– One parent asked for
information for their 17 month old son since they are trying to make sure their
covering his toddler needs in terms of iron, iodine, omega 3s, protein, lots of
good fats, etc. They also are looking for a veg-friendly doctor.
– What types of vegan
advocacy projects are you or your kids involved in (if any)?
– Openings at vegan summer camps were posted.
-Plus more!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/VRGparentsandkids/ is intended to be a group that offers support for
families raising children on vegan diets and for vegan kids. We envision it as
a place to get advice about a wide-variety of topics: pregnancy, birthday parties,
school lunches, Halloween, non-leather apparel, cruelty-free products, summer
camps, and more. Please use it as a place to share your wisdom, seek advice, or
just find a sympathetic ear. The goal is to offer support.
Consequently, any profane, defamatory, offensive,
or violent language will be removed. Feel free to disagree, but do so
respectfully. Hateful or discriminatory comments regarding race, ethnicity,
religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or political beliefs will not
be tolerated. We expect that posts should relate to vegan diets and lifestyles.
The Vegetarian Resource Group reserves the right to monitor all content and ban
any user who posts in violation of the above rules, any law or regulation,
SPAM, or anything otherwise off topic.
Please share this information
with any veggie families that you know! Thanks.
Are you searching for that perfect vegan non-leather watch band? These online shops below offer a wide variety of watch straps/bands good for both casual and formal events. Some also sell watches.
The Vegetarian Resource Group will be exhibiting at the AR
conference being held at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center just outside of
Washington, DC. If you’re attending this event, be sure to stop by our table!
We’d love to meet you.
This year’s program features nearly 80 daytime sessions
including When Helping Hurts: Activist Burnout and Self-Care, Community
Building in Animal Advocacy, Knowing & Defending Your Rights, Understanding
Food Justice Issues, Ways To Influence Laws & Politics, How Body &
Health Shaming Fail Activists and Animals, Strategies for Defeating the Use of
Animals in Science, The Ethics of Sanctuaries, Reclaiming Our Grassroots,
Fighting for Fishes, and so much more.
In the western world, Indian cuisine is famously known for its tandoori chicken and curries. While tandoori chicken most definitely will not fall under a vegan or vegetarian category, there are many other choices. However, before exploring the vegan scene in/from India, there are a few items one must understand about Indian food, in general.
Depending on which type of Indian cuisine you order, you need to know what ingredients that cuisine warrants in most dishes. For example, if you were to sit at a restaurant in Chennai, a south Indian coastal city, you should know that a lot of the items on the menu are made with fresh tamarind sauce. On the other hand, if you were to visit Delhi, a northern city and India’s capital, the food is bound to be heavy on cream, Indian cottage cheese, and yogurt marinades (like the tandoori chicken, for example). So, how does one unearth the vegan foods from the menu? As I alluded before, knowledge is key. General rule of thumb:
North = Dairy (Cream-based gravy) Note: For simplicity’s sake, we will omit West and East as these are less common in the USA.
In the USA, there are restaurants exclusively for southern and northern cuisines but some combine both under one roof. Clearly, a south Indian type may suit a vegan better. Get ready for a whirlwind tour of the vegan Indian cuisine! Take a deep breath, imagine you are sitting at a table and being served Indian food. First, appetizers.
Indians love appetizers but it is a misnomer, I would say, to call these appetizers. They are solid in content and calories. Here with my meal suggestions, I will safely assume that we are going just vegan and not on a weight-loss program. Either way, go easy on these appetizers if served with a three-course meal; they will quickly fill you up.
My all-time favorite appetizer is the samosa (pronounced sa-moh-saa). Samosas are potato filled, deep fried, and triangular in shape. The outer skin is generally made from refined wheat flour and the filling contains boiled and mashed potato, fresh green peas, and cilantro leaves. Simple, vegan and delicious! Tastes great in cold weather but if you live in Texas, no need to wait for the winter or, you may wait forever! The samosa is generally served with a tamarind sauce and a peppermint sauce. Use caution with the peppermint sauce, as it may contain yogurt when made fresh.
Editor’s Note: Since some recipes include yogurt in the dough, you should ask or carefully look at the label.
Other lip-smacking, vegan appetizers to die for are pakora; onion fritters made from yellow gram flour, and vada (pronounced vah-daa; deep-fried lentil donut).
Now, onto the main course. Polished white rice in the South and whole grain, flat wheat bread (Roti; pronounced row-tee) in the North. Both of these, as you reckon, are usually safe for vegans. But beware, some recipes call for the addition of milk to the seemingly vegan rotis (also called chapathi; pronounced cha-paa-tee). In addition, avoid parathas (pronounced puh-raa-taas; a richer version of roti). Parathas are toasted in ghee (clarified butter). In fact, caution should be exercised even with roti, in this regard. Restaurants tend to smear the otherwise healthful, innocuously vegan Indian bread with ghee, for flavor. To avoid this, order “sukkah” (pronounced sook-ah; dry) roti and they should know not to add the clarified butter.
So, now you have your bread options laid out. What do you eat these with? To complement your bread or rice, there is no dearth for vegan entrées bursting with the flavor of freshly ground spices, tomatoes, and onions. Try the channa masala (curried chickpeas), bhendi masala (pronounced bend-ee; okra curry), or rajma masala (curried red kidney beans) and you will not be disappointed! As a general rule, stay clear of items that have the following (buzz) words woven into the name of the entrée (or appetizer, for that matter):
Shahi = Royalty and equates to the
rich taste of butter etc.
Malai = Cream
Maakhan/Maakhani = Butter
Mughlai = Mughal Royalty which
equates to richness of taste; butter, ghee
Tandoori = Marinated in yogurt
Paneer = Indian cottage cheese
Before we move into the third and final course of our meal, a few words about Tandoor. First of all, to be clear, Tandoor is a type of oven and has nothing to do with animal byproducts like yogurt. Second, by now we know that most tandoori entrées use a yogurt marinade. However, there are some tandoori items that are vegan, like tandoori roti; roti made on the tandoor oven.
In India, we have a gamut of desserts or mittai (pronounced mit-aa-yee), but unfortunately, not many that vegans can enjoy off the menu in a standard Indian restaurant. Most of our desserts are made from milk, yogurt, or cream. And, almost all the other desserts contain butter or ghee. Don’t lose heart yet! Many of the laddus (pronounced lad-oo) and some halwas (pronounced hull-va) can be made without butter and ghee. The million-dollar catch is, you just have to find a vegan Indian restaurant. Alternately, if you are able to find a restaurant that makes desserts fresh, you could try ordering the semolina pudding called kesari (pronounced kay-sa-ree) without ghee. This dessert has a short shelf-life and many restaurants make it fresh for the day. If you are lucky, you may be able to order the skinny version without the ghee. Caution! Sometimes they cook the semolina in milk and you will have to explain you don’t want any dairy products added.
There! You have a vegan meal from India!
Good luck in your journey with Indian vegan dining. There is a lot to savor and enjoy. Just remember the buzzwords and the great divide between the South and North in terms of the ingredients and, you are all set! Before I sign off, here is a link to authentic Indian vegan dishes (some modified with kale; we use spinach which is more readily available in India than kale) that vegans can enjoy worry-free: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2009issue4/2009_issue4_calcium_indian.php
The Vegetarian Resource Group maintains an online Guide to
Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants in the USA and Canada. Here 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:
Dirt Burger
407 E. 5th St.
Des Moines, IA 50309
Despite the name, Dirt Burger brings
a new kind of clean eating to downtown Des Moines. With a menu featuring only
vegan options, the restaurant strives to make healthier eating available for
all people with low prices and an easily accessible location. Dirt Burger
prides themselves on maintaining a positive atmosphere that welcomes all people
to try their patty. Burgers are available with traditional toppings, but if
you’re in the mood for something a little more unique, their curry spiced
Bombay Burger is a real treat.
El Vegano
Food Court @ Dutch Square Center
421 Bush River Rd.
Columbia, SC 29210
El Vegano is located in the food
court at the Dutch Square Center. They serve a variety of plant-based fast
foods, using Impossible Burger, Beyond Meat, Lightlife, and Gardein products.
Vegans and non-vegans alike will love the simple, fast-food menu options, which
include burgers, empanadas, hotdogs, and sandwiches. Pretty much everything is
available in both small and large sizes, and everything is under $10! While you
are there, try some of their sides too: potato pancakes, fries, and fried
plantains.
Make Out
Plant City
344 S. Water St.
Providence, RI 02903
Located in Plant City, Make Out
offers oatmeal, yogurt, and acai bowls with toppings for breakfast. For lunch
try one of their bowls based on either brown rice, garden herbed farro, lettuce
green mix, or soy ginger quinoa then add toppings and a sauce. Their all-day
menu features a wide variety of sandwiches including a breakfast wrap, as well
as smoothies.
Marty’s V Burger
134 East 27th St.
New York, NY 10016
If you are ever in New York City and
are craving some vegan fast food, Marty’s V Burger houses all the vegan goodies
you crave! You can order one of their house-made burgers composed of seitan,
black beans, and brown rice. Burger patties can be substituted with Beyond
Burger for a gluten-free option that will also appeal to your meat-eating
friends, but beware, it will cost more for the Beyond Burger, as well as a
gluten-free bun. One of Marty’s specialties is the Crabby Patty- a crab-like
patty seared crispy on the outside, topped with jalapeno tartar sauce and crisp
shredded lettuce, and served on a sesame seed bun. You can top anything on the
menu with coleslaw, or have it served on a kale salad instead of on a bun for
an additional charge. Marty’s offers homestyle comfort food like drumstix, mac
and cheeze (also in Cajun style), cheeze fries, and animal style fries (topped
with cheeze sauce, caramelized onions, and special sauce). If you still have
room, consider one of their vegan desserts: rice krispy treats (GF, and you can
get it chocolate covered!), oatmeal cream pie (GF), black and white cookie, and
brownie. Do not worry, there is also a healthier side of the menu featuring
salads and smoothies.
Mitasie Café
22722 Lambert St., #1704
Lake Forest, CA 92630
Mitasie Café is all-vegan, with
options from all over. The prices are reasonable and the menu is extensive. Get
kung-pao soy chicken, vegan pho, vegan pad Thai, and more. With flavors from
across East Asia and beyond, there may be something for everyone here.
New Burger
334 S. Water St., 1st Fl.
Providence, RI 02903
New Burger has the perfect comfort
food. Their food is elevated by the addition of truffle and guacamole to their
burgers, and superfoods to their shakes. Combine the truffle wild mushroom
burger, p.c. fries, and a vanilla hemp shake to make the ideal meal. This
establishment is located in the Plant City food hall along with other vegan
restaurants.
Nic’s On Beverly
8265 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Nic’s on Beverly serves inventive,
creative, and delicious plant-based foods that you can enjoy inside their
vibrant, stylish interior space, or outside on their beautiful patio area. They
serve decadent homemade cheeses and tastefully cooked vegetables, no mock meat
needed! Their most famous dishes include: crispy maitake mushrooms, chicarron,
and vegetable pot pie. A must-try is the peach and heirloom tomato salad! This
upscale restaurant is the perfect place to have a romantic date, or to take
your non-vegan friends to enjoy a unique plant-based experience. Nic’s is known
for creative cocktails and desserts: try the absinthe-laced snowcone cocktail
or the cherry chocolate lava cake, which is served with a creamy pistachio ice
cream.
Plow Burger
1505 Town Creek Dr.
Austin, TX 78741
Plow Burger is a 100% vegan food
truck parked at the Buzzmill center in Austin, TX. Indoor and outdoor seating
make this popular location perfect for any day. The menu is simple: two regular
burgers, plus a weekly special, wings, and fries. You can customize a little by
adding “cheese,” “bacon,” various sauces, or locally
sourced GF buns, and on Tuesday they offer a deal that includes two burgers and
two orders of fries. Patties are Beyond Burgers, and most of the breads and
sauces are from other local companies. They also offer a weekly selection of
icecream by Nada Moo. Plow Burger is committed to helping the enivronment, so
they donate 2% of all sales to a local forestry foundation.
Restaurant Le Buddha
1620A Sherbrooke St. W.
Montreal, QC H3H 1C9 Canada
Restaurant Le Buddha is a vegan
restaurant themed around chakras. Even if that’s not of interest to you, the
food should be! The menu presents a variety of bowls, but you can build your
own from delicious ingredients like quinoa, basmati rice, beets, sweet
potatoes, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, tempeh, tofu, and much more. They
also have a liquor license, and sometimes a DJ as well, so this may make a
great evening hangout.
V Food Spot
547 Hamilton Rd.
London, ON N5Z 1S5 Canada
You won’t go wrong with simple
comfort food from the V Food Spot! Choosing between a Reuben, Spinach Grilled
Cheese, Pierogis, Cauliflower Wings, Mozza Sticks, or Mac & Cheese should
do it. Cheesy Jalepeño Popper Panini or Grilled Veggie Stack are other popular
options and be sure to top it off with one of their many special topping
doughnuts made in house daily!
Summertime means that peaches are in season. A previous Vegetarian Journal article titled “Peach
Passion” written by Debra Daniels-Zeller offers the following vegan recipes:
If you are anything like me, you probably follow
a lot of vegan food news on Instagram, Facebook, and in magazines, and you see
photos of beautiful vegan food on the daily. Also, if you are like me, you have
no idea how to make food look like that yourself. Last week, two VRG interns,
Amy Dell and myself, went with Vegetarian
Journal Senior Editor Rissa Miller and her partner Nathanial Corn (together
they own Balance Photography) to assist in photographing all of the
delicious foods the vegan Greener Kitchen restaurant and wholesaler in
Baltimore offers. It turns out there is a lot more that goes into making those
mouth-watering photos than I had previously thought!
Preparation is important for ensuring smooth transition between photographing different dishes. Prior to the session, Brenda from the Greener Kitchen put together a shot list to give order to the photo shoot. Organization and timeliness are necessary for food photography because food starts to get droopy and unphotogenic fairly quickly. For instance, when photographing their Philly cheesesteak sandwich, we had to act quickly so that the cheese sauce did not ooze too much (the cheese sauce was incredible if you are wondering). You have to photograph the dishes just like how you want to eat them–right away!
Clean plates, fresh food, food placement, and
lighting are the key ingredients to creating appetizing photos. Great photos
are necessary for advertisement and appealing menus, so booking a food
photographer is a good investment (unless you are already a master photographer
of course). Rissa and Nathaniel did the bulk of the photography, while Amy and
I held reflectors and moved food between several photo stations to change up
the lighting. Oh, and we also helped eat all the food! Photographing food makes
you very hungry, and then very full…like uncomfortably full.
I took two photos of their seitan sausages, one
of which showed Rissa moving a plate away from the shot (rearrangement is her
specialty). I took a black and white film photography class in college, and I
was never very good, so it was no surprise to me that I did not take the best
photos. I learned that it takes a lot of experience to capture food and all of
its glory.
Located in Pigtown, Baltimore, The Greener Kitchen is all vegan. They have indoor seating, a deli with house-made vegan cheeses and meats, delectable desserts, and homemade vegan condiments that you can purchase and take home! The Greener Kitchen is fighting for food justice by providing healthy and affordable plant-based food to the local community.
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 http://www.vrg.org/donate.
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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