If you work in the natural foods industry and are attending Natural Products Expo East at the Baltimore Convention Center September 22-24th, please drop by The Vegetarian Resource Group booth on Level 300 in the Non-Profit section. We’d love to meet you!

By Alicia Hückmann, VRG intern visiting from Germany

These are some of the tips I wish someone had given my parents when I became a vegetarian at the age of 17 and finally vegan a year later. I was very lucky to have my own apartment (and fridge!) during my transition because I no longer depended on my parents providing vegetarian/vegan food. While my family tolerated (or rather ignored) my decision to become vegetarian, they would get me into loud arguments for choosing a diet that is “known to cause deficiencies.” Today, about two years later, this has stopped but they still won’t taste any of the dishes I make, let alone let me cook for them once in a while.

At that time, I was mature enough to understand that my family only reacted in this way because they deeply care about me and want me to be healthy; however, their approach showed me that they had little faith in my ability to take responsibility for my own life. For teenagers who struggle to be regarded as independent young adults, this is one of the worst things that can happen. As a teaching student who has been running classes for 12-18 year-olds, I know how sensitive teenagers react to teachers or parents who make them feel like they are not being taken seriously. Showing teenagers that you think their opinions matter on the other hand contributes immensely to a positive class atmosphere. Teenagers who become vegetarian stand up for their personal values and for what they think is right. Their decisions are often based on profound knowledge about the animal industry, health, and the environment and show that they are critical thinkers who do not mind swimming against the tide. For this reason, I think that everybody who is willing to do the transition deserves support and encouragement by their family and friends.

I think the most important thing is supporting your teenager and their decision. When children go through puberty, they are likely to start isolating and estranging themselves from their family. A teenager that is unable to join family dinners because of their diet and thus forced to prepare their own meals is in even greater risk of doing so. In order to prevent your child from feeling excluded, you could introduce meatless days on which you let your teenager create a menu for the entire family and help them prepare it. Cooking together is a great way of bonding with your child and showing them that you have faith in their skills. Once you create a trusting and respecting relationship with your teenager, it will also be easier to speak openly about your concerns and worries.

LexVegFest (October 1, 2016 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at 2312 Palumbo Dr, Lexington, KY 40509) is the first annual VegFest in Lexington and central Kentucky sponsored by GA Sanctuaries and Housewarmings. Our mission is to celebrate and promote plant-based lifestyles for health, environment, and compassion for animals. LexVegFest will feature local speakers, delicious food and drink, vendors, cooking demonstrations, informative exhibitors, children’s activities and more. Our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/lexingtonvegfest/ Contact: [email protected]

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

Cashew Cow
16 S. Eastbourne Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85716
They specialize in non-dairy “ice cream” derived from a cashew base. Choose from many flavors including Vanilla, Strawberry, Lemon Poppyseed, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Cookies & Cream, and many more.

Chuminh Tofu & Veggie Deli
1043 S. Jackson St.
Seattle, WA 98104
Chef Tanya opened Chuminh Tofu & Veggie Deli to provide the public with healthy and ethical food. There are many different menu options ranging from sandwiches and smoothies to traditional Vietnamese plates. Try the Pad Thai or the Bún Tàu Xào!

Equelecua Cuban Café
1120 W. Florence Ave., Unit C
Inglewood, CA 90301
Equelecua offers authentic Cuban cuisine with a vegan twist! Owner Caro Lafaurie and Chef Julito Ortega transformed traditional Cuban dishes to meatless masterpieces. Be sure to try the Alitas (the spicy agave wings) or the Camarones al Ajillo. Equelecua is conveniently located within walking distance to LAX.

Grow Your Roots
220 Terence Matthews Cres.
Ottawa, ON K2M 0E2
For breakfast dine on Nola Granola Parfait, Morning Scramble, bagels, and more. For lunch or early dinner enjoy soups and salads, Panini, BBQ tofu, veggie burger, and more. Weekend brunch items include Apple Pie Panino and waffles.

Karmah
343 Kerr St.
Oakville, ON L6K 3B7 Canada
At the end of each day, Karmah donates its compost and uneaten food to local animal sanctuaries where animals were saved from slaughter, so satisfy your hunger and eat for a good cause! Food is prepared daily, juices are pressed on site, and desserts are created fresh in the restaurant’s bakery. All food and beverages are vegan and soy free with some gluten-free options available. Food includes bowls, tacos, and wraps. A wide variety of beverages includes juices, smoothies, hand-crafted nut milks, and coffee drinks sure to please all tastes. Dine in or grab and go.

Munch On and Beyond
1346 Wetmore Rd.
San Antonio, TX 78247
Five individual businesses have partnered together under one roof to bring a variety of vegan, gluten-free, grab-and-go meals, snacks, sweets, and drinks. My Tea Soul features tea and baked goods; Enlighten Veggie Food offers gluten free and vegan food, like burgers, tacos, and ice cream; Viva Vegeria sells vegan tamales and Golden Horn of Plenty is a resale shop, benefiting San Antonio dog rescue.

Nourished Food Bar
131 Dean A McGee Ave. Ste. 115
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
A small space focusing on take-out with limited seating. While the structure of the menu will stay relatively the same — hearty salads, soups, snacks/bites — the ingredients used will change often, depending on the season and what we can buy from local farmers. Some items that have been available include house-made cashew cheese, hummus sandwich, potato leek soup, and kale salad. Everything is gluten free as well.

Plant Matter Kitchen
162 Wortley Rd.
London, ON N6C 3P7 Canada
Lunch items include Mac & Cheese, Curry Wrap, Veggie Burger, pizza, soup, and more. Dinner cuisine includes Pizza with side soup and salad, Shepherd’s Pie, Caesar Salad, and more. Sunday brunch dishes include Breakfast Burrito, Mega Bowl, and more.

Press Food & Juice
426 Rhode Island St.
Buffalo, NY 14213
Choose from fresh produce and have a juice cold-pressed especially for you or buy one of the pre-bottled juices from the refrigerator; miniature shot-style juices are also available. Press offers a variety of breakfast, lunch, and snack items, including coffee, tea, pastries, salads, wraps, and soups. Dessert items include ice-cream, smoothies, and cocoa. An open kitchen allows patrons to see the food being prepared. All ingredients are organic and all food items are vegan; many food items are prepared raw. Some gluten free options are available. Menu availability changes often, so check their Facebook page or call for a current menu.

The V Spot
12 Millers Ln.
Dundas, ON L9H 2S9 Canada
This vibrant café serves a wide variety from fries smothered in their chili affectionately referred to as “Hot Mama’s Three Bean Chili” to a Coconut Curry Chickpea wrap. You can also get a quick boost with their fair trade coffee or cool down with a refreshing Berry Patch smoothie made with coconut water. Sit cozy indoors or enjoy a bit of sun on their private back patio. The V Spot is perfect for a quick and delicious lunch solo or with friends.

Vegan’s Delight
3565 Boston Rd.
Bronx, NY 10469
Enjoy Dal Patties, Wheat Meat Curry, Ital Stew Peas, Ginger Beer, Sorrell, and more. They are located off the next-to-last stop on the 5 train in the northern Bronx.

Virtuous Pie
583 Main St.
Vancouver, BC V6A 2V1 Canada
Virtuous pie offers a heavenly yet sinful dining experience. What better place to indulge than a vegan restaurant serving mainly pizza and ice cream? Their pizzas range from a standard/not-so-standard Margherita pie made with cashew cheese and fresh basil to one called Stranger Wings topped with crispy buffalo cauliflower and vegan blue cheese. Their ice cream has eclectic flavors like Basil and Peach Jam. Sit back and enjoy plant based pizza served on hand-made pizza plates in a crisp, modern atmosphere.

Stock up on your favorite veggie products from The Vegetarian Site this month! For the full month of September 2016, The Vegetarian Site will give 10% of their sales to The Vegetarian Resource Group!

The Vegetarian Site sells vegan footwear, belts, wallets, bags, and other accessories, food products, books, personal care items, plus much more. They are always adding new items in their store.

Try the one cent sample of PARMA! VEGAN PARMESAN.

Support The Vegetarian Resource Group by shopping online at: http://www.thevegetariansite.com

By Heather Francis, VRG Volunteer

Traveling to Screamer’s Pizzeria went smoothly; from Penn Station we headed to downtown Brooklyn. We jumped on the A train heading downtown on 8th Avenue express and got off at Hoyt-Schermerhorn Street and then transferred to the G train heading up to Brooklyn-Queens Crosstown. When we reached Nassau Ave./Manhattan Ave., we got off and headed up the stairs. Immediately in front of us was a huge Blue Sign that had a vertical sign saying “Vegan,” with Screamer’s in small print.

I walked into the Pizza shop starving, ready to dig into pizza. The shop is small, but has a lot of character. The pizza shop is identical to a hole in the wall pizza shop you may stop in. We glazed over the menu which was on a huge mirror stretching from the door to the cash register. My girlfriend and I wanted to purchase an entire pie and we decided on Buffalo Cauliflower and a vegan take on Hawaiian Pizza.

After waiting twenty minutes, we were handed a glorious box filled with pizza. The toppings filled almost every space mounting over gooey vegan cheese and red pizza sauce. We devoured the freshly baked pizza pie. My first slice was the Hawaiian pizza and it was superb. The pineapple and vegan ham had the perfect amount of sweet and savory. I decided that the buffalo cauliflower one was my favorite. I had never had buffalo chicken with ranch, and trying the buffalo cauliflower pizza topped with ranch, was a new experience itself along with trying this 5 star rated pizzeria. The crust on any pizza is a factor in deciding whether or not it’s worth to come back, and I know that I personally will be traveling to Brooklyn again to one day try another one of their specialty flavored pizzas. They even have vegan cannoli’s on the menu, which is something I’m dying to try.

A cool part about the location of this place, is the ice cream store next door: The Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream shop. This ice cream shop has a whole blackboard full of vegan ice cream flavors to choose from, and after devouring two or three slice of delicious pizza, who can say no to gourmet ice cream? I definitely didn’t.

For more information on this restaurant please visit: http://www.screamerspizzeria.com

If you would like to learn more about dining out in New York as a vegetarian or vegan, go to the VRG’s online restaurant guide at http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/New_York.php or visit our national restaurant guide at www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

JOIN US AT THE VEGETARIAN RESOURCE GROUP VEGAN THAI DINNER IN BOSTON AT MY THAI VEGAN CAFE
Sunday, October 16, 2016, 6 PM

The Vegetarian Resource Group will host a vegan Thai dinner
at My Thai Vegan Café in Boston on Sunday, October 16, 2016 during the
annual meeting of The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Meet VRG
advisors Reed Mangels PhD RD, Catherine Conway MS RD, Debra Wasserman,
and vegetarian dietitians from around the country. All are welcome.

MENU:
Tom Kha, Thai Coconut Soup with tofu
Thai Mango Salad
Nam Prik Kaeng Kari with tofu (Yellow Curry) and brown rice
Pad See Ew. Wide rice noodles with Chinese broccoli and vegan gluten.
Fruit cocktail for dessert or other fruit
Tea and cold water

This will be a plated sit down dinner.

TO RESERVE: Send $30 person (includes tax and tip) (Under eight is half
price) with names of attendees to The Vegetarian Resource Group,
P.O. Box 1463,
Baltimore, MD 21203.
Call (410) 366-8343.

You can also pay at www.vrg.org/donate and write Boston Dinner in the Comments.
Refunds after September 30th only if your seat can be replaced.

Hope to see you there!

Here are Reed’s comments after the event:
Thank you to the Toronto Vegetarian Association (TVA) for inviting me to speak at their wildly successful Veg Food Fest. While in Toronto, I learned that the TVA was founded in 1945 and that this was the 32nd Veg Food Fest. The Fest has a beautiful venue at Harboufront Centre on the shores of Lake Ontario. Although more than 50,000 people attend the festival, it is so well-run and there are so many helpful volunteers that lines move quickly and it is easy to get from one area to another. Vegan food is celebrated at the festival with lots of free samples and cooking demos. Name a cuisine and it’s likely that you’ll find it being sold. I saw Ethiopian, Indian, Chinese, Mexican, French, Rastafarian, Greek, and so much more in addition to vegan burgers, dogs, pizza, mac and cheese, doughnuts, cheesecake, ice cream, cookies, and on and on. It was hard to decide between all the delicious choices but I enjoyed a souvlaki wrap from Through Being Cool Baking Co. and a kale salad with roast chickpeas and a tahini dressing from Green Zebra Kitchen.

Besides great food, the festival also features many non-profits and an extensive book store. I was honored to be on a panel with Michael Greger, MD; Tushar Mehta, MD; and fitness guru John Lewis. We spoke to a capacity crowd about vegan health and nutrition. The next day I spoke about raising happy and healthy vegan children. Reed also commented: You can’t tell it from the photo but we were under a big tent with a crowd of several hundred people, more outside, about 90 degrees and 100% humidity!

Mark your calendars now – TVA’s Veg Food Fest is an event not to be missed. It will happen next in Fall, 2017. In the meantime, check out their Vegan Bake-Off and Veggielicious in the spring.

The photo from the panel was taken by Alex Bez
Instagram: vegan_eh

RelayFoods.com, an online grocery store with a mission to make eating quality, healthy, sustainable food simple is offering a discount for you. Shop their catalog of Vegan and Vegetarian Products https://www.relayfoods.com/search?q=tag=6WX

Also, see recipes at: https://www.relayfoods.com/meals/dishes?f=vegan

Be sure to use coupon code VRG20 to save $20 off your first $50 order through 12/31/2016. Offering online ordering for local, organic, and everyday groceries, and home delivery or free pick up.

Read this article by a long distance VRG summer intern, which was published in her school newspaper.
http://www.thesetonian.com/2016/09/07/shu-cross-country-runner-talks-impact-of-veganism/
For more information on athletes and the vegetarian diet, see
http://www.vrg.org/athlete/
http://www.vrg.org/teen/#athletes