Want to learn more about how you can lead a sustainable lifestyle? Join the movement and shop green at the 12th annual Green Festival May 6-8th in Washington, DC. The Vegetarian Resource Group will be at booth #504.

Tickets and info here: http://bit.ly/23hupdK Use ticket code VRG16 for discounted tickets on the weekend. See you there!

Whether Easter is an important religious holiday to you, or just a way to welcome spring and gather with family and friends for a festive meal, here are some ways to celebrate the season without doing harm to chicks, bunnies, or any other living things.

-Instead of dyeing eggs, try creating these colorful paper versions if you want a craft to make with children.

-If you’re interested in recreating the tradition of dyeing eggs, try these ceramic versions from EggNots:

Use natural food coloring such as http://www.colorgarden.net/

-Sponsor a Farm Animal or visit a Farm Sanctuary: http://www.compassionatefarming.org/sanctuaries.html

-Try Chef Nancy Berkoff’s Recipe for Egg-less Vegan Quiche and easy Crisped Rice Eggs using puffed rice cereal and carob for Easter brunch

FAST CRISPED RICE EGGS

(Makes 8-10 small eggs)

¼ cup vegan chocolate or carob chips
2 cups puffed rice cereal
Melt chocolate in a microwave or on the stove. Remove from heat, mix in cereal, and very quickly form into shapes. Store on a parchment- or waxed paper-lined tray.

-Hide plastic eggs stuffed with mini Dandies vegan marshmallows and have an Easter egg hunt! Find Dandies near you: http://dandiesmarshmallows.com/where-to-buy

-Make a cruelty-free Easter basket of goodies for the kids. Fill with stuffed chicks or bunnies, dried fruit and nuts, vegan or spring-themed children’s books, a vegan coloring page, baby carrots (From the Easter bunny!), and stickers. Instead of stuffing with plastic Easter grass, shred colorful sections of the newspaper (like the comics!) or magazines for a fun grass-like filling. Annie’s vegan fruit snacks, shaped like bunnies, have never been more appropriate!

-Find Sweet and Sarah vegan, non-GMO, Kosher marshmallow bunnies and chicks near you: http://sweetandsara.com/where-to-buy/

-See a list of some companies who make vegan Easter candy here: http://www.vrg.org/blog/2014/04/11/vegan-easter-candy/

Green Soup with Chickpeas
A highly nutritious soup made with spinach and chickpeas by clinical dietitian, Surbhi Girdhar
(Serves 4-5)

1 Tablespoon olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
1 medium onion (chopped)
2 medium tomatoes (diced)
2 green chillies (optional)
16 ounces fresh spinach (washed)
1-2 cups water
Salt to taste
16-ounce canned chickpeas(drained)
Parsley leaves (for garnish)
Red pepper flakes (for garnish)

In a pan, heat olive oil, then add chopped garlic and ginger. Sauté for one minute. Next, add chopped onions, diced tomatoes, and optional green chillies. Sauté until mixture is soft. In the meanwhile, boil/microwave spinach until tender. Add it to the above mixture and cook for few more minutes. Let the mixture cool and then put it in a blender. Blend to almost purée consistency. Now, put soup back in a pan and add about 1-2 cups of water. Add salt to taste and chickpeas and let soup simmer for few minutes. Garnish with some parsley leaves and red pepper flakes (optional).

Location:Tucson, Arizona
Contact:[email protected]

Job Description:
Assist with the operations of a vegan restaurant. The ideal candidate will have significant restaurant management experience and extensive knowledge of a vegan diet and lifestyle, including health aspects and animal advocacy issues.

Duties & Responsibilities:
– Opening and closing the restaurant
– Assist with the hiring and training of staff
– Schedule employees in relation to customer flow
– Coordinate activities and side jobs of staff
– Ensure that employees are performing their jobs correctly and efficiently
– Ensure that the highest standards of cleanliness are maintained in the premises at all times
– Oversee the budget
– Maintain inventory, ordering food and supplies
– Maintain equipment and facility
– Ensure that correct food holding temperatures are maintained, that refrigeration units and steam tables are functioning properly
– Secure the premises and the inventory
– Serve food and beverages, including alcohol
– Ensure that customers are served in a timely manner
– Address complaints from staff and customers
– Monitor the quality of ingredients, meals, restaurant environment and service
– Assist with food preparation and cooking as needed
– Ensure dating and proper rotation of stock
– Assist with publicity and promotions
– Maintain and interactive and friendly atmosphere with customers and employees
– Identify ways to measure and improve system performance

Required skills
– Must be a good motivator and leader
– Must be good at problem solving
– Must have good computer skills
– Must be skillful with social media
– Must have cooking skills

For information on the restaurant, visit: www.LovinSpoonfuls.com

According to a State of the Industry presentation at Natural Products Expo West 2016, the natural products industry grew 9.5% to $180 billion dollars in 2015. Food and beverages accounted for $67 billion dollars of those sales.

Fifty seven percent of sales was through mass market channels. Internet accounted for three percent of industry sales. Organics accounted for $35 billion in sales. In a three month period, 40% of consumer used a plant protein option. Twenty four percent used a soy protein option.

As a perspective, according to statista.com, in 2013 total food sales in the U.S. was 1.42 trillion dollars.

For more poll information, see:
http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/faq.htm#poll

What a great story for us vegans!

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

Vegan Pizza from 00 & Co

00 & Co.
65 2nd Ave.
New York, NY 10003
00 & Co is a plant-based pizzeria opened by Matthew Kenney. It offers a wide variety of pizzas that are served with nut cheeses (almond, cashew, and more!). These include pizzas with smoked oyster mushrooms, caramelized eggplant, potatoes, and more. If you are not in the mood for pizza you can choose from a variety of other options like butternut squash or a sunflower Caesar salad. You can complete your meals with organic wine, and if you are still hungry then you can treat yourself to vegan ice cream afterwards!

Asian Delights Café
2929 Custer Rd., Ste. 315
Plano, TX 75075
If you’re looking for a place to eat that has a unique fusion of Asian dishes, look no further than Asian Delights Cafe. This casual restaurant provides a diverse menu of dishes inspired by Malaysian, Singaporean, and Thai cuisines. Patrons have praised the “beef” rendang, curry noodle soup, “fish” curry, and the roti with sambal sauce, which has been described as “buttery.”

Go Vegan Café and Juice Bar
5875 S. Rainbow Blvd. #104
Las Vegas, NV 89118
Located next to Lake Sahara in west Las Vegas, Go Vegan Café and Juice Bar serves a plethora of vegan, raw, and gluten free options. For breakfast, one can choose from among pancakes, waffles, chia pudding, tofu scrambles, and more. There is a wide variety of lunch and dinner options, from a Mediterranean platter to pesto pizza to a BBQ “Pulled Jack” sandwich. Around lunch time, the restaurant also boasts a salad bar. Go Vegan serves five types of veggie burgers, and the menu includes Mexican and Raw Foods sections. Eclectic drink options abound, from “really super smoothies” to cold-pressed caramel coffee. The menu is also 90% gluten free. As far as physical features go, there are tables and booths for seating, as well as a garden and a fountain.

Half Peach Bakery
4121 Oechsli Ave.
Louisville, KY 40207
Half Peach Bakery is a bakery that emphasizes the use of natural and homegrown ingredients, all of which are free of animal products. They offer a variety of soups, sandwiches, salads, and sweets. This includes a rice noodle soup, which is made with rice noodles, tofu, carrot dumplings, and other veggies served with a spicy black bean sauce. Their sweets include cookies, macaroons, energy bars, and more!

Handy Diner
2958 Downing St.
Denver, CO 80205
Located across from the light rail, Handy Diner serves traditional diner comfort food, 100% vegan. Dishes include breakfast burritos, chickpea fried steak, and biscuits and gravy. Handy Diner breaks the stereotype of light vegan meals.

Jungle Café
996 Manhattan Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11222
Located between Huron and Green Street, Jungle Cafe is a vegan restaurant with a wide-ranging menu. For an appetizer, start out your meal with some vegetable spring rolls. Follow with an entree, like their gluten-free beet burger, chili sin carne stew, or a Rainbow Raw Bowl. Accompany the dish with a fresh smoothie, and finish with a dessert, such as their seasonal vegan pie with homemade vegan whipped cream. Don’t miss happy hour, which gives a discount on their well-known buffet. Jungle Cafe also has a children’s menu.

Seabirds Kitchen
2930 Bristol St.
Mesa, CA 92626
Seabirds Kitchen is a product of the wildly popular food truck by the same name. This completely plant-based restaurant features a menu with seasonal ingredients and creative mainstays. Choose from fun options like the Beer Battered Avocado Tacos or the Holy Smokes Bowl (with barbecue jackfruit). Brunch menu available on Sundays. Accepts reservations.

Vo2 Vegan Café
1001 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02130
The chef and owner runs a yoga studio and wanted to add a vegan restaurant and smoothie shop on location too! The menu includes breakfast and lunch items, and they are open late into the afternoon if you want an early dinner. Almost all menu items are made from scratch in-house such as pesto, nacho cheeze, veggie burgers, and eggless salad. They also have coffee, tea, and smoothies made to order. Don’t forget to check out the selection of packaged vegan snacks and desserts to take home with you.

Wild Rice Vegan Café
71 Elm St.
Watertown, MA 02472
Run by Chef Pankaj Pradhan, Boston’s Wild Rice Café is the place to go if you are looking for gourmet-style vegan food, in a small well-lit restaurant with a community feeling. Their menu, available online, features high-quality photographs and mouthwatering descriptions. Most of the dishes seem to be classy twists on traditional American or International dishes. For breakfast, for example, a “crepe suzette” is described as “a whole wheat crepe filled with sliced banana and toasted walnuts. Topped with Cointreau-infused orange reduction and chocolate drizzle.” You can also try some Uppma–south-Indian inspired stone grits. For lunch, options include Tempeh “crab” cakes, a Texmex enchilada, or a “Mantra wrap,” bundled in South Indian Roti flatbread. Their menu also includes a number of gluten-free options.

The Vegetarian Resource Group Book Catalog offers a wide range of vegan books including:

Gluten-Free Tips and Tricks for Vegans
No-Cholesterol Passover Recipes
Artisan Vegan Cheese
Simply Vegan
Teff Love
The Natural Vegan Kitchen
Asian Fusion
The Joy of Vegan Baking
The Indian Vegan Kitchen
Vegan Brunch
Vegan Soul Kitchen
The 4-Ingredient Vegan
The Lowfat Jewish Vegetarian Cookbook
Viva Vegan!
Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World
Tofu Cookery
The Almond Milk Cookbook
The Gluten-Free Vegan
Food Allergy Survival Guide
The Everything Vegan Pregnancy Book
And so many more….

FREE media mail shipping for orders over $30 in the United States only!
Visit http://www.vrg.org/catalog/ to order books online and support VRG’s outreach at the same time!

On a recent trip to Miami, we fell in love with all of the various sugary delights at Bunniecakes. The vegan bakery offers cupcakes, donuts, brownies, cookies, and cakes in a variety of flavors, from the traditional (Chocolate, Vanilla, Red Velvet) to the more adventurous (Guava, Corn Arugula, Dulce NO Leche!)

Everything we tried (including the gluten-free varieties) was moist, flavorful, and perfect for everyone with a sweet tooth, whether they are vegan or not!

In addition to their sweet items, Bunniecakes offers savory items such as empanadas, pizza rolls, and biscuits.

You won’t want to miss our if you’re in the Miami area! You can even order online! See http://www.bunniecakes.com/

Vegetarian Journal Senior Editor Samantha Gendler wrote an article titled “Budget-Friendly Airport Tips for the Conscious Vegan Traveler.” You can usually find some veggie food at airports; however, the food is usually very expensive and often unhealthy. Samantha offers a number of suggestions of healthy food items that you can bring with you to the airport while following airport regulations.

To read the entire article, go to:
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2016issue1/2016_issue1_airport_tips.php

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