apples photo from Freepik

There are so many varieties of apples available in markets these days; but do you know what to do with them? Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD, shared some creative ideas in her previous Vegan Cooking Tips column in Vegan Journal. From apple curry to apple salsa and apple pie burritos, you’ll never run out of ways to prepare apples. See: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2020issue4/2020_issue4_cooking_tips.php

Subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA only at https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

photo from Camp4Real

It’s not too early to find a vegan-friendly summer camp for your children. Here are some possibilities:

Vegan Camps

Camp4Real in Charlottesville, Virginia serves vegan meals. See: https://www.camp4real.com/summer-camp/

Veg Camp in Canada serves vegan food: https://vegcamp.ca/

Vegan Camp in New Jersey serves vegan food: https://tomorrowsadults.org/camp/summer/

Vegan-Friendly Camps

Camp Zeke is a Jewish camp that will accommodate vegans. They are located in the Pocono Mountains in Lakewood, PA. See: www.campzeke.org

Mountain Camp in California offers a vegan option at every meal as well as a salad bar. See:  www.mountaincamp.com/about/food-at-summer-camp

Takodah YMCA camp in New Hampshire offers a vegan option at every meal. See: https://www.camptakodah.org/summer-camp/about/food-nutrition/

Urban Adventure Camps Culinary Camp 2 (vegan cooking) located in Oakland, California. See: https://www.urbanadventurecamps.com/culinary-camp-2/

Be sure to follow The Vegetarian Resource Group on Instagram: @vegetarianresourcegroup

mixed nuts photo from Freepik

Here are some ideas from Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD, for adding nuts to your menu:

• Add to salad dressings: Creations include a basil walnut vinaigrette or creamy salad dressing with almonds, mustard, and dill with added chopped pine nuts.
• Add to sandwiches: Chopped walnuts, almonds, peanuts, and pecans add a toasty flavor and extra texture to grilled vegetable sandwiches, falafel, and hummus. Or add chopped nuts to smooth peanut, almond, or soy butters to make a crunchy sandwich.
• Use as garnish: Increase protein, flavor, and texture by adding to bean and rice casseroles, baked potatoes, hot and cold cereal, baking batters, puddings, or vegan ice cream sundaes.
• Add to pasta: Top tomato-sauced pasta with chopped almonds or pine nuts, creamy-sauced pastas with walnuts or pecans, or toss pasta with olive oil, sautéed garlic, and chopped almonds.
• Add to sauces: Stir peanut butter or soy butter into mushroom sauces for a Thai effect; add ground almonds or pine nuts to creamy sauces and pecans or pistachios to fruit sauces.
• Add to breakfast: Baked apples, oatmeal, hot cereals, cold cereals, and muffins can all benefit from a variety of chopped nuts.

radishes photo from Freepik

Here are some radish cooking tips from Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD:

• Microwaving: Place 1/2 pound (about 3/4 cup) sliced radishes in a microwaveable dish with 1 Tablespoon of water or broth. Cover and cook until tender. Cooking time: four minutes on HIGH.
• Steaming: People who find raw radishes too spicy may enjoy the milder taste of steamed radishes. Cooked radishes will keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, so prepare extra. Steamed red radishes will turn pink. Place whole radishes in a vegetable steamer and cook over boiling water until barely tender. Shredded daikon can also be steamed, cooled, and added to salads. Cooking times: for whole radishes in a steamer, 8-12 minutes; for shredded daikon, five minutes. • Stir-frying: Sliced radishes or thin strips of daikon combine well with other vegetables, tofu, or vegan “meat” alternative in stir-fries. Be careful not to overcook the radishes so that they retain most of their crispness. Cooking time: 3-5 minutes.
• Roasting: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Scrub radishes and remove greens. Place on an oiled baking sheet and allow to roast until just soft. This helps to sweeten radish “heat;” and makes a wonderful side vegetable. If your barbecue or grill is already hot, make a foil packet of radishes and allow to roast over the coals.
• Quick Pickle: When all the pickles are gone from your store-bought pickle jars, cut cleaned and de-greened fresh radishes in quarters, and place in the remaining pickle brine. Refrigerate and enjoy your radish pickles!

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

A recently published research study comprehensively assessed plant alternatives to animal meat and cows milk in terms of their effects on the environment, nutrition, and human health. Plant products were compared to the animal products these alternatives were intended to replace.

Three veggie meats (veggie burgers, veggie sausages, and veggie bacon) as well as tofu and tempeh and soybeans, beans, and peas were compared to beef, pork, poultry, beef burgers, pork sausages, and pork bacon. Soymilk, oat milk, almond milk, rice milk, and their main ingredients (soybeans, oats, almonds, and rice) were compared to whole and low-fat cow’s milk.

Here are a few of the more interesting results:

• All meat and milk alternatives had lower environmental impacts per serving than the animal products the plant products were intended to replace.
• Compared to whole and low-fat cows milk, soymilk and oat milk had 28 to 29% of the environmental impact. The environmental impact includes greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and water use. Soymilk and oat milk had 5 to 9% of the effect of cows milk on water use. Soybeans had 10% of cows milk’s impact on the environment; almonds and oats had 12 to 15% of the impact of cows milk on the environment.
• Compared to beef, soybeans and peas had 2% of the environmental impact, veggie sausages, veggie bacon, and beans had 3 to 4% of the impact, and tempeh, veggie burgers, and tofu had 5 to 6% of the impact.
• Replacing all of the calories from meat or dairy in a hypothetical diet with plant alternatives reduced nutritional imbalances, overall. For example, replacing meat or dairy resulted in a reduction in saturated fat and increases in fiber and potassium.
• From a health standpoint, all of the plant products were associated with reduced risk of chronic disease compared to the animal products they would replace. In high-income countries, replacing all meat or dairy with the same calories from plant alternatives was calculated to reduce mortality by up to 5 to 6%.

The study’s author concludes that “a range of food products exist that when replacing meat and dairy in current diets would have multiple benefits including reductions in nutritional imbalances, dietary risks and mortality, environmental resource use and pollution, and when choosing unprocessed foods over processed ones also diet costs.”

These results should inspire both personal and global policy changes to increase the use of plant foods.

Reference

Springmann M. A multicriteria analysis of meat and milk alternatives from nutritional, health, environmental, and cost perspectives. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024;121(50):e2319010121.

To read more about studies of plant foods and the environment see the Environment section on our website.

photo from Tacos Vegano

If you find yourself in Phoenix, Arizona, you may want to visit some of these vegan restaurants:

Dark Hall Coffee 3343 N. 7th Ave. #3, Phoenix, AZ 85013

Earth Plant Based Cuisine 1325 Grand Ave., Ste. 7, Phoenix, AZ 85007

Goji Berry Café 1325 Grand Ave., Ste. 8, Phoenix, AZ 85007

Green 2022 N. 7th St., Phoenix, AZ 85004

Loving Hut 3239 E. Indian School Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85018

Nami 2014 N. 7th St., Phoenix, AZ 85006

Tacos Veganos 3301 E. Indianschool Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85018

Vegan and Vine 502 E. Thunderbird Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85022

Be sure to visit VRG’s Guide to Veggie Restaurants in the USA and Canada:

https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

Previously we ran two Journal articles featuring winter salads. We thought you would enjoy these recipes. You won’t run out of ideas!

Warm Winter Salads Fit to be Meals by Debra Daniels-Zeller features these recipes:

Shiitake Mushroom, Quinoa and Greens with Toasted Cashews

Greens with New Potatoes and Kidney Beans

Spinach and Bean Salad with Mustard Croutons

Lime-Infused Black Bean, Corn, and Tomato Salad

3-Bean Salad with Sweet Onions and Arugula

Soba Noodles with Marinated Tofu and Baby Kale

Marinated Tofu

Grilled Vegetable Salad with Lemon-Cashew Dressing

Lemon-Cashew Dressing

See the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2015issue3/2015_issue3_salads_meals.php

Debra Daniels-Zeller wrote another article titled Warm Winter Salads. These are the recipes:

SPICY BLACK BEAN, CORN, AND COUSCOUS SALAD

BUCKWHEAT AND RICE SALAD WITH BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

HOT ITALIAN BEAN AND PASTA SALAD WITH BROCCOLI

CURRIED LENTIL SALAD

SESAME NOODLES WITH WILTED GREENS

WHOLE GRAIN AND CABBAGE SALAD WITH LEMON-PEANUT DRESSING

SMOKY POTATO-SQUASH SALAD

Read this article: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2000nov/2000_nov_winter_salads.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA, see: https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

• Chop or grind seitan, sauté with onions and garlic, and add to tomato sauce for spaghetti sauce; or add to cooked beans with barbecue sauce for chili beans; or add to vegetable or tomato soup for extra flavor and texture; use as a pizza topping or a calzone filling; or add to a creamy mushroom sauce to create a stroganoff.
• Cut seitan into small cubes and sauté with black or white pepper, a small amount of vegetable oil or spray, and chopped bell peppers or chilies of your choice. Add to a package of homemade curry sauce to create a green, yellow, or red curry; add to heated leftover mashed potatoes with sautéed onions and green cabbage to create an Irish-inspired colcannon or a shepherd’s pie; or use as a focaccia topping.

Find more ideas here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2024issue1/2024_issue1_cooking_tips.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA, see: https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Are you searching for vegan sporting goods? If so, you might want to check out Eco Sports. Here you’ll find items for both children and adults including basket balls, soccer balls, footballs, pickleball balls, and volley balls.