We received the following good news from Veggie Happy:

At last, the YANKEES!

It’s been a long haul, but at long last, we’re very happy to share that New York’s Yankee Stadium will begin offering vegan frankfurters and burgers effective THIS coming Friday, April 24th!

Logistics are still being finalized, so we don’t have specific stand locations to share today, but keep an eye on the MLB Venue Vegetarian Guide listings for updated information, not just for Yankee Stadium, but for all MLB stadiums. We are continually updating concession menus and are awaiting 2015 listings from several more stadiums at this time.

Remember to use the Guide as a resource for contacting the stadiums yourself, too. (We have an NFL Guide and other venue links, as well.) We never tire of beating the drum of advocacy and empowerment. The more fans that chime in directly, supporting and celebrating vegan options, the stronger those menu options become and the greater likelihood they’ll remain on the menu.

We’ll update the Yankees listing with stand locations as soon as we have them. If you don’t see those yet, but are attending a game, be sure to ask about them. If regular concessions workers aren’t aware of these items being offered yet, or where, ask them to page the concession manager for you or to direct you to fan relations/guest services representative. We also invite you to post photos with your vegan menu items to our Facebook page. 🙂

Play ball!

The Vegetarian Resource Group received the following announcement:

I am writing to you from Shed Media, the TV production company behind ‘Child Genius’, ‘Super Nanny’ and the genealogy series ‘Who Do You Think You Are’. We are currently developing a second season of Child Genius – the popular docu-series that features some of America’s most gifted children and their families.

Providing the framework to the series will be the children’s involvement in a challenging nationwide academic competition. We are now looking for highly gifted/profoundly gifted children (aged 8-12) who would be interested to participate. The documentary series will profile children with exceptional IQs that often have abilities and interests far beyond their years. Parents will have a chance to talk about how their child’s extraordinary intelligence affects their daily lives and about some of the challenges they have faced in finding the right educational path for their child. The rigorous competition will take place during the summer vacation (July/early Aug). The winner will receive a substantial contribution to their college fund. The series will be aired on Lifetime.

We are particularly interested in featuring an all-vegetarian/vegan family as we feel it would be a great lifestyle to represent on TV.

-Christopher Lutz
http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/child-genius/casting

Vegan Meals for 1 or 2, by Chef Nancy Berkoff, Rd, EdD and published by The Vegetarian Resource Group is now available in Kindle format. This book is perfect for situations where only 1 or 2 people in the family are vegan or for students living on their own.

Let scrumptious meals including the following get you started on a veggie diet or add spice to your vegan lifestyle. Try Mongo Mango Smoothie and Breakfast Stacks in the morning. Also enjoy Quick Tofu Stroganoff or Potato Tacos, Hot Spiced Fruit Stew, Almond Rice Pudding, and much more.

Vegan Meals for 1 or 2 can also be purchased in book form directly from The Vegetarian Resource Group here: http://www.vrg.org/catalog/

What better way to honor Earth than by eating vegan cuisine. Here are some recipes to enjoy!

Mexican Tossed Salad (from Conveniently Vegan)
Serves 6

1 pound green leaf or Romaine lettuce, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
14-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
Small ripe avocado, chopped
1 cup salsa

Toss all the ingredients together in a large salad bowl. Chill for at least 30 minutes and serve cold.

Asian Noodle Bowl (from Vegan Menu for People with Diabetes)
Serves 2

1-1/4 cups cooked noodles, chilled (start with ½ cup uncooked noodles)
1/4 cup shredded green cabbage
1/8 cup sliced radishes
3/4 cup diced tofu or seitan (wheat gluten)
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 Tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 Tablespoons cashews or peanuts

In a large serving bowl, toss noodles, cabbage, radishes, tofu or seitan, garlic, and ginger until combined. Add oil and soy sauce and mix to combine. Garnish with nuts before serving.

Spanish-Style Rice (from Vegan Microwave Cookbook)
Serves 4

1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 Tablespoon oil
1 cup long-grain rice
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Place garlic, onion, green pepper, and oil in a 2-quart bowl or casserole. Microwave on HIGH for 4 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cover. Microwave on HIGH for 5 minutes. Stir and reduce heat to MEDIUM. Microwave for 10 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked. Serve with a fresh salad and toasty baguette.

Alex Hershaft, co-founder of FARM (Farm Animal Rights Movement), will be speaking about his journey from holocaust survivor to animal rights activist. The event takes place May 17, 2015 at Ner Tamid, 4217 Pimlico Road, Baltimore, MD 21209. The event is sponsored by Jewish Vegetarians of North America and The Vegetarian Resource Group is one of several co-sponsors. Tickets can be purchased online at JewishVeg.org/Tickets. Cost is $5 in advance and $8 at the door. For more information email [email protected] or call (585) 506-6190.

Earth Day is celebrated each year on April 22nd. The Vegetarian Resource Group has a terrific brochure to show others about how much water is used to produce meat versus vegetarian food. The brochure is called Save Our Water – The Vegetarian Way.

See: http://www.vrg.org/environment/water_brochure.php

See Spanish translation of this brochure here: http://www.vrg.org/environment/water_brochure_spanish.php

The VRG needs your help!

Have you spotted calcium stearate on a food label recently? Please let us know!

Send us a web link to the ingredients label or a photo. Or at least, lead us to it with the complete name of the food product including brand. No vitamins or pharmaceuticals, please…just food.

At one time, calcium stearate was often derived from cow or hog fat, but we think this is no longer true. We’re not even sure this once-popular anti-caking agent and emulsifier is really even used much at all today in food. In fact, we’ve spotted it only in Smarties candy and Subway Canada’s Honey Oat Bread (both plant-derived).

Have you seen it? Please let us know! Thanks!
-Jeanne Yacoubou, Research Director

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 judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

By Navaal Mahdi

The average Pakistani diet is conveniently full of vegetables and lentils, so you would think that it wouldn’t be difficult for a Pakistani to cut out meat completely and make a significant diet change. The only thing that prevents many from doing so is the fact that many traditional Pakistani dishes contain some animal products. Actually, the biggest culprit is butter, and many Pakistanis seem to think that it–as well as other dairy products–are essential to make the food tasty. This is undoubtedly far from the truth, though.

When I decided to go vegan, it was ultimately a spur of the moment decision. I researched the meaning and lifestyle for almost a whole year; however, growing up in a house where dairy products were a part of almost every meal made me nervous to become vegan. For the longest time, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to eat the gourmet-quality dishes my mom had always made and that I had grown accustomed to. However, after checking numerous recipes, I realized that most foods my mom made were already vegan, and those that weren’t could easily be made vegan by skipping a step. In reality, sometimes it’s just a matter of adding olive oil instead of butter, and the dish is vegan. Knowing this made it easier for me to be content with the decision to go vegan, so I was able to cut out all animal products immediately.

When it comes to eating at parties and community gatherings, I make sure to eat a meal before I head out because I can’t expect to find too much that I can eat at these events. Most of the time, there are plain salads and vegetable-based dishes that I can eat, so luckily I’m not left to starve on the days I don’t eat beforehand. But the problem really isn’t the food; most of the time, it’s the questions, comments, and looks I get from people.

Though we shouldn’t have to explain ourselves, having a lifestyle so different from the majority of our peers means we definitely have to be willing to give them some answers when they notice what we aren’t eating. In the Pakistani community that I’m familiar with, it’s usually only the older people who don’t take me as seriously as the others do when it comes to my choice to be vegan. In this case though, it’s important to remember that most people who have lived the same lifestyle forever will naturally find it hard to comprehend the way you live. In the beginning, it’s essential to stay true to your beliefs and to not let anyone’s words get to you; if your beliefs in vegan principles are strong, then nothing will be able to change your decision.

As daunting as the task of becoming a vegan seems in a community that generally uses animal products in all food (which is arguably the most important aspect of its culture), it’s not as difficult as you might try to make yourself believe it is. If you’re willing to put up with some curious people–which will be no problem if you’re passionate about the cause–and if you’re willing to get creative with your meals, then don’t put it off because it’s not conventional in your community. Just remember that you’re making a positive change in the world, and eating as well as you do will make you feel great while you’re doing it, too.

Navaal Mahdi wrote this piece while doing an internship with The Vegetarian Resource Group.

by Danny Cohen and Marc Bernstein

Sure, there are plenty of people who have been vegan longer than we have, and then there are plenty of people who are older than we are and have not been vegan for as long or as much a percentage of their lives. At the time of the writing of this article, I, Danny, have been vegan now for 41% of my life. And, I, Marc, have been vegan for 27% of my life. We are just kids, but are active and committed leaders of Veg Kids. We are both totally vegan and have been for the last number of years. We met each other at Vegan Camp and have been good friends ever since.

The newest thing we have done together is start the Vegan Cheese group on Facebook. We wanted a place where we could share with each other and others about the bountiful new vegan cheese options. While our lives have not been that long yet, we both have been so excited about all of the new vegan cheeses that have recently been coming out. When we first went vegan, we had thought that we were just going to do without anything like the cheeses we had loved. We were willing to give them up, because it was the right thing to do. Now, though, we are just so excited about all of the new vegan cheese choices. Yum!

On the Vegan Cheese group, we have listed the following as the variety of companies making and selling vegan cheeses and we are sorry if there are any that we have missed (but please message us and we will be glad to add them): Avellana, Beyond Better, Blode Kuh, Chao, Cheezly, Daiya, Dr. Cow, Earth Balance, Follow Your Heart, Free and Easy, Galaxy, Go Veggie, Heidi Ho, Johanna’s, Kite Hill, Leahey, Miyoko’s Kitchen, Nacheez, Nacho Mom’s, Nary Dairy, Parma, Parma Zaan, Parmela, Punk Rawk Labs, Road’s End Organics, Sheeze, St. Martaen, Sun Artisan, Teese, Tofutti, Trader Joe’s, Treeline, Veeta, Veg Chefs, Veg Cuisine, Vio Life, Virgin Cheese, Vromage, Vtopian, Wayfare, and Wilmersburger. That’s over forty different vegan cheese companies so far. That’s amazing.

Now, we unfortunately can not claim to have tried every one of them. But, on the vegan cheese group people can talk about all of them. People can share enthusiastically what they like and respectfully what they don’t. They can also share recipes for making their own vegan cheeses.

Some of these companies are actually not even totally unique. Some of them use the same or almost the same cheeses. We don’t know for sure but it seems to us that some of them may have bought Miyoko’s book, Artisan Vegan Cheese,” and copied or modified her recipes. How wonderful that she wrote her book and put it out there for others to learn from. We have been told that she is the “Queen of Vegan Cheese.” Her cheeses are pretty amazing. We’ve found that her cheeses are kind of more sophisticated and more to the liking of adults who want wine and cheese kind of parties.

Our favorites are cheeses like those from Chao, Daiya, Follow Your Heart (their newer ones), and Vio Life. But, did you know that Chao, Follow Your Heart, and Vio Life are pretty much all the same as each other? Vio Life is a company from Greece and Chao and Follow Your Heart are getting their new cheese slices from them. They may be using some different flavors and a little different formulas, but they are basically the same and made by Vio Life. It is kind of funny to watch people comment about how they like one and not the other when they are so much the same. We really like all of these cheeses. Their texture and consistency is really good. We do like the flavor of Daiya’s cheddar and provolone better than the others, but their consistency and texture are not as good. We also love that Daiya makes a Swiss which none of the other have yet, but we want more holes!

The whole variety makes us happy in cheese heaven. Our favorite for melting for pizza and other Italian dishes is Daiya. Our favorite for sandwiches is Chao, Follow Your Heart, and Vio Life. Our favorites for crackers are St. Martaen and Daiya. Our favorite macaroni and cheese are the new ones from Daiya. Our favorite cheesecake is from No Udder Desserts vegan bakery in Los Angeles who uses Tofutti cream cheese. Our favorite for nachos is definitely Teese.

And we are not teasing. We are so excited that there are so so many vegan cheeses now. That’s why we started the Vegan Cheese group on Facebook. Anyone on Facebook can join the group and share their vegan cheese favorites, recipes, experiences, etc. We hope we are not being too cheesey, but we want you all to smile and say “cheese” and enjoy these many vegan cheeses.

Danny and Marc are 12 and 11 years old respectively and are active participants and leaders of Veg Kids based in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles.

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