Fish-less tacos from Curia on the Drag

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

Curia on the Drag
2029 NW 6th St.
Gainesville, FL 32609
Curia on the Drag is a vegan café and wine bar. The interior of the café is very eclectic and outdoor seating is available. In addition to coffee, tea, beer, and wine, the café offers a small menu of unique, flavorful vegan items such as Pulled Jackfruit Roti, Thai Curry Roti, Mac N’ Cheese, and Mandarin Pear Salad.

Flora Kitchenette
1004 Barret Ave.
Louisville, KY 40104
Flora Kitchenette is an excellent brunch destination. They use cashew cream “cheese” on their “lox” toast. Turmeric tofu is a tasty add-on. Flora offers a wide variety of scrumptious baked goods. Outdoor seating available.

Goldie Falafel
1526 Sansom St.
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Goldie serves falafel, fries, salad, and tehina shakes. Their falafel salad consists of Falafel, Baby Kale, Romaine, Carrot, Cucumber, Tomato, Tehina, Za’atar, Sumac, Parsley, Dill, and more.

KarbonStar Vitality Vegan Café & Juice Bar
1542 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd.
Atlanta, GA 30310
KarbonStar offers a rich, all vegan menu that is designed to thoroughly nourish the body, mind and spirit through good food and a loving atmosphere. The menu is as creative as it is varied and wholesome; they provide carefully crafted, soul-warming soups, custom wraps, tacos and pizza, all with their respective customizable vegan options, as well as an extensive list of grains and house made vegan cheeses, dips, desserts and juices.

Kind Kravings
121 W. Douglas Ave.
Wichita, KS 67202
Kind Kravings aims to provide a menu that is as locally sourced as possible, entirely plant based, and free from chemical pesticides and preservatives, all through a sustainable business model. Their truck uses biodiesel, they serve their food in plant-based compostable containers, and plans for solar panels on the truck are in the works. Their menu is well balanced and varied, with items like roasted cauliflower tacos, Asian noodle salad, and grilled portabella sandwich–all of which are crafted with a thoughtful balance of fresh ingredients along with house made sauces and spreads.

Natural Selections Café
1520 Bull St.
Savannah, GA 31401
Natural Selections Cafe serves breakfast wraps, “omelets,” pastries, soups, salads, sandwiches, and desserts. They offer an assortment of plant based milks, teas, and freshly squeezed juices. The black bean burgers and “crab” cake sandwiches are popular menu items.

Ten Forward Café
115 East State St. 2nd Floor
Ithaca, NY 14850
The cafe serves sandwiches, coffee, and baked goods. They are located above Autumn Leaves store.

The Gold Leaf Collective
120 W. Laurel St.
Fort Collins, CO 80524
The Gold Leaf Collective restaurant offers vegan breakfast, lunch, and dinner options such as a tofu scramble breakfast plate, roasted vegetables served on a bed of greens, and various seitan and tofu dishes. The ingredients used in the meals are seasonal and local to Colorado.

By Anna Lam

Sarah Guerra recalls the time when sitting in her environmental science professor’s office (after going over a test) the idea first came into her mind to create the Baylor Vegetarian Club. A vegetarian himself, Dr. Bruce Hudson mentioned to Sarah that he hadn’t heard of many other vegetarians at Baylor. When Sarah said she’d met a few before, she was startled when Dr. Hudson cheerily suggested that she start a club for vegetarians. Not taking it too seriously at the time, she didn’t dream that she’d go on to found not only the Vegetarian Club, but also the Baylor Stream Team, a group that monitors the water quality of Texas streams.
 
When another professor encouraged her to take the reins for these organizations, Guerra says she was terrified. “I was unsure of myself as a leader…but I got the papers anyway.” It was with the encouragement of her professors and peers that Guerra was able to build the organization from the ground up. “I never dreamed that I would be the founder of an organization, much less two, but I am forever grateful for those instructors who influenced me to get out of my comfort zone and start these clubs.” Guerra went on to graduate from Baylor in May of 2016, with a degree in Environmental Science, and is now working towards her Texas Master Naturalist certificate.
 
I got the opportunity to discuss her experience starting the club, and asked her about advice she had for those looking to start clubs in their own schools in the following conversation:
 
Q. What advice would you have for someone at a different college who wanted to start a club?
 
Sarah: If you’re interested in starting a vegetarian club at your school, first of all I want to say Yes! Go for it!!! The process will probably be different depending on your school, but whether you think you’ll have 50 members or just 5, starting a vegetarian club really is worth it and surely will benefit however many members there are (especially if you’re in an area where it’s uncommon). Having a welcoming community with like-minded people is sometimes what a vegetarian or vegan really needs to stick with it. So I think your first step would be to check with your university’s student activities office to see what you can do to get a Veg Club going at your school. 

My other advice would be to utilize your resources, develop strong networking skills, and take advantage of recruitment opportunities. Originally what I hoped the purpose of this organization would be, in addition to providing a welcoming community, was to allow the campus and even city to realize that this vegetarian/vegan community existed so that local restaurants and the campus dining halls could accommodate.

By utilizing resources and building networking skills, I mean that you should see what your school and surrounding city has to offer to make your club a success. For example, I reached out to the campus nutritionist the first semester that the club was active and she’s helped us and is a guest speaker at meetings each semester now. Also, see if any local restaurants are interested in fundraising with your club or want to be guest speakers at a meeting to advertise their veg-friendly menu.

Another example is when I was at a tabling event and the VP of student activities came up to discuss the club with me and connected me with the head of the Dining Hall Advisory Board, where I was able to be a voice for vegetarians and vegans. I also met the current president of the club, Taylor McCants, while on this board. So see if your school has a dining hall committee so that a member can sit in and represent. And never miss a recruitment opportunity!

Social media is a great advertising tool—we’ve gotten members because they found us on sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and even YikYak. Tabling events, flyers, and sidewalk chalk are important because they get the club’s name out there, but we’ve gotten plenty of members who have heard about the club from a friend, so never underestimate the power in word of mouth. But that conversation won’t happen unless you get your club name out there as much as you can.
 
Q. What do you think was the ultimate thing you gained from the experience?
 
Sarah: The ultimate thing I gained from starting a vegetarian club definitely has to be learning more about being a vegetarian in my city and state because of the members’ insight and wisdom. When I started the club I had been vegetarian for five years already, had been living in Waco, Texas for about two and a half years, and Texas all my life. But I had no idea that there was a local pizzeria (Poppa Rollos) that sold vegan pizza; I had never heard of Drug Emporium, this magnificent store in Waco that sells so many meat and dairy substitutes; and I had never heard of the veg fests that take place in Dallas and Austin every year, to name a few. Meeting other vegetarians and vegans through the club gave me a new perspective on how to be a vegetarian, and that’s just one of the many reasons I value the club so much.
 
For more information on starting clubs and activism on campus, see:
http://www.vrg.org/teen/
http://www.vrg.org/teen/#college

Each year the Vegetarian Resource Group sponsors an essay contest for kids. Winners receive a $50 prize. Entrants should submit a 2-3 page essay on any aspect of vegetarianism/veganism. Vegetarianism is not eating meat, fish, and birds (for example, chicken or duck). Vegans avoid all animal products. Among the many reasons for being a vegetarian/vegan are beliefs about ethics, culture, health, aesthetics, http://alwaysvaltrexonline.com religion, world peace, economics, world hunger, and the environment.
Entrants should base their paper on interviewing, research, and/or personal opinion. You need not be a vegetarian to enter. All essays become the property of The Vegetarian Resource Group. Deadline for the contest is May 1, 2017!

Details on the contest, as well as previous winning essays, can be found here:
http://www.vrg.org/essay/

From Patti Breitman

Even Vegans Die, co-authored with Carol J. Adams and Virginia Messina, and with a foreword by Dr. Michael Greger, is a compassionate and practical guide for all vegans – and anyone who has a health routine that they think will help them never get sick.

Even Vegans Die empowers vegans, runners, yoga enthusiasts and their loved ones to make the best decisions regarding their own health, their advocacy, and their legacy. By addressing issues of disease shaming and body shaming, it presents a manifesto for building a more compassionate, diverse, and effective community.

The book celebrates the benefits of a plant-based diet while acknowledging that even vegans can get sick. You will learn how to make the health care decisions that are right for you, how to ensure your efforts to help animals and the planet will not end after you die, and how to provide compassionate care for yourself and for others in the face of serious illness.

This book offers practical, thoughtful, and sensitive advice on creating a will, mourning, receiving care and care giving. Without shying away from the reality of death, this book offers a message that remains uplifting and hopeful for all animal advocates, and all those who care about them.

Heartfelt thanks to everyone who encouraged me as I was creating this book with my two brilliant co-authors, and for everyone who will be buying a copy soon. I am confident that you will learn something new or at least feel supported and better equipped to face illness, aging, loss, and grief – and advocacy for what matters most to you.

I hope you will want to order a copy today You can buy the Kindle version now ($5.99) or order the paperback ($14) . See:
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_rsis_1_5?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=even+vegans+die&sprefix=even+%2Caps%2C196

You can also buy the book from the publisher, Lantern Books:
https://lanternbooks.presswarehouse.com/books/BookDetail.aspx?productID=511453

Green Festival® is a vibrant, dynamic marketplace where companies and organizations come to showcase their green products and services, and where people go to learn how to live healthier, more sustainable lives.

Green Festival offers something for everyone, with the widest selection of products and services to work green, play green and live green from food, fashion and health to energy, construction and design. People can shop and enjoy vegan, vegetarian, organic foods, hands-on demos, educational activities and inspirational speakers.

Come see The Vegetarian Resource Group at the DC GreenFest show and you will receive $5.00 off your ticket when buying tickets using the code XDC17798D here:
https://www.greenfestivals.org/washington-d-c-2017-may-12-14.html#!014

By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

The VRG received an email from a British reader wondering if Cave Creek Chili Beer was vegan. http://chilibeer.com/chilibeer/Home.html
In her own words:
“I spoke with a distributor here in the UK and they have confirmed via email that their supplier/distributor says [Cave Creek Chili Beer] is vegetarian. I asked if they knew if it is also vegan. It would seem that they didn’t fully grasp that there is a difference between vegetarian and vegan! So any help to fully establish if they are vegan would be appreciated. Thank you.”
In April 2017 we asked Ed Chilleen, creator of Cave Creek Chili Beer, about his product. Within 20 minutes he replied to our email:
Q: Are there any animal ingredients in your beer?
A: No! [VRG Note: Exclamation point is Ed’s.]
Q: Do you use an animal-derived clarifying agent in your beer such as egg white, gelatin or isinglass?
A: No! [VRG Note: Exclamation point is Ed’s.]

Here’s a short video which describes how the beer is brewed: http://chilibeer.com/chilibeer/Video_Story_of_Chili_Beer.html

For information about gelatin, isinglass, and other ingredients, see http://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php

To support The Vegetarian Resource Group research, join at http://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.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.

By Julia Mathew

Last April, around Easter, I visited Switzerland and went on my usual search for vegan-friendly establishments. I spent a few days in Geneva then went to Zürich, where I heard much hype, from both vegans and non-vegans, about a well-renowned restaurant called “Hiltl.” According to the Guinness World Records, Haus Hiltl is known as the oldest continuously run vegetarian restaurant in the world. Hiltl is a rather upscale but down to earth restaurant, offering a wide variety of buffet-style vegetarian food and a vast amount of vegan options as well. The buffet is priced based on weight per plate, so Hiltl can be quite expensive. I spent around 30 CHF ($30) on my dinner plate and another 20 CHF ($20) on dessert. I had also completely submerged both my dinner and dessert plates with as many vegan options as possible. However, it is important to note that Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in the world. My entire trip to Switzerland was quite pricey due to high-living costs and a nearly equal dollar to Swiss franc ratio.

For dinner, I had an assortment of cooked and roasted vegetables, such as carrots, beets, artichoke, and spinach, as well as a small serving of daal, or lentils. Hiltl offers many other satiating Indian inspired vegetarian and vegan dishes. My favor dinner selection was the vegan meatballs and tomato sauce. The ravioli and macaroni with pasta sauce were also really nice and were well complimented by the roasted vegetables. The couscous and rice dishes were well seasoned and went well with the vegan chicken bites.

Much to my surprise, there was a wide selection of vegan desserts available. I loaded my dessert plate with an assortment of cakes, pastries, and puddings. I tried a vegan rhubarb crisp for the first time, which I surprisingly really enjoyed. The chocolate mousse was very light and fluffy and went well with the banana bread. I also had a creamy Jello-like peach mouse topped with fruit sauce which was delicious. The berry cobbler was rather tart but paired nicely with the other modestly sweet desserts.

Overall, I was really impressed by Hiltl and would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Switzerland who’s willing to spend extra for a high quality vegan meal at a world-renowned restaurant. The food was wonderful and each dish was flavorful and well prepared despite being buffet-styled. My dinner at Hiltl was easily one of the best meals I’ve had in my entire life. The atmosphere of the restaurant is very welcoming and the quality of the food is superb, making it a very memorable and worthwhile experience.

By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

Moe’s FAQ page presents some relevant information for its vegan guests (scrolling down to the last question under “Menu Inquiries” on this page): http://www.moes.com/faqs/

Q: I am a vegetarian/vegan. What are my menu options at Moe’s?

A: Do you like your tofu medium-rare or well done? Just kidding, but our commitment to vegetarians and vegans is no joke. We use only soybean oil and vegetable stock. Our organic tofu, beans, tortillas and rice are all vegan. Also there is no gelatin in the guacamole.

On the interactive nutrition page of Moe’s website, visitors select ingredients for burritos, tacos, quesadillas, nachos, stacks, burrito bowls, salads or breakfast offerings. The nutritional profile of their customized menu choice automatically populates in a template as they add components (such as tofu, black beans or guacamole). Increasing values in each nutrition category (for example: calories, grams of fat or protein) appear as guests add each component to their entrée: http://www.moes.com/food/nutrition/burritos/

Patrons may determine if there are animal allergens such as eggs or dairy in their menu preferences: http://www.moes.com/public/pdf/allergen.pdf

Moe’s general statement on potential cross-contamination of menu components also appears on the allergen page: http://www.moes.com/food/allergens

The VRG wished to learn more about the vegan menu options at Moe’s. We corresponded with Guest Relations Specialist Michael Corbett at Moe’s corporate office in March 2017. Here are our questions and Michael’s responses:

Q: Is your tofu prepared on a surface away from meat products?
A: Yes, it is cooked on a completely different grill than our meats and fish.

Q: Are your grilled vegetables prepared away from meat products?
A: Yes, they are cooked on a completely different grill than our meats and fish.

Q: Are your shells and/or chips fried in oil used to prepared animal products?
A: Our shells and chips are not prepared with the same oil or tools as our proteins. [VRG Note: Bolded and underlined “not” is Michael’s.]

Q: Do your tortillas contain any animal ingredients such as L-cysteine (which is usually animal-derived)?
A: No, they do not.

Q: Does your whole-grain tortilla contain honey?
A: Honey is not an ingredient in any of our products.

Q: Does your seasoned rice or beans (pinto and black) contain any animal-based flavors or fats?
A: No, they do not contain any animal-based flavors or fats.

Q: Is calcium stearate (which could be from animal fat) still an ingredient in Moe’s beans?
A: Yes, it is still an ingredient but it is not from animal fat.

Q: Which dressings and salsas contain only vegetable ingredients?
A: Moe’s Southwest vinaigrette, Hard Rock & Roll Sauce and all current salsas on the salsa bar are considered vegetarian friendly.

Q: When you call them “vegetarian friendly,” do you mean that the dressing, the sauce and the salsas are vegan (no animal ingredients at all; made only with all-vegetable ingredients)?
A: Our dressings, sauce, and salsas absolutely contain no animal ingredients.

Q: Is there any added sugar in the salsas, Southwest vinaigrette or in the Hard Rock and Roll Sauce?
A: Additionally, the dressings, sauces and salsas do not contain any added sugar.

Q: Which foods at Moe’s contain added sugar?
A: Moe’s desserts, rice, and beans contains added sugar.

Q: Do you know how your sugar’s been processed? Has it been filtered through cow bone char?
A: In the U.S., sugar companies use bone char derived from cows for this filtering and bleaching process. To make bone char, animal bones are heated at incredibly high temperatures and are reduced to carbon before being used in a refinery. The sugar does not actually contain bone char particles, but it does come into contact with them. “Refined sugar does not contain any bone particles and is therefore kosher certified. The bone char simply removes impurities from the sugar, but does not become a part of the sugar,” Caroline Pyevich reports in The Vegetarian Journal.

Q: Do you mean that the added sugar could have been filtered through cow bone char but you just don’t know for sure? 
A: Any added sugar in our products has been filtered through bone char. This is the most common method used by sugar companies in the U.S.

Q: Your FAQ page states that there is no gelatin in Moe’s guacamole. Does it contain any animal flavors or added sugar?
A: No, it does not contain any animal flavors or added sugar.

Since complete ingredient statements of entrée components do not appear on Moe’s website, guests with any other ingredient questions should contact this restaurant chain directly.

A feature of Moe’s website that we have not found on the sites of other fast casual chains is their presentation of how to find a Moe’s location in the US. To see a clickable listing of all restaurants with additional information on special offers (such as Moe Monday or if kids eat free) and services (such as Wi-Fi or catering) available at each one, guests should visit and scroll down to “Find a Moe’s”: http://www.moes.com/site-map/

For information on more restaurant chains, see http://www.vrg.org/fastfoodinfo.php
For information on vegetarian and vegan restaurants, see http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.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.

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

To join The Vegetarian Resource Group, go to http://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

The Vegetarian Resource Group will be exhibiting at the events below. If you’re attending any of these festivities, please stop by and say hello!

 Harford County Earth Day
60 N. Parke Street
Aberdeen MD 21001
Saturday, April 22nd from 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM

 Charlottesville Eco Fair
Located at the Downtown Mall and Sprint Pavilion
700 E Main St
Charlottesville, VA 22902
Sunday, April 23rd 2017 from 11 AM to 5 PM

 Paul’s Place “Spring Into Good Health” Fair
1118 Ward St
Baltimore, MD 21230
Saturday, April 29th from 1-4 PM

 New England VegFest
DCU Center
50 Foster St
Worcester, MA 01608
Sunday, April 30, 2017 from 11 AM-5 PM

By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

In 2015, Guinness announced that it would remove isinglass from its beer-brewing process by the end of 2016. The Vegetarian Resource Group wrote about it here:

http://www.vrg.org/blog/2016/04/14/guinness-to-remove-isinglass-from-its-beer-brewing-in-2016-regrained-nutritional-bars-from-beer-production-by-jeanne-yacoubou-ms/

We checked with the company in April 2017 to see if their new system were functional yet. Within 10 minutes The VRG received this email reply from Peter Venegas, Consumer Care Manager – North America, for Diageo® which owns the Guinness brand:

“We are continuing to work through the installation and commissioning of a new filtration system at St. James’s Gate that will remove isinglass from the Guinness brewing process. We are making good progress on the installation and the project remains fully on track…we will provide a further update as soon as we are able to do so.”

Isinglass and other animal-sourced clarifying agents including gelatin and egg white are not used in most commercial beer brewing today in the United States. Beer clarifying agents do not need to be identified on labels, however, so always do a company inquiry when in doubt.

A few US beers may contain honey or clam juice; if included these ingredient names would appear on a bottle label. Readers may consult http://www.barnivore.com/beer for the latest information on vegan domestic and foreign beers.

Animal ingredients are more likely to be used for beer clarification in other countries notably those in the UK and in the EU. However, some brewers in those countries are following Guinness’ example.

While researching this Guinness update, The VRG noticed that in October 2016 Cheshire Brewhouse® made a similar announcement. The company stated: “We have now removed isinglass finings from the brewing process for our cask beers. However, we have always been fish-product-free on our bottled and keg beers.” http://www.cheshirebrewhouse.co.uk/isinglass-free-cask-beer/?age-verified=0ceb0bc9f0

According to Ian L. Ward in his isinglass definition from the Oxford Companion to Beer: “With the advances in centrifugation and filtration technologies, the use of isinglass has declined and today it is largely confined to cask-conditioned ales, although some American craft brewers also use it…” https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/szToZUocgW/isinglass/

For information about gelatin, isinglass, and other ingredients, see:
vrg.org/ingredients/index.php

To support The Vegetarian Research, join at:
www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.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.