Friday, July 31, 2026 to Monday, August 3, 2026.

Whether you’re new to advocacy or a seasoned changemaker, #TakingActionforAnimals has something for you. Explore workshops covering policy, advocacy, skill-building, coalition building and beyond. Visit the website to plan your TAFA schedule and use discount code ESMT26 to get $10 off full conference registration: https://cvent.me/mRA9Rr?RefId=Social+Media

If you attend this conference, please be sure to stop by The Vegetarian Resource Group booth and say hello.

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By Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD

Sometimes it seems as if you can’t get enough fresh, in-season corn on the cob! But, just in case you are craving a bit of corn diversity, consider a cold soup or a cold corn salad…or a fresh corn dessert.

To make about 4 servings of creamy cold corn soup, clean 4 large ears of fresh corn. Cut the kernels off each cob. Place corn kernels, about ½ cup of plain almond or coconut milk, 2 Tablespoons shredded fresh basil, 2 Tablespoons shredded fresh parsley (leaves only), 2 Tablespoons chopped scallions (white part only), 2 teaspoons lime juice, and ½ teaspoon garlic powder into a food processor or blender. For a thicker soup, add two or three ice cubes when blending. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, and then your soup is ready to consume!

A fast, cold, corn-gazpacho soup can be created by puréeing ripe avocados, fresh corn kernels, and chopped, very ripe, or canned tomatoes until creamy. Season with pepper, chopped fresh chilies (if you like the heat), and shredded fresh herbs from your garden. Allow to chill for about one hour before serving.

For a cold corn salad, serving about 4-6 people, cut kernels from four large ears of corn and combine, in a large bowl, with 1 cup chopped, seeded bell pepper (use several colors), ¼ cup chopped sweet onion, and, if desired, 2 teaspoons chopped, diced fresh chilis and set aside. In a small bowl, combine about ½ cup vegan mayo, ½ cup vegan silken tofu or plain vegan Greek-style yogurt, 2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice, and a sprinkle of garlic and onion powder and mix well. Add to the corn mixture and combine. Chill for at least one hour prior to serving.

Create Cowboy Caviar by combining cooked black-eyed peas with fresh corn kernels, chopped onion, tomatoes, avocado, and bell peppers along with a dressing of lemon juice, vegetable oil, cumin, black pepper, and minced garlic. If you happen to find fresh black-eyed peas at the market, sample a few, uncooked, for their crunch and sweetness. You may want to use them uncooked for this hot weather salad.

If you have leftover “juice” from pickle jars, save it and add washed, sliced from the cob, corn kernels to it and refrigerate overnight. Your “pickled corn” will last several days in the refrigerator.

Side note: reserve corn cobs for later use, as they make a wonderful base for a summer-in-a-bowl vegetable broth. If you’re not going to use the cobs right away, they can be frozen until ready to cook. When using fresh cobs or thawed frozen cobs, scrape the cob with the back of a large spoon, to release the “corn milk.” The flavor is intense and adds thickness and creaminess to soups and sauces.

If you have extra, fresh corn-off-the-cob kernels, think about tossing them into salads and salsas or stir into dips, as well as adding to a cornbread or zucchini bread batter. Sweet corn ice cream can be Thai- or Korean-influenced, usually made with a base of cashew nuts or coconut milk. We’ll let you do your own web research for the technique, but the ingredients generally include either canned coconut milk or soaked cashews (or both), sweetened, condensed oat milk (optional), cut corn kernels, maple syrup, cornstarch, and vanilla extract and can be prepared without an ice cream maker.

Recent topics brought up include:

– How might vegan toddlers get some extra iron? Here are some ideas, in toddler-friendly form.

– Here’s a list of some vegan-friendly children’s books.

– The Foundation for Fresh Produce produced a coloring book promoting fruits and veggies that you can print out for your kids.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/VRGparentsandkids is intended to be a group that offers support for families raising children on vegan diets and for vegan kids around the world. We envision it as a place to get advice about a wide-variety of topics: pregnancy, birthday parties, school lunches, Halloween, non-leather apparel, cruelty-free products, summer camps, and more. Please use it as a place to share your wisdom, seek advice, or just find a sympathetic ear. The goal is to offer support.

Consequently, any profane, defamatory, offensive, or violent language will be removed. Feel free to disagree, but do so respectfully. Hateful or discriminatory comments regarding race, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or political beliefs will not be tolerated. We expect that posts should relate to vegan diets and lifestyles. The Vegetarian Resource Group reserves the right to monitor all content and ban any user who posts in violation of the above rules, any law or regulation, SPAM, or anything otherwise off topic.

Please share this information with any veggie families that you know! Thanks.

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Maybe you made a big pot of soup that you couldn’t finish in one day or even two. Or perhaps you went out to eat and, knowing that you couldn’t consume everything that you ordered, brought some food home with you. Leftovers are a part of life for many people. I love having leftovers that I can reheat and eat for lunch or dinner.

While leftovers are great, no one wants to get sick from eating spoiled food. Just how long can leftovers be safely stored?

According to the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the USDA (See: www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/leftovers-and-food-safety), leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. One helpful trick is to write a date 3-4 days from the time the food was first refrigerated on a sticker or a piece of masking tape on the container. That way, you’ll know that this is the last date to eat the food. If you prefer, you can set up an alert on your phone to remind you to either eat the food or discard it. If you don’t think you’ll eat all of the food within 3-4 days, you can freeze all or part of it. According to the FSIS, properly packaged leftovers can be stored in the freezer for 3-4 months without any loss in quality. After that, the food is still safe to eat but may be dried out and not as flavorful. I keep a list of frozen leftovers on my refrigerator to remind me that they are there waiting to be used for an easy meal.

For the sake of food safety, leftovers should be refrigerated within two hours of being cooked. If it’s a hot day and the food has been sitting out in a place where the air temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, the food should be refrigerated within an hour of being cooked.

Cold perishable foods such as hummus or tofu salad should be discarded if they’ve been left out of the refrigerator for more than two hours at room temperature or for more than one hour if the air temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Each issue of Vegan Journal (published by The Vegetarian Resource Group) contains a wide variety of vegan recipes. You can search through our recipe index here and find something new to prepare at home: https://www.vrg.org/journal/CookingAndRecipes.htm

photo from Freepik

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

As it gets hotter outside, and maybe even inside, the warming soups and hearty casseroles we crave in cooler weather don’t sound so appealing anymore. Besides, no one wants to have the oven heat up their kitchen or to spend time over a hot stove on a steamy day! To beat the heat, these dishes can be prepared in the morning when it’s cooler, and some don’t require any cooking at all.

Hummus or other bean spreads

1. Dip cut vegetables, crisp fruits, and crackers or tortilla chips into homemade or store-bought hummus.
2. Roll hummus and chopped vegetables in a whole-grain tortilla.
3. Spread white bean dip on a sliced baguette and top with strips of roasted red peppers.
4. Warm corn tortillas in a skillet and top with refried beans, salsa, and shredded lettuce.
5. Top a microwaved potato or sweet potato with bean spread. Try a garlicky hummus on a white potato or roasted red pepper hummus on a sweet potato.

Sandwiches—Serve with fresh fruit and a side salad.

1. Stuff tofu salad with sliced tomatoes into a pita.
2. Make not-tuna salad (mashed chickpeas, vegan mayo, chopped celery, and spices to taste) and serve on toasted rye bread.
3. Marinate tofu and wrap with sprouts or lettuce, shredded carrots, and peanut sauce in a whole-grain tortilla. Prepared tofu and peanut sauce can be purchased instead of homemade.
4. Slice a bagel and spread with nut butter and fresh fruit, such as nectarines, peaches, or anything in season.
5. Layer vegan deli slices on a sub roll with vinaigrette dressing, tomatoes, and lettuce.

Salads—Make ahead and chill until dinner, can serve with a fruit salad and bread.

1. Mix up potato salad with black beans, corn, and a salsa dressing.
2. Toss pasta with chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, and Italian dressing for an easy pasta salad.
3. Combine spaghetti with a sesame dressing, with cubed baked tofu, and steamed or microwaved broccoli.
4. Make rice salad with adzuki beans, diced carrots and cucumbers, and a sweet chili sauce.
5. Prep peanut noodles with water chestnuts and red bell pepper strips.
6. Toss tabbouleh (bulgur wheat, parsley, scallions, mint, tomatoes, and cucumbers in a lemon-olive oil dressing) with chickpeas.
7. Combine kidney beans, cannellini beans, and chickpeas to make a three-bean salad with vinaigrette.
8. Shred cabbage and add a soy-sesame dressing with baked tofu or seitan strips.
9. Mix quinoa and bean salad with shredded kale and a cumin-lime vinaigrette.
10. Try a chef’s salad with strips of vegan deli slices and cubed or shredded vegan cheese.

Miscellaneous

1. Roll veggie sushi at home or purchase ready-made.
2. Blend a smoothie made from non-dairy milk, silken tofu, and fresh and/or frozen fruit. Add nut butter and leafy greens to turn it into a meal in a glass.
3. Top a toasted waffle with vegan yogurt, berries, and chopped nuts.
4. Spoon into gazpacho garnished with croutons, chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, and sliced avocado.
5. Wrap rice paper around noodles, shredded cabbage, baked tofu, cubed mango, and chopped peanuts.

BBQ Tofu Cobb Salad photo by Rissa Miller

On a warm day you can create a delicious salad for supper! In an issue of Vegan Journal, Amber Murtoff serves up a wide variety of hearty salads. Enjoy preparing Grilled Peach Salad with Corn Fritters, BBQ Tofu Cobb Salad, Bacun-Kale-Tomato Pasta Salad, Zucchini Salad with Walnut Pesto, Warm Farro Salad with Fig Vinaigrette, and Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh with Carrot Falafel.

See: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2022issue3/2022_issue3_salad_for_supper.php

Subscribe to Vegan Journal: https://www.vrg.org/party/

Are you searching for non-leather vegan shoes, belts, wallets, purses, and other items in the USA, Europe, Canada, and other places? If so, you might want to check out VRG’s Guide to Leather Alternatives: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/leather.php

Share this handy poster with family and friends. You can also print it out and post it on your refrigerator. See: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/VeganDietsinaNutshellPoster.pdf

For my next trick, I’ll be making Lentil-Spinach Pilaf!

Save money while being vegan. Vegan Journal editor Hannah Kaminsky demonstrates Lentil-Spinach Pilaf, illustrating how quick and simple the recipe truly is. Prices show how budget friendly vegan dishes can be. $.58 per serving. Hearty, Healthy, and Easy as can be.

Find more vegan on a budget tips at https://bit.ly/vj-budget Visit Vegan Journal and The Vegetarian Resource Group at https://www.vrg.org/

See the Lentil Spinach Pilaf video at https://youtube.com/shorts/rQfAGc-eVDA?feature=share