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.

Perhaps you or your children are stuck at home right now and looking for something fun to do. If so, consider viewing the previous winners of The Vegetarian Resource Group Video Contest. See: https://www.vrg.org/veg_videos.php

This Cinnamon and Potato Pancakes recipe from Chef Nancy Berkoff is a great way to use up extra potatoes and a terrific way to put a new spin on pancakes!

Cinnamon and Potato Pancakes from Vegan Meals for One or Two(Makes 4 pancakes)

Vegetable oil spray

2 cups frozen has brown potatoes, thawed (or cooked, leftover hash browns)

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 cups prepared pancake batter

Spray a large frying pan with oil (or lightly oil the pan). Add hash browns and cook until crisp. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Divide the potatoes into six separate stacks in the pan and pour ½ cup pancake batter onto each stack. Mix each stack with the batter, right in the pan. Cook until each side is golden brown. Serve with syrup and sliced fruit, if desired.

Note: If you have a leftover baked potato, you can slice it and use it for hash browns.

Many schools are closed now due to the coronavirus. Here’s some veggie-friendly games for young children:

Veggie Memory Cards https://www.vrg.org/family/memory_cards.php

Veggie Counting Game https://www.vrg.org/family/memory_cards_math_game1.php

Many of us are now stuck at home due to the coronavirus. Food supplies may be limited; however, if you have a package of tempeh and a few other ingredients you can make this easy Sloppy Joe recipe from Conveniently Vegan.

Quick Sloppy Joes

(Serves 5)

Serve this dish over a whole wheat bun or over a baked potato.

Small onion, chopped

2 teaspoons oil

Two packages tempeh, grated

2 teaspoons chili powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon salt

6-ounce can tomato paste

2 cups water

Sauté onion in oil in a large frying pan over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add grated tempeh and stir-fry for 5 minutes longer. Reduce heat, add remaining ingredients, and simmer 5 minutes. Serve warm.

This game from The Vegetarian Resource Group is good for both kids and adults. See: https://www.vrg.org/game/

Whether you’re home alone or with your children, these two puddings from Simply Vegan are easy to prepare and enjoy during these difficult times.

Chocolate Pudding

(Serves 3)

1½ cups soymilk

3 Tablespoons cornstarch

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup maple syrup

¼ cup cocoa powder

Whisk all the ingredients together in a pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until pudding thickens. Remove pot from stove. Chill for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Note: Double the recipe, pour into a vegan graham cracker crust and chill before slicing.

Karen’s Creamy Rice Pudding

(Serves 8)

2 cups pre-cooked rice

1½ teaspoons cinnamon

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup raisins

½ cup slivered almonds (optional)

3½  cups soymilk

Mix all the ingredients together in a pot. Simmer until mixture begins to thicken (15-20 minutes), stirring occasionally. Remove from stove and serve hot or cold.

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.

Previous winning essays and complete details can be seen here: http://www.vrg.org/essay/

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.

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.

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.

For information on Tumerico, go to: https://www.tumerico.com/

For a guide to veggie restaurants in the USA and Canada, visit: https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php