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:

Greenleaf Juicing Company
810 NW 12th Ave.
Portland, OR 97209
And
617 SW Morrison St.
Portland, OR 97205
And
414 SE Grand Ave.
Portland, OR 97214
And
1510 NW 22nd
Portland, OR 97210
And
3151 SW Moody Ave.
Portland, OR 97239
And
18 N. Meridian St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Greenleaf Juicing Company is an all vegan juice bar with multiple locations. The company uses all organic and non-GMO ingredients to craft their menu. In addition to juice, they also offer an array of smoothies, bowls, quinoa dishes, and steamed soups. Want to go all in? You can order a 3 or 6-day juice cleanse made fresh to order each day. Try some fan favorites including the Green Solution, a smoothie with kale, apple, spinach, and banana or a Green Lemonade, a juice made with lemon, ginger, pineapple, pear, and cucumber.

Juicery Plus
201 E. Main St.
El Paso, TX 79901
Are you tired of going to the juice bar, only to find that they don’t have any enchiladas? Worry not! Juicery Plus has cold-pressed juices and smoothies aplenty, but the “Plus” is there for a reason! Pancakes, oats, toasts, waffles, and more are available for breakfast. Lunch options include buffalo cauliflower, nachos, pizzas, salads, burgers, cashew cheese cake, and more!

Juicy’s Wellness Café
2314 Medical Center Pkwy., Ste. A-2
Murfreesboro, TN 37129
All of the menu’s items are healthy, but for the most part, mimic fast and greasy food—that is minus the grease. Some items include, BBQ Jackfruit sliders, Brownies made from sweet potatoes, Chik’n Cauliflower wings, and of course the delectable Impossible burger. They even offer fresh juices! Juicy Wellness Café offers an artsy and hip atmosphere, perfect for any small lunch or dinner gathering.

Lovebirds Donuts
450 US Route 1
Kittery, ME 03904
Lovebirds is an all vegan donut shop located on Route 1 in Kittery. The donuts, glazes, and toppings are made from scratch daily in their kitchen. The three tiers of donuts are swanky, such as a strawberry shortcake donut with layers of frosting and strawberries. Followed by signature, think Boston cream donut or a mango glazed donut. The final tier is classic with favorites like chocolate glazed and cinnamon sugar. There is a flavor for everyone at this vegan donut shop!

Old Earth
6105 54th Ave. N.
St. Petersburg, FL 33709
Just because it’s a juice bar doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of solid fare to choose from. There are open-faced sandwiches, wraps, salads, and zucchini noodle dishes. There’s even vegan cake! Plus, everything is gluten free, and they use no refined sugars!

Portia’s Café
4428 Indianola Ave.
Columbus, OH 43214
Portia’s Café focuses on gluten-free, raw, organic, and all-natural ingredients. Get their raw falafel as an appetizer, wrap, or bowl. If that’s not to your taste, there are plenty of other wraps, salads, soups, quesadillas, and bowls to choose from. Also consider the cheezecake for dessert; it comes in a variety of flavors, just ask!

Protein Plants Café
146 S. Main St., Unit Q
Orange, CA 92868
Their mission is to offer the highest-quality, all-organic, vegan plant-based foods that are equally nutritious and delicious. The international menu features Breakfast items such as Southwestern Tofu Scrambler, Acai Bowl, Biscuits, and Scones. For lunch and dinner enjoy a variety of tacos, bowls, burritos/wraps/dosas, salads, sandwiches, and more. They also offer a kids menu

Shine Café
415 Morro Bay Blvd.
Morro Bay, CA 93442
Shine Café is all-vegan, with plenty of gluten-free options. There are a good variety of salads, sandwiches, wraps, tacos, and smoothies to choose from. You could get a tempeh taco, Reuben, or salad. Build your own bowl or wrap if you like, or grab a smoothie to go.

Vegan a Go Go
Canton, OH
Vegan a Go Go is a vegan food truck, so they’re on the move! Follow the Facebook page to follow the truck. (See: www.facebook.com/thegreenvegetarian) Once you get there, options include nachos, Impossible burgers, chili, hot dogs, chili dogs, and so on. If you’re looking for vegan comfort food, look them up!

Verdine
449 W. 19th St.
Houston, TX 77008
Verdine serves fancy hot sandwiches and comfort food. Try jackfruit carnitas, vegan mac and cheese, or their krabby patty sandwich. They even have a kids menu (or wine and beer for the adults)!

Zentu Café
5908 N. Armenia Ave.
Tampa, FL 33603
Zentu Café strives to provide plant-based meals that appeal to omnivores too. From hot sandwiches to cold gazpacho, the menu rotates regularly. Give them a try if you’re looking for a flavorful and unique, but affordable experience.

Reed is participating with two other speakers in a talk titled P-Pod’s 3rd Annual Denis Burkitt Memorial Lecture: Triple Lecture Series on “Women’s Health and Chronic Disease Risk, and Reproductive Health.” This lecture is at 6:15 pm Saturday evening. For information on this event, see: https://www.preventionofdisease.org/

Bianca Schramm said, “In fifth grade, a fellow student criticized my lunch, complaining that my avocado tofu sandwich looked weird and asked why I didn’t have the ever-popular ham and cheese sandwich … She told me ‘God created animals to be eaten.’  … Do you have a dog? I asked her … “Well, you would never eat a dog, right? …”

Bianca reported, “I have been involved with volunteering projects with the Science of Spirituality Meditation Center since the beginning of Middle School. As a member of their youth services program, I helped cook vegetarian meals and organized field trips every month … “During the summers of 2015 and 2016 I gave discourses at Veggie Fest (Naperville, Illinois) in the Learn To Be Vegetarian booth.”  “As a passionate teenage vegetarian, I still wanted to do more. … One of my biggest hobbies is photography, and I also volunteer at the Science of Spirituality every Saturday for two hours at their vegetarian cooking classes to take pictures of their vegetarian meals for social media.”

Bianca also said, “I work in the Manna Organics booth June through August every Saturday at the Naperville Farmer’s Market (2015-2018). I help sell vegan nut butters and sprouted organic breads. While working there, I had the pleasure of engaging in many insightful conversations with customers about their dietary choices, and I would regularly explain my belief and support of the vegan lifestyle.”

Bianca continued, “As a life-long vegetarian, I have combined my passion for the vegan diet with my passion for creative writing … Many of these short stories from my childhood related to my experiences of being a 5th generation vegetarian.” Bianca also wrote, “I am happy to report that I am indeed still vegan! … The treatment of animals in America is very disheartening, and the more I learn about this inhumane and unsustainable treatment, the more passionate and motivated I become to encourage others to try veganism.”

Bianca will be attending Davidson College as a communication studies major.

To see additional scholarship winners, go to https://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

The deadline for the next Vegetarian Resource Group scholarship is February 20, 2020. Applicants should be graduating high school in spring of 2020. For details, see: https://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

To support additional scholarships and internships, donate at www.vrg.org/donate You can also call (410) 366-8343, or mail a check to The Vegetarian Resource Group, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.

By Emma Giebel, Vegetarian Resource Group Intern

On a chilly Friday morning, my co-intern Taylor and I set up a table at the entrance to the most popular dining hall at Loyola University Maryland, Boulder Garden Café. Our table was covered in books and pamphlets filled with information about the benefits of veganism, facts that we wish were common knowledge. The dining service at our school played a huge part in our day by providing us with samples of a vegan burger that they are considering introducing into the daily menu of Boulder Garden Café. As we sat there for nearly 3 hours, we witnessed a spectrum of reactions to our presence. Whenever we would ask a group of students if they would like to try a vegan burger, we were given a reaction of shock and doubt. The common facial expression was one of “There is no way that could be good.”

The first positive reactions were given by vegans and vegetarians, who were thrilled at seeing not only the free food, but also the information we were giving out. Many said that the burger was better than any veggie burger they had ever had, and that introducing it into the daily menu would be a game-changer. Many people were curious and decided to try it out, and they were delightfully surprised at how delicious they were. With no gluten, no soy, and 20 grams of protein, they appealed to different audiences. As someone who has only been a vegetarian for less than a year, a good veggie burger that was high in protein was something that I have been seeking. The best reactions were from the men at Loyola who I normally see lifting the heaviest weights at our gym. Many people who are involved in fitness, especially weightlifting, falsely claim that you cannot get any protein from a vegan diet. It was genuinely funny to see these men come back for seconds! Their initial doubt was immediately retracted after the first bite.

The experience was incredibly informative for both myself and those that visited the booth. It was important for me to see what non-vegans/vegetarians thought of a meat substitute like the vegan burger, because small changes like that can have a massive change down the line. The best thing for the planet would be for everyone to not eat meat, but that may not happen for a while. When meat-eaters make small changes to decrease their intake, options like what we provided are an amazing start. After they realized they liked the veggie burger, many students asked us about more information, which is where the literature we brought with us came in handy. I hope that everyone who visited our table learned something, even if that was only that there are vegan options for classic American foods. If one person makes the decision to eat less meat, then I know that it was worth our while.

For information about The Vegetarian Resource Group internships, see https://www.vrg.org/student/index.php

For more ideas on campus outreach see https://www.vrg.org/teen/#activism

Recent discussion topics include:

-How to deal with my Kindergarten-age child’s science workbook having a page called Animals and Their Uses. Responses from other parents included: Tell your child the truth; My concern is the wording they use. They say it’s what animals give us. A cow doesn’t “give us” steak. I’d make sure to discuss that with the kids; and Good to show them the connection between cow and steak but then following up with “this causes animals to suffer so our family doesn’t eat meat.”

-If you celebrate Easter, what do you put in your child’s Easter basket? If you celebrate Passover, what dishes do you make for your Seder?

-Shared info on a vegan child-care program in Maryland.

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.

By Taylor Gale

Located in Baltimore, MD, Dukem offers an eclectic menu that reflects authentic Ethiopian meals. I and my fellow VRG interns, Emma and Emily all tried Ethiopian food for the first time, together. If you can, I suggest going with friends or family when eating Ethiopian food. The portions are more than enough to share with one or two people. For appetizers, Emma, ordered the vegetable sambusa, a lentil pastry. Although, the order only includes two sambusas, they were huge. It is enough for a party of three or four to share, unless you are very hungry.

For our entrees, we ordered the special Dukem veggie combo (3), which includes seven items: spicy split lentils, yellow peas, greens, cabbage, shiro, salad, and chickpeas in spicy sauce. All of the veggie platters are similar. The only difference is the addition of certain vegetable options. For the most part, the items on the platter consisted of various baked vegetables and vegetable dips, such as the spicy split lentil. If you are not a fan of spicy food, do not fret. Most of the items we ate were not spicy, but one or two of the dishes were. While most of the ingredients are self-explanatory, in case you are curious, shiro is an essential ingredient in Ethiopian food. It is a stew made from chickpeas or broad bean meal.

For those who have never eaten Ethiopian food (like myself before this experience), it is advised to eat with your hands. You can ask for silverware, but it may appear as if you are unwilling to try another culture’s way of eating, plus it is a fun and interactive way to ingest your food. The ambiance of Dukhem also reflects Ethiopian culture. The music videos playing were Ethiopian pop music, which reminded me of Bollywood styled music and dance.

Not only was the food and entertainment wonderful, the servers were also very friendly and informative! When ordering, the three of us explained that, as a collective, we are vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free—a typical server’s worst nightmare. Immediately, our server pointed out to us what vegan options they offered and told Emily that they could make a gluten-free injera, which is a soft pancake-style bread. Score! The injera is placed under the entire vegetable platter, so if you are gluten-free, be sure to only eat the dips and not the injera underneath; or you could always request to have the platter’s injera be gluten-free as well.

Overall, our time at Dukem was a great experience. I highly recommend exploring cuisine outside of your comfort zone. It is a great way to learn and experience other cultures, and who knows, it may just become your favorite meal! For me, the injera and spicy split lentils were too good to not have again. Since our time at Dukem, I have had Ethiopian food three more times and plan on including Ethiopian food into my meal preps.

If you would like to check out what Dukem has to offer, you can visit their website at: http://dukemrestaurant.com/content/menu

For information about other veggie restaurants in the USA and Canada, see https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

By Emma Giebel, Vegetarian Resource Group Intern

Lacrosse is one of the fastest sports on two feet, while also being physically grueling for every player on the field. Both speed and strength are required to be a good lacrosse player, and taking care of your body before and after you step onto the field is necessary. A good night’s sleep and time spent stretching and icing your sore muscles will help, but a healthy diet is what will really set you apart from other players. I have been a competitive lacrosse player for 8 years, and I know that hectic schedules can make eating healthy, and vegan, even more complicated. Some of your teammates, and even your coaches, may tell you that a vegan diet won’t be able to sustain you after all of the physical activity you will be doing. This is simply not true, and eating the right foods at the right times will help you excel both on and off the field. While my experience as a lacrosse player has inspired these meal options, they would work as healthy options for anyone, but especially athletes.

Breakfast:
Saying that breakfast is the most important meal of the day is not a joke. If you’re not a morning person, breakfast may seem like an annoying chore, but it can really be a delicious start to your day. An initial oatmeal with fruits can provide carbs and protein to wake you up the right way.

Oatmeal with Strawberries and Blueberries:
Place 1/2 cup frozen strawberries, ¼ cup frozen blueberries, and some water in a microwavable bowl and heat up until the fruit becomes warm and mushy. Then, add a serving of your desired oatmeal to the fruit mixture and heat up in the microwave for the necessary amount of time, and enjoy!

Oatmeal with Cooked Cinnamon Apples:
Cook your desired brand of plain oatmeal as you normally would. Dice the amount of apples you would like. Heat a pan on medium heat and add 1 teaspoon of olive oil (more or less oil as necessary or wanted), and sauté these apples for around 4 minutes. While any apple variety will do, my go-to is Honey Crisp! Towards the end of the cooking time, sprinkle in some ground cinnamon. Add the apples to your oatmeal, and top it off with some more cinnamon to make a delicious early morning meal.

Mid-Morning Smoothie:
I have found that making a smoothie to sip on later in the morning is the perfect way to stay both full and energized. What you put into your smoothie is personal, but these are a couple recipes that I swear by.

Strawberry, Banana, Blueberry Smoothie:
First, add ¼ cup of vegan yogurt; Daiya Yogurt Alternative in Strawberry is a great tasting option. Then add a splash of any milk-alternative, and blend this liquid portion to make sure that there is enough liquid in the blender. Add ½ cup of frozen strawberries, ¼ cup of frozen blueberries, and ½ of a frozen banana. Blend this all up, and if there seems to be in issue blending, add some water and mix up the smoothie with a spoon.

Chocolate, Banana, and Peanut Butter Smoothie:
If you’re looking for a sweet smoothie, this is the one for you. First, add ½ cup of a chocolate vegan yogurt into a blender; So Delicious Chocolate Yogurt Alternative is a perfect choice. Then add ½ cup of So Delicious Chocolate Coconut Milk, and blend these liquids together. Add 1 tablespoon of your favorite peanut butter, preferably one that is all natural (and only contains peanuts in the ingredients!), and blend that mixture together. For the final touch, add one half of a frozen banana and blend until smooth. If you desire a morning pick-me-up, cold brew coffee can also be added. This smoothie is a delicious meal that will keep you full until lunch time.

Green Machine Smoothie:
If you’d rather start off your day with some vegetables, then this is the smoothie for you. First, add your choice of coconut milk yogurt into a blender; my personal choice would be the Daiya Plain Yogurt Alternative. Add 1 frozen banana and ½ cup of frozen mango. In order to get a serving of vegetables in at the start of your day, add roughly 1 cup of spinach to the smoothie. Make sure that the stems of the spinach are chopped off so that the smoothie blends well. Simply blend and enjoy!

Lunch:
There are plenty of options for a perfect and portable healthy lunch, but these are some of my personal favorites.

Veggie Wrap:
Assembling a veggie wrap is a personal endeavor, as everyone has their own favorite vegetable combinations. My personal favorite wrap would require a whole wheat wrap and an initial spread of hummus. Then add spinach, tomatoes, avocados, shredded carrots, cucumbers, and whatever microgreens you prefer. Just roll into a wrap and you are ready to go!

Power Bowl:
While salads may be available at a school cafeteria, they can get pretty boring. Similar to a veggie wrap, each person’s favorite power bowl is different. My favorite would start with a base of quinoa, then I would add some freshly cooked garlic spinach. I would add diced oven-roasted sweet potato, and cooked or canned chickpeas. Spice however you would like, but I recommend garlic powder, chili powder, salt, and pepper. After loading these ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl, just pack away and heat up whenever you would want to enjoy this delicious lunch.

Quesadilla:
The popular Tex-Mex staple can also be a perfect vegan lunch option! To start, sauté peppers and onions in a lightly oiled sauce pan for around 5 minutes, then spice them with onion powder, garlic powder, and chili powder. Next, place a tortilla on stove-top pan, and evenly spread with a vegan cheese alternative. Add the vegetables on top of the cheese. For the next step, choose your favorite beans; my favorite are vegetarian refried beans. Spread the beans onto another tortilla, and simply place this over the first tortilla. If you prefer black or pinto beans, simply sprinkle them over the cheese and vegetable. Cook the quesadilla for roughly 4 minutes on each side on medium heat, or until the tortilla is golden brown. Let cool, cut into your desired size, and refrigerate, and you have a quesadilla option for lunch the next day

Snack
As an active athlete, you need a snack before the hours of daily physical activity that you do nearly every day. These snacks will provide you with the energy to make every second on the field count.

Carrots and Hummus:
One of the simplest snacks out there is also healthy and delicious!

Apples and Peanut/Almond Butter:
Simply cut up apples and place those into a container with some nut butter to dip, and you are ready to go!

Homemade Trail Mix:
This classic snack is a convenient treat that is also customizable. My personal trail mix combination would include cashews, almonds, vegan chocolate chips, raisins, small pretzels, and your favorite vegan cheese snack, such as Earth Balance vegan cheddar squares. Just fill up a mason jar with these ingredients and you have a perfect snack!

While these meal options will fuel you for the day’s activities, it’s also necessary to stay hydrated throughout the day. Drink plenty of water throughout the day, and especially while you are exercising.

These quick and easy recipes will prepare any athlete for a long day of school and sports, while also being delicious, filling, and of course, vegan!

For more ideas, see
https://www.vrg.org/teen/#athletes
https://www.vrg.org/athlete/

Emma was a VRG intern. For internship information, see https://www.vrg.org/student/index.php

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.

To take the quiz, visit:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/04/30/climate/your-diet-quiz-global-warming.html

Corker, located in Portugal, offers belts made out of cork for men and women: www.corkor.com

Couch offers a wide variety of belts (some in unique colors) made in the USA: www.couchguitarstraps.com

Doshi sells belts for men and women made out of Microfiber PU leather, which is vegan: www.doshi.shop

Ethique Nouveau carries belts in their vegan store in Minneapolis, MN: http://www.ethiquenouveau.com

Freerangers located in the UK offers belts for men and women: http://www.freerangers.co.uk

Herbivore Clothing is a vegan store and online shop out of Portland, Oregon and sells both men’s and women’s belts: www.herbivoreclothing.com

Starbelt offers belts that contain no metal and are airport-friendly. They come in a wide variety of colors as well as offering several choices of buckles: http://www.starbelt.com

Truthbelts out of Canada offers a huge range of belts for adults, as well as one for kids: www.truthbelts.com

Unicorn Goods offers belts for women and men: www.unicorngoods.com

Vegan Chic offers a wide range of belts for men and women: www.veganchic.com

The Vegan Collection offers several black and brown belts with different buckles: www.thevegancollection.com

Vegan Essentials offers several belts both online and in their shop in Waukesha, WI: www.veganessentials.com

Vegan Scene offers a wide variety of belts for men and women: www.veganscene.com

Vegan Wares out of Australia offers several belts: www.veganwares.com

Vegetarian Shoes out of the UK offers many different types of belts: www.vegetarian-shoes.co.uk

The Vegetarian Site offers a wide range of belts: www.thevegetariansite.com

Vivari offers designer men’s belts: www.vivariwear.com

Choose almost any nut and you’ll find a plant milk made with it – from almonds to pecans. And then there are milks based on seeds like sesame, flax, and hemp.

There are so many, many kinds of nut and seed milks. Thanks to VRG intern Laneece Hurd who collected and organized information so that it’s not overwhelming. To see detailed information about everything from the number of calories to how much vitamin B12 is added, to which sweeteners are used in many brands of nut and seed milks available in the U.S., go to this helpful table https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/milk_alternatives/nut_and_seed_milk_table.pdf

Generally speaking, nut and seed milks have 25-200 calories in an 8-ounce serving. Sweetened milks tend to have more calories than unsweetened milks. Nut and seed milks are frequently lower in protein than soy or pea protein-based milk unless additional protein is added. Most brands have 1 gram of protein in a serving.

Many of the milks we looked at have vitamin D, calcium, and vitamin B12 added although some products are not enriched and not all contain all three of these nutrients. If you’re relying on plant milks as sources of calcium, vitamin B12, or vitamin D, be sure to check the product label.

You may also be interested in information on soy milk, coconut milk, and grain and pea milks.

See: https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/milk_alternatives/index.htm

For information about VRG internships, see https://www.vrg.org/student/index.php

To support The Vegetarian Resource Group research, donate at www.vrg.org/donate

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.