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

Each issue of Vegetarian Journal has a column called Veggie Bits. Here we review vegan products that we think readers would want to know about.

We reviewed these items:
Rigoni di Asiago’s Hazelnut Spread
Pure Genius Brownies (40 percent made from chickpeas!)
Back to the Roots Cereals
Hippies Organic Chickpea Puffs
Sabra Spreads (packaged in squeeze bottles!)
Yuve Protein (Chia Seeds and Cocoa flavor)
Edward & Sons (Let’s Do…Organic) Banana Flour and Heavy Coconut Cream

Click here to read the most recent Veggie Bits!

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

Two Vegetarian Resource Group interns (Casey Brown and Sasha Keenan) spent several weeks comparing vegan cheeses sold today. This was a huge project and the recent issue of Vegetarian Journal shared some of their findings. See: Guide to Vegan Cheese

The authors state: “Generally speaking, non-dairy cheeses contain no cholesterol and are lower in saturated fat than dairy cheeses. Non-dairy cheeses are a reduced fat alternative to dairy cheeses. For example, a slice (19 grams) of Go Veggie brand Vegan Cheddar Slices contains 35 calories, 1 gram of protein, 2 grams of fat, 5 grams of carbohydrates, and 0 grams of saturated fat, while a slice (21 grams) of Kraft Deli Deluxe Cheese for comparison contains 70 calories, 4 grams of protein, 6 grams of fat, 0 grams of carbohydrates, and 3.5 grams of saturated fat.”

Due to space constraints in the magazine, we also have a more thorough version of this article on our website. To see a complete list of vegan cheese brands and purchasing options, as well as characteristics of the various vegan cheese brands and more comparison tables, visit: http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/Public/VeganCheese2016.pdf

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

To support our internship program, consider donating to The Vegetarian Resource Group at: Donate to VRG