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VRG-NEWS: The Vegetarian Resource Group Newsletter
Editor: Davida Gypsy Breier
Volume 4, Issue 11
November 2000

CONTENTS

  1. Notes from the Editor
  2. New Vegetarian and Vegan Products
  3. New Online at www.vrg.org
  4. Books from Our Catalog and A Special Offer for VRG-News Readers
  5. Free Sample from EccoBella
  6. Recipe of the Month: Tofu Pumpkin Pie
  7. November/December 2000 Vegetarian Journal Online
  8. Annie's Homegrown Environmental Studies Scholarship Program
  9. Job Openings at VRG
  10. Upcoming Vegetarian Events and Conferences
  11. About the Vegetarian Resource Group
  12. About VRG-News


1) NOTES FROM THE EDITOR

If you are interested in some Holiday Meat alternatives, here is information from our General FAQ http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/faqgeneral.htm:

Field Roast is made from grains, vegetables and legumes. Wrapped in a cotton netting and simmered in small kettle batches, Field Roast is a vegetarian grain meat. It is made with Washington state grown Pardina and French Green Petite lentils, mushrooms, fresh garlic, onions, and red wine. Field Roast's seasonings and textures are 100% plant-based. Field Roast can be simmered, chopped, minced, sautéed, grilled, and breaded. Contact: 1225 S. Angelo St., Seattle, Washington 98108; (800) 311-9497; http://www.fieldroast.com.

Now and Zen produces the [Un]Turkey. [Un]Turkeys come in two sizes and are completely vegan. They are made of seitan with a "skin" of yuba (tofu). Now and Zen also makes Hip Whip, a dairy free whipped topping. It comes in chocolate and vanilla. Other Now and Zen meat alternatives include UnRibs, UnChicken, and UnSteakout. For more information visit their website at: http://www.nowandzen.net; Email: [email protected]; phone: (415) 695- 2805; or write: 665 22nd St., San Francisco, CA 94107.

Turtle Island Foods offers a complete Tofurky Vegetarian Feast that includes a TofuRoast, Tempeh Drummettes, Tofurky "Giblet" Gravy, and one Wishstix. For more information contact Turtle Island Foods at: http://www.tofurky.com; Email: [email protected]; phone: (800) 508-8100; fax: (541) 386-7754; or write: PO Box 176, Hood River, OR 97031.

If you are looking for a cruelty-free Thanksgiving event in your area, try contacting a local vegetarian group. You will find many linked here:

http://www.vrg.org/links/local.htm
http://www.greenpeople.org/vegetarian.htm
http://www.navs-online.org/fraffil.html

On Sunday, November 19th, at 5:30 pm join VRG staff and friends at Saint John's Church at St. Paul and 27th Streets in Baltimore for a vegetarian Pre-Thanksgiving potluck dinner. Admission is $3 per adult, plus a vegetarian dish (no meat, fish or poultry) or, preferably, a vegan dish (no animal ingredients including dairy and eggs) that will serve four or more people. Children are free. Please write the recipe on a 3X5 card and note if it is vegetarian or vegan. Also, please bring a serving utensil for each dish. Paper cups, plates, napkins, and plastic utensils will be provided; however, we suggest participants bring their own reusable dishes and utensils to help reduce waste. We also encourage you to bring a non-perishable vegetarian canned food item to give to Saint Johns Church, who will distribute it to those in need. Bring your whole family and enjoy a guiltless Thanksgiving dinner with VRG.

Also see item #10 for a few additional regional celebrations.

If you are local to the Baltimore area, don't forget to attend Debra Wasserman's quick and easy vegetarian cooking demonstration at Fresh Fields in Mount Washington, Baltimore on November 4th, 2000 from 2 to 4 pm.

Please remember VRG in matching gifts at work, United Way, and federal employee (CFC) campaigns. You can read more about donating to VRG at: http://www.vrg.org/donation/donation.htm.


2) NEW VEGETARIAN AND VEGAN PRODUCTS

I spent the weekend of September 22-24 walking the massive floors of the Natural Products Expo. I sampled from a wide array of new foods and products and also revisited some current favorites, which I had first learned of last year. Here are some of the products that stood out:

3 Square debuted their new ready-made pocket sandwiches. They come in Apple Banana Breakfast, Mushroom Barley, Potato Curry, and White Bean and Basil. For more info contact Natural Quick Foods at (206) 365-5757; PO Box 25774, Seattle, WA 98125.

Mediterranean Delights has added a new line of hummus products mixed with fruit. Flavors include Cranberry Almond, Apple Cinnamon, and Peach Mango. All are vegan and made with freshly cooked chickpeas. For more information e-mail [email protected].

VeggieMaster has a large line of vegetarian mock meats, including Vege Beef Cube, Vege Black Pepper Steak, Vege Ham Steak, Vege Hot Dog, Vege Chicken Chunk, Vege Chicken Nugget, Vege Steak, and Vege Tuna Fillet. Note: All use either egg whites or whey. For more information go to http://www.vegeking.com or e-mail [email protected].

Mon Cuisine has an extensive line of vegetarian and vegan frozen meals for both retail and food service customers. Vegan entrees include egg rolls, ravioli, Hawaiian nuggets, stuffed cabbage, and stuffed shells. Vegetarian entrees include salisbury steak, stuffed peppers, and okara patties. For more information call (800) 245-5620 or write Alle Processing Corp., 56-20 59th St., Maspeth, NY 11378.

Wax Orchards offers a line of vegan fruit-based sweeteners and chocolate fudge toppings. New flavors include Orange Passion Fudge and Peanut Butter Fudge. For more details visit the company's website at http://www.waxorchards.com.

The Fillo Factory is adding more ready-made vegan products to their product line. These include a twelve-piece assortment of Hors D'oeuvres. For more information go to http://www.fillofactory.com.

For some fun novelty shaped pasta made with 100% vegetable powders try Eddie's Spaghetti http://www.mrsleeperspasta.com. They also offer wheat- free, organic soy, and organic semolina pastas.

I was never a big fan of dairy yogurt, but I tried some of Silk's Strawberry Soy Yogurt at the show. I was pleasantly surprised and have tried additional flavors in recent weeks. Even if you dislike dairy-based yogurt, you might want to consider this soy version http://www.whitewave.com.

Whole Soy introduced a new line of frozen soymilk desserts, Glacé. They come in vanilla bean, swiss chocolate, mocha fudge, and very strawberry. For more details go to http://www.wholesoycom.com.

Hawaiian Naturals offers a whole line of dressings and sauces that are vegan and organic. These include Ginger Miso, Lemongrass Ginger, Mango BBQ, Mango Habanero, Papaya Seed, Wasabi Lime, and more. For additional information go to http://www.kauaiorganicfarms.com.

Another surprise was the Sweet Organics Cinnamon Twist. Made with organic whole wheat, corn, soy, cinnamon, and sugar, they reminded me of a pastry I had loved as a child. You can contact the company at http://www.seasonssnacks.com.

I'm increasingly impressed with the simple, but desirable products that Edward and Sons keep coming up with. Last year they debuted vegan "gummi bears" and this year they offered vegan sprinkles for ice cream and desserts and fine chocolates that are both organic and vegan. Their website http://www.edwardandsons.com offers a plethora of products from soups to sauces to candy.


3) NEW ONLINE AT WWW.VRG.ORG

Our new brochure, Vegan Nutrition in Pregnancy and Childhood, by Reed Mangels, Ph.D., R.D. and Katie Kavanagh-Prochaska, went online a few weeks ago. We've seen an increasing demand for information for vegetarian parents and children, and this brochure will prove very helpful. To read it online go to http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/pregnancy.htm or send a SASE (or IRC outside the US) for a paper copy to The VRG, PO Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.

The Fall Foodservice Update is available in our food service section. Articles online include Wrap It Up!, about veggie wraps, Foodservice Hotline: soy and soy foods, and a recipe for Pecan-Quinoa Salad. To read the articles go to http://www.vrg.org/fsupdate/fsu20004/index.htm.

We recently updated our vegetarian game with over 100 new questions and reworked some of the old ones. If you've played the game before you'll be challenged anew and if you've never played the game, give it a try. The game is online at http://www.vrg.org/game/. Unfortunately we noticed a few typos after it was uploaded, so if you happen to catch any, please let us know.

We've been tracking the hits on our website and we've more than doubled the number of visitors in the last two years. This month we broke all existing records with over 75,000 individual visitors in the last four weeks! There were over a million successful requests for pages (this is commonly the number quoted by other websites as the number of hits). We've been working very hard to turn the website into a massive repository of information, education, and outreach. With the increased number of visitors, we've seen our email inquiries increase about 25% in the last five months. Unfortunately the book and membership orders from the site are not sustaining this increased workload. We would like to continue to help the website grow and provide the high quality services we at VRG pride ourselves on. We can really use your help to make this happen. If you are able to donate to VRG, please call (410) 366-8343; send a check to PO Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203; or donate online at: https://www.givedirect.org/donate/?Action=GC&CID=1561. Thank you!


4) BOOKS FROM OUR CATALOG and A SPECIAL OFFER FOR VRG-NEWS READERS

We recently created a holiday gift package catalog. These special offers are primarily available to our web visitors. Categories include Kids, The Vegetarian Family, Chanukah, International, New Vegetarians, New Vegans, Travelers, Gourmet Dining, Food Service, Animal Lovers, and Just For Fun. Several of the packages offer considerable savings or even a free book, as well as FREE UPS/RPS shipping AND free optional gift-wrapping! To browse the selections go to: http://www.vrg.org/catalog/holiday.htm.

THE MILLENNIUM COOKBOOK

The Millennium Cookbook is by Eric Tucker and John Westerdahl, MPH, RD, CNS and is based on recipes from the renowned Millennium Restaurant in San Francisco, CA. This is haute cuisine for vegans. The cookbook offers intriguing appetizers, such as Spinach-Cilantro Pâté, as well as wholesome soups and salads, creative pizzas and pastas, satisfying entrees, and truly decadent desserts. There are over 250 pages of gourmet vegan recipes and information in The Millennium Cookbook. You can order a copy for $24 (includes special standard shipping 1-6 weeks, add $3 for RPS/UPS - 1-6 days). ***See below for ordering instructions.

**** SPECIAL offer for VRG-News readers ****

DAMAGED COPIES OF THE LOWFAT JEWISH VEGETARIAN COOKBOOK AVAILABLE FOR JUST $6!

We currently have about 65 lightly damaged copies of The Lowfat Jewish Vegetarian Cookbook available for $6 each. The Lowfat Jewish Vegetarian Cookbook, by Debra Wasserman, is a vegan cookbook. It offers recipes for eggless Challah, hamentashen for Purim, Chanukah latkes, Passover vegetarian kishke, mock chopped "liver," Russian charoset, eggless matzo balls, and Syrian wheat pudding. The Lowfat Jewish Vegetarian Cookbook (224 pp.) normally sells for $15. To read more about the book go to: http://www.vrg.org/catalog/ljvc.htm. To order please follow the instructions below. However you chose to order, please mention this is the VRG-NEWS LOWFAT JEWISH VEGETARIAN special offer to receive your discounted price. The $6 price even includes special standard shipping. Offer expires November 30, 2000.

**** SPECIAL offer for VRG-News readers ****

*ORDERING INFORMATION*
To order online using our SECURE order form go to: https://skyport.net/vrg/order.htm. You will need to mention in the "additional notes" field if you will need the book(s) sent via RPS/UPS (1-6 days, $3 additional). Special standard shipping requires 1-6 weeks. Orders over $25 are automatically sent via RPS/UPS (US orders only) without additional shipping charges. The cost of shipping for international orders varies, so please contact us at [email protected] if you are outside the US.

If you would like to order over the phone with a Visa or MasterCard, call us at (410) 366-8343 M-F 9 am to 5 pm EST. You can also mail a check to The Vegetarian Resource Group, PO Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203. Please e-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions.


5) FREE SAMPLE FROM ECCO BELLA

Ecco Bella is offering a free sample Skin Care Pillow Pak kit. This is a 6 piece sampling of their natural facial care line, featuring daily exfoliant, skin survival day cream with SPF15 and night cream, soft and soothing cleanser and toner, and vanilla herbal body lotion.

Ecco Bella has created skin and hair products using essential oils, organically grown herbs, organically grown aloe vera, anti-oxidant vitamins E and A, and organic cold pressed vegetable oils. They leave out the talc, mineral oil, FD & C dyes, and other harsh ingredients. The company has a cruelty free policy, with no animal testing or animal byproducts.

They are offering 500 samples of the pillow pak, so send your mailing address to [email protected]. The deadline for sample requests is December 1st, 2000.

Contact information:
Ecco Bella
1123 Route 23 South
Wayne, NJ 07470
1-877-696-2011
www.eccobella.com
[email protected]


6) RECIPE OF THE MONTH - TOFU PUMPKIN PIE

This recipe originally appeared in Vegan In Volume
http://www.vrg.org/catalog/volume.htm
by Chef Nancy Berkoff, RD.

Yield four 9-inch pies (8 slices per pie)

For some extra spice garnish with candied ginger and lemon peel.

Ingredients
4 each Vegan Pie shells (9 inch)
4 pounds firm tofu
4 pounds canned pumpkin
1 ounce vanilla extract
9 ounces vegetable oil
1 ounce ground ginger
1/2 ounce ground cinnamon
1/2 ounce ground nutmeg
1/4 ounce ground cloves
1 ounce apple juice concentrate

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients (except shells) in a blender, until smooth (about three minutes). Pour filling into four frozen pie shells. Bake at 350 degrees (convection 325) for 50 minutes or until set. Let cool. If desired, garnish with additional cinnamon and ginger.

Total calories per serving: 238
Fat: 17 grams
Protein: 8 grams
Carbohydrates: 13 grams
Iron: 2 mg
Calcium: 119 mg
Sodium: 104 mg
Dietary Fiber: 2 gm

Vegan In Volume (272 pages) offers information about catered events, weddings, birthday celebrations, college food service, quality hospital food (including special diets), restaurant meals, menu ideas for dinner parties, party beverages, and holiday recipes. There are 125 great tasting and unique vegan recipes. To read more about the book go to: http://www.vrg.org/catalog/volume.htm. Copies are just $20 (includes special standard shipping). You can order using the online order form https://skyport.net/vrg/order.htm or call (410) 366-8343 to order over the phone with a Visa or MasterCard. The cost of shipping for international orders varies, so please contact us if you are outside the US.


7) NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2000 VEGETARIAN JOURNAL ONLINE

The November / December 2000 Vegetarian Journal articles online include:

Crazy About Cranberries by Debra Daniels-Zeller
Notes from the Coordinators
Product Reviews: Guide to Vegan Cheeses, Yogurt, and other Non-Dairy Product Alternatives
Vegetarian Action: Spread the Word through Vegetarian Displays

To read these articles go to http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2000nov/

Other articles in the issue include:
Warm Winter Salads by Debra Daniels-Zeller
The Ethiopian Fast Lane by Larry Litt
Going Veggie - Aloha Style by Ruth Heidrich
The Vegetarian Cinophile by Emanuel Goldman
A Vegan Parisian Travelogue by Katherine Ludwig Moses

REGULAR FEATURES INCLUDE:
Nutrition Hotline: Diagnosing anemia, and the amount of caffeine present in chocolate and coffee
Scientific Update
Veggie Bits
Book Reviews and more...

Read excerpts from back issues online at: http://www.vrg.org/journal/

The Journal features informational and recipe articles, product and book reviews, news for vegetarian activists, and up-to-date information about vegetarian health and nutrition. If you are not currently a subscriber to the Vegetarian Journal, why not subscribe today?

Subscriptions to Vegetarian Journal are $20/year in the US (please inquire for subscription rates outside the US). Accepted forms of payment, all in US funds, are Visa, MasterCard, checks drawn on US banks, and postal money orders. When joining, please send us your name, address, phone number, and e- mail address. If paying by credit card please include the card number and expiration date.

If you join online at http://www.vrg.org/journal/subscribe.htm for $30 or more, you will receive a FREE copy of the Vegan Handbook, a $20 value! (US addresses only)

If you choose to join by mail, subscriptions should be directed to:
The Vegetarian Resource Group
PO Box 1463
Dept. IN
Baltimore, MD 21203
Phone: (410) 366-8343
Fax: (410) 366-8804
E-mail: [email protected]


8) ANNIE'S HOMEGROWN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Annie's Homegrown is pleased to announce a new Environmental Studies Scholarship Program. Since their incorporation over 10 years ago, they say they have supported people and causes that are dedicated to the preservation of the environment. Recently they established a scholarship program that focuses on students who share their advocacy for the Earth and are focusing on classes in the environmental studies field.

They will be awarding 25 people $1,000 scholarships to help them with tuition, books, and other educational expenses.

Eligibility Requirements: Open to any student beginning or returning to an accredited 2- or 4-year technical or college program focusing on classes in the environmental studies field.

Application Deadline: There is no application deadline. This is an ongoing program throughout the year.

To find out more visit the Annie's website at:
http://www.annies.com/programs/envstudies/index.html
http://www.annies.com/programs/envstudies/schapplication.htm


9) VRG JOB OPENINGS

COMPUTER SUPPORT
P/T, but could be combined with another position for a full time job. Help to keep computer software/hardware/network up to date and running smoothly. Familiarity with networking and software/hardware support experience helpful. Must be a problem solver and enjoy troubleshooting computer issues. Send resume and cover letter to VRG, Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.

CIRCULATION MANAGER
VRG seeks Jack or Jill of all trades knowledgeable in vegetarianism to process memberships/subscriptions, answer phone, talk to the media, and more. Must be comfortable with detail work, computers, flexibility, planning, and improving systems. Includes health and dental insurance. Send resume and cover letter to VRG, Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203 or e-mail [email protected].

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT/CUSTOMER SERVICE/RESEARCH
Jack or Jill of all trades with writing skills and knowledge of vegetarian issues to process and pack orders, answer inquiries, answer phone, perform data entry, and more. Computer networking skills and science background helpful. Job may be modified according to person's background. P/T or F/T. Health and dental insurance if full time. Prefer to find person who wants to commit to working for a vegetarian group as a career. Send resume and cover letter to VRG, Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203 or e-mail [email protected].


10) UPCOMING VEGETARIAN EVENTS AND CONFERENCES

The Vegetarian Society of South Jersey 2nd Vegetarian Celebration Day

On November 4th The Vegetarian Society of South Jersey will hold its second Vegetarian Celebration Day. With speakers, cooking classes, vendors and delicious food. It will be held at the Burlington Meeting House on High Street in Burlington, New, Jersey starting at noon. For detailed information e-mail: [email protected] or call toll free 1-877-999-8775.

**********

United Poultry Concerns Will Hold 11th Annual Open-House Thanksgiving Party

Date: Saturday, November 25, 2000
Time: 2 to 6 PM
Place: 12325 Seaside Road, Machipongo, VA 23405 (Eastern Shore)

The public is cordially invited to the UPC open house vegetarian potluck party on Saturday, November 25, from 2 to 6 PM. Please bring one all- vegetarian (vegan) dish to share. If you are not familiar with vegan food, please come and taste what's cooking, and meet their chickens, turkeys, and Katya the duck.

For Information Contact:
Karen Davis 757-678-7875
[email protected]
[email protected]

*************

Vegetarian Society of DC Thanksgiving Dinner

Join the Vegetarian Society of DC (VSDC) on Thursday November 23, 2000 for a totally vegetarian (vegan) buffet. The menu includes soup, a cold buffet of salads and appetizers, a warm buffet of main selections, fresh baked breads, desserts and a variety of beverages. This year the event will be held at a new location at the Hyatt Regency in Bethesda, Maryland. They will have Milton Mills, MD Nutrition Specialist and Associate Director of Preventative Medicine at Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine as a guest speaker.

Registration and social hour begin at 12:00 p.m. and the buffet starts at 1:00 p.m. Along with the buffet and the guest speaker you can also look forward to door prizes, vegetarian-friendly vendor tables, and singles and family tables.

The cost is $38 for members and $41 for non-members if received before November 3rd. After November 3rd the cost is $42 for members and $45 for non- members. Children under 3 are free and under 12 are half price. All reservations have to be postmarked by November 16.

Hyatt Regency Bethesda is right next to the Bethesda metro station (on the red line). Some street and public parking is available, but please note all parking signs. For detailed directions or questions please call (202) 362- VEGY or check out the VSDC website at http://www.vsdc.org.

VSDC is a growing educational and social organization with over 800 members. More than 300 guests enjoy the VSDC Thanksgiving Feast each year. Please mail a check or money order for the Feast to D/Baquis, VSDC, PO Box 4921, Washington DC 20008.


11) ABOUT THE VEGETARIAN RESOURCE GROUP

Our health professionals, activists, and educators work with businesses and individuals to bring about healthy changes in your school, workplace, and community. Registered dietitians and physicians aid in the development of nutrition-related publications and answer member and media questions about vegetarian diets. The Vegetarian Resource Group is a non-profit organization. Financial support comes primarily from memberships, donations, and book sales. The Vegetarian Journal, a bi-monthly print magazine, is a benefit of membership in The VRG. (For more information, please see the "November/December 2000 Vegetarian Journal Online" above or back issues online at http://www.vrg.org/journal/.)

If you would like to make a donation, become a member, or find out more about The VRG, contact us at: The Vegetarian Resource Group PO Box 1463 Baltimore, MD 21203 Phone: (410) 366-8343 Fax: (410) 366-8804 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.vrg.org


12) ABOUT VRG-NEWS

VRG-News is the monthly e-mail newsletter of The Vegetarian Resource Group. This is an announcement list, so subscriber messages are not accepted by the list. If you have a technical question about the list, please contact the list manager, Bobbi Pasternak, at [email protected]. If you have any suggestions, ideas, or corrections to VRG-News, direct them to [email protected]. Thanks!

If you are a new subscriber, you might enjoy reading past issues of VRG-News online at http://www.vrg.org/vrgnews/index.htm.

If you wish to cancel your subscription to VRG-News, send an e-mail message to [email protected] with the following message: SIGNOFF VRG-NEWS

If you wish to subscribe to VRG-News, send an e-mail message to [email protected] with the following message:
SUB VRG-NEWS {your first and last name}

Do not include the {} when you enter your name. The newsletter will be sent to the e-mail address from which you are subscribing.

Contents of VRG-News are copyright 2000 by The Vegetarian Resource Group. The newsletter may be freely distributed in electronic or print form provided its contents are not altered and credit is given to The Vegetarian Resource Group, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.

This newsletter was converted to HTML by Stephanie Schueler.



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PO Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203
(410) 366-8343   Email: [email protected]

Last Updated
November 2, 2000

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