The Vegetarian Resource Group will host a vegan dinner at Su Xing, about a six minute walk from the Pennsylvania Convention Center, on Sunday, October 27, 2019 at 6PM, during the annual meeting of The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Meet vegetarian dietitians from around the country. The public is invited.
MENU APPETIZER: seitan on stick with BQ sauce SOUP: (choice of): hot and sour soup or tofu and vegetable soup MAIN DISHES: chow fun (rice noodle dish) tofu with black bean sauce stir-fried spinach stir-fried string beans rice DESSERT: fruit BEVERAGES: tea and water
MUST RESERVE AND PAY IN ADVANCE Send $25 per person (includes tax and tip) with attendee names to The Vegetarian Resource Group, PO Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203. Call (410) 366-8343. Or pay at www.vrg.org/donate and write “Philadelphia VRG Dinner” and attendee names on the “Comments” box.
Dayana Love was a 2019 Vegetarian Resource Group video contest winner, and said: I am interested in veganism for multiple reasons. First is my health. I’ve watched multiple documentaries on the harmful effects that animal products have on your body. I feel that the only logical step for me to take is to cut it out of my diet. Second, I am very passionate about the environment and after learning about the negative effects livestock production has made me eager to switch to a vegan diet. Finally, I am a huge animal lover! and would like to align my diet with my values.
To support The Vegetarian Resource Group scholarships and internships, donate at www.vrg.org/donate or The Vegetarian Resource Group, Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203
Video scholarships have been given in honor of W.M. Zahn, who was a great mentor.
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.
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:
Baby Blue
3207 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland, OR
97214
Baby Blue is an all-vegan pizzeria
which makes wood fired pizza. Specialty pies include the Gringo Starr, the Truffle
Shuffle, and even a vegan Margherita. Mouth-watering pictures and regular
updates can be found on their website and at @babybluepizzapdx on Instagram.
Don’t wait, because they’re not open late!
Bloom Sushi
368 Saint-Paul Street W., Montreal,
QC H2Y 2A6 Canada
Bloom Sushi is totally vegan, but
spares nothing in presentation, selection, or taste! From miso soup without
bonito to spring rolls with Beyond Meat, they have vegan versions of the dishes
you expect from a Japanese restaurant. And of course, there’s the sushi! From
traditional veggie rolls to all-vegan custom futomaki, they have everything
you’d want at a traditional sushi bar, but most importantly, nothing you don’t.
Cheeky Martini Lounge
203 4th Ave. E., Ste. E, Olympia, WA 98501
Ever go to a bar and the only vegan
food they offer are the olives in your martini? At Cheeky Martini Lounge, all
their dishes (and martinis, and other drinks) are vegan! Try a Waldorf salad
with vegan chicken and vegan lemon mayo sauce, or a gluten-free Spicy Southwest
Bowl with black beans, quinoa, corn, vegan cheese, and more! There are also
smaller snack-sized dishes served later into the evening.
Chickpea & Olive
625 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11217
238 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11249
Chickpea & Olive calls their
dishes “peace on a plate”! Aiming to help their customers, the planet, and
animals, they serve 100% vegan dishes at two sites in Brooklyn, one within
Whole Foods Williamsburg. Chickpea and Olive also offer a variety of vegan
fries, including truffle and nacho fries, as sides at their Whole Foods
location to accompany any of their “comfort food” entrees!
Eden’s Café
1660 W. Broad St., Athens, GA 30606
Eden’s Café focuses on minimal waste
and maximum compassion. Grab and go options include a tempeh banh mi,
“Buddha noodles,” and other quick sandwiches, wraps and plates. If
you’re not in a hurry, sit a while and enjoy a kombucha, chai, coffee or tea.
There are also vegan baked good available, for those of you with a sweet tooth.
Honeybee
1820 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA
90027
Honeybee is a straight-forward burger
shop. They offer Impossible and Beyond burgers, and cheeseburger with Violife
vegan cheese. Pair it with some sweet potato tots or fries, and a vegan
soft-serve ice cream or milkshake for a classic American meal!
Inconceivable Café
147 First Ave. East, Hendersonville,
NC 28792
Located inside Sanctuary Brewing
Company, Inconceivable Café is a great spot for easy comfort food. With all
manner of burgers, salads and sandwiches, it’s the perfect spot for a no-fuss
lunch or dinner, even with a non-veg crowd. Cupcakes of various flavors are
available daily, and there’s a kids’ menu too! While you’re there, grab a beer
that brewed made in the same building.
Papyrus
337 Danforth Ave., Toronto, ON M4K
1N7 Canada
Saving for a trip to Egypt? Dreaming
of eating a picnic by the pyramids with a basket filled with authentic Egyptian
goodies? While you will still need to get to Egypt for your rendezvous with the
Giza Necropolis, you may have a short cut to the food part! This Egyptian vegan
restaurant serves food for the soul – they call it the “balance of fresh and
umami” (savory). From hearty soups,
yummy ful sandwiches filled with fava beans blended with flavors from
Egypt to drool-worthy konafa – a pastry stuffed with cheese and wrapped in
crispy vermicelli-like dough, you can find your happy palate and a four-course
meal here. If you want to get adventurous and mix-and-match your sandwich or
order a cold dessert, the options are plenty. At the end of the day, this is
sure to please your taste buds and become an unforgettable sensory experience
to etch in your memory lane! Be aware, they do close for some local holidays
observed in Canada.
Seed and Soil Plant-Based Eatery
High Street Terminal, 300 E. High St.,
Pottstown, PA 19464
Located in the new High Street
Terminal, Seed and Soil offers a pleasant variety of vegan options. Best known
for their baked cauliflower wings. They also offer a Jerk Caesar Salad, Burger
and Fries, and more. Communal seating available on premises.
Somebody People
1165 S. Broadway, #104, Denver, CO 80210
Ever feel like other restaurants
treat you like a nobody? Try Somebody People instead! Their
Mediterranean-inspired menu features eggplant dip and olives, as well as pasta
dishes like rigatoni and linguini. Or simply go with the Chef’s Selection, and
let someone else make the decisions for you! Call ahead for reservations.
The Good Good Vegan Kitchen + Bakeshop
4871 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles,
CA 90029
That’s no typo! The Good Good Vegan
Kitchen + Bakeshop is just that good. For breakfast there’s sweet or savory
oats. Get lunch in a bowl or on bread, like the sesame crusted falafel bowl or
the “meat” and potatoes. They have gluten-free options too! And of
course they have baked goods as well. Need a custom cake? Give them a call.
In answer to a consumer question, Late July said: We recently completed a thorough review of all Late July products and recipes. As a result of this review, we determined that the optimal recipe for this product includes peanut oil/whey. Because we are fully committed to providing consumers with transparency, clarity and the highest quality ingredients across our snack portfolio, we made the decision to update the front of the packaging and the ingredient statement to reflect the new ingredient.
The contents of this posting, our website, and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.
Plaza Azteca
is a chain of family owned and operated Mexican restaurants located (at the
time of this writing) in seven East Coast states: Virginia (23), Pennsylvania
(9), North Carolina (3), Connecticut (2), Massachusetts (1), Maryland (1), and
New Jersey (1). Their first restaurant opened in Virginia Beach, VA in the
1990s.
The VRG received an email from a
reader who dined recently at the Midlothian, VA Plaza Azteca. He wrote:
“…I wanted to share
that the rice used by this chain is cooked in either chicken broth or with a
chicken broth bouillon. I spoke with a manager at the Plaza Azteca in
Midlothian, Virginia to verify. She brought out the cooks and we asked how the
rice was prepared. The biggest concern is that their menu had a ‘Vegetarian’
section and all ‘vegetarian’ dishes are served with a side of rice.
I would also like to add
that I initially asked my waiter if the rice was vegetarian, he said yes, I
specifically asked if it was cooked in stock and his hesitation in answering
made me question his knowledge.”
The VRG wanted to determine if the rice at Plaza Azteca is prepared with animal broth so we first sent an email through their website contact form, and then called the Midlothian, VA restaurant. First we learned from employees that there isn’t a corporate office that handles inquiries such as ours. The menu should be the same in all restaurants but may vary.
When we asked specifically about the rice, we learned that “white rice” offered with the vegan menu option is not made with animal stock. It’s “just water, garlic and salt.”
“Rice” on the menu is not vegetarian. It’s “yellow in color due to spices and is prepared in chicken stock.”
We called Plaza Azteca a second time to learn more about its “vegan burrito bowl” listed on its online menu. In September 2019 we were informed that the online menu is not current. Now they offer a vegan bowl and a vegan burrito called Burrito Vegano. The vegan bowl consists of soy meat, rice, black beans, guacamole, corn, onions, poblano peppers, mushrooms, vegan cheese, and pico de gallo sauce. The vegan burrito has the same components of the vegan bowl placed inside of a wheat tortilla. The “soy meat” is a “plant-based protein.”The “vegan cheese” is “tofu.” The white rice, black beans, guacamole, corn, onions, mushrooms, poblano peppers, and pico de gallo sauce are vegan.
The VRG asked if there
are any animal flavors, fats or stock in any vegan bowl or burrito component.
We were informed that there were not. They replied to our question about
kitchen protocols that the soy meat “is grilled on a clean surface away from
meat products.”
In another conversation, they read off the labels of the soy meat, soy cheese, and tortilla. The soy meat is PlantFare® brand. The soy cheese is West Soy® brand. They called the cheese “tofu” on several occasions during our call. Both appear to be all-plant soy products from what we gathered from reading off the labels while we spoke.
We asked specifically if
the wheat tortilla contained L-cysteine or egg or dairy products. They read the
label while we were on the phone, spelling out the names and concluded
L-cysteine, dairy (whey or casein) or egg ingredients were not present.
The manager also
confirmed that the soy meat and vegetables are grilled separated in vegetable
oil away from all meat products.
When we asked if gelatin
was in the guacamole, the reply was that they make their own and do not
add gelatin.
They use the menu put
out by the Plaza Azteca corporate office. All restaurant locations
should offer the same menu but call before visiting to avoid surprises.
When we asked if guests
could substitute a meat product with the soy meat in other menu dishes, we were
told that it could be done, but advised that patrons should make the request
upon ordering. Their rep also pointed out that vegan diners should request the
white rice in these menu substitutions since the yellow rice is prepared with
chicken broth.
VRG readers should check with the manager at any Plaza Azteca restaurant if in doubt about any menu options or ingredients. Here is the website list of locations: https://www.plazaazteca.com/locations-hours
The contents of this posting, our
website, and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not
intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained
from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient
information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a
statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be
made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for
you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.
Uno is testing the Beyond Meat burger, as well as Daiya Vegan Cheese in shredded form, that can be used either for pizza or with a burger. The menu is currently in test at their Springfield, Revere, Wrentham, Nashua 1&2, Astoria, Clifton, Ellicott City, and Merrifield locations. It launches to all locations on 10/22/2019.
The contents of this posting, our website, and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.
When I first stopped eating meat at the age of seven I was much less informed on vegan foods as I am now, at the age of fifteen. I also never made my own food, leaving my parents to please my past self with requests for meat-free meals. Yes, accommodations had to be made, but I nostalgically remember many dishes I loved during the earlier years of my childhood.
For example, I still recall the delicious vegetable soup that became a comfort dish to my younger self; full of potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, and spices. Young kids, and even teenagers, can be easy to please with warm soup for dinner. Besides home cooked recipes, there were products my parents would buy for the whole family from grocery stores. Before I became a vegetarian, a family favorite was veggie corn dogs from Trader Joes. Almost any traditional meat dish can now be found “veganized” in the frozen food section of a local grocery store, and items like vegan corn dogs that are available today are especially attractive to young kids. Anything in a unique shape or that one can eat with their hands has an extra element of fun!
As part of a Latinx household, beans were also always on the menu, with so many different ways to prepare them! Perhaps a cultural staple in some families, beans can be adopted by any parents who want to serve their young kids a vegan meal that is delicious and full of nutrients as well. On tostadas topped with tomato and avocado, or in a bowl with broth, beans can be best friends to young kids and parents.
Along with vegan store-bought items and vegan staples that can be blended into a range of recipes, vegan snacks for kids are actually everywhere, starting with fruit! Looking back on my early childhood, I absolutely adored going to the backyard to pick ripe guavas from our tree, and most importantly eating them after. Watermelon, bananas, mandarins, tomatoes, and avocados were just the beginning. Applesauce was great on the go, as were raisins, craisins, and nuts. Kids wouldn’t be kids without also indulging in snacks like potato chips, rice cakes, pretzels, and tortilla chips, but those are all vegan-friendly too.
When going out I easily learned to order the veggie burger or veggie delight in place of sliced turkey and orange chicken, respectively. Perhaps surprisingly, a lot of kids are flexible with their diet if you give them the chance to be, and can be willing to try something new if it’s sold to them in a convincing manner. I was definitely willing to try an alternative lunch provided by my elementary school instead of what my friends were served so that I could help my animal friends.
Otherwise, school lunches ranged from a thermos full of pasta to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, with diced fruit cups to the side. No matter what you have to eat, lunches at school are a part of childhood that will be remembered later on. For me, I recall presenting my lunch with friends as if I was on a fancy cooking show, and thoroughly being excited to have the chance to choose my own lunches as I got older.
Overall, despite the general pickiness of younger kids, there are a very wide variety of vegan foods that can become nostalgic favorites over time. Below are just a few of the meals and snacks that could please the vegan kid in your life:
Meals: – Vegan pizza – Pasta with tomato sauce – Vegetable or lentil soup – Nut butter and banana sandwiches – Vegan waffles/pancakes – Veggie burgers/dogs
Snacks: – Apple slices and peanut butter – Trail mix – Fruit salad – Smoothies – Fruit popsicles – Carrot sticks (with your choice of dressing or dip)
Are you looking for places to purchase vegan candy, chocolate, and other treats for Halloween? Here’s some online sources that sell vegan goodies with a Halloween theme, as well as items sold in stores:
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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