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 or quarterly donor to The Vegetarian Resource Group.
Thanks so much for your support. You can become a monthly or
quarterly donor online here: vrg.org/donate
The Vegetarian Resource Group maintains an online Guide to
Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants in the USA and Canada. Below are some recent
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:
Beelman’s
600 S. Spring St.
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Beelman’s is an all-vegan pub located
in Downtown LA. It’s the perfect spot to grab a bite and a brew with friends to
enjoy the game. They have plenty of vegan beer on tap and the bar food to
compliment it. One of the highly reviewed dishes includes “Tachos” which are
tater tot nachos topped with soyrizo, cashew cheese, pintos, and cilantro.
Whether you’re in the mood for tacos, a burger, a hot dog, or even something on
the light side Beelman’s has you covered. Enjoy in house or delivery through
Uber Eats.
Cool Beans
2908 Fruth St.
Austin, TX 78705
Parked by Spider House bar on Fruth
Street, Cool Beans is an all-vegan taco truck. With affordable veganized
versions of chorizo, al pastor, carnitas, and more. As with all food trucks,
follow them on Instagram (see the link on their website) to keep up with them
in case they move for an event.
Earth to Us
1720 Guess Rd., Ste. 18
Durham, NC 27701
The owners of Earth to Us were
inspired to go vegan by their daughter, and now they are sharing their family’s
passion for healthy, delicious vegan food with you! Entrees include Latin
flavors like the Plato Principal, featuring seasoned black beans and fried
plantains. Or you could try something more traditionally American, such as the
Mac and Cheese Plate with BBQ chickn and coleslaw. Whether you’re looking for something
South American, or simply Southern, Earth to Us should satisfy you!
Herbivores
3842 Saint-Denis St.
Montreal, QC H2W 2M2 Canada
Herbivores is principally a vegan
grocery store, which also happens to have a vegan hot food counter inside! Can
you get numerous vegan poutines there, from regular traditional to wildly
eclectic? Of course. But there’s more! Ask about the souvlaki, burgers, pizzas,
etc. It’s not health food, but it is good food.
HUMBL
5845 Winter Garden Vineland Rd., Ste.
130
Windmere, FL 34786
HUMBL is the first of what aims to
become a new fast casual restaurant chain from the mind of celebrity chef Matt
Kenney. Get a truffle burger, personal pizza, rice bowl, or milkshake that’s
totally vegan, made from whole foods, and significantly locally sourced, all at
prices that rival those of national fast-casual chains. HUMBL also contributes
to Second Harvest Food Bank with every meal they sell.
Jam Pâstre
12 St. Marks Pl.
New York, NY 10003
A part of the Vegan Food Court at St.
Marks Place, Jam Pâstre is a vegan bakery with delicious and affordable
options. There is vegan carrot cake, lemon poppy cake, chocolate cake, and
more, plus a flavor of the day. Everything is also nut, soy, and gluten free,
so give them a try!
Le Bowhead
3723 St. Laurent Blvd.
Montreal, QC H2X 2V7 Canada
While they don’t use the word
“vegan,” Le Bowhead is an all-vegan pub, with a focus on broad appeal
rather than health food. Hot dogs, vegan poutine, burgers, and yes, salads, are
all available. Being a pub, they also have a full bar, and they’re open late!
Nora’s Kitchen
Wichita, KS
Nora’s Kitchen is a food Truck that
moves about Wichita, KS. They specialize in quality vegan American food and
offer some Japanese-inspired dishes as well. You can grab a pulled BBQ sandwich
made from jackfruit and mushroom, or you could have the Togarashi tofu
sandwich, both of which come with a serving of hand cut potato wedges with
choice of homemade sauce. If you are looking for a snack, they have fried
mushroom-leek dumplings on the menu! Add a locally brewed kombucha or
fresh-squeezed lemonade to complement your meal. Check out their online
schedule to see where they will be parked next!
Peace Love Eats
324 E. Belt Line Rd., #205
Desoto, TX 75115
Peace Love Eats is a great spot for a
smoothie or a small meal. There are half a dozen custom smoothies to choose
from, or you can build your own. For something a little more solid, you can try
a smoothie bowl. If you insist on food you have to chew, look to the Shroom or
Jackfruit sandwiches, or the Po’Boy if it’s a Friday.
Public Records
233 Butler St.
Brooklyn, NY 11217
Public Records is a bar, performance
space, and vegan cafe located in Brooklyn, NY. The cafe is predominantly a
daytime affair, featuring small dishes like rice balls, buckwheat noodles,
seaweed snacks, and so on. Come for a light lunch at the cafe, and stay late
for the shows!
Vegan Rapide
1385 Rue Ontario E.
Montreal, QC H2L 1S1 Canada
Vegan Rapide is a diner that serves
all the good things one expects from a fast food restaurant. Choose from a
variety of vegan burgers, poutines, or pizzas (with house-made vegan cheese!).
There are also wraps and salads if you’d prefer something lighter.
Vinh Loi Tofu
11818 South St. #101
Cerritos, CA 90703
Enjoy pho, curry soup, spring rolls,
udon noodles stir-fried with bbq “duck,” cold noodle salad, and more.
Create and submit a video relating what you want to tell others
about vegetarianism/veganism.
Some possible topics: food, nutrition, your feelings about
veganism/vegetarianism, water usage and vegetarianism, veganism and animal
rights, or other vegan topics which appeal to you. Humor and feelings are
appreciated. All videos should be positive, not be critical of anyone, and not
include any footage of animal cruelty. You may submit a video you have already
made.
Aspects of judging include accuracy and judges wanting to
share the video with others. Entrants give permission to The Vegetarian
Resource Group to post and share the video, to link to and from the video, and
share the video with the media. Deadline to enter this year is July 15, 2018.
Have you ever wondered what to do with cucumbers besides
tossing them in a salad or serving them with a dip? Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD
offers some quick suggestions including:
Purée cucumbers in a blender or food processor, mix with
lime juice, and add chili powder if you like. Freeze the mixture as ice cubes
for beverages or white wine, or use it as a refreshing sorbet or individual
popsicles.
Blend ripe avocados until smooth, thin with some soy or
almond milk, stir in minced cucumbers, and add either chopped grapes or mangoes
for a creamy, cold soup.
A previous article written by Christine Day in Vegetarian Journal is titled “Our Coolers Are the Coolest! For those of you who are enjoying warm days right now, you’ll be happy to find recipes for Minty Watermelon Cooler, Pineapple Tangerine Margarita, Pina Colada Licuado, Ginger Lemonade, Vampiro, Jamaica Fresca, and Horchata. See: https://www.vrg.org/recipes/vjcoolrs.htm
My arms were full when I made my way up to the
Our Daily Bread building. Our Daily Bread provides hot meals to those in need
and also acts as an employment center, run through the Catholic Charities. I
had to first drop off two vegan casseroles that fellow intern Emily and I had
made the previous weekend before I could make my way to my cooking class. With
my bag of ingredients, I made my way through the building and met with VRG
Volunteer Marcy Schveibinz who runs the Healthy Cooking Class at Christopher Place
in Baltimore. Christopher Place, a part of Our Daily Bread, is a residential
employment center that provides education and training to formerly homeless
men. To learn more about Christopher Place, visit: https://www.catholiccharities-md.org/services/christopher-place-employment-academy/
I was so excited to work with a new group of
people and share food and conversation while also teaching! I had spent time in
the weeks preceding the class preparing a lesson plan and picking a recipe to
cook. I decided that I wanted to make Eggless French Toast from VRG’s own Meatless Meals for Working People by
Debra Wasserman and Charles Stahler. Something about French toast sounded
perfect as an example of how a few easy switches can make your favorite meals
vegan. Plus, who doesn’t love French toast? Marcy suggested adding berries for
some summer-y flare and color. With my recipe in mind, I created the lesson
plan based on a few main themes that I wanted to address: vegan comfort food,
easy vegan ingredient replacements, and how food can be used to bring people
together.
The class consisted of six men who were excited
to meet me and get started with the class. When I said that we were cooking French
toast today, many of the men’s faces lit up and they started asking questions
about what I was going to put in it and telling me their own recipes. After
some quick introductions, Marcy and I started peeling the bananas and mashing
them up in a bowl. To that, we added soy milk, maple syrup, and cinnamon. As I
described what I was doing, I also asked the men about their daily diets, their
favorite foods, and their experiences in the program. I learned that many of
the men eat a lot of chicken, but they said they were interested in adding more
fruit to their diets. Marcy and I then talked to the men about the health
benefits of fruits.
Even though we had a little trouble getting the French
toast to cook right on the pan, the men were very understanding and supportive.
The pan was not nonstick, and so the French toast stuck to the bottom of the
pan before it was cooked. After a few tries, we were able to get the
temperature right and fry up some delicious French toast. When we were
finished, the men were eager to try what we had made. As the men ate their French
toast and berries, they went around the room and shared something they learned
today. Many of the men shared how surprised they were that you could use
bananas instead of eggs in French toast and other baked goods. One man even
said he would make the recipe again!
Below, you can find the complete recipe for the
Eggless French Toast and my lesson plan.
Vegan Whole Wheat French Toast with Berries
Ingredients for 3-4 servings:
3 Ripe Bananas
1 cup unflavored soymilk
2 Tbsp maple syrup
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
7 slices whole wheat bread
2 teaspoons oil
Berries to top
Recipe:
Mash bananas in a bowl.
Add soymilk, maple syrup, and cinnamon.
Stir well.
Soak bread in mixture.
Fry in a lightly oiled (non-stick!) frying pan
on both sides over medium heat until lightly browned.
Discuss the differences between traditional French toast and this vegan recipe
Cook
Fry the French toast
Discuss the culture of food: how cooking can bring people together, can be used to show love/compassion for people in times of need (if there’s a loss in the family, etc.)
Ask the men what comfort foods they enjoy, explain how to veganize the recipes
Decorate with Berries
Health benefits of berries
High in antioxidants
High in fiber which makes you feel full longer
Provide vitamins and minerals like Vitamin C
Discuss healthy comfort foods
Vegan food can be healthy and affordable while still being comforting and delicious
There are easy ways to recreate your favorite childhood dishes with vegan ingredients
Mac and cheese made with nutritional yeast, mashed potatoes made with soymilk, and veggie burgers made of black beans
Vegan baking is easy – eggs can often be replaced by applesauce or smashed bananas, milk can be replaced by soy or almond alternatives, and butter can be replaced by vegetable oils, shortening, or vegan butter.
Simple tricks to make any comfort foods a little healthier:
Use whole grains whenever possible
Reduce salt in favor of other seasonings like: lemon juice, oregano, garlic, and onions
Easy ways to add variety into a vegan diet – try different veggies and fruit, research new recipes, be creative (just experiment with different flavors to see what you like)
Helpful Tips and Tricks:
Contact a local organization to set up a cooking demo. Some ideas are: Re-Entry Programs, Halfway Houses, Domestic Violence Centers, Addiction Centers/Rehabilitation Facilities, Summer Camps, Cooking Classes for Children or Adults, Culinary Groups, and many more. Try looking for programs being run by your local Parks and Recreation Department or by charities in your area. Offer to teach the class or group how to prepare a healthy vegan dish and answer any questions they have about veganism. You can also reach out to other vegans in the area to see if they have any connections to organizations already.
Know your audience. Base what dish you’re making and what you’re talking about on the experiences and knowledge base of your audience. For example, if you’re working with a group of young kids at a summer camp, they may not know words like sauté or broil, so you might need to explain what they mean while you’re doing them. If you’re doing a vegan cooking demonstration at a culinary school, however, you might choose to prepare a more complex dish with more steps and ingredients.
Be prepared to think on the spot and make changes to your plans. With the hot plate that we were using, we could only use one specific pan that corresponded to the plate. Because of this, we were unable to switch pans when the first one was burning our French toast. We had to think on the spot, clean out the pan, and try on a lower heat. When doing any sort of cooking demo, you have to be prepared to make last-minute changes and think on your feet!
Be as open as you feel comfortable with. Many of the men in my group seemed more receptive to what I was saying when I shared more information about myself. The men really wanted to get to know me and get to know my personal reasons for why I chose veganism. If you’re comfortable sharing that information with your group, it might lead to a more open and honest discourse that would be more meaningful for your group in the long-run.
Smells of Zeke’s coffee and freshly baked bread waft through the aisles of the 32nd Street Farmers Market, which is open every Saturday 7AM – noon in Baltimore City! Bright colored vegetables and fruits make the perfect background to present resources for a vegan diet, which is exactly what two VRG interns, Amy Dell and myself, did this past weekend at the market.
Booths of all kinds framed walkways for locals to browse farm fresh produce, aromatic breads, pies (yes, even vegan ones!), and many other local goodies. Situated in between a composting service booth and a farm stand, was a green tent sporting The Vegetarian Resource Group signs visible from any direction. We stood inside the tent alongside books, pamphlets, journals, and other informational materials. When children would pass by, we offered them VRG’s I Love Animals and Broccoli coloring books, which always brought happiness, both to the kids and Amy! The adults who walked by had quizzical looks, which usually turned into smiles when we would offer free recipes. Many people accepted the Vegetarian Journal recipes and went on their way, but some also stopped to engage and learn more. We met doctors and professors who advocated for veganism and were looking for additional resources to share with their institution. People were excited to see us and learn additional information.
Many who stopped to engage were already vegetarian or vegan, or had experimented with the lifestyle at some point in their past. Numerous people who came to the booth were vegan for health reasons, and a fraction of them were prescribed the diet by their doctors. This was refreshing to me, because the emphasis on a plant-based diet is not always the case (especially when you are from the rural South, like me).
The most surprising and uplifting part of the whole experience was that no one was against what we were doing. My favorite part about being vegan in Baltimore is that a lot of people are educated about the subject to some degree, and they agree it is a good choice to make. Many of the people we met were still battling with their love for meats and cheeses; however, I think the resources we gave will provide a stepping stone for people to eventually give up those products, be it for their health, the environment, or animals!
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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