By Taylor Gale

I had the pleasure of teaching my own vegan cooking class at Our Daily Bread in Baltimore City to a group of men residing and working through Christopher’s Place, which is sponsored by Catholic Charities. It is an intensive Employment Academy that provides residence and educational training, as well as emotional, spiritual, and addiction recovery support for formerly homeless men. To learn more you can check out: https://www.catholiccharities-md.org/services/christopher-place-employment-academy/, https://www.shelterlistings.org/details/30808/. Using food as a tool to bring the men together and teach the important life skills on how to be healthy while still being frugal was stellar.

To teach the class I used an Asian Vegetarian Resource Group recipe created by chef Nancy Berkoff, which can be found on our website at: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2005issue4/2005_issue4_chinese_cooking.php

Stir-Fried Noodles

(Serves 4)

• 2 quarts water
• 1 pound (approximately 2 cups) uncooked noodles, such as vermicelli or rice noodles
• Vegetable oil spray
• ½ cup finely shredded green cabbage
• ½ cup fresh bean spouts
• ½ cup minced celery
• ¼ cup minced onions
• ¼ cup canned bamboo shoots, drained and chopped
• ¼ cup thinly sliced fresh button mushrooms
• 1 Tablespoon dark soy sauce
• Vegetable broth, as needed (not more than ½ cup)

To start, I made the noodles ahead of time, using vermicelli noodles since we only had a wok to cook on at Christopher’s Place. Rice vermicelli noodles are a thin form of rice noodles, which is popular within Asian dishes. The noodles are the easiest part of the recipe. To begin, put two quarts of water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Then add the noodles, which only takes about 3-4 minutes before they are soft and ready. Next, cut up the cabbage, celery, and onions into fine pieces. The bamboo shoots give an added crunch, so I like to cut them into smaller pieces but not as small as the other vegetables. For the mushrooms, cut them into thin slices.

This part took a good amount of time, so I began to ask the men questions on what vegan dishes they have had and which ones they really liked. This creates a platform for interaction between teacher and student as well as camaraderie between each student. I also explained that I like this dish because it fills me up while being a quick-and-easy meal. All of the men really seemed to enjoy discussing their likes and dislikes, which made the rest of the class livelier. I highly recommend creating questions for your students ahead of time. Whenever there are any silent moments, that’s your in.

Remember to tell your students, you can substitute any of these ingredients for another vegetable of their liking. If you do not like celery or bamboo shoots you can use carrots instead. As long as you have a crunchy vegetable to give it that nice texture you can substitute these vegetables with another veggie that you are fond of. It is really about getting a varied mix of vegetables in there.  For added protein, put in some extra-firm or already cubed tofu.

Before cooking any type of tofu, make sure to drain and press the water from it so that it holds its shape when used in recipes, otherwise the tofu may fall apart. Tofu is super cheap ranging from a dollar to five dollars, depending on where you buy it and what brand it is. You can buy already cubed and packaged tofu at your local grocery stores. Seitan and tempeh are another great source of protein, which would pair well with this type of dish. The noodles and bean sprouts have protein too!

Next, coat the wok with oil, I used sesame oil to give it an added Asian taste. You can get sesame oil in any Asian aisles in grocery stores! If you do not want sesame oil, you can always use olive oil or spray oil. It is important to remind your students where to buy these items from if the product is somewhat foreign to the students’ regular diet. Then, add in all of the vegetables, stirring incessantly over high heat for about the same time it took the noodles to cook—4 minutes. I asked one of the gentleman to be my sous-chef. His task was to stir all of the vegetables in the wok. This is another way to make the class interactive and more exciting.

Lastly, combine the noodles, soy sauce, and vegetable broth. I added about two tablespoons of soy sauce, but you can always do more or less. If you want less sodium, you can use coconut aminos, which can be found at Walmart, Target, Safeway, or other grocery stores, typically in the organic aisles. You could always just use low-sodium soy sauce or less soy sauce altogether. If the mixture is too dry you can add another tablespoon of vegetable broth or conversely, add corn starch to thicken the sauce. Personally, I like the noodles to be a bit creamier so I put in about ½ a cup of vegetable broth. Afterwards serve immediately! 

Tips for Teaching Your Own Cooking Class:

• Ask the students questions.
• Make sure to talk about substitutions for each ingredient.
• Leave room for the students to ask their own questions before, during, and after the class.
• If you are cooking something that takes a while to make, be sure to prep ahead of time.
• Explain to your students what you like about the recipe and why.
• Leftovers should be available to the students, so they can enjoy another free and healthy meal at a later time. This is just an option, not a necessity.
• Make sure you gage your audience. Try to relate what you are teaching to what their lifestyles may look like.
• I made way too many noodles. Make sure you measure all of your ingredients to match the amount of students you teach to.

Taylor Gale is an intern at The Vegetarian Resource Group. For more information about VRG internships, see https://www.vrg.org/student/index.php

To support VRG outreach, donate at www.vrg.org/donate

Recent discussion topics include:

-Ways to celebrate Easter with a vegan twist

-Where to purchase vegan chocolate/candy for Easter

-Podcast on vegan pregnancies with VRG’s Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

-Info on a vegan daycare program for kids 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.

Land of Kush is a vegan soul food restaurant in Baltimore, Maryland; however, they are much more than just a place to eat. Land of Kush does vegan outreach year-round! They do cooking demonstrations at a wide variety of events in Maryland and also speak and promote the vegan lifestyle in various settings. They are heavily involved in organizing Vegan SoulFest and Vegan Restaurant Week in Baltimore.

The next time you’re in Baltimore, be sure to visit their restaurant and show support for all they do!

For more information on the restaurant see: https://landofkush.com/

VRG Co-Director Debra Wasserman gave a presentation at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Nutrition and Dietetic Educators and Preceptors Eastern Conference in Annapolis Maryland. This is attended by preceptors and teachers from Maine to Florida, who are teaching future dietitians.

VRG Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels, PhD, RD created Resource for Teaching Students and Interns about Vegetarian and Vegan Diets: https://www.vrg.org/family/Resources-for-Teaching-Students-and-Interns-about-Vegetarian-and-Vegan-Diets.pdf

For other resources, see https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/

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

By Rissa Miller, Vegetarian Journal Senior Editor

I kind of thought… there’s no way. Not that I doubted Vegetarian Journal columnist Nancy Berkoff. She’s a chef and dietitian, a food expert. Every quarter she has great ideas on easy things to do with vegan eats. But watermelon curry? As I stared at her monthly column (page 32 coming up in Issue 3, 2019), I wondered if Nancy was mistaken.

Never one to back down from a vegan culinary adventure – or a challenge – I decided to check it out. As it happens, there are many, many variations of this traditional dish from Rajasthan, the largest state in India, which is in the northwest corner of the country. I rarely meet Indian food I don’t love, so I set about making my own version with easy-to-find spices and directions simple enough to prepare on any weeknight.

Watermelon curry is sweet and savory; it comes together in 20 minutes, about as long as it takes rice to get fluffy in my rice cooker. I used pre-cut and seeded watermelon from the grocery salad bar. If you’re ambitious enough to cut your own melon, make sure you remove the seeds.

Watermelon Curry

Serves 4

Sauce

3 cups cubed, seeded watermelon

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. turmeric powder

1 tsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. powdered mustard seed

1/4 tsp. ground cardamom

Pinch salt (optional to taste)

Pinch red pepper flakes (optional to taste)

Curry

1 Tbs. neutral oil, such as canola oil

1 small onion, cut into half moons

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped into rings

15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed

4 cups cubed, seeded watermelon

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional topping)

1 small jalapeño, seeded and minced (optional topping)

2 Tbs. chopped cashews (optional topping)

Lime juice (optional topping)

4 cups prepared rice

To prepare the sauce, purée watermelon cubes in a blender or food processor until liquid. Add puréed watermelon and all spices to a large pot. Cover and cook over low heat until infused, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

In a second pan over medium heat, sauté chopped onions, green pepper, and minced garlic in the oil until fragrant and lightly browned, about 4-6 minutes. Pour into large pot with the watermelon sauce, adding chickpeas and cubed watermelon. Stir gently to coat. Cook to warm through, about 5-7 minutes over medium heat.

Serve over one cup of warm cooked rice. Top as desired with chopped cilantro, cashews, jalapeño, and/or a splash of lime juice.

In honor of Earth Day, you can show your family and friends a simple way to save water by sharing The Vegetarian Resource Group’s Burrito on My Plate poster. This handout uses simple graphics to show how much water is needed to produce a vegan burrito without tofu, a vegan burrito with tofu, and a beef burrito.   

See: https://www.vrg.org/environment/BurritoOnMyPlate.pdf

With Target selling almond and soy milk, Chipotle carrying Sofritas as well as listing it as vegan bowl on their website, and Carl’s Junior offering the Beyond Burger, it seems there is an explosion of interest in vegan foods. However, The Vegetarian Resource Group wanted to know how many vegans there are.

In a national Harris survey, we asked the following question in 2016 and 2019… To see question and rest of article, go to https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/Polls/2019_adults_veg.htm 

For more polls, see https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/faq.htm#poll

The Vegetarian Resource Group is an activist non-profit organization that does vegan 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

Vegetarian Resource Group Co-Director Debra Wasserman gave a presentation at the  Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Nutrition and Dietetic Educators and Preceptors Eastern Conference in Annapolis Maryland. This is attended by preceptors and teachers from Maine to Florida, who are teaching future dietitians.

VRG Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels, PhD, RD created Ideas for Teaching Students and Interns about Vegetarian and Vegan Diets. https://www.vrg.org/family/Ideas-for-Teaching-Students-and-Interns-about-Vegetarian-and-Vegan-Diets-1.pdf

For other resources, see https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/
To support The Vegetarian Resource outreach, donate at www.vrg.org/donate

After a successful Vegan Restaurant Week, Miss Shirley’s has decided to add a seasonal vegan menu for breakfast and brunch in the spring and fall, so that vegan options are available all-year-long in their 3 locations. Thank you to Vegan Week organizers, and all those that patronized featured restaurants that period. Some items on the current menu includes Oh Snap! Quinoa Salad (includes green beans), Gluten-Free Griddle Cakes, and Be More Beyond burger (with spinach, avocado mash, and Pico de Gallo on an ancient grain roll).

For more information, see https://www.missshirleys.com/uploads/file/2019springveganmenu.pdf

For info on other veggie restaurants throughout the USA and Canada, see: https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php