Wild Living Foods in Los Angeles

The Vegetarian Resource Group maintains an online Guide to Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants in the USA and Canada. Below are some recent additions. The entire guide can be found here: http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

To support the updating of this online restaurant guide, please donate at:
www.vrg.org/donate

Awai
2277 Bloor St. W.
Toronto, ON M6S 1P1 Canada
Awai is a vegan fine dining experience! They serve innovative dishes such as Confit Artichoke Ravioli and Truffle Paella. Gratuity is included in the menu prices.

Café Verve
115 E Beaver Ave.
State College, PA 16801
This completely vegan cafe serves a number of fun options to dine in or take on the go. The coffee and tea menu features drinks that can be made with soy, almond, or coconut milk. Savory options include the Walking Waffles or the All American Burger. Be sure to check out the selection of sweet baked goods while you’re there!

Good Rebel
1591 Dundas St. West
Toronto, ON MK6 1T9 Canada
Good Rebel is a vegan grocery store that offers plant based “meats”, “cheeses”, “fish”, and “dairy products”. You can order a sandwich at the deli counter – menu changes daily.

Sanctuary Vegan Café
151 N. Seven Oaks Dr.
Knoxville, TN 37922
Sanctuary Vegan Cafe serves appetizers, salads, sandwiches, and entrees, plus they have a kids menu. They strive to use organic products whenever possible. They have gluten free options. The owners hope to use the profits from the restaurant to open a sanctuary for rescued farm animals.

Shangri-La Vegetarian
7400 3rd Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11209
This restaurant is located in the Bay Ridge Area of Brooklyn. Shangri-La offers Asian cuisine with a modern healthy twist. Enjoy dishes including the General Tso’s Soy Protein (Breaded medallions of sautéed soy protein with steamed broccoli in a spicy brown sauce) or Pineapple Fried Rice (Brown rice sautéed with sunflower seeds, broccoli and browned tofu topped with diced avocado) with one of their many fresh iced or hot teas. Order online for a speedy delivery.

Splurge Juice Bar & Café
18505 NW 75th Pl., #119
Hialeah, FL 33015
Splurge is owned and operated by a mother and her daughter who are devoted to helping folks achieve a healthy life by eating plant based foods. They serve juices, bowls, wraps, and breakfast. There is a “Becoming Vegan” section on their website containing multiple resources for people who are thinking about making the switch to veganism.

Wild Living Foods
760 S. Main St.
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Wild Living Foods is located in Downtown LA. It is a “grab-n-go” style eatery that offers organic and raw plant based foods. The kelp pastas, Pablo burgers, and pizzas are highly recommended.

According to The New York Times, “Scientists who cross agrochemical companies can find themselves at odds with the industry for years.”
The Times states, “The corporate use of academia has been documented in fields like soft drinks and pharmaceuticals. But it is rare for an academic to provide an insider’s view of the relationships being forged with corporations, and the expectations that accompany them.”

See this article for more information:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/31/business/scientists-loved-and-loathed-by-syngenta-an-agrochemical-giant.html?_r=0

We received a press release from the FDA concerning reporting problems.
They stated:

“If anyone has a problem or concern about any of the products that the
agency regulates, the FDA wants to hear about it. “If it’s serious to
you, we want to know,” says Anna Fine, Pharm.D., M.S., director of the
FDA’s Health Professional Liaison Program. She adds that you should
report an issue even if you’re not sure a particular product was the cause.”

“The U.S Food and Drug Administration protects the public health by
helping to ensure the safety, efficacy, and security of human and
veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, and products
that emit radiation—and by helping to ensure the safety and security of
our nation’s food supply and cosmetic products. The FDA also regulates
tobacco products.”

If you have a problem with an FDA-regulated product, you can report the
problem online, via phone, or via mail.

This is a list of products the FDA regulates.
http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/Transparency/Basics/ucm194879.htm

You can report a problem to the FDA online, via phone, or via mail. See:
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/ReportaProblem/ConsumerComplaintCoordinators/default.htm

Or submit a report here:
https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/index.cfm?action=consumer.reporting1

This event will offer the science and practice implications of plant-based nutrition through professional presentations for Health Care Providers and the Community.

Friday, January 13, 2017
Sedona Marriott Courtyard
4105 W. State Route 89A, Sedona, AZ 86336

For information, see http://healthyworldsedona.com/health-nutrition-conference/

By Natalie Allen, VRG Intern

Veganism can be implemented everywhere, from the most unlikely places like hanging up an animal rights poster at McDonald’s, to talking about veganism on online forums like the one on the shopping website Vinted. Vinted is an online used clothing store. Anyone from the United States can list and sell, swap, or buy used clothing from people across the country.

Vinted is an inexpensive and eco-friendly way to keep up with the latest fashion trends without bursting one’s wallet. Vinted is a lot like other online services for selling used clothes; however, Vinted has some unique features that set themselves apart. Vinted has its own online forum. On this forum anything is possible. Vinted users can ask for advice or give advice, answering questions from dieting to dating. This is where the vegan (myself) comes in. If someone asks, “What is the best way to lose weight while still being healthy?” I always respond with, “Go Vegan!” However, often times I am shot down. People would write back saying, “That’s too hard” or “I love meat too much,” (all too much a recurrence of what happens offline). As an experienced vegan I know that going vegan is not hard as long as you are educated on the benefits veganism can bring to your health, the environment, and the animals. By sending reference links to the Vegetarian Resource Group’s Blog or recommending educational books and documentaries, I hope to get my point across to at least one woman in need.

However, the forums are not the only place to spread the word. By listing items as vegan on Vinted, it is a subtle way to evoke viewer’s emotions and get them thinking about the subject. For example, one of my listings reads, “Vegan Leather Handbag.” This not only intrigues fellow health-conscious buyers, but those who are curious as to why this product must be labeled as “vegan.” Recently, I have seen companies begin to label their products as “vegan” in stores. Although one can infer a twenty dollar handbag is probably not made out of leather, this appeal intrigues customers and often times makes myself and other vegans more willing to purchase a product. The sale tactic is a great way to bring attention to a product.

Vinted also allows sellers to include hashtags on the items they list. Sellers add hashtags such as, “#cute, #fashion, #blue, #dress, etc.” to bring more attention to their listings. One who is looking for a specified product can search, “#vegan, #crueltyfree, #organic, etc.” to find products they may be interested in. The hashtag feature enables me to market my items directly towards the vegan shopper. The money made on Vinted can also be extended to support veganism. Profits made may go towards new vegan-friendly products or be donated to an animal rights or vegan charity.

Overall, Vinted is a great website to sell used clothing items that you don’t want, but someone else does. The concept specifically allows veganism to be implemented, through forums, titles, and hashtags. These subtle ways in which veganism is highlighted oftentimes is the most effective. It allows people to think about it without realizing it. This proves that veganism and animal rights can be brought to attention anywhere and at any time. Don’t ever get discouraged if someone shoots down your advice because there is always going to be someone who eats it right up.
 
Visit Vinted today: https://www.vinted.com/
For more information about vegan leather click on the following links:
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2016/12/09/whats-the-deal-with-vegan-leather/
http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/leather.php
For more information about Vegetarian Resource Group internships, visit http://www.vrg.org/student/index.php

The Vegetarian Resource Group Offers Two $5,000 Scholarships plus One $10,000 Scholarship

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 2017. Deadline is February 20, 2017. We will accept applications postmarked on or before February 20, 2017. 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: http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

By Brigette Dumais, VRG Volunteer Coordinator

I feel like I am the luckiest person in the world because my partner does all the cooking for us. When he went away for six days I had to feed myself for the first time in a while, and to my surprise I didn’t starve! Here is my advice for vegans who aren’t very talented with cooking, or are like me and aren’t always patient enough to prepare a good meal.

–         Stock up on frozen foods. Yes, I know, this is definitely not the healthiest option, but for someone like myself with “heat and eat” cooking capabilities, this is a good route. I bought Daiya Frozen Pizza, a ton of Amy’s Samosa Burritos, and vegan sausages.

–         Get some simple snacks. I ate a lot of bananas with peanut butter, hummus with crackers, coconut yogurt (mixed with nutritional yeast), vegan protein bars, chips, and cereal.

–         Ask your partner to make you frozen meals. A friend of mine has the same cooking abilities that I do, and she is also fortunate enough that her fiancé does all the cooking. Before he leaves town, he cooks her a giant lasagna and leaves it in the freezer.

–         Eat out or order in. If you can afford it, let some professional chefs do the cooking and support your local vegan restaurants.

–         Actually learn how to cook for yourself so your partner doesn’t have to do it all the time!!! I sautéed some mushrooms with garlic and rosemary and it wasn’t terrible! I overcooked the mushrooms a little bit, but I’ll do better next time.

–         Make a nice, hearty soup. All you need to do is sauté your choice of vegetables, throw them in some water or veggie broth, and let it cook on the stove top for an hour or so. The great thing about soup is you can make a lot of it at once, which will feed you for days. I recommend making a soup that contains lentils or beans. I particularly enjoy butternut squash and black bean chili. My personal favorite (and one of the only things I’m actually good at cooking) is spicy pumpkin soup. Bake a pumpkin in the oven until it is mushy (usually ~45 minutes). Peel the skin off and put it in a food processor. Put the blended pumpkin in a pot on the stove, and begin to heat it up. Mix in your choice of dairy free milk to thin the pumpkin. Add spicy peppers, ginger, and salt to taste. Let it cook for about an hour. Add rosemary and crushed black pepper as a garnish once you’ve served yourself. (Don’t cook the rosemary or black pepper in to the soup.)

–         Beans and Rice. It’s very simple to make beans and rice. Make a lot of it so you have some for a few days. Add a different vegetable on top of the beans and rice for each meal to make sure you’re getting enough food variety.

–         Tofu Scramble. Sauté onions, peppers, potatoes, garlic, and any other veggie you may want. When everything is about half way done sautéing, add crumbled tofu and turmeric. When the tofu is warmed up, it’s ready to eat.

Here are some sandwich ideas:

http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2016issue2/2016_issue2_cooking_tips.php
and quick and easy menus:

http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2003issue1/2003_issue1_quick.php

You might want to check out these recipes in our ‘One Week Vegan Menu’ also: ttp://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2005issue4/2005_issue4_lowsodium.php

Join The Vegetarian Resource Group and receive Simply Vegan, with quick and easy vegan recipes. Go to: http://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Before classes even started, I was known as “the vegetarian.” Ten other Bowdoin freshmen and I were on a four-day pre-orientation trip to a Native American reservation. We stopped at Aldi’s to shop for our meals for the week. Apparently I established myself as the resident veggie-expert. My trip-mates followed me around as I wheeled my cart through the produce section searching for salad ingredients and vegetarian pizza toppings. They genuinely inquired about my vegetarianism: “Do you miss meat? How do you get protein? Should I eat kale? Why are you a vegetarian?” Even though one boy immediately established himself as the avid “meat-lover” and another girl pronounced, “I’ve never eaten salad,” I engaged them in conversation with a smile—showing them how to eat a cheap, healthy, and simple vegetarian diet.

Our meals were the highlight of the entire trip. We had a blast in the kitchen: baking, boiling, chopping, tossing, and sautéing. I couldn’t tell them not to put pepperoni on the other pizza or make tacos without meat—I just showed them the yummy and easy possibilities for vegetarian alternatives.

The other day, I grabbed a meal in the dining hall with the “meat-loving” boy from that trip. He sat down across from me with a salad. On that trip, I also learned about the harsh realities of diet on Native American reservations. There are increasing rates of obesity and diabetes, and I had to look no farther than the bologna sandwiches and sipping soda served to the kids at the Rec Center. But there was hope, and to my delight, it came in the form of vegetables!

Newel Lewey helped established raised garden beds at over 100 homes on the reservation. He brought us to the greenhouse he built at the language-immersion school where elementary students come to learn the Passamaquoddy language and garden-literacy at the same time! I couldn’t believe it—someone who shared my passion, yet in a completely different place! I spent 30 minutes talking to Newell about the challenges and rewards associated with transforming the way a community sees food. He opened my eyes to food justice—the idea that everyone, no matter their race or socioeconomic status, should have equal access to healthy, wholesome food. I wrote down his email so that I can ask him to speak at Bowdoin!

My favorite club at Bowdoin is the Bowdoin Organic Garden (BOG) club. In the summer/fall I harvested and delivered garden produce directly to both dining halls on campus (the dining halls label BOG ingredients). This promotes in-season, organic, plant-based meals.

My favorite event I participated in through this club was serving garden-fresh hand-milled corn tortillas, salsa, peppers, and kohlrabi to the campus community! I loved this event because I got to teach people about foreign-sounding vegetables like kohlrabi and talk about why it’s so rewarding to eat a home-grown, plant-based diet! I also gleaned with the BOG, which is when volunteers go to a local farm and harvest all excess produce from the fields that would otherwise go to waste because of appearance or quality. Then we deliver that produce to a soup kitchen in Brunswick, which I also volunteer at.

I always strive to be better. That’s why I am trying veganism! It’s great to have a support network of other people (i.e. people from BOG) who are also food-conscious—we keep each other honest and share ideas! My college makes it super easy—they label everything and always have a vegan and vegetarian main course and even vegan dessert! However, I recognize that although my college does a lot to accommodate special diets, they should make plant-based meals a priority.

Last month, Katie Scott from the New England chapter of the Humane Society visited me at Bowdoin. Katie’s job is to implement Meatless Monday programs in cafeterias and dining halls all over New England. I met with her to talk about implementing a program at Bowdoin. I heard from upperclassmen that Bowdoin attempted Meatless Mondays a few years back, but it only lasted until the football team protested the campaign. Obviously, there might be a few challenges to renewing this program but Katie and I are hopeful and committed. My next steps include meeting the head chefs and ask what exactly happened when they tried Meatless Mondays. Then I want to propose the idea to the Organic Garden and see if we can network with eco-reps and other food-oriented clubs on campus to put out surveys to the campus community about Meatless Mondays.

I am infinitely grateful for this scholarship! I couldn’t be happier at Bowdoin! Thank you for making it possible!

For information about applying to the 2017 Vegetarian Resource Group college scholarships (deadline is February 20, 2017), see: http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

To donate towards VRG scholarships, internships, and other outreach to young people and foodservices, donate at http://www.vrg.org/donate

Join VRG at http://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Here is more information about Lauren.
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2016/06/23/connecticut-student-wins-10000-vegetarian-resource-group-scholarship/

By Casey Brown, former VRG Intern

As a Dietetics Student at the University of Maryland, College Park, we
are required to take Foodservice Operations. One of our projects for
this class was to work in groups of three and design a theme meal to
serve 55 people. This meal had to meet certain requirements for
nutritional standards and budgeting.

As a vegan, I was hoping that our meal could be 100% plant-based. I
met with my friends who were my group members (both of them were
non-vegetarians), and they were both eager to design a vegan menu. We
all knew it would be a unique meal plan. It would likely be lower cost
since we did not have to purchase meats, it would be lower in fat, and
it would show everyone that vegan food can be nutritious and delicious!

After forming our groups, the first step was to design our menu. We had
to pick a theme for our meal and then decide on our recipes. Our menu
had to consist of a bread, an appetizer, an entree, a starch, a
vegetable, and a dessert. As a group, we made a huge list of potential
vegan recipes that we could use and then used those options to select
our theme. We originally planned to do a Southwestern Vegan menu, but
ultimately decided to do a Plant-based Picnic theme. Our professor was
hesitant about our menu since meat is the main component of the meal in
her culture. She was skeptical about us serving tofu, but she let us
continue on as we planned. Our menu underwent many changes as we
continuously planned the meal and tried new recipes. The final menu
consisted of herb drop biscuits, an autumn fruit salad, tofu strips with
ketchup, grilled zucchini, a couscous salad, and key lime pies. While
planning the menu seemed like hard work, there was a lot left to do. We
had to quantify all of the recipes to serve 55 people, determine the
nutritional content of each item, determine the overall cost of the
meal, schedule each of the student employees for the day, and more. It
was time consuming but rewarding work, which paid off in the end.

On the day of the theme meal, we decorated the room with picnic
tablecloths, mason jars with flowers and greenery, and upbeat music.
While the dining room appeared peaceful, the kitchen was fairly hectic.
We had eight people to cook enough food for 55 people in three and a
half hours, and it was our first day in the kitchen. Even though all of
the dishes piled up, the seven of the recipes were prepared and ready to
serve by lunch time. We had about 30 reservations for our meal and
additional to-go orders. In total we served about 45 people, including
our professor, who was very impressed with the meal. We received decent
reviews on almost every item, although not everyone seemed to like the
couscous salad (this was most likely due to a lack of seasoning). We
received comments that the meal was “so yummy,” “perfectly cooked,” and
a “delicious, filling, and healthy meal.”

It was such an exciting event being able to prepare and serve vegan
recipes to such a large crowd! These individuals often come to our theme
meals, which are usually not vegan. It was a great opportunity to expose
people to these recipes and show them that vegan meals taste great and
are healthy!

To see the recipes we prepared, visit:
http://www.vrg.org/fsupdate/CaseyQuantityThemeMealRecipes.pdf

For foodservice information, see: http://www.vrg.org/fsupdate/index.htm

For information about VRG internships, see:
http://www.vrg.org/student/index.php

Thirty-two congressmen from dairy-producing states are urging the Food
and Drug Administration to only allow milk from a cow to be called milk.
(Does that mean goat’s milk or breast milk couldn’t be called milk?)

See:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/milk-substitutes-soy-almond-substitutes-plant-based-alternatives-label-fight/