Join us for our first Vegan Night in Pittsburgh at the Pirates VS Orioles game

Starting at $87.06 per person* Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Contact Donna at Green Earth Travel for more information
[email protected] or call 301 229-5666

Take me out to the ball game!
Take me out with the crowd
Buy me some peanuts and crackerjacks
I don’t care if I never get back

Join the Pirates, Meatless Monday Pittsburgh, vegan enthusiasts, and all animal lovers for our first Vegan Night!
Join us for one night in Pittsburgh for a Pirates VS Orioles game,
A historical event as this is the first game ever to block seats off for vegans!
We will stay at the SpringHill Suites Marriott,
1 ticket per person and vegan breakfast the next morning (breakfast is not included in price)

*Cost per person double occupancy $127.98
Single occupancy $209.66
Triple occupancy $100.75 per person
Quad occupancy $87.06 per person
We can get up to six people in a room so please email directly for price.

Price includes:
1 night hotel at the SpringHill Suites Marriott
Hotel taxes
1 ticket to the game
Vegan dinner and appetizer
Each ticket includes access to the exclusive Vegan Menu in the Picnic Park from 5:30 – 7 p.m. and a Corner Box seat for the Pirates vs. Orioles game.

What is not included:
Gratuities to the hotel staff
Parking $25
Optional vegan breakfast.

Menu includes:
Pretzels, Chips and Dips (house chips with French onion dip, corn chips with smashed avocado salsa, pretzel sticks with Local PA maple mustard)
Power Chop Salad (kale, cabbage, grilled vegetables, garbanzo beans, sunflower seeds, pepitas, citrus-dijon dressing)
Ultimate Vegan Burger (beefless beef patty, lettuce, tomato, dill pickles, vegan house sauce, sesame seed bun)
Buffalo Cauliflower (vegan ranch dipping sauce)
Sweet Potato Tacos (black beans, cilantro, salsa verde, tortilla threads, nondairy sour cream, flour tortilla)
Watermelon and Berries

No refunds on baseball tickets.
$50 cancellation fee for the room until September 3rd
September 4th-no refunds

Contact Donna at Green Earth Travel for more information
[email protected] or call 301 229-5666

By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

The VRG received an email from a reader who asked “…if there was any information on mozzarella cheese used at Grimaldi’s Coal Brick-Oven Pizzeria.” See: https://www.grimaldispizzeria.com/

Our reader told us that he had dined at the Cedar Hill, Texas Grimaldi’s where “the manager said there was no animal rennet in the mozzarella cheese.”
Ingredient listings do not appear on the company’s website. So in April 2017 The Vegetarian REsoruce Group placed an unofficial call to Grimaldi’s corporate office requesting this information and left a voicemail.

The next day we received a call back from Nina at Grimaldi’s corporate office. She told us that “there is no animal rennet in the mozzarella cheese used on the Garden Pizza.” Nina added that “the Romano-Spice Blend which is sprinkled on top does contain animal rennet.”

The Garden Pizza is described on their website as being Grimaldi’s “Traditional Pizza topped with fresh Roma tomatoes, sliced onions, mushrooms and black olives.”

We also asked Nina if the dough conditioner L-cysteine, which is most often derived from poultry feathers, was used to make their dough. She said “L-cysteine is not in our dough.” We also asked about lard and she again said “No lard.”

Lacking a formal statement from Grimaldi’s about their vegan menu items, we sought to confirm all of the information that we had gathered above. So The VRG placed several random calls to Grimaldi’s restaurants in Arizona, California and Colorado. Managers at four Grimaldi’s locations confirmed all of the preceding information.

We also learned that the Romano-Spice Blend is “automatically put on pizzas. When ordering, customers should request that it be left off.”
According to all four managers at various Grimaldi’s locations, butter is not used on the pizza crust. The pizza sauce is “all-vegetable” with no meat, meat flavors nor dairy.

They told us that vegans could order the Garden Pizza without the cheese.

The VRG also inquired about the Kale Chopped Salad which is described on the menu as consisting of “kale, romaine lettuce, artichokes, cucumber, red onion, shaved Italian cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and Kalamata olives tossed in a lemon vinaigrette.”

The four managers with whom we spoke unanimously agreed that the Kale Chopped Salad “could be ordered without the cheese.” All four put us on hold while they checked into the lemon vinaigrette ingredients. All relayed to us after a brief pause that there was neither honey nor dairy in the lemon vinaigrette. One manager mentioned that a guest could always request “oil and vinegar on the side.”

For information about other restaurant chains, see http://www.vrg.org/fastfoodinfo.php

For information about vegetarian and vegan restaurants, see http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

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

To join, go to http://www.vrg.org/member/cabdacae.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 judgement about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

My name is Alyssa Ardolino. I am one of the University of Maryland College Park Dietetic Interns this year. I wanted to let you know I wrote a blog post about Vegan and Vegetarian diets and our experience at The Vegetarian Resource Group for our dietetic internship blog. You can read it here:

http://umdieteticinternship.blogspot.com/2017/05/is-veganism-right-for-you-our-visit-to.html

Do you love your dad and want to make sure he stays healthy? If so, why not consider giving him a vegan cookbook for Father’s Day. The Vegetarian Resource Group Book Catalog offers several books that your father might enjoy:

Grills Gone Vegan

This book gives instructions for both outdoor and indoor grills. Apartment dwellers now can enjoy grilled vegan cuisine, too! Chapter 1 offers helpful information for those that are new to grilling. The last chapter of the book includes recipes for marinades and other condiments.

Next, dive into all the wonderful recipes. Starters include Roasted Garlic, Cajun Mushrooms, Stuffed Jalapeño Chiles, and Grilled Baby Artichokes. You can prepare side dishes including Mexican Slaw, Ethiopian Bean Skillet, or Asian Sesame Noodles. Be sure to move on to Soups and Sandwiches including Roasted Corn Chowder and Teriyaki Portobello Burgers. Some main dishes offered are Red-Eye Tofu Steaks, Seitan Ribz, Quinoa-Stuffed Poblanos, Broccoli and Cheeze Calzones, and Porcini and Sausage Paella. Finally, don’t forget to prepare dessert over a grill. Enjoy Maple-Glazed Grapefruit or Pineapple and Pomegranate Couscous Cakes.

Teff Love

Perhaps your dad likes trying new dishes. Vegan Ethiopian food is delicious and now your father can use Teff Love to prepare this cuisine at home. First, you’ll find a recipe to make injera (Ethiopan bread). For breakfast you can prepare Ye’shimbra Duket Kita (Savory Chickpea-Flour Pancakes) or Ye’beqolo Genfo (Creamy, Cheesy Corn Grits with a Spicy Seasoned-Oil Drizzle). Another chapter features spicy red sauces and stews including Ye’Atakilt Wot (Potatoes, Carrots, and Cauliflower in a Spicy Sauce), Ye’misser Wot (Red Lentils in a Spicy Sauce). If you don’t like spicy food, one chapter highlights mild sauces and stews including Ye’Ater Kik Alicha (Split Peas in a Mild Sauce) and Ye’atakilt Alicha (Stewed Cabbage, Potatoes and Carrots in a Mild Sauce). The section on cooked vegetables and casseroles offers Ye’Abesha Gomen (Tender Stewed Collard Greens) and Ye’Zelbo Gomen Be’Karot (Tender Kale with Carrots, Onion, and Mild Spices). You’ll also find cold dishes including Ye’Kaysir Atakilt (A Salad of Tender Roasted Beets and Fresh Herbs in a Citrus Dressing) and Azifa (Tangy Lentil Salad). Finally, a section on beverages and sweets includes Telba (A Roasted-Flaxseed Shake) and Mocha Teff Brownies.

Vegan Brunch

Perhaps your father likes preparing brunch on weekends. Inside you’ll discover more than 176 inspired recipes for seasonal favorites, along with beautiful color photographs, including:

• Banana Flapjacks
• Classic Broccoli Quiche
• Puttanesca Scramble
• Cherry Sage Sausages
• Gingerbread Waffles with Carmelized Figs
• Biscuits and Smoked Almond Gravy
• Lemon Cashew Crepes
• East Coast Coffee Cake
• Tomato Rosemary Scones
• Bakery-Style Berry Muffins

The VRG Book Catalog offers many other creative vegan cookbooks. To order a gift for your dad, visit:
VRG Book Catalog

To see a list of ten vegan friendly ballparks, see:
http://www.peta.org/features/peta-top-10-vegan-friendly-ballparks/

Holding the Oriole park vegan dog is editor Samantha Gendler.

The Vegetarian Resource Group is once again sponsoring a video contest. We will be awarding one $200 scholarship plus two $100 awards. The deadline for entries this year is July 15, 2017.

Create and submit a video relating what you want to tell others about veganism. Some possible topics: food, nutrition, your feelings about veganism and/or vegetarianism, water usage and veganism, veganism and animal rights, or other veggie 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.

To see the video contest rules, visit:
http://www.vrg.org/videoscholarship.php

Previous wining videos can be found here:
http://www.vrg.org/veg_videos.php

Each issue of Vegetarian Journal has a column called Vegetarian Action. Here we feature individuals that have been promoting veganism in many different ways. The latest issue of Vegetarian Journal takes a look at the terrific work Vesanto Melina has been doing for decades.

VRG Intern Casey Brown interviewed Vesanto and states, “Among the many professions Melina has held throughout her life, she has found time to co-author 10 books, including Becoming Vegan, Cooking Vegan, and Becoming Raw. She has worked with co-author and Registered Dietitian Brenda Davis for the past 23 years. Their books are widely available in numerous languages, and both the comprehensive and express editions of Becoming Vegan have been recognized for multiple awards. These books are essential to health professionals and everyone else hoping to learn more about nutrition on a plant-based diet. While they have received strong support and recognition for these books, they have also faced opposition. Following the release of their first book, Becoming Vegetarian in 1994, a 45-page booklet was written in opposition to their publication. Luckily, they were able to counter this booklet and as a result, they ended up with even better book sales! Davis and Melina currently teach courses on vegan nutrition, which are available in California and online.”

You can read the complete article here: http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2017issue2/2017_issue2_vegetarian_action.php

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

Sunday, October 22, 2017 at 6pm

The Vegetarian Resource Group will host a vegan dinner at LYFE Kitchen in Chicago (at Fairbanks and Ontario) on Sunday, October 22, 2017 during the annual meeting of The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Meet VRG advisors Reed Mangels PhD, RD, Catherine Conway MS RD, Charles Stahler, Debra Wasserman, and vegetarian dietitians from around the country. The public is welcome.

MENU
Edamame Hummus
Kale and Cranberry Salad
Ancient Grain Stir-Fry Bowl with stir-fried vegetables, beefless tips, quinoa, black rice,
cilantro, and sweet chili-ginger sauce
Vegan Thai Red Curry Bowl with garlic-lime tofu, broccoli, eggplant, peppers, peas,
whole grain wheatberries, Thai basil, and coconut curry sauce
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie
Tea or Coffee
The meal will be served family style. Note: Seating is limited!

TO RESERVE
Send $35 per person (includes tax and tip) with names to The Vegetarian Resource Group, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203; Call (410) 366-8343 9am-5pm Mon.-Fri. EST to charge over the phone. Or pay at www.vrg.org/donate and write Chicago Dinner in the Comments.

 # Attending X $35/person = $_____
Donation towards professional outreach: $_____
Total enclosed: $_____

Names of attendees:
Address:
Email:
Phone:

Have you ever wondered how much water is used to make a vegan burrito versus a meat-based burrito? Figuring out the answer to this question is not as easy as you might think. VRG Research Director Jeanne Yacoubou, MS, spent a lot of time investigating this topic and shares her findings in the recent issue of Vegetarian Journal.

The article can be read here:
Burrito on My Plate: The Water Footprint of a Vegan Versus a Meat Burrito

And here is a one page infographic comparing how much water is needed to produce a Vegan Burrito without Tofu, a Vegan Burrito with Tofu, and a Beef Burrito:
http://www.vrg.org/environment/BurritoOnMyPlate.pdf

To support research such as this, consider donating to The Vegetarian Resource Group at:
Donate to VRG

The Vegetarian Resource Group is an activist non-profit organization that does outreach all-year-long. For example, today we are giving a several hour presentation on veganism to 10 University of Maryland Dietetic Interns (all of whom are not vegetarian and will soon be practicing dietitians). 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, 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