Enjoy Southwestern Green Bean and Red Pepper Chowder, Carrot, Pear, and White Bean Chowder, Brunswick Stew à la Vegan, Marrano Chowder, Potato and Kale Chowder, and Lentil Chowder.
VRG will have a booth at the Vegan SoulFest on Saturday
August 3rd in Clifton Park in Baltimore City. The event runs 12-6
pm. Please stop by our booth!
Are you looking for a vegan leather jacket? Here are some
online sources to purchase one:
Fabulous Furs
Fabulous Furs offers a wide range of jackets and coats
including some vegan leather items for women. See: https://fabulousfurs.com/womens-faux-fur-coats-jackets
and check off the Faux Leather & Suede
option under Collection.
If you thought Houston or Texas, in
general, is only about barbeque and grilling, think again! The fourth largest
city in the United States recently hosted the vegan festival, VegFest 2019,
organized by the Vegan Society for Peace. The Houstonians braved the steamy,
fairly typical Texan Summer day and made it to the historic Minute Maid Park to
witness and enjoy this event tailored for plant- and earth-lovers. When I
landed there at 11:00 AM sharp, I was pleasantly surprised by the queue snaking
around the parking lot. Several vegan food trucks and beverage carts with beer,
wine, and water laced the sidewalk with the hopes of keeping the crowd occupied
and nourished while they waited to get in the door. I slowly passed through the
rather strict security check and entered what seemed to be a tree-hugger’s
haven.
At the gated entrance, I promptly
wore my wrist band, picked up an event brochure, and walked into the corridor
thronged with people. A quick scan of the landscape made it evident that this festival
was true to its name. It was festive, vibrant, full of energy and vegan. It
showcased everything from T-shirts to books to baked goodies and even
microgreen growing kits.
My first stop – One Earth.
This booth had some of the most eye-catching merchandise. What really drew me
to this and dragged my feet into their artsy looking tent was the stainless
steel, re-useable straw travel set, beautifully wrapped in a blue, printed
cotton pouch. Browsing their neatly laid shelves, their wares seemed easy on
the pocket too. Naturally, I picked up a straw set for my children and walked
away content. Before we switch booths, a quick footnote about this store. Every purchase with One Earth helps
endangered animals. That is a great incentive to go spend at a great store.
Now that I had made my first
purchase and boasted an earth-friendly straw set, I ambled on. Suddenly, I was
dizzy with excitement and stopped speechless at this stall. Attention! All wine
drinkers, you are in for a treat. Have you ever struggled to find vegan wines
in your regular grocery stores? Fret not, for you can now invite these
delicious, hand-picked bottles of pure vegan wines right to your doorstep!
Scout and Cellar is your friend. I met with the beautiful and very
knowledgeable Patsy Balacchi, a wine consultant, who explained to me how Scout
and Cellar’s wine sommeliers traveled the world and did the hard work for us of
scouting for vegan wines sans fish bits, egg yolks, and not to mention,
pesticides. If you are in the market for vegan wines, check out their website.
So that covers clothes, kitchen
tools, and alcohol. What about food? Oh! As you can guess, there was absolutely
no dearth for that either. The place was filled with booths selling vegan
cupcakes, vegan parfait, Ayurvedic entrées and fruit smoothies. The visitors
were enjoying their brunch, I could tell.
As I was wrapping up my visit, a few
special mentions in my notebook were due. I sampled the yummy and healthful
golden milk from the Roots in Harmony booth. This is an herbal tea and spice store who sell online and also at the
local farmers markets. Lastly, I am sure you have heard the hype around BPA. It
is everywhere. Most of us tend to think nothing can be made sans plastic or
toxins. But wait! VegFest just gave me the opportunity to rethink. Eye Glassiers
sell a whole line of natural, plant-based eye glass frames. Impressive?
Okay, so that was the last booth I
stopped by as I reluctantly walked out of the Minute Maid Park. However, I left
happy. VegFest 2019 was a feast to my soul. It showed me a tiny shimmer of hope
that the world is inching slowly toward becoming a better place to live. We are
getting there. I cannot wait to see what the Vegan Society for peace has
planned for the VegFest 2020. http://vegansocietyofpeace.org/vegfesthouston
Until then, hug trees, save animals, and live well.
It can be difficult to find vegan shoes for babies and
youth. The online companies listed below offer vegan shoes for children.
Baby Nanya
Baby Nanya located in the USA offers vegan baby and toddler
shoes. The shoes’ exterior is made of microfiber, while the inner part is
made of cotton. They also have rubber sole grips. See: https://babynanya.com/
Clamfeet, an American company, offers adorable baby shoes
and matching shoes for mothers. They have an eco canvas exterior, organic
cotton lining, and rubberized grip sole. They are washable. See: https://clamfeet.com/
Happy Little Soles
Happy Little Soles, a company out of the United Kingdom,
offers a vegan section of shoes for boys and girls. See: https://www.happylittlesoles.co.uk/
Are you looking for some new ideas for preparing cauliflower? Former Vegetarian Resource Group Intern Dina Gharib shared her recipes for Pineapple Cauliflower Fried “Rice,” Cauliflower Crust Pizza, and Creamy Cauliflower Soup.
John Westerdahl, PhD, MPH, RD, CNS, FAND, will be speaking at THE WORLD OF DA VINCI Luncheon & Tour on Wednesday, August 7 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. His luncheon lecture is: THE SCIENCE AND DIET OF LEONARDO DA VINCI. In addition to discussing Leonardo’s great scientific achievements, I will also talk about Da Vinci’s vegetarian diet and lifestyle and the benefits of following such a diet. Few people know that Da Vinci was a vegetarian most of his life due to his scientific observations, which led to his compassion for animals. The August 7th luncheon will be the last Da Vinci luncheon before the exhibit closes at the Reagan Library in September.
You can contact the
Reagan Library for information, reservations, and tickets for this special
luncheon event. I recommend you also reserve in advance a special Vegan meal
request for your lunch, which is available if you order it. Be sure to request
a Vegan meal instead of the vegetarian meal option if you want the vegan meal.
Below is a link to more information about the Da Vinci Luncheon & Tour, which in addition to the luncheon includes access to THE WORLD OF DA VINCI special exhibit as well as the PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY & MUSEUM including the AIR FORCE ONE Pavilion.
It’s not easy to find vegan Japanese food served in
restaurants. Here’s a few vegan establishments that do offer vegan Japanese
cuisine:
Cha-Ya
762 Valencia St.
San Francisco, CA 94110
Cha-Ya uses centuries-old cooking traditions to prepare their authentic
Japanese meals. Menu items at this all-vegan restaurant include sushi rolls,
noodle dishes, soups, salads, rice bowls, and desserts.
Kajitsu
125 E. 39th St.
New York, NY 10016
Kajitsu serves Shojin cuisine (an ancient Japanese cuisine developed in
Zen Buddhist monasteries) that focuses on fresh ingredients and artistic
presentation. Following the Buddhist principle of not taking life, no animal
products are used. The menu changes monthly according to what is in season.
Diners can choose between two prix-fixe menus — four or eight courses. The
meals are served on handmade ceramic dishes, some of which are antiques. You
will find Kajitsu is not far from Grand Central Station. Reservations are
recommended at this upscale restaurant.
Red White Japanese Vegan
294 Newbury St.
Boston, MA 02115
Red White is a fast-casual restaurant with smoothies and bowls.
Fast-casual and bowls seem to go together like beans and rice, but when was the
time it was Japanese? With a base of sushi rice, and toppings like tofu,
eggplant, mushrooms, yams, and more, all while topped off by any of five
Japanese-styled sauces, you’re sure to encounter a new flavor experience.
Shizen Vegan Sushi Bar & Izakaya
Shizen Vegan Sushi Bar & Izakaya
370 14th St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
Shizen features a wide variety of traditional Japanese cuisine
including soups, sushi, and noodle dishes. Diners can opt to stick with simple
dishes like the Avocado Nigiri or Vegetable Gyoza or try one of the many
specialty rolls, with options like the Open Invitation or The Candlestick (with
live fire). Be sure to check out the dessert menu as well.
Shojin
Shojin
333 S. Alameda St., Ste. 310
Los Angeles, CA 90013
And
12406 W. Washington Blvd.
Culver City, Ca 90066
Shojin offers an extensive menu of organic and vegan Japanese cuisine
including salads, pastas, noodle dishes, curries, and soups. They have even
developed three types of seitan, each with its own recipe and cooking method,
to correspond with the tastes and textures of chicken, pork, and beef. Their
lunch specials are a great value. Shojin on Alameda is located in downtown Los
Angeles in the Little Tokyo Shopping Center.
Tane Vegan Izakaya
2065 S. Beretania St.
Honolulu, HI 96826
A completely vegan sushi bar is a rare thing indeed, so don’t miss out.
There are dozens of options including vegan nigari, classic, and specialty
rolls. If you’d prefer a bowl to a roll, try the ramen or the specialty salads.
The Vegetarian Resource Group is a vegan activist non-profit organization that does outreach all-year-long. For example, VRG tables at different events throughout the USA and also sends literature free of charge to other groups/individuals doing educational activities in schools, hospitals, camps, restaurants, libraries, offices, etc. Our ability to continue doing this depends on people like you! Your donations allow us to promote the vegan message whenever we’re called upon for assistance. Please consider becoming a monthly, quarterly, or single-time donor to The Vegetarian Resource Group.
Thanks so much for your support. You can make a donation online here: vrg.org/donate
Thai food is by far
my favorite cuisine to eat as a vegan because it’s so flavorful and versatile.
I loved it so much that I had the opportunity of working at a Thai restaurant
for a couple of months. Through my job I learned about the different flavors
within the cuisine and most importantly what vegans should be aware of when
ordering. In this article I will give you tips and tricks to make sure your
dish at a Thai restaurant is vegan-friendly.
Thai food has a very
unique flavor within the sauces and curries. Its aroma has a lot of lemon
grass, chili sauce, Thai Basil, and unfortunately fish sauce. Moreover, fish
by-products are extremely common within Thai cuisine, especially its street
food. Thus, if you are planning to dine at a Thai restaurant, call ahead to
make sure they have vegan options. They may say yes, but do not really
understand that you mean no fish along with no meat, dairy, and egg. So make
sure you emphasize no fish sauce. Authentic Thai restaurants should be able to
cater to your needs because they make all their sauces in house and some house-made
sauces usually do not have any fish by-product. However, some Thai restaurants
use premade pastes that usually have some sort of fish by-product.
The way to tell if a
dish has fish by-product is by its smell and color. A dish with fish may have a
fishy aroma and it will be darker due to the presence of some sort of fish
sauce or paste. For example, Pad Thai is a very common dish in Thailand. It is
based on tamarind and chili sauce that gives the dish a sweet and spicy flavor.
If the Pad Thai is vibrant orange/red it will likely not have fish sauce, but
if a Pad Thai is a dark reddish brown color, it likely has fish sauce. This is
also the same for Green Curry. Green curry is based on green chilies, lime
leaves, lemongrass, coconut milk, and traditionally shrimp paste. If the curry
is vibrant green it will likely not have shrimp paste, but a curry that is a
dark green does.
It is very important
to make sure your waiter is aware you are vegan and ask MANY questions about
the dish you are ordering. Don’t be afraid to ask them to check with the
kitchen before you place your order. Thai restaurants always have tofu options
and some dishes can be made vegan if they don’t add fish sauce. So ask if they
can make a certain sauce dish without the fish sauce. This is true with stir-fries
as well. Always ask if the curries do not have any fish paste in them because
it will not be noted in the menu item. Although fish sauce is more commonly
used in Thai dishes, egg is commonly used in all fried rice dishes and almost
every noodle dish. Moreover, you must tell your waiter you do not want egg in
any of your noodles or fried rice dish. Some common noodle dishes with eggs are
Pad Thai, Pad See Ew, and Drunken Noodles.
Due to a lot of
chilies within Thai food, for some it can be very spicy. There is a spice
system that many Thai Restaurants use. It is a five star rating, five star
being extremely spicy and one star being mild. Usually if you don’t ask for it
to be spicy, they will assume you would prefer it to be mild and won’t add
extra spice. Moreover, use the five star system if you don’t want it to be mild
and would prefer a little spice. If your food is already prepared and you would
prefer more spice, you could ask for the spice condiment rack. Don’t use just
any spice on the spice rack because some do have fish sauce like the Nam Pla
Prik, which is more liquidity than the other spices. However, the Prik Namsom,
which is a vinegar based red chili sauce, and the Thai dried red chili flakes,
do not have any fish sauce.
If you are planning
to go to a Thai restaurant, be sure to use these tips! Some usually vegan
friendly dishes are Red Curry, Pad Thai ordered without egg, and Massaman
Curry. But as previously stated, don’t be afraid to ask if they can make a certain
dish vegan without fish sauce. Happy eating!
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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