Megan from First Magazine is looking to speak with women (ages 30’s, 40’s,
50’s) who lost a significant amount of weight after switching to a low-fat,
vegan diet. She can be reached at [email protected]. Her deadline is today (10/27/2011).

For the next few days, we’ll be featuring recipes that were sent to us by Chef Joseph Muldoon of Atlantic City. Enjoy!

Baby Bok Choy

4 heads Baby Bok Choy – cleaned, quartered, and blanched
3 Tbs. Chinese Black Beans
3 Tbs. Sesame Oil
1 Tbs. Fresh Garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbs. Fresh Ginger

Combine all ingredients except baby bok choy and seep in the sesame oil for about an hour. In a medium sauté pan, heat the oil and bean mixture until the garlic slightly browns, add the bok choy to the pan and heat.

For the next few days, we’ll be featuring recipes that were sent to us by Chef Joseph Muldoon of Atlantic City. Enjoy!

Jade Pesto Steamed Tofu

1 ½ pounds Extra Firm Tofu (equates to four 6 oz. portions)
1 Bunch Mint
2 Bunches Thai Basil
2 Bunches Cilantro
3 Tbs. Fresh Ginger, Peeled
3 Tbs. Fresh Garlic, Peeled
1 cup Vegetable Oil
1 Tbs. Mirin

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped to make a thick herb sauce. It is recommended to slice the tofu into two 3 oz. pieces or three 2oz. pieces so that the pesto flavor is infused properly and evenly. *Use a stovetop steamer set up

Katherine Sweet, a blogger for LadyLux.com interviewed The VRG and others for her article, “Vegetarianism: Saving the world by cutting out meat“.

For more information on how a veg diet can help the environment, see our brochure Save Our Water: The Vegetarian Way. You may also be interested in the Environmental Information section of our links page.

Niki Gianni, winner of one of the college scholarships The VRG awarded in 2011, has been featured on the front page of CNN.com this morning!

Young vegetarians: Getting the nutrition they need

Good going, Niki!

For more information about The VRG’s $5,000 college scholarship, visit:
http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

An author contacted us looking for personal stories from women who have had veg pregnancies to include in a book about vegetarian & vegan pregnancy. The author is specifically interested in how much things have really changed.

Do family members still pressure women to add animal products to their diets while they are pregant, and/or nursing? What health concerns do these people raise? In what ways are veg pregnancies different from Standard American Diet (SAD) pregnancies? SAD appears to be making many of us sick yet it seems like most docs still know very little about nutrition. In light of this, what are docs really saying to their pregnant veg patients these days? Did your doctor ask about your diet? What did you tell her? Published stories will include your name and will also be copy edited. Please include your address so we can send a free copy of the book to every woman whose story is used.

Email stories to [email protected].

Q: What can I use to replace cheese and meat in foods like tamales and enchiladas?

A: There are many ways to replace cheese and meat in foods like tamales and enchiladas. Various combinations can be made containing tofu, vegetables, and guacamole instead of dairy and meat products. An example of this is guacamole enchiladas. Corn tortillas are used which are rolled up with guacamole and jalapeños. A sauce is then put over it that can be described as a ranchero sauce, made out of tomatoes, cilantro, onions, bell peppers, and spices. Another recipe for enchiladas uses tofu, corn tortillas, sautéed vegetables, and any kind of sauce. As for tamales, a good way to substitute cheese and meat in them is to use zucchini, bell pepper, tomatoes, lettuce, and guacamole instead. Beans can also be put inside these. Another way to replace these ingredients is to use black beans, vegetables, and spices. Overall, there are many ways to substitute cheese and meat in meals such as these. Experiment with a variety of vegetables and some of the ingredients listed in this paragraph! You will find a favorite recipe in no time!

Written by Brittany Estes-Garcia while volunteering with VRG.

If you would like to volunteer for The Vegetarian Resource group, please email [email protected].

TOWSON HEALTH FAIR

We talked to 150 people at the Towson University Health Fair in October. We placed that many Vegetarian Journals into the hands of students and professors as they came to our booth, as well as guides where to eat locally and our new Vegan Plate handout. Interesting discussions included hiking vegetarian on the Appalachian Trail, our needs based internships, and why a religious Jewish person may have enough self control to never smoke on Sabbath or eat unkosher food, but can’t give up smoking other days or change her diet even if asked to by her doctor. Perhaps we can tap into this dedication to help people make healthy changes.

If you would like to have a table at your school or workplace health fair, please drop us a note at [email protected] requesting literature to give out.

See http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/ for some of our handouts.

CHARLOTTESVILLE VEGETARIAN FESTIVAL

Thank you to Jane Wilson, RD who did a VRG booth at the Charlottesville (Virginia) Vegetarian Festival! Jane reported: It was wonderful to be doing something to represent and educate with materials that are so well done by the VRG. As a registered dietitian and vegetarian for 15 years/ vegan for 5 years, the VRG has been an outstanding resource for me and one that I recommend for my clients and others interested in eating a more plant based diet. Just like me, others never seem to get enough recipe ideas. The VRG staff have over the years done an outstanding job of publishing something for every need in their quarterly journal and many publications.

What I remember most about my tabling experience is the 8 year old young man that came to the booth and purchased a twenty-five cent button that read “Eating Meat Is Obsolete.” He freely volunteered that he had been vegan all of his life. When he said it, I could feel coming from him a gentleness and a love for his way of eating. Need I say more?

Thanks Jane for your work towards a healthier and more humane world!

VEGTOBERFEST

Kudos to Mark Rifkin, MS, RD and Dorothy Kenny for volunteering and Debra Wasserman for filling in for an injured staff member at our Vegetarian Resource Group booth at Vegtoberfest in Baltimore. Besides the normal questions, Mark talked to a freshman college student who was interested in becoming a vegetarian dietitian. Thanks to Mark for inspiring and helping so many others!

If you would like handouts for your outreach booths, please drop Mary a note at [email protected].

To support VRG outreach, please make a donation at
https://www.givedirect.org/give/givefrm.asp?CID=1565
Or
http://www.vrg.org/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=4

Just a quick reminder that you still have two weeks left to buy non-leather shoes and clothing, cruelty free personal care products, books, videos, food, and more from TheVegetarianSite and have a portion of your purchase price donated to The VRG! Thanks to TheVegetarianSite, and thank you!

The Veg childrens book review site, VegBooks, is celebrating their 500th book review by holding a contest. If you submit an original book review between now and Monday, October 24th, you will be elligible to win three childrens books, and The Vegetarian Family Cookbook! Click here for details about the contest.

For more information about vegan and vegetarian parenting, or parenting vegans and vegetarians, consider joining our VRGParents list to connect with hundreds of likeminded parents around the globe.