photo from Freepik

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

One of my neighbors, who knows I’m vegan, recommended a new local restaurant, saying, “It’s really good and they say it’s plant-based.” Being a bit skeptical, I checked the restaurant’s menu on-line. They had dishes featuring local, seasonal, organic produce – lots of plants – but every single dish had beef, pork, chicken, fish, or cheese as an integral part of the dish. Yes, their dishes could be said to be based on plants but there was nothing there that I would eat. There are many other restaurants in the area that are vegan, have a vegan menu, or clearly indicate vegan items so I didn’t feel the need to explore with this restaurant the possibility of their preparing a vegan dish if I ate there.

Then, I was poking around the new books shelf at the library and found a large, shiny new cookbook promising “plant-forward” recipes. Again, lots of vegetables but also many recipes that included meat and/or dairy products. Yes, this kind of cookbook could be helpful for someone trying to reduce meat and eat more vegetables, but it wasn’t the vegan cookbook I was looking for.

Coincidentally, the same week that I had both of these experiences, I was preparing a webinar on vegetarian nutrition for dietitians and dietetics students. I wanted them to be aware of the different meanings that “plant-based” and “plant-forward” can have and did a quick internet search. Here’s what I found:

“Plant-based or plant-forward eating patterns focus on foods primarily from plants. This includes not only fruits and vegetables, but also nuts, seeds, oils, whole grains, legumes, and beans. It doesn’t mean that you are vegetarian or vegan and never eat meat or dairy.” Harvard Health Blog

“A plant-based diet consists of exclusively plant foods, including fruit, vegetables, grains, and legumes, and avoids meat, dairy, and eggs.” PCRM

“Plant-based diets constitute a diverse range of dietary patterns that emphasize foods derived from plant sources coupled with lower consumption or exclusion of animal products. Vegetarian diets form a subset of plant-based diets, which may exclude the consumption of some or all forms of animal foods.” World Health Organization

Clearly, there is not consensus on what these terms mean.

My advice to practicing and aspiring dietitians? If someone says that they follow a plant-based or plant-forward diet, ask more questions so that you can be confident of which foods they eat and which foods they avoid.

My advice to those looking at restaurants, cookbooks, and food packages? If it says it is plant-based or plant-forward, ask more questions so that you can determine if a product or establishment meets your needs.

To read more about the phrase “plant-based” see:

What Does Plant-based Actually Mean?

What Does Plant-based Mean to the Public?

photo by Hannah Kaminsky

In the latest 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/

photo from Edward & Sons Trading Co.

Edward & Sons is now offering delicious Rice and Black Sesame Exotic Rice Toast. Read our review of these crackers here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2025issue1/2025_issue1_veggie_bits.php

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

photo from Watson & Wolfe

Here’s a list of companies selling vegan belts online.

Bhava Studio is an American company offering women’s belts. https://bhavastudio.com/collections/belts

Corkor is a Portuguese company that sells women’s and men’s belts made out of cork. They deliver worldwide. https://www.corkor.com/collections/womens-cork-belts and https://www.corkor.com/collections/mens-cork-belts

Doshi is an American company that sells both men’s and women’s belts. https://doshi.shop/collections/belts

Freerangers is a British company offering belts in several colors. https://www.freerangers.co.uk/belts

MooShoes is an American company selling a variety of belts. https://www.mooshoes.com/collections/belts

Nae is a Portuguese company that ships belts worldwide. https://nae-vegan.com/en-us/collections/belts-women

Nomadic State of Mind is an American company that sells belts made out of rope. https://shop.nomadicstateofmind.com/category-s/165.htm

Truth Belts is a Canadian company that specializes in belts for men and women. https://truthbelts.com/

Vegan Chic is an American company that sells belts for men and women. https://www.veganchic.com/vegan+belts/search.aspx

Veganline is a British company that sells belts in different colors and with different buckles and ships to various countries. https://veganline.com/belts

Vegan Scene is an American company that sells belts for women and men in various colors. https://veganscene.com/collections/belts

Vegetarian Shoes is a British company selling a variety of vegan belts. https://www.vegetarian-shoes.co.uk/accessories/belts/10043_0c.html

The Vegetarian Site is an American company selling a wide variety of belts. https://store.thevegetariansite.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=96

Watson & Wolfe is a British company offering men’s belts. https://www.watsonwolfe.com/non-leather-vegan-belts/

Creamed Corn photo by Hannah Kaminsky

Canned creamed corn refers to the smashing or creaming of corn, rather than the addition of dairy products. Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD offers suggestions on how to prepare dishes with creamed corn.

Read her column here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2025issue1/2025_issue1_cooking_tips.php

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

The Rocket Soup

You can enjoy delicious vegan food at Oleum located in Fells Point at 701 Bond St., Baltimore, MD 21231. Recently we dropped in and enjoyed several items on their menu including two soups, pizza, and tiramisu for dessert.

The Rocket Soup above consists of puréed Yukon gold potatoes, arugula, spinach, cilantro, and warm spices. It’s artistically finished with a drizzle of lemon oil, a swirl of vegan cream, and peppery arugula. Below is their Moroccan Harira Soup consisting of vegetable stock, celery, carrot, onion, crushed tomatoes, chickpeas, brown lentils, rice, and Moroccan spices. It’s finished with house made harissa and fresh cilantro.

Moroccan Harira Soup

We enjoyed their tiramisu for dessert. This is definitely meant to be shared!

Oleum offers a wide variety of vegan pizzas and we sampled the Little Foot pizza which had house marinara, Violife Mozzarella, red and green bell peppers, roasted artichokes, black olives, Spanish onion, mushrooms, garlic, and fresh parsley. This pizza was gorgeous and delicious!

Little Foot pizza

For more information, visit their website: https://www.oleumkitchen.com/ and Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/oleumkitchen

In the latest issue of Vegan Journal, Amy Burgers wrote a Vegan Action column featuring Larry Rumbough. Larry co-founded the nonprofit organization Vegetarians of Central Florida, which hosts an Earth Day Celebration each spring and a VegFest each fall in Orlando, Florida. Read all about Larry here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2025issue1/2025_issue1_vegan_action.php

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

photo from Freepik

Passover begins the evening of April 12, 2025 this year and The Vegetarian Resource Group is the publisher of several books that feature vegan Passover recipes. Below we share three recipes with you. In the USA, you can purchase these vegan cookbooks from the VRG Book Catalog here: http://www.vrg.org/catalog

Fresh Tomato Soup (from No Cholesterol Passover Recipes, by Debra Wasserman)

(Serves 4)

1 large onion, chopped

5 small ripe tomatoes, chopped

1-1/2 cups water

½ teaspoon fresh parsley, minced

Pepper and salt to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a large pot and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes and then cool. Place mixture in a blender cup and blend until creamy. Reheat and serve hot.

Minted Carrots with Chilies (from Vegan Passover Recipes, by Nancy Berkoff)

(Serves 4-5)

1-1/2 cups sliced onions

Vegetable oil spray

1 garlic clove, minced

2 Tablespoons peeled and minced fresh ginger

2 Tablespoons seeded and minced fresh chilies or green pepper

1-1/4 pounds carrots (about 3-1/2 cups), peeled and sliced lengthwise 1-inch thick

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Place onions in a large frying pan, spray liberally with vegetable oil, and sauté over medium heat until soft and golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and chilies and stir. Allow to cook for 1 minute.

Add carrots and add enough water to just cover. Cook uncovered for 15 minutes, or until carrots are tender. Add mint, cook for 2 more minutes. Serve hot.

Russian Potato and Mushroom Croquettes (from The Lowfat Jewish Vegetarian Cookbook, by Debra Wasserman)

(Serves 5)

1-1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and chopped

5 cups water

1 onion, peeled and chopped

¼ pound mushrooms

1 teaspoon oil

1 Tablespoon water

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup matzo meal

1 Tablespoon oil

Boil potatoes in 5 cups water until tender. Drain and mash potatoes.

In a separate pan, sauté onion and mushrooms in 1 teaspoon oil and 1 Tablespoon water over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Mix the mashed potatoes, sautéed onion and mushrooms, seasonings, and matzo meal together in a large bowl. Form 10 burgers (croquettes).

Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry croquettes for 8 minutes, flip over and continue frying for another 8 minutes. Serve two croquettes per person.

Don’t forget, you can purchase these vegan cookbooks from the VRG Book Catalog here: http://www.vrg.org/catalog

photo from Good Foods

Good Foods is now offering two unique chip dips: Dill Pickle and Nacho Cheeze. Read our review of these dips here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2025issue1/2025_issue1_veggie_bits.php

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

spinach photo from Freepik

Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD, says you can use spinach anywhere you normally use lettuce — on sandwiches, chopped in wraps or tacos, or in salads. Fresh spinach is a hearty base for entrée salads. Toss fresh spinach with finely diced pineapple, sliced strawberries, chopped pistachios, sunflower seeds or soy nuts, and nutritional yeast. Create a dressing with balsamic vinegar, pineapple juice, and touch of mustard.

To quickly (and we mean quickly) cook spinach, spray a frying pan with vegetable oil, sprinkle in some chopped fresh or dried garlic, and get the pan hot. Toss in the spinach and flash sauté, turning constantly. This should take one or two minutes, tops.

Use your stove-sautéed spinach as a hot or cold vegetable with your entrée, as part of a sandwich filling, to top pizza, or added to a tofu scramble. If you would like to make “creamed” spinach, whisk crumbled silken tofu or vegan sour cream into the sautéed greens, just as you are removing them from the stove. If you have leftover cooked spinach, you can purée it and add it to hummus, salad dressings, or soups.

To learn more interesting spinach facts, see: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2020issue2/2020_issue2_cooking_tips.php

Subscribe to Vegan Journal: www.vrg.org/member