Editor’s kasha soup with roasted whole kasha, leeks, carrots, and topped with angelica archangelica!

The Vegetarian Resource Group received a note from a food bank coordinator in Oklahoma. He teaches limited resource kids in after school programs how to cook and eat healthy foods and has used Nancy Berkoff’s and VRG materials in doing this. He was going to try the Broccoburgers from Nancy Berkoff’s Vegan in Volume, but wanted to clarify what we meant by Kasha in the recipes.

Chef Nancy said:

We are speaking about a medium grind of buckwheat (or kasha)…. not the really fine (as in “cream of”) and not the whole buckwheat (that looks like small pellets). In many areas, in retail stores, this is sold as “medium kasha.”

If kasha is not convenient, you can use short grained white or brown rice (also called “sushi rice”)… or even medium-grind corn meal. If you are going to use one of these substitutes, I would suggest doing perhaps a 1/4 batch. For texture, it’s helpful to let the burger mixture “rest” in the refrigerator for several hours… or even overnight.

If you have some TVP and are familiar working with it, you can substitute some of the kasha for this. Actually, a hospital cook told me she used Hamburger Helper, without the hamburger, for this recipe (since the Hamburger Helper is seasoned TVP) and that came out fine!

To order Vegan in Volume, see http://www.vrg.org/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=10

For Nancy’s article on Working With Food Banks, see
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2007issue1/vj2007issue1.pdf

by Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
VRG Research Director

A VRG member from Minnesota recently told us about an experience she had at P.F. Chang’s China Bistro in Edina, MN in September 2010. She was told that the sauce in their entrees listed as “vegetarian,” including Buddha Feast; Coconut Curry Vegetables; Stir-Fried Eggplant; Vegetarian Ma Po Tofu; and Vegetable Chow Fun, contained milk. The reader asked The VRG to look into this because we had reported in 2008 that P.F. Chang’s “vegetarian” entrees contain no animal products.

The VRG contacted P.F. Chang’s about this issue. Stephanie in Customer Relations at P.F. Chang’s assured us that all of their vegetarian plates are dairy-free. These include the following: Buddha’s Feast: Steamed (vegetable medley with five-spice tofu served steamed); Buddha’s Feast: Stir-fried (vegetable medley with five-spice tofu served stir-fried); Coconut Curry Vegetables (stir-fried mixed vegetables, crispy silken tofu and peanuts in a vegetarian coconut curry sauce); Ma Po Tofu (sichuan’s famous dish of crispy silken tofu in a vegetarian sauce with steamed broccoli); Stir-Fried Eggplant (tossed with scallions in a savory chili pepper sauce); Vegetarian Fried Rice (fried rice in a savory vegetarian sauce); and Vegetable Chow Fun (soft, wide rice noodles and vegetables in a vegetarian sauce).

Stephanie told The VRG: “I am unsure where your source received their information and maybe they were confusing the coconut milk we use in the Coconut Curry Vegetables but I can assure you there is no milk in our vegetarian recipes.”

Because some coconut milk powder may contain casein or other dairy product, we confirmed with PF Chang’s and they said there was no casein in their dish.

When The VRG asked Stephanie if there were any eggs, egg products, or honey in the vegetarian dishes, she stated that “We do not use eggs, egg products or honey in the dishes listed.”

by Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
VRG Research Director

In late August 2010, all Denny’s restaurants in the United States added Amy’s Kitchen Veggie Burger to their menus. This vegan patty replaces the vegetarian burger that had been offered by Denny’s. The burger will be available any time of the day at every Denny’s location in the US.

The listed menu item is served with pepper jack cheese, but restaurant patrons may request it without cheese. Those with food allergies may note that the vegan patty contains textured soy protein concentrate and walnuts.

If ordered as listed, the burger is served on a wheat bun which contains honey. Customers may request the white sesame seed burger bun instead; it is all-plant based. Neither bun contains L-cysteine, a common bakery ingredient usually derived from human or hog hair or duck feathers.

Denny’s prepares its Amy’s burger in a microwave without the plastic packaging. Then it is grilled on a surface where meat products were prepared. Denny’s told The VRG that patrons may request that their patty be microwaved only and/or grilled in a sanitized pan previously used to prepare omelets. Denny’s assured The VRG that employees will do everything possible to ensure that customers are happy with their order.

Visitors to Canada and Canadian vegans may be pleased to learn that Denny’s restaurants in Canada serve Yves vegan burger.

by Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
VRG Research Director

In July 2010, a regulatory compliance analyst from a private industry recently asked us to look into Vance’s DariFree Milk, touted on its website as “vegan friendly.” She noticed that it contained vitamin D3, which is most often derived from lanolin (sheep’s wool).

We spoke with the Director of Marketing at Vance’s Foods several times about its source of vitamin D3 in order to achieve greater clarity on this issue. Initially, The VRG was told that the vitamin D3 in Vance’s DariFree Milk “was not derived from sheep’s wool; was not from lanolin.” It was stated that the source of the vitamin D3 was “synthetic.”

The VRG further inquired about the meaning of the word “synthetic” and was told that it was “synthetic due to the chemical reaction it undergoes during processing.” The VRG asked about the nature of these chemical reactions. It was later clarified by the Director of Marketing at Vance’s Foods that lanolin was the starting material of the vitamin D3 in the DariFree Milk.

After this acknowledgment, Vance’s presented us with this statement from the supplier of their vitamin D3. It reads: “only carriers of plant or synthetic origin are present in the D3 formulation.” The VRG again inquired about this statement in light of the previous statement that lanolin, which is neither of plant or synthetic origin, was the starting material of the vitamin D3 in the DariFree Milk.

In part, the statement received from Vance’s Director of Marketing in early September 2010 read: “the vitamin D3 used in DariFree is made synthetically through chemical processes, rather than derived directly from plants or other materials. This process begins with a by-product created when cleaning sheep’s wool; however, there is no animal or wool in the vitamin D3…We appreciate the many Vegans and Vegetarians that enjoy and promote DariFree. However, Vance’s Foods does not get involved or take sides with the many different philosophies/lifestyles of Veganism and Vegetarianism.”

Click here to see Bill Clinton speak with Wolf Blitzer about adopting a plant-based diet after his bypass surgery.

Clinton says:

I went on essentially a plant-based diet. I live on beans, legumes, vegetables, fruit, I drink a protein supplement every morning – no dairy – I drink almond milk mixed in with fruit and a protein powder, so I get the protein for the day when I start the day out, and it changed my whole metabolism and I lost 24 pounds […]

I did all this research, and I saw that 82 percent of the people since 1986 who have gone on a plant-base, no dairy, no meat of any kind, no chicken, no turkey – I eat very little fish, once in a while I’ll have a little fish – if you can do it, 82 percent of people have begun to heal themselves

Federal government employees can support The Vegetarian Resource Group through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). Look for us under Health & Medical Research Charities of America.

We are also participating in the California State Employees Charitable Campaign. If you are a California State employee, please support Vegetarian Resource Group outreach.

Please also remember VRG in other workplace fund drives, matching gifts, etc.!

For the month of October, TheVegetarianSite will donate a portion of your purchase to The VRG. TheVegetarianSite offers non-leather shoes and clothing, cruelty free personal care products, books, videos, food, and more. We thank them, and we’d like to thank you for supporting The Vegetarian Resource Group!

The 9th International Symposium on the Role of Soy in Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention and Treatment will be held from Oct. 16-19, at The Capital Hilton in Washington D.C. This international symposium will be the central meeting of interest to all researchers investigating the health effects of soyfoods and soybean components.

Noteworthy presentations include:

Diet vs. Drugs in Chronic Diseases: Other Advantages

David Jenkins, University of Toronto

Soy Protein Effects on Serum Lipoproteins: An Updated Meta-analysis

James W. Anderson, University of Kentucky, Professor Emeritus of Medicine and Clinical Nutrition

Association between Soy Isoflavones Intake and Breast Cancer Recurrence and Survival

Xinmei Kang, Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Hospital of Harbin Medical University

Effect of a Novel Supplemented Soy Drink on Skin Aging of Postmenopausal Women

Robin van den Berg, Expertise Team Leader in Nutrition Sciences, Unilever

Online registration has been extended through Oct. 8.

By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
VRG Research Director

The VRG recently received an email from someone who asked us if glucono delta lactone (GDL) was derived from lactose in cow’s milk. (The “lactone” part of this ingredient’s name made him suspicious.) Glucono delta lactone is an ingredient in many foods, functioning as a substitute for enzymes in cheese processing or tofu manufacturing; or as a leavening acid in bakery products.

We asked the quality control or research and development departments of several companies that manufacture glucono delta lactone about their starting materials as well as about the production process. We spoke with Archer Daniels Midland, Purac America, PMP Fermentation Products, Inc., and Wintersun Chemical. All four companies reported that their glucono delta lactone is (or, was, in the case of ADM and Purac which no longer produce it), entirely plant-based. It is prepared by microbial (bacteria or yeast) fermentation of a carbohydrate source. Additional processing or chemical reactions are not involved in manufacturing glucono delta lactone.

Corn is (and always has been) the major commercial source. Rice may be used as well. Ener-G Foods used rice by a method involving bacterial fermentation in order to produce leavened breads that are yeast-free.

10/15/2015 UPDATE: Ener-G Foods now uses corn and no longer uses rice.

Interested readers may subscribe to our free email newsletter for updates on glucono delta lactone and many other common food ingredients. You can purchase our Guide to Food Ingredients to learn about the commercial sources of over two hundred food ingredients at http://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php.

VRG is participating in the California State Employees Charitable Campaign. If you are a California state employee, please support Vegetarian Resource Group outreach.

Please also remember VRG in other workplace fund drives, matching gifts, etc.! Federal government employees can support The Vegetarian Resource Group through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). Look for us under Health & Medical Research Charities of America.