NOTES FROM THE COORDINATORS
Vegan on a Budget
With all the new processed foods out there, sometimes people think being vegan is expensive. Ironically, because of low cost, many societies throughout the world generally ate little meat and mainly plant foods such as beans and rice, hummus, falafel, Chinese greens with bean curd (tofu), dahl and bread, Ethiopian injera and lentils, or a curry. On pages 24-29 Reed Mangels gives a meal plan for those receiving SNAP benefits or others who are on a budget. Thank you to Casey Brown, Lauren Capano, Emily Carter, Amy Dell, Emily Greco, Hannah Greene, Autumn Hengen, and Katie Nunemaker for helping with the research for this piece.
If you are a dietitian picking up this information at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Meeting, we hope that you can share the meal plan and recipes with your clients.
Skyler Kilmer, one of our volunteers, created a meal plan based on food from the Dollar Tree. Unfortunately, many people live in food deserts, where this is their main source of food. Though not optimal, this plan may be helpful to many in that situation: www.vrg.org/nutrition/vegan-at-the-dollar-tree.pdf
We know many of you are working on community gardens, farmers markets, and other ways to promote fresh fruits and vegetables. Thank you for your activism. In this issue, Luc?a Rivera interviews Ana Negrón, MD, who promotes whole foods vegan diets to her patients and the community in Pennsylvania.
For those that do have easy access to veggies, get ready to go outdoors with Shannon Cebron's camping and hiking recipes. Hannah Kaminsky gives new ideas for creative zucchini dishes, and Chef Nancy Berkoff has tips for using fresh spinach.
The Vegetarian Resource Group's education, research, and outreach is possible only with our many volunteers and hardworking staff. Thank you to Marcy, who continues to teach vegan cooking classes to previously homeless people now in a residential situation; Jason who ensures all our information posted online is working; and our new volunteer coordinator Emilio, who makes sure you receive requested brochures for booths and other educational activities. Emilio is also a great cook of Italian vegan food, having grown up in a deli (family business), and is concentrating on converting those traditional recipes.
Here's to everyone's work for tasty, ethical, and environmentally sound meals.
Debra Wasserman & Charles Stahler
Coordinators of The Vegetarian Resource Group
