Emma Josephson said: “I believe veganism is the answer to a lot of this planet’s hurt environmentally; due to the large amount of resources used in the process of producing animal products. The more obvious effect it has, is that veganism promotes compassion to all living beings which can help create a more compassionate people in the world.”

See: http://www.vrg.org/veg_videos.php#Josephson

The deadline for the next video contest is July 15, 2018
See: http://www.vrg.org/videoscholarship.php

For information about VRG’s College Scholarship Contest, see:
http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

To support The Vegetarian Resource Group scholarships and internships, donate at www.vrg.org/donate

The recent issue of Vegetarian Journal includes an article by Debra Daniels-Zeller titled “Healthy Vegan Dishes on a Budget!” Debra provides tips on how to save money when preparing vegan meals and also shares recipes for:
Spicy Black Beans
Grilled Pepper and Quinoa-Millet Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
Zucchini-Corn Chowder with Tomatoes
Kidney Bean-Sweet Potato Stew
Lemon Cornbread
Lemon-Carrot Coleslaw
Tofu-Broccoli Noodle Bowl

You can read the entire article here:
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2017issue3/2017_issue3_dishes_budget.php

Subscribe to Vegetarian Journal by visiting:
http://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

By Heather Moore

Pirates can’t live on rum alone—or even popcorn, peanuts, and Cracker Jack’s. Fortunately, the Pittsburgh Pirates, along with Meatless Monday Pittsburgh (see: https://www.facebook.com/MeatlessMondayPittsburgh/posts/1958601537696575), are hosting a Vegan Night with special picnic fare before the Pirates vs. Orioles game on September 26. Use coupon code “VEGAN” to get a ticket for the Vegan Menu in the Picnic Park from 5:30 – 7 p.m. and a Corner Box seat for the game.

The mouthwatering vegan menu is set to include:
♥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

Mmmm. Now I’m the volunteer Veggie Happy Manager for the Baltimore Orioles, so you know I’ll be rooting for The Birds on the field…but I’m also cheering for the Bucs’ officials who organized this event. It sounds omazing, as they say at Camdem Yards. I hope the O’s plan to “contend” with the Pirates next year and hold a vegan party of their own. Can’t hurt to ask.

Even if you can’t attend the Vegan Night festivities at PNC Park, you can still say “Yo Ho Ho” (or at least, “thank you”) to the Pirates for remembering the vegan fans. This isn’t the first time that PNC Park has scored praise for being vegan-friendly. The ballpark even made PETA’s list of the top 10 vegetarian-friendly ballparks in 2015.

If you can attend the Vegan Night celebration, enjoy and tell me all about it.
Heather Moore is a lifelong Orioles fan, a seasoned vegan, and a staff writer for the PETA Foundation. She can be reached at [email protected] or at 941-330-6430 (call or text) if you have questions or want to help get more vegan options at O’s stadiums.

veganteen.net interviewed the 2017 $10,000 Vegetarian Resource Group scholarship winner.

To read the article, see:
http://www.veganteen.net/vegan-teen-activism-sholarships-an-interview-with-aaditi-tamhankar/

Each issue of Vegetarian Journal includes a column called Vegetarian Action. In the latest issue we feature Scott Jurek. Writer Savannah Lawrence states:

“Scott Jurek is a well-known figure in the running community, and not just because of the races he’s won or the records he’s set. As an ultrarunner — a runner who competes in races beyond the distance of a marathon — Jurek follows a vegan diet, which surprises many runners and athletes who believe that endurance training requires animal protein for muscular fuel. Jurek’s achievements are vast and include setting the U.S. record for a 24-hour road run, seven consecutive wins at the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, three consecutive wins at the Spartathlon 152-mile race, and two consecutive wins at the 135-mile Badwater run, to name a few. He credits much of his success to his healthy vegan diet, training, and racing with confidence.”

Read the complete article here:
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2017issue3/2017_issue3_vegetarian_action.php

Subscribe to Vegetarian Journal by visiting:
http://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

The recent issue of Vegetarian Journal offers an article titled “Quick and Easy Tips for Working with Nutritional Yeast.” Chef Nancy Berkoff states: nutritional yeast adds flavor while containing very limited amounts of fat and sodium. As a bonus, it does contain protein and B vitamins, including B12 if fortified. Nutritional yeast is a win-win for taste buds, the waistline, and for overall health.

Here are some of Nancy’s suggestions:
Vegan mac and cheese, bulked up with grilled cauliflower florets if you want, gets its “cheesiness” and creaminess from nutritional yeast. Toss grilled cauliflower and/or cooked pasta with silken tofu, a bit of garlic, chopped parsley, and nutritional yeast, and bake in a casserole dish until bubbly.

If you are in the mood for stirring, put on a pot of risotto or polenta, add minced fresh onions, a dash of oil, and nutritional yeast, and stir until the risotto or polenta is soft and creamy. Layer cooked lasagna noodles with tomato sauce, shredded vegetables, and nutritional yeast for a cheesy casserole. Instead of pasta, use tortillas or thin slices of cooked potato to create a new dinner entrée. For less of a fuss, add nutritional yeast to cooked rice, quinoa, barley, or mixed vegetables.

If you have some leftovers sitting in the fridge, (cooked garbanzos or lentils and rice, for example), toss with mixed vegetables and nutritional yeast and quickly heat in the oven or microwave. Soft tofu can be scrambled with nutritional yeast and eaten with toast, rolled into a burrito with salsa, or mixed into rice, quinoa or couscous. If you are looking for a creamy soup, prepare your usual tomato, bean or vegetable soup, purée, and stir in yeast for the “creamy” element.

Nutritional yeast may be used instead of egg yolks for thin batters, such as for French toast or pancakes. Mix soymilk, a bit of soft tofu, nutritional yeast, your vegan sweetener of choice, and vanilla, then dip in your favorite breakfast bread and bake or cook in a pan for a morning treat.
Create salad bowls, such as greens, pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries, spinach, orange slices and almonds, or chopped seasonal veggies and sprinkle on nutritional yeast. For a quick dip or sandwich spread, combine vegan sour cream or unflavored yogurt with chopped olives, minced pickles, dried onions, and nutritional yeast.

Read the article here:
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2017issue3/2017_issue3_vegan_cooking_tips.php

Subscribe to Vegetarian Journal by visiting:
http://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

By Casey Brown, VRG Volunteer

Vegan Awareness Week took place from August 28 to September 3, 2017 in Asheville, NC. Throughout the week, the Asheville Vegan Society hosted many events with speakers, food, and screenings at The Block off Biltmore. The week culminated with the main event: Asheville Vegfest. Vegfest took place on Pack Square Park in downtown Asheville and featured many vendors, organizations, speakers, and musicians.

While staffing The Vegetarian Resource Group booth, the other volunteer and I were able to interact with many individuals living in or visiting Asheville, and we were also able to connect with many other like-minded organizations in the area. We met a lot of people who were already vegan or interested in going vegan and came specifically for the event, but we also met quite a few people who were exploring downtown and just happened upon the event. This was a great way to educate individuals who may not have known a lot about a vegan lifestyle previously. Many people expressed interest in learning more about veganism since they wanted to choose healthier alternatives for their meals.

The most common concern people had was that they were having trouble finding vegan recipes. We were able to show them our cookbook options, give them a copy of the Vegetarian Journal which contains vegan recipes, give them a recipe card for a veggie burger, and suggest some of our favorite recipes! Many individuals were interested in learning more about vegan pregnancy, so we were able to give them a copy of our “Vegan Nutrition in Pregnancy and Childhood” brochures and suggest The Everything Vegan Pregnancy Book by Reed Mangels, which can be found in the book catalog on our website.

Our “My Vegan Plate” handouts and “Veganism in a Nutshell” brochures were very popular among the crowd, especially those who were interested in learning more about transitioning to a vegan diet. One lady we met expressed that her relatives do not understand veganism. She said that her immediate family is vegan, but family get-togethers were hard for them. She took a copy of our Vegetarian Journal to get recipe ideas and more information to share with her relatives. Another lady we met told us that her new neighbors expressed an interest in veganism. She was interested in gathering a variety of materials to make their transition easier.

We met multiple people who were interested in using The VRG’s handouts within their careers. A middle school teacher wanted to use some of our resources for her nutrition class and another organization wanted to use our “I Love Animals and Broccoli Coloring Books” for children that come to her events. We also met a lady who wanted to use some of our materials to start a vegan meetup group in her area. One person visited our booth stating that it “seemed like the perfect first stop to learn more about veganism.” She was hoping to better understand the basics of veganism and took home a handful of our resources, so she could learn more.

This was the first Vegan Awareness Week that I have ever experienced, and it was amazing! I loved being able to attend many of the events throughout the week, interact with people in the community, and educate others on veganism. Thank you to everyone who visited our booth at Asheville Vegfest! The VRG will be at the University of Buffalo’s Sustainability Event in New York next.

To volunteer at booths, contact Brigette at [email protected]
To support The Vegetarian Resource Group outreach, donate at www.vrg.org/donate
Or join at http://www.vrg.org/member/cabdacae.php

Do you know exactly what nutritional yeast is? An article in the recent issue of Vegetarian Journal answers this question and also provides the following vegan recipes containing nutritional yeast:
Lemon Rice Soup
Tempeh Mushroom Casserole
Mushroom Gravy
Tofu Pimento Spread
Spicy Nacho “Cheese” Dip
Tofu Dip
Baked Lima Beans

Read the article here:
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2017issue3/2017_issue3_nutritional_yeast.php

Subscribe to Vegetarian Journal by visiting:
http://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

In each issue of Vegetarian Journal we review vegan products. Below find reviews for Jaipur in a Jar (Maya Kaimal’s simmer sauces), Jawea Ice Cream, Tasty Tofu by Hodo Soy, and Munk Pack (squeeze packs great for hiking, etc.).

See: http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2017issue3/2017_issue3_veggie_bits.php

To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal, visit:
http://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

By Maria Pittarelli from: lifebeyondlettuce.com

Vegan dietitian Maria Pittarelli appeared on Good Morning Washington and showed viewers White Bean Cutlets, Chickpea Pot Pies, and Barbecue Tofu. The video of this segment is below.

See: http://wjla.com/features/good-morning-washington/meatless-monday-and-life-beyond-lettuce