Passover is right around the corner (begins April 6), so if you need vegan recipes for Passover, right now we’re offering a special!

Get both Vegan Passover Recipes and No Cholesterol Passover Recipes for just $13 and receive FREE shipping. A must have for every home that wants to celebrate a healthy and ethical Passover. Enjoy egg-less blintzes, knishes, apple latkes, sweet and sour stuffed cabbage and much much more.

Makes a great gift!

Passover begins April 6 and ends April 14.

For ordering call (410)366-8343, send your check to VRG at P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, Maryland 21203, or go to:
http://www.vrg.org/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=26

According to an article on the website for NutraIngredients- USA, a British firm, ESB Developments, has isolated what is apparently the first plant-sourced vitamin D3 from lichen. The vitamin D3 is collected from wild-harvested lichen and processed into sprays, softgels, and other products, under the product label Vitashine. Matt Broughton, a director at ESB, would like to eventually grow the lichen in large vats and harvest the vitamin D3. Additionally, he hopes to develop a powder form of the vitamin D3 that could be added to more foods. ESB recently agreed to supply its vegan vitamin D3 to Global Health Trax (GHT) for use in supplements in the US and Canada.

Vitashine is registered with The Vegan Society. According to The Vegan Society’s website this means that the product has "been checked by Vegan Society staff to ensure that they meet our criteria."

Two different forms of vitamin D are used in supplements and fortified foods. Vitamin D2, also called ergocalciferol, is manufactured through the ultraviolet irradiation of a substance called ergosterol that comes from yeast. Vitamin D2 is vegan. Vitamin D3, also called cholecalciferol, is typically made by the ultraviolet irradiation of a substance derived from sheep’s wool.

There is a question as to whether or not vitamin D2 is as effective as vitamin D3 in preventing vitamin D deficiency although several recent studies indicate that both forms of vitamin D are equally effective. You can read more about one of these studies in Vegetarian Journal. For those vegetarians and vegans who would prefer to use vitamin D3, news of this vegan source of vitamin D3 will be welcome.

Vegan vitamin D3 can be ordered from GHT and from several vegan websites including Vegan Essentials and The Vegan Store.

Vitamin D is also produced following sunlight exposure. Sources of vitamin D2 for vegans include vitamin D2-fortified plant milks, mushroom powder, mushrooms that have been exposed to ultraviolet light, and supplements.

If you’re interested in foraging, “Wildman” Steve Brill’s WildEdibles App makes a great addition to your iPhone or Android App collection.

WildEdibles features 165 edible plants, 52 minor lookalikes, 719 images, and 162 recipes. The focus of the collection is on eastern North American species. Each entry features photos and drawings by “Wildman” Steve, and is broken down into three sections – “Finding,” “Identifying,” and “Using.” These three sections are further subdivided to provide information about the plant’s habitat, seasons, positive identification, confusing factors, poisonous parts or lookalikes (if there are any), nutrition, food and medicinal uses, and recipes.

The vegan recipes are what make WildEdibles particularly unique and practical. With recipes such as “Wild Brown Rice with Carrion Flower,” “Savory Chicory with Sweet Red Dal,” and “Currant Corn Bread,” “Wildman” Steve shows you just what to do with what you’ve harvested!

On March 3 at Central Park, “Wildman” Steve Brill inaugurated the 30th season of his foraging tours which were made world-famous in 1986 when he was arrested by undercover park rangers for eating a dandelion in Central Park! His fourth book, Foraging with Kids, and a Wild Vegan Recipe App, will both be published this spring.

WildEdibles is available for purchase for $7.99:

On iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wild-edibles-full/id431504588?mt=8

On Android: https://market.android.com/details?id=net.winterroot.wildedibles.full

Please note! (from the WildEdibles App disclaimer): Wild poisonous plants sometimes resemble edible plants, and they often grow side by side. Additionally, some edible plants also have deadly parts. It is the responsibility of this app’s user to identify and use correctly the edible plants described in this book.

The author and developer assume no responsibility for problems arising from the user’s misidentification, misuses, or use of wild plants.

For more information about “Wildman” Steve Brill, and to view his 2012 foraging tour schedule, please visit: http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/

Reviewed by Heather Gorn

It’s VRG’s 30th Anniversary! Come celebrate with us at Candle 79, and hear about our current and upcoming projects!

Sunday May 6, 2:30-4:30pm
Candle 79
154 East 79th Street
at Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10021

PRICE
$25 for paid-up VRG members who reserve by April 15
$35 for paid-up VRG members who reserve after April 15
$50 for non-members

Price includes tax and gratuity. Drinks are not included.

Seating is limited. Reservations must be made & paid in advance! Please see below.

MENU
(Subject to change)

APPETIZERS

Steamed Dumplings
seitan, shiitake mushrooms, baby bok choy, sesame-soy-ginger sauce

Angel's Nachos
corn chips, mozzarella, tomatoes, refried pinto beans, chili-grilled seitan, guacamole, salsa, tofu sour cream, romaine lettuce

ENTRÉE
(choice of one)
Stuffed Avocado Salad
baby greens, quinoa, zucchini, cucumber, radishes, black beans, toasted pumpkin seeds, grape tomatoes, chipotle-avocado dressing

Black Bean-Pumpkin Seed Burger
mixed lettuces, avocado, polenta fries, chipotle ketchup

Spaghetti & Wheat Balls
truffled tomato sauce, roasted garlic, spinach, cashew parmesan

Home-Style Pancakes
seasonal fruit, strawberry butter, gingered maple syrup

Seitan Picatta
creamed spinach, grilled potato cake, oyster mushrooms, lemon-caper sauce

DESSERT
(choice of one)
Fruit Crumb Pie vanilla ice cream
Chocolate Mousse Pie

There are three ways to reserve your seat:

1. Pay online at http://www.vrg.org/donate (write “Candle 79 dinner” and the names of the guests attending in the Comments section)
2. Pay with your Visa or Mastercard over the phone by calling us at 410-366-8343, 9am-5pm EST, Monday-Friday
3. Mail a check before April 27 to The Vegetarian Resource Group, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203 (write “Candle 79 dinner” and the names of the guests attending in the notes section)

We look forward to seeing you there!

His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be visting Long Beach, California for a public talk on April 21, 2012.

VRG’s foodservice advisor Chef Nancy Berkoff, RD, EdD will be coordinating the vegetarian meals and refreshments provided to the Dalai Lama, his entourage, and the audience. She is author of Vegan Meals for One or Two and Vegans Know How to Party.

For more information about the event, please visit: http://www.facebook.com/events/210123165744569/

When you sign up for VRG’s affinity Visa® Platinum Rewards credit card, VRG receives $50 upon activation of the card. Then for the life of the program, VRG will receive a portion of every dollar that each cardholder charges.

The VRG Visa® Platinum Rewards card offers qualified cardholders exceptional benefits including no annual fee, a low APR and reward points for shopping at participating merchants.

This is a great way to support our work with every purchase you make with The Vegetarian Resource Group Visa® Platinum Rewards card. To apply, see:
http://www.cardpartner.com/app/vrg

For FAQs about the program, see: http://www.vrg.org/credit_faqs.php

Vitamix is working with Dr. Joel Fuhrman and the Nutritional Research Project on a study to determine how age and gender impact the blood levels of essential fatty acids, EPA, and DHA in long-term vegans. Vitamix is supporting this research because omega-3 fatty acids are important in reducing the risk for heart disease, depression, and dementia.

You are eligible to participate in the study if:

• You are between the ages of 20 and 100
• You have been a vegan for at least three years
• You are not currently taking essential fatty acid supplements

If you are selected to participate, you will receive a copy of the report of your blood levels of these important essential fatty acids, and as a thank you, a $20 Target gift card. A small number of participants will be asked to take a vegan omega-3 supplement for three months in the second part of the study.

If you are interested, please visit https://www.nutritionalresearch.org/survey/ for more information.

The study has been approved by the University of San Diego Institutional Review Board. The Principal Investigators are Barbara Sarter, PhD, APRN, FNP-C, Hahn School of Nursing and Health Resources, University of San Diego, and Joel Fuhrman, M.D., Research Director of the Nutritional Research Project.

Traditionally, hamentashen are served during the Jewish holiday of Purim. This cookie is usually prepared with eggs; however, here’s a vegan version which you can find in VRG’s The Lowfat Jewish Vegetarian Cookbook!

Hamentashen
Serves 15

1½ cups unbleached white flour
1½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup oil
2/3 cup water
½ cup applesauce
3 Tablespoons orange juice
5 Tablespoons prune or poppy seed filling (found in the baking or Kosher section of
supermarkets)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all the ingredients, except filling, together in a large bowl. Knead dough for
a few minutes. Separate into 3 balls. Cover balls of dough with a slightly damp towel
and refrigerate dough for about 3 hours. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll balls
of dough out to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out approximately fifteen 4-inch rounds. Place
1 teaspoon prune or poppy seed filling in center. Form a triangle out of the dough by
folding in edges but still leaving some space in the middle of the dough for the filling to
remain mostly uncovered.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until dough is brown. Serve.

Note: If you are unable to purchase prune or poppy seed filling in your local supermarket, simply purée a few prunes with a little fruit juice.

Need vegan recipes for Passover? Right now we are offering a special:

Get both Vegan Passover Recipes and No Cholesterol Passover Recipes for just $13 and receive FREE shipping. A must-have for every home that wants to celebrate a healthy and ethical Passover. Enjoy egg-less blintzes, knishes, apple latkes, sweet and sour stuffed cabbage and much much more.

Passover begins April 6 and ends April 14.

For ordering call (410)366-8343, send your check to VRG at P.O. Box
1463, Baltimore, Maryland 21203, or go to:
http://www.vrg.org/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=26

Tune into the Dr. Don Show on KZZZ 1490 / 1230 KAAA AM from 3-4pm PST today to hear VRG’s nutrition advisor, Reed Mangels, RD, PhD, speak with Dr. Don about plant-based nutrition.

The Dr. Don Show is a weekday broadcast which aims to help educate the community on important health issues with an emphasis on lifestyle changes and dietary intervention. The host, Dr. Don Wagner, is a doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, board certified in Emergency Medicine & Family Practice. In addition, he is course certified in lifestyle medicine and plant based nutrition. Dr Don talks about the benefits of a plant-based diet, and has spoken on air with Dr. McDougall, Dr. Esselstyn, Dr. William Harris and Dr. Michael Greger.

Join VRG with $25 via our donation form, and receive the Vegetarian Journal for one year AND a copy of Vegan Meals for One or Two: Your Own Personal Recipes!

Each recipe in Vegan Meals for One or Two by Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD, is written to serve one or two people. We’ve heard the “But I’m the only one in my family who eats vegan meals” and the “I’m vegan, but it’s so hard to cook for one” excuses. Now you have no reason to eat unhealthfully!

Table of Contents
Chapter 1: It’s All About You!
Chapter 2: Meal Planning and Shopping
Chapter 3: Breakfast
Chapter 4: One-Pot Wonders
Chapter 5: Freeze or Refrigerate Now, Eat Later
Chapter 6: Grab-and-Go
Chapter 7: Desserts and Snacks
Chapter 8: Every Day and Special Day Cooking
Glossary
Resources from The Vegetarian Resource Group

Sample Recipe
Is it Tofu? It is Tempeh? It’s Garlic, For Sure

(makes 2 hearty servings)

This dish is guaranteed to keep vampires away. Use this as a sandwich stuffing (good hot or cold) or serve http://buyinglevitrahere.com over cooked noodles (how about spinach or carrot pasta), steamed rice, or over a baked potato.

2 Tablespoons olive oil (any vegetable oil is okay)
2 Tablespoons minced garlic cloves
3 Tablespoons flour
1 cup soymilk
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup cubed firm tofu or tempeh

In a medium-sized frying pan, heat oil. Add garlic and sauté until garlic is lightly browned. Remove from heat and whisk in flour to make a paste.

Heat soymilk in a microwave or in a small pot until bubbly. Slowly add paste to soymilk, whisking, to form a smooth sauce, over low heat, approximately 5 minutes. Add tofu or tempeh and allow dish to cook for 3-4 minutes, until heated.

Note: You can try flavored tofu or tempeh, such as barbecue, smoked, or Cajun to add even more flavor.

Total calories per serving using Tofu: 353
Total Fat as % of Daily Value: 37%
Fat: 24 grams
Protein: 20 grams
Carbohydrates: 18 grams
Iron: 12 mg
Calcium: 177 mg
Dietary Fiber: 4 grams
Sodium: 30 mg