wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!
CALIFORNIA
+Native Foods, Costa Mesa, Los Angeles, and San Diego, CA
How often have you wanted to make a gift in honor of a loved
one or friend but weren’t sure which charities are vegan-friendly,
pro-environmental, or pro-animal rights? Please remember The Vegetarian
Resource Group. You can make a gift in memory of a loved one or as a living
tribute to honor someone you care about on a special occasion, such as a
wedding or birth. We’ll send an acknowledgment to you and to the recipient(s)
you choose. Your gift will support educational programs and help promote
veganism.
Make checks payable to The Vegetarian Resource Group and mail to PO Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203, or donate at vrg.org/donate
Vegetarian Resource Group volunteer Marcia Schveibinz was invited to speak at a high school. She reported:
“In the morning before I arrived, the school showed The Game Changers documentary to the classes as most of them are athletes. They then gathered the 2 classes together over lunch. There were about 30 senior boys (17-18 years old) altogether. A teacher’s wife made vegan chili with some vegetarian toppings on the side. The boys helped themselves to lunch before I started the presentation.
I had about 40-45 minutes, so I started with a 4 question pre-test, (which was based on my presentation objectives for them to complete to see how much they knew already about vegetarianism/veganism). Next I did a slide presentation of the benefits of vegetarian/vegan eating along with information on specific nutrients, and ideas for meals. Then I paired off the boys and each pair chose a restaurant menu (from Chipotle, PF Changs, Jimmy Johns, or Panera), along with nutrition information and allergy info for each menu. Their task was to create a vegetarian meal and a vegan meal. Then we had a few volunteers tell what they came up with. At the end we went over the pre-test and again, volunteers raised their hands to tell what their answers were. The boys will be doing a one-week vegetarian challenge where they don’t eat any kind of meat for a whole week. My presentation was supposed to arm them with information and ideas to make the challenge go smoothly! The teachers expressed interest in having me do the presentation again next year during their food unit.”
The Vegetarian Resource Group has been approved for
inclusion in the federal government CFC charity list. The CFC code number
10601. If you are a federal worker, we appreciate your support. If you are not
a federal government worker, you can support our veg outreach and education in
your workplace campaign. For some workplaces that do matching donations,
see: www.vrg.org/donate
Chef Nancy Berkoff’s Vegetarian Journal article called Easy as Apple Pie features recipes for Maple Apple Pie, Apple Cream Pie, Apple Pie: Hold the Sugar, Apple Pie with Whiskey, plus more. See: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2006issue3/2006_issue3_pie.php
The Vegetarian Resource Group is
hosting our 38th Annual Pre-Thanksgiving Vegan Potluck Dinner on Sunday,
November 24th, 2019 at 5 PM. The event is taking place at:
North
Baltimore Mennonite Church
4615 Roland Avenue
Baltimore MD 21210
We will be showing appreciation for
turkeys by not eating them! Come join us for a variety of festive, delicious
vegan dishes! Please bring a vegan dish – free of meat, fish, poultry, dairy,
eggs, honey, or any other animal by-products – that serves 4 per adult
attending.
Adult admission is $5 and children
eat free!
Any questions call (410) 366-8343
Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.
Also, you may want to bring a vegan canned good for the church that will be used for feeding the hungry. We hope to see you there!
There was not a single part of my meal at Native
Foods (Point Loma) in San Diego, CA that was not extremely enjoyable! From my
flavorful Peri Peri “Chicken” Sandwich, to my lightly spiced side of sweet potato
fries, or the vegan blueberry muffin to top of the meal, I was all smiles.
Part of a nationwide chain, Native Foods is a
vegan restaurant that offers a variety of dishes in different forms, inspired
by different cultures. When I first walked into one of their San Diego
locations, I was comforted by the positive messages painted on their walls.
After taking my time to browse the menu, I ordered one of their year-round
sandwiches.
The dish arrived quickly and was presented nicely,
with the colors of sweet potato fries and green lettuce complementing each
other nicely. The food had the right amount of flavor and spice, along with a
pleasant texture combination provided by the soft bun and the sauce covered soy
chicken. Native Foods often includes crispy potato chips in their sandwiches,
soups, or tacos to add a unique textural element, although my meal from this
visit did not include this feature.
After I happily devoured my food, I got a chance
to speak with the manager of the restaurant. He described to us the high
standards he keeps his kitchen in, stating he makes sure to only serve a dish
he would feed to his own family. An insider tip was for us to try the Korean
BBQ Sliders, which were his current favorite thing on the menu. Getting closer
to the human side of the restaurant significantly added to my dinner experience
at Native Foods that night.
Although everyone might not get this unexpected
insight into Native Foods on their visit, they can easily sign up for the
restaurant’s newsletter to receive information about sales and specials. For
example, to spice things up, they have a monthly special order available to
customers at every one of their locations. Another fun feature they have is a
monthly Native Pals Day. On this day, Native Foods gives a portion of their
proceeds to their “Native Pals,” which is currently the Farm Sanctuary, which
in turn help prevent animal cruelty at multiple sanctuaries nation-wide.
Another feature I found engaging was Native Food’s
free smartphone app. It begins meals off on an amazing note when it
automatically grants any new customers five dollars off their purchase for
downloading the app onto their phones! Furthermore, the app awards points for
every purchase, motivating customers to come back until reaching another five
dollar prize. At the end of my meal I had earned five dollars in points and was
able to purchase a blueberry muffin for free, ending my meal with a fresh and
sweet addition.
All in all, I know I will be returning to Native
Foods, hopefully in the near future, partially because of their great food, but
also for what they stand for. It always feels good to help oneself, the planet,
and animals through food, especially when food is as delicious as the offerings
of Native Foods.
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.
Sign up for our newsletter to receive recipes, ingredient information, reviews of new products, announcements of new books, free samples of products, and other VRG materials.
