photo by Hannah Kaminsky

In a recent issue of Vegan Journal, Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, evaluates 31 boxed vegan mac and cheese products. Find out which items have the least amount of saturated fat plus products which supply at least 100 milligrams of calcium.

Read the entire review here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2025issue1/2025_issue1_macd_out.php

Subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA only here: https://www.vrg.org/member/

Nothing beats a creative salad dressing that’s quick to prepare and toss into your salad mixture. Chef Nancy Berkoff has a few suggestions including Indian Curried Grapefruit Dressing, Thai Peanut-Orange Dressing, Retro Green Goddess Dressing, Italian Sun-dried Tomato-Rosemary Vinaigrette, Chinese Sesame-Soy Dressing, Continental Shallot and Caper Dressing, Southwestern Chili Pepper Dressing, and more.

Read the entire article with recipes for these dressings here: vrg.org/journal/vj2014issue2/2014_issue2_QuickSaladDressings.php

Subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA only: www.vrg.org/member

cucumbers photo from Freepik

Cucumbers can play a supporting role in salads or can be the main event. Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD, offers these suggestions:

• Chopped cucumbers, watermelon, and red onions, sprinkled with balsamic vinegar and either nutritional yeast or crumbled vegan cheese
• Diced cucumbers, halved cherry tomatoes or diced salad tomatoes, cubed avocado, and croutons
• Chopped cucumbers, black olives, cooked and chilled pasta, and either crumbled smoked tofu or veggie crumbles
• Diced cucumbers tossed with fresh dill and either plain vegan yogurt or vegan sour cream mixed with lime juice
• Sliced cucumbers mixed with fresh or roasted fennel and garlic paste
• Diced cucumbers tossed with garlic and ginger paste, minced fresh chilies or bell peppers, and shredded carrots
• Thinly sliced cucumbers and radishes, sprinkled with vinegar, organic brown sugar, and red pepper flakes

Subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA only: www.vrg.org/member

Planning a summer vacation? Our online guide to vegan/vegetarian restaurants in the USA and Canada is a great resource for traveling, or just discovering a new place to eat nearby! Visit: http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

If you or someone you know is looking for vegan nutrition information to use during pregnancy and once your child is born, here’s a terrific handout written by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD: https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/vegan_pregnancy_brochure.pdf

You’ll find a sample vegan menu to follow during pregnancy, as well as a feeding schedule for vegan infants, toddlers, and young children.

photo from Smoothie King

Looking to cool down when on the road? Stop off at a Smoothie King and you’ll find many vegan options. See: https://www.smoothieking.com/landing-pages/vegan-mixed-berry/plant-based

Recent topics brought up include:

– The “I need to go grocery shopping” lunch! What are you all packing your kiddos for lunch every day?

– Enter VRG’s 2025 Video Contest

– We’re updating our bookshelf now that my daughters are ready to branch out from early readers. Some of their current favorites are Sprig the Rescue Pig, My Mom Eats Tofu, and Not a Nugget, but they’re ready for stories that offer a bit more of a challenge, while still being age-appropriate for 6-year-olds. We’d love your recommendations for plant-based kids’ books or storybooks that focus on animal compassion. What are your family’s favorites?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/VRGparentsandkids is intended to be a group that offers support for families raising children on vegan diets and for vegan kids around the world. We envision it as a place to get advice about a wide-variety of topics: pregnancy, birthday parties, school lunches, Halloween, non-leather apparel, cruelty-free products, summer camps, and more. Please use it as a place to share your wisdom, seek advice, or just find a sympathetic ear. The goal is to offer support.

Consequently, any profane, defamatory, offensive, or violent language will be removed. Feel free to disagree, but do so respectfully. Hateful or discriminatory comments regarding race, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or political beliefs will not be tolerated. We expect that posts should relate to vegan diets and lifestyles. The Vegetarian Resource Group reserves the right to monitor all content and ban any user who posts in violation of the above rules, any law or regulation, SPAM, or anything otherwise off topic.

Please share this information with any veggie families that you know! Thanks.

photo from Ethical Wares

Enjoy the outdoors: you may want to go hiking in the USA, Canada, and/or Europe. Below is a list of online stores offering vegan hiking boots and shoes.

Ethical Wares out of Wales in the United Kingdom offers a wide variety of hiking boots See: https://www.ethicalwares.com/footwear/walking-boots-and-shoes/

Merrell in the USA offers some vegan hiking shoes. Search under “vegan hiking shoe or boot.” See: https://www.merrell.com

REI offers several vegan hiking shoes and boots. Search under “vegan hiking shoe or boot.” https://www.rei.com/

Thesus headquartered in Toronto, Canada and will ship hiking shoes for women to Americans. Search under the word vegan boot. See: https://thesusoutdoors.com/

Will’s Vegan Store in London, England offers hiking boots for men and women. See: https://us.wills-vegan-shoes.com/

photo from www.herbivoracious.com

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

There were six hungry vegans trying to decide on dinner. The first person disliked mushrooms. The second abhorred black olives. The third followed a strict gluten-free diet and avoided onions and garlic. The fourth didn’t feel like eating dried beans. The fifth and sixth didn’t have strong feelings as long as it didn’t take too long to make dinner. We didn’t have time to go to the store, so we decided to use what was on hand.

Polenta with several toppings worked for everyone! Prepared simply by following the package instructions (boil salted water, whisk in polenta, reduce heat, cook stirring occasionally), the polenta was quick, gluten-free, filling, and was compatible with several sauces. We made one sauce with canned, diced tomatoes, chopped onions, garlic, frozen pepper strips, olive oil, nutritional yeast, and seasonings. The second sauce also featured canned, diced tomatoes along with frozen chopped spinach, sliced kalamata olives, and sautéed mushrooms. While the sauces and polenta cooked, we roasted chickpeas which had been tossed with olive oil, nutritional yeast, and salt. In about half an hour, dinner was on the table and everyone could eat happily.

Vegan Journal has run two articles on vegan grilling that you might find helpful:

Gourmet Grilling by Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD includes grilling tips as well as recipes for Grilled Eggplant, Mediterranean Grilled Portobellos with Pine Nuts, Curried Barbecue Tempeh, Roasted Pepper and Eggplant Dip, Pineapple Peach Salsa, Japanese-Style Grilled Asparagus, Grilled Sweet Peaches, and Roasted Corn. See: https://www.vrg.org/journal/2002issue3/2002_issue3_gourmet.php

Nancy also wrote another article titled Outdoor Feast and it includes vegan recipes for the grill including Tofu and Potatoes Kebobs, Vietnamese “Beef” Salad, Lime and Chili “Steaks,” and Grilled Pineapple. See: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2015issue2/2015_issue2_outdoor_feasts.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA, visit: https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php