Through December 31, 2017, you can give a gift membership to The Vegetarian Resource Group (includes a 1-year subscription to Vegetarian Journal) for $15 each (40% discount). This offer is valid in the USA only!

This is a terrific way to share the vegan message, as well as support VRG. Gift subscriptions can be done online by simply typing in your message and the address(s) of the gift recipient(s) in the comments field. Go to: https://www.givedirect.org/donate/?cid=1565

The latest issue of Vegetarian Journal includes reviews for the following products:

Crazy Go Nuts tried something different and created a delicious line of walnut butters. They offer eight vegan flavors of walnut butter: Plain, Banana, Orange, Coconut, Oatmeal Cookie, Chocolate Espresso, Sage Rosemary, and Buffalo. The spreads have a smooth and creamy texture, and the flavors are true to their name.

Bella Gluten-Free offers a Gourmet Italian Pizza Crust Mix that can go from “cup to table in 22 minutes,” making it easy for you to prepare a personalized pizza! All you need to add is water, oil, and an egg alternative (a flax egg or chickpea water work great).

Amy’s Kitchen combined two of our favorite things — pizza and cinnamon rolls — to form a delicious and savory product. Amy’s Vegan Margherita Swirls are satisfying, bite-sized rolls that taste like pizza.

Good Karma Foods has mastered taste, texture, and consistency with their new flax milk yogurts.

Pearls Olives released a new line of certified organic olives, which includes their two most popular flavors: Pitted Kalamata Greek Olives and Red Pepper Stuffed Green Olives.

Milkadamia Latte Da, a vegan milk made from macadamia nuts does indeed “foam beautifully” as the box touts. You won’t get quite the same results as with dairy milk, but it’s the closest we’ve seen.

Farmhouse Culture makes Kraut Krisps, corn chips made with probiotics from sauerkraut. Probiotics are live bacteria that add to or replace the beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract. There are four Kraut Krisp flavors: Dill Pickle, Smoked Jalapeno, Zesty Garden Veggie, and Sea Salt.

To read the entire article, visit:
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2017issue4/2017_issue4_veggie_bits.php

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

Wrap-up your holiday shopping at smile.amazon.com/ch/52-1279034 and Amazon donates to Vegetarian Resource Group.

Are you looking for some new creative dishes to serve this New Year’s Eve or Day? If so, the latest issue of Vegetarian Journal features an article by Anna Lam titled “Veganized Traditional Southern New Year’s Fare.” Recipes in this piece include:

Cornbread Flapjacks with Jalapeño-Mayhaw Jelly
Hoppin’ Johns
Turnip Greens
Seitan ‘Ham’

You can read this article here:
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2017issue4/2017_issue4_new_year.php

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

When making your end-of-year donations, please remember The Vegetarian Resource Group. We greatly appreciate your support. Visit: www.vrg.org/donate

Here are some of the ways your donation will be used throughout the year to come:
$25 Sponsors sending Vegetarian Journal for a year to a Vegetarian or Animal Rights Group located overseas in a poor country.

$50 Would go towards reprinting copies of Vegan Diets in a Nutshell brochures.
See: http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/vegan.htm

$100 The cost to send a box of vegan literature to a student vegetarian/animal rights/ environmental organization for outreach on their campus.

$200 Allows VRG to send Vegetarian Journal for a year to 20 high school students applying to the Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarship.

$300 To print VRG Banners to use at outreach tables throughout the USA.

$500 Will enable us to give runner-up scholarships to high school seniors who promote veganism.

$750 So we can reprint our Spanish coloring book. See: http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2010issue4/2010_issue4_back_cover.php

Thank you and happy holidays!

Don’t forget, please visit: www.vrg.org/donate

Through December 31, 2017, you can give a gift membership to The Vegetarian Resource Group (includes a 1-year subscription to Vegetarian Journal) for $15 each (40% discount). This offer is valid in the USA only!

This is a terrific way to share the vegan message, as well as support VRG. Gift subscriptions can be done online by simply typing in your message and the address(s) of the gift recipient(s) in the comments field. Go to: Gift Subscriptions

Maria Pittarell, RD from: lifebeyondlettuce.com did a TV segment on vegan holiday food ideas last December. She offers many creative ideas that family members would enjoy.

See: http://wjla.com/features/good-morning-washington/vegan-holiday-treats-with-plenty-of-flavor

Due to the generosity of an anonymous donor, The Vegetarian Resource Group each year will award $20,000 in college scholarship money to graduating U.S. high school students who have promoted veganism/vegetarianism in their schools and/or communities. Vegetarians do not eat meat, fish, or fowl. Vegans are vegetarians who do not use other animal products such as dairy or eggs.

One award of $10,000 and two awards of $5,000 will be given. Entries may only be sent by students graduating from high school in spring 2018. Deadline is February 20, 2018. We will accept applications postmarked on or before February 20, 2018. Early submission is encouraged.

Applicants will be judged on having shown compassion, courage, and a strong commitment to promoting a peaceful world through a vegan/vegetarian diet/lifestyle. Payment will be made to the student’s college (U.S. based only). Winners of the scholarships give permission to release their names to the media. Applications and essays become property of The Vegetarian Resource Group. We may ask finalists for more information. Scholarship winners are contacted by e-mail or telephone. Please look at your e-mail.

For details on the contest, see: VRG Scholarship Contest

Each issue of Vegetarian Journal features a column called Scientific Update by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD. In the latest issue topics include:

More Beans Could Mean a Reduced Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Benefits of Plant Protein
Weight Loss without Counting Calories
Vegetarians and Gallbladder Disease
Healthy vs. Less Healthy Plant Foods

Find the complete article here: http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2017issue4/2017_issue4_scientific_update.php

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

Chanukah is a time that extended families gather together. The first night of Chanukah this year is tonight (December 12, 2017). Here are three vegan recipes you can share with your friends and family during this 8-day celebration.

Tofu/Potato Pancakes (from Conveniently Vegan)

Makes 8 pancakes – serve 2 per person

2 pounds white potatoes, peeled and chopped
6 cups water
1 box (about 10-12 ounces) extra firm silken tofu, crumbled
½ cup matzo meal
Small onion, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon dill weed
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons oil

Place potatoes in water in a large covered pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook 15 minutes over a medium-high heat. Drain.

Place the cooked potatoes and remaining ingredients (except for the oil) in a food processor cup. Blend until smooth (about 3 minutes).

Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Brown pancakes on each side for 8 minutes. Flip over carefully. Serve warm pancakes with applesauce.

Vegan Noodle Kugel (from Vegans Know How to Party)

Serves 5

Vegetable oil spray
One 12-ounce package wide vegan noodles (lasagna noodles work well)
1½ cups silken tofu
¾ cup organic sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons orange zest
½ cup raisins
½ cup drained, chopped canned peaches
1½ cups peeled, cored, and cubed green apples
¼ cup applesauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a loaf pan (about 4 inches deep and 8 inches long) with oil. Cook noodles according to package directions, drain, and cool. Using a blender or mixer, puree tofu with sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and zest.
In a large bowl, combine raisins, peaches, apples, and applesauce. Whip in tofu mixture. Add in noodles and mix until well combined. Pour into loaf pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden.

Variations: For different flavors, use pineapple or apricots instead of peaches and dried cranberries and cherries or apricots instead of raisins. Whole wheat noodles can be used in this recipe.

Festive Cashew Cookies (from Simply Vegan)

Makes 2 dozen

2 cups raw cashews
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup molasses or maple syrup
½ cup water
¼ cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Small jar fruit-only jam

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grind the raw cashews and rolled oats together in a food processor for a few minutes. Pour mixture into a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients, except for the jam. Mix all the ingredients together.
Form 24 round balls and place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. With your thumb, form a small well in the center of each ball. Place a small amount of jam in each well. Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Allow cookies to cool before removing from the cookie sheet. These cookies make a wonderful gift!