Passover begins the evening of April 19, 2019 this year and The Vegetarian Resource Group is the publisher of several books that feature vegan Passover recipes. Below we share three recipes with you. You can purchase these vegan cookbooks from the VRG Book Catalog here: http://www.vrg.org/catalog

Fresh Tomato Soup (from No Cholesterol Passover Recipes, by Debra Wasserman)

(Serves 4)

1 large onion, chopped

5 small ripe tomatoes, chopped

1-1/2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon fresh parsley, minced

Pepper and salt to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a large pot and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes and then cool. Place mixture in a blender cup and blend until creamy. Reheat and serve hot.

Minted Carrots with Chilies (from Vegan Passover Recipes, by Nancy Berkoff)

(Serves 4-5)

1-1/2 cups sliced onions

Vegetable oil spray

1 garlic clove, minced

2 Tablespoons peeled and minced fresh ginger

2 Tablespoons seeded and minced fresh chilies or green pepper

1-1/4 pounds carrots (about 3-1/2 cups), peeled and sliced lengthwise 1-inch thick

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Place onions in a large frying pan, spray liberally with vegetable oil, and sauté over medium heat until soft and golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and chilies and stir. Allow to cook for 1 minute.

Add carrots and add enough water to just cover. Cook uncovered for 15 minutes, or until carrots are tender. Add mint, cook for 2 more minutes. Serve hot.

Russian Potato and Mushroom Croquettes (from The Lowfat Jewish Vegetarian Cookbook, by Debra Wasserman)

(Serves 5)

1-1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and chopped

5 cups water

1 onion, peeled and chopped

1/4 pound mushrooms

1 teaspoon oil

1 Tablespoon water

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup matzo meal

1 Tablespoon oil

Boil potatoes in 5 cups water until tender. Drain and mash potatoes.

In a separate pan, sauté onion and mushrooms in 1 teaspoon oil and 1 Tablespoon water over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Mix the mashed potatoes, sautéed onion and mushrooms, seasonings, and matzo meal together in a large bowl. Form 10 burgers (croquettes).

Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry croquettes for 8 minutes, flip over and continue frying for another 8 minutes. Serve two croquettes per person.

Don’t forget, you can purchase these vegan cookbooks from the VRG Book Catalog here: http://www.vrg.org/catalog

The 12^th annual Veggie Pride Parade will take place in New York City Sunday, April 14, 2019. The parade lines up at 11 a.m. at 40 Gansevoort Street in the old meatpacking district of Manhattan, and proceeds to Union Square Park where there will be speakers, performers, exhibitors— and new this year, a cooking demonstration stage— from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information, see: https://www.veggieprideparade.org/

Here’s some online shops offering vegan Easter Chocolate and Candy:

No Whey Chocolate: https://www.nowheychocolate.com/veganchocolateeaster_s/136.htm

Natural Candy Store: https://www.naturalcandystore.com/category/vegan-candy

Vegan Essentials: https://store.veganessentials.com/easter-gift-ideas-c108.aspx

Rose City: https://www.rosecitychocolates.com/catalogs/display_catalog/vegan-easter

Lake Champlain Chocolates: https://www.lakechamplainchocolates.com/seasonal-chocolates/vegan-easter-chocolate

Enjoy Life (vegan and good for people with allergies): https://shop.enjoylifefoods.com/Seasonal-Chocolate-Minis/c/EnjoyLife@Seasonal

Each year The Vegetarian Resource Group holds an essay contest for children. SUBJECT: 2-3 page essay on any aspect of veganism/vegetarianism. Vegetarianism is not eating meat, fish, and birds (for example, chicken or duck). Vegans do not use any animal products. Among the many reasons for being a vegan/vegetarian are beliefs about ethics, culture, health, aesthetics, religion, world peace, economics, world hunger, and the environment.

Entrants should base their paper on interviewing, research, and/or personal opinion. You need not be a vegetarian to enter. All essays become the property of The Vegetarian Resource Group. DEADLINE: Must be postmarked by May 1, 2019 for current year of judging.

Previous winning essays and complete details can be seen here: http://www.vrg.org/essay/

By Emma Giebel

While spending a windy March weekend down in Long Beach Island, New Jersey, I decided to grab lunch at a spot I had never noticed before. Located in Beach Haven, just two blocks from the ocean, sits Living on the Veg, an almost entirely vegan breakfast and lunch destination that may have just changed the game for vegans and vegetarians in LBI. As I walked in, I was shocked at how perfectly they were utilizing such a small space. A counter is located inside the restaurant, but all of the other seating is found outside, in the form of picnic tables. Since it was a cold day, I decided on take-out.

Glancing at the menu, I was shocked at the variety and creativity. From appetizers, salads, many different options for sandwiches, smoothies, acai bowls, and breakfast options, it seems like there really is something for everyone. Considering it was lunch time, I decided on the Smooth Operator smoothie and the barbeque seitan wrap. The smoothie was a great sweet tooth quencher, especially since it was filled with strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, and a banana. When I returned home to eat my wrap, after only waiting roughly 6 minutes, I was delightfully surprised at its size. It was filled with brown rice, black beans, seasoned seitan, vegetables, and perfectly spiced barbeque sauce. The wrap was a savory lunch that offered something new in every bite. The side of vegan potato salad complimented the wrap, and made for a perfect lunch. In all, the wrap filled me up and was one of the best vegan spins on a classic sandwich that I have ever had.

Living on the Veg has set themselves up to be a major success. The restaurant is nearly entirely vegan, with the exception of some breads containing honey, and has many options that would be a perfect meal for anyone. What truly sets Living on the Veg apart is its location, just a short walk to the beach. For anyone looking for an easy and portable lunch to grab for a day at the beach, Living on the Veg is the one-stop shop. Being a vegan beach bum has never been easier!

To find other veggie restaurants in the USA and Canada, visit: https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

The Vegetarian Resource Group produced a brochure called “Save Our Water—The Vegetarian Way” looking at water usage and livestock production versus water usage and eating a veggie diet. One chart shows the estimated amount of water in liters used to produce one kilogram of food in the U.S. Another chart shows global averages of the quantity of water required to produce certain food products by liters. We also present the quantity of grains (kg) eaten by U.S. livestock to produce one kilogram of meat. Three sets of statistics are presented due to differing calculations by various statistics.

You can read this brochure here: https://www.vrg.org/environment/water_brochure.php

The brochure is also available online in Spanish: https://www.vrg.org/environment/water_brochure_spanish.php

If you would like to hand out this brochure on Earth Day in your community, please email [email protected] and let us know how many brochures you would like, street address to ship them to, and where you will be distributing them. Donations are always appreciated: https://www.givedirect.org/donate/?cid=1565

See: https://anchor.fm/plant-based-mom/episodes/Episode-4-What-You-Need-to-Know-About-Vegan-Pregnancies-with-Dr–Reed-Mangels–RD-e3dqbt

We recently had the opportunity to dine at Root in Lancaster, PA. Located at 223 W Walnut St, Lancaster, PA 17603, this vegan restaurant offers a terrific menu that changes every 6-8 weeks. We tried their wings made from seitan, sweet and sour cauliflower, pesto mac and cheeze topped with stewed tomatoes, the Cuban made with jackfruit, plus more. Service was excellent and they are open for dinner Monday through Friday and for brunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday.

More information on this restaurant can be found here: http://www.rootoflancaster.com

Information on other veggie restaurants throughout the USA and Canada can be found here: https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

By Julia Mathew, VRG Volunteer

I was recently in Sweden and Denmark. The vegan movement is growing so much in Denmark, especially in Copenhagen. A somewhat upscale Danish grocery chain, called Irma, now has a special vegan fridge section in the front of many of their stores. A 100% vegan Danish brand called “Naturli” recently went to the Natural Products Expo West conference in the U.S. and received a lot of attention there, including from Gwyneth Paltrow. Their products are doing very well in Denmark and are starting to be distributed to other European countries.  

Sweden is very ‘vegan-forward’ and most restaurants know they are behind the game if they don’t have any proper vegan options on their menu. Most regular grocery stores in Sweden have tons of vegan specialty products. Swedes love gummy candies and grocery stores usually have a bulk candy section, many of which clearly label “gelatin-free” on the box. The McVegan by McDonald’s was first introduced in Sweden and Finland, and is very popular there. There is another popular Swedish burger chain called Max Burger, which has a really nice vegan BBQ burger. They recently released a vegan milkshake and it has gotten excellent reviews. Their plan is to phase out their standard dairy-based milkshake so that in the future all of their milkshakes are vegan! The Swedish oat milk brand “Oatly” has been doing extremely well in Europe, and started being exported to US grocery stores and coffee shops. Just thought I’d share some exciting ‘vegan updates’ in Scandinavia.

The Vegetarian Resource Group is an 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