At 13, after Elise Donovan went to a restaurant with her dad, and saw “pig carcasses,” she decided to become a vegetarian. She then entered an eighth grade essay contest, “putting more hours into that essay than any homework assignment I had ever completed.” Her hard work paid off and she had the opportunity to present a speech on vegetarianism to her whole school at an assembly in the final month of her 8th-grade year.

Elise said, “I took to my next task: providing more options for vegetarians. Having grown up with an involved mom who packed my lunches almost every day, I was not often restricted to a non-personal defined menu. This was not the case for a large majority of kids at my school, so I made the executive decision to contact my principal to institute veggie burgers as a daily staple for those hoping to make a meatless choice. With the help of PETA, I worked to craft an email that expressed my concern with the options in the cafeteria … Veggie Burgers were added to my middle school menu. While I was only there for a year to see the effect, I received some statistics from my food coordinator. Initially the veggie burgers were not received well due to younger kids’ usual distaste for new foods, but they have since extended their menu. Apart from veggie burgers there are … salads and different sandwiches provided daily. Additionally, a vegan/vegetarian main meal is sold daily as an entrée, which sells at around 10 meals daily. While still low, it is a great step in the right direction since the lack of options when I attended.”

Elise continued, “I aided the cafeteria at my high school with a daily vegan station, fully equipped with vegan-friendly soups, sandwiches, and meals … Everyday there is a vegan special announced, and it has since attracted many people. These meals range from eggplant and vegan cheese sandwiches, to tofu and vegetable stir-fry, and much more. Statistically, my food director told me that they sell over 25 meals a day, with some particular meals selling over 50 every day. To institute this new subsection of our menu, some other classmates and I in my student council expressed our want for more options, and were given the opportunity to taste test different meals.”

In college Elise hopes to study International Relations and Environmental Studies.

The deadline for the next Vegetarian Resource Group scholarship contest for high school seniors is February 20, 2019. For more information, please see https://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

Over 300 students have entered the scholarship contest this year. In our mind, all are winners. If you would like to sponsor additional scholarships of any amount, please donate at www.vrg.org/donate; mail to The Vegetarian Resource Group, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203; or call (410) 366-8343.

Vegan activist JoAnn Farb recently shared this note:
“Thought you might like to see the game we created for Earth Day — based upon The Vegetarian Resource Group’s Save Our Water: the Vegetarian Way brochure. It consisted of tiles that I attached photos to. The photos were some of the food items from one of the tables in the brochure. People stopping by our booth at Earth day were invited to arrange the tiles in order from the item with the smallest water footprint to the largest. Then I had a poster showing the same pictures in their proper order — with icons of gallons of water above each to represent the water footprints. The poster was out of sight while they arranged the tiles and then set up alongside the tiles so that they could see how they did.”

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

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

Would you like to eliminate all animal products from your garden? If so, read veganic gardening. In this article Nathaniel Corn shares his own experiences and useful tips for doing veganic gardening. Get started today!

The Vegetarian Resource Group’s Nutrition Advisor did a podcast titled “Four Myths About Vegan Nutrition for Children.” Listen here:
http://www.karinainkster.com/single-post/2018/05/01/NBSV-007-Dr-Reed-Mangels-on-4-myths-about-vegan-nutrition-for-children

Who doesn’t look forward to strawberry season? Here’s some vegan recipes you might enjoy from Vegetarian Journal featuring strawberries:

Strawberry Pancakes by Peggy Rynk
(Makes approximately 16 pancakes)

These tasty pancakes don’t even need syrup, but they are good with syrup, too.

• 2 cups unbleached flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 Tablespoons granulated vegan sweetener
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups chopped fresh strawberries
• 2 1/2 cups soymilk
• 2 Tablespoons canola oil
• Additional canola oil to prepare griddle

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, blend together the dry ingredients. Add the strawberries and stir until coated with the flour mixture.

Make a well in the center and add the soymilk and oil. Stir to blend well, but do not beat.

Brush a griddle lightly with additional oil. Heat the griddle to medium heat and ladle on the batter, using enough batter to make 4-inch pancakes. Cook over medium heat until lightly browned on the bottom. Flip each pancake over and cook on the other side until lightly browned as well. Remove from griddle and repeat process with more oil and batter until all of the batter has been used. Keep pancakes in a warm oven until all are finished.

Strawberry Shortcake Smoothie by Ivy Grob
(Makes approximately 2 cups)

• 3/4 cup strawberries
• 1/4 cup raspberries
• 1/2 cup ice
• 1/2 cup vanilla-flavored almond milk or vegan yogurt

Pour all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth or desired consistency.

Pineapple-Strawberry Salsa by Chef Nancy Berkoff
(Makes about 3 cups)

• 1/2 cup chopped sweet onions
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 teaspoons seeded and chopped fresh chili or bell pepper (you choose the heat)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh tomatoes, with juice (or canned, chopped tomatoes with juice)
• 1 cup finely diced pineapple, with juice (you can se fresh or canned pineapple)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh strawberries
• 1 teaspoon black pepper or 2 Tablespoons red or balsamic vinegar (optional for additional flavor)

Combine all ingredients in a non-metal bowl and toss to combine. This mixture is the base for your salsa. Store, covered, in the refrigerator.

This variation works well with savory or sweet dishes; try serving with freshly cut bell peppers, daikon radish, jicama, watermelon, or honeydew melon.

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Natalia Gosiaco works at a vegetarian restaurant. The owner of the business said she continuously excelled for the past three years providing excellent customer service and always showing up on time. (One of the biggest hurdles for restaurants and groups is to find hard working long-term employees who always show up.) The owner reported that Natalia also “made important contributions to our business by offering some of her vegan recipes, of which we sometimes added to our special’s menu. She has certainly been a gem in our organization.” Another employee mentioned how Natalia kept her “kind demeanor even during high stress peak hours.” Natalia said for the restaurant she developed “a chocolate soft serve flavor by pouring a mixture of bananas, coconut milk, dark chocolate, and cacao powder into our soft serve machine. It is served with granola, papaya, banana, and macadamia nuts. I have also baked small treats, including vegan cookies and muffins that can be sold in the front by the cash register.”

When Natalia Gosiaco and her friend went vegan, they decided to create the first vegan club at their high school. The Vegan Club’s high school advisor said “Natalia took initiative to organize two formal assemblies at our school inviting a well know vegan activist … to speak about veganism and the environment. Natalia single-handedly proposed the guest speaker to administration, completed all necessary paperwork, and organized the event’s logistics. These two assemblies reached over 800 students.”

Additionally, this past fall Natalia helped organize healthy vegan alternatives during a bake sale to raise funds for victims of Hurricane Maria and Hurricane Harvey. The club advisor added, at our school’s annual spring fair “Natalia and her co-president of Vegan Club created a first-ever vegan snack option featuring Tofu Poke, It was a huge success and many people came up afterwards to share how exciting it was to have not only a healthy alternative (compared to cotton candy, hot dogs, etc.), but also a vegan option.” Natalia received an email from the head of student life at her high school regarding the sample vegetarian menu she created. The student life head is speaking to Sodexo food service about incorporating more vegan options in the cafeteria.

Natalia wrote that she planned her fully vegan graduation party, which included vegan Hawaiian food for over 150 people. The menu was Lau lau, Luau, mock chicken long rice, mock lomi salmon haupia, poi; “all of which are delicious traditional Hawaiian foods that we made vegan.”

Natalia plans to study nutrition and business, which will allow her to continue to stay involved in the movement. Her perfect life in the future will be to own a vegan restaurant, that sells vegan breakfast and lunch, with a farm where all of the vegetables could be harvested, from farm to table. While in college, she will work with a vegan caterer, and with a friend she is starting a business delivering vegan ingredients in a box to households so they can easily prepare vegan meals.

Create and submit a video relating what you want to tell others about vegetarianism and/or veganism.

Some possible topics: food, nutrition, your feelings about veganism and/or vegetarianism, water usage and vegetarianism, veganism and animal rights, or other vegetarian 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.

Details on the contest can be found here:
VRG Video Contest

Save the date! June 3, 2018 will be the 8th National Animal Rights Day (NARD), and it will be celebrated in 30 cities around the world including Baltimore City near McKeldin Fountain at the Inner Harbor (101 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, MD 21202). Information can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/events/2046536958920228/

On this day, special NARD events are held simultaneously in major cities around the globe. The event starts with a Memorial Ceremony for the billions of animals who die every year. The Declaration of Animal Rights will be read and signed. The event ends with a Celebration of the animals in our lives, and the steps that are being made every year towards ending animals’ suffering and shifting humanity to a cruelty-free, vegan and plant-based lifestyle.

For more information about NARD, see their website: http://thenard.org/

Are you looking for some new ideas for vegan dishes to prepare for your mom on Mother’s Day? Here’s some suggestions from articles that have ran in Vegetarian Journal:

Deli Salads by Rachel Haley Himmelheber: vegan deli salads
Mexican Cole Slaw
Potato Salad with Thai Peanut Dressing
Asian Slaw
German Potato Salad
Middle Easter Macaroni Salad
Pecan and Red Pepper Pesto Macaroni Salad

A Relaxing Weekend Brunch by Peggy Rynk: A relaxing weekend brunch
Cranberry Tea Punch
Tofu Scrambled “Eggs”
Smoky Scrambled Tofu
Apple “Sausage” Stir-Fry with Beans
Grits Italiano
Lemon Syrup
Oatmeal Pancakes
Strawberry Pancakes
Jamaican Gingerbread
Breakfast Banana Cake
Stovetop Rice Pudding

To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal, visit:
Subscribe to Vegetarian Journal

To Whom It May Concern:

My name is Laura Stahl, and I am the Special Services Director for OCEAN (Organization for Cultural Exchange Among Nations), which is a non-profit organization that sponsors foreign exchange students, ages 14-18, and places them in volunteer host families and high schools throughout the U.S. for a semester or academic year. We are currently seeking volunteer host families for two girls, one from Ecuador and one from France who are vegetarians. Might you know of any families in your community that would be interested in welcoming one of these students into their home for the 2018/2019 school year? Below is additional information:

Student’s Name: RAFAELA
Age: 17
Home Country: ECUADOR
Grade of Enrollment: 11th
Interests: Air dance, writing poems & essays, reading, cooking vegetarian meals, hiking.
Excerpt from the student’s letter: “I am a very positive person, who always sees the bright side of circumstances. Since I was little I have loved sports and nature. I have been in three summer camps and I used to ride horses. Nature, creativity, sports and lovely people are really present in my life. I am vegetarian because I feel a deep love for animals and nature. I think it has a magnificent power that can be perceived in beautiful landscapes. I live surrounded by nature and this causes me a peaceful sensation. Everyone has a hobby, mine is air dance. I discovered this activity six months ago and it was a bless to me, it makes me really happy, it is my passion too. I practice this kind of dance three times a week in the afternoon. I try to keep myself busy because I think this teaches me to organize my time effectively. I like to have a good lifestyle, I don’t like to eat bad or not doing sport. Exercise has helped me a lot grow. I am an energetic person who is always doing productive activities. Creativity is a part of me. I like to write poems and essays both are pretty different, still writing is such a beautiful way to express.”

Student’s Name: CLARA
Age: 17
Home Country: FRANCE
Grade of Enrollment: 12th
Interests: Fitness, drawing, painting, playing the guitar.
Excerpt from the student’s letter: “I have a lot of hobbies actually, like doing sports in my fitness club. I go there as much as possible because I’m very dynamic and I want to enjoy life. I also like being with my pets, they comfort me a lot. I love animals so much that I became a vegetarian 2 years ago, and I’m very proud of that. I particularly love dogs and cats. The beach and the sea are for me the most beautiful things that exist on earth. Overall, I like nature, sun, flower and so many more things. My favorite season is definitely summer! I love hot weather. I like to be in the beach with my friends, who are very amazing, and playing the little of what I know in guitar. My second favorite place is forest, I feel safe there. I am very attached to people, for me, meet new people is very interesting and I hope this trip will open me to new horizon. I believe that this trip will give me another perspective of life and give me even more maturity and independence. I would like to share you my culture and make you discover the most amazing things in France as you will make me discover America.”’

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to e-mail me at [email protected] or call me at 1-888-996-2326, Ext. 5. You may also wish to visit our website at: www.ocean-intl.org.

Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Laura Stahl
Special Services Director
OCEAN
2101 E. Broadway Road, Suite 6
Tempe, AZ 85282-1735
Phone: (480) 907-7285 Fax: (480) 907-7526
Toll-Free: 1-888-996-2326
Website: www.ocean-intl.org
E-mail: [email protected]