NEW SLETTER
Vegetar ian Society of El Paso
Spr ing
2015
From The Prez
Recently I visited Gr anada, Spain. Can you believe 3 vegan r estaur ants and a vegan tapas tour sponsor ed by my
scientific confer ence? It w as w onder ful to see all of the options now available to vegans in Spain. I clear ly
r em em ber a w aiter in Santiago alm ost thr ow ing iceber g lettuce at m e w hen I asked for a salad w ithout egg or
tuna. Tim es ar e changing! The food w as excellent at sever al of the r estaur ants I visited. Sever al of my scientific
colleagues w er e going to one of the vegan r estaur ants, Papr ika, not because they w er e vegan but because they
hear d it w as one of the best r estaur ants in Gr anada. I also visited a ver y nice vegetar ian/vegan r estaur ant that
w as only a 10-m inute w alk fr om the confer ence center (gr eat vegan apple str udel!). All of the r estaur ants w er e
full of vibr ant people enjoying a w onder ful m eal. It r eally does seem like the tide is changing tow ar d m or e people
changing to a healthier and m or e com passionate diet. M y hope is r enew ed!
Her e in El Paso, VSEP is also on the m ove and w e need you and your ener gy to help us
pr ovide m or e outr each events. We ar e often asked to par ticipate in health fair s at schools
and hospitals but w e don?t have the volunteer s to attend all of the events. So if you w ould
like to help educate our com m unity about the m any benefits of a plant-based diet, please
let us know. El Paso needs us! If you have tim e, w e have the liter atur e, childr en?s gam es,
and all you need to set up a education table. Contact m e or one of the other Boar d
m em ber s if you w ould like to volunteer.
This com ing Spr ing, our quar ter ly dinner featur es a pr esentation by David Robinson Sim on, author of
M eatonomics: How the Rigged Economics of M eat and Dair y M ake You Consume Too M uch, and How to Eat Better,
Live Longer, and Spend Smar ter . Our dinner s pr ovide the oppor tunity to lear n w hile enjoying the com pany of
like- m inded people and a gr eat vegan buffet. We also have our usual selection of r estaur ant hopper s, potlucks,
and a cooking class. For Ear th Day, w e w ill par ticipate once again in the Wor ldw ide Vegan Bake Sale. For details
on all of these events, see our Calendar of Events. You ar e also w elcom e to attend our m onthly Boar d m eetings
w her e w e plan futur e events.
We ar e still collecting r ecipes for our VSEP cookbook so please send your favor ites to Lisa M ar tinez or Sum er
Chr istensen. We have enjoyed the m ost delicious dishes at our potlucks, now is the tim e to shar e! The cookbook
w ill be used as a fundr aising/outr each pr oduct for VSEP. Hal M ar cus has gr aciously donated the cover design and
Lizzie Ochoa w ill help w ith other ar tw or k . If you w ould like to contr ibute a r ecipe or ar t, please see details on
page 2.
Finally w e w ould like to thank Char lotte Rogash for her year s of w or k as our w ebm aster. She has been w or king
behind the scenes keeping our w ebpage fr esh and up-to-date. We r eally appr eciate her w or k , kindness and
cheer fulness. We ar e looking for a new w ebm aster, so please contact m e if you ar e inter ested. Tr aining w ill be
pr ovided.
Thanks again to all of you for being par t of VSEP,
Liz
VSEP BOARD M EETINGS
M ar ch 23 @ Eloise (255 Shadow M ountain), Apr il 20 & M ay 18 @ Singapor e Cafe (4120 N. M esa, back r oom)
Social tim e at 6:00 p.m . M eeting at 7:00 p.m .
All VSEP m em ber s w ho w ish to attend the boar d m eetings ar e ver y w elcom e.
Com e discuss issues and help plan VSEP?s futur e. Fr esh ideas and per spectives ar e alw ays appr eciated - w e w ant
to keep our or ganization healthy, vital and r elevant to the needs of our m em ber s.
If you ar e planning to attend, please let Liz Walsh know @ 915-342-7630 or e-m ail her at ew [email protected].
If the m eeting is changed or cancelled, you w ill be notified.
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Veg
News
it ems
Amazon Smile Donat es t o VSEP
VSEP is par ticipating in the Am azon Sm ile
pr ogr am ! If you shop online at Am azon, 0.5% of
your eligible pur chases w ill be donated to VSEP.
All you have to do is visit sm ile.am azon.com and
star t shopping!
Call for recipe submissions!
We ar e still accepting subm issions for a
collabor ative vegan cookbook w ith r ecipes
fr om our fabulous VSEP chefs! The cookbook
w ill pr ovide a gr eat outr each and fund-r aising
oppor tunity for our or ganization.
Please send us your or iginal r ecipes that you
have cr eated or ones that you have
substantially im pr oved. Due to copyr ight law s
w e cannot accept r ecipes that com e fr om other
cookbooks or fr om other sour ces. We also
w elcom e and encour age any pictur es of your
culinar y adventur es! We w ould love to include
any contr ibutions that you m ay have including
substitution ideas, cooking tips, photos, ar tw or k
or w or ds of w isdom for fellow vegan or
aspir ing vegan chefs.
Please subm it your r ecipes, cooking tips,
substitution ideas and w or ds of w isdom as M S
Wor d files, and your high r esolution im ages
and ar tw or k as jpg files. Send subm issions to
Sum er (sum er 8586@gm ail.com ) or Lisa
(bettyfem m e@gm ail.com ).
Contact I nformation
Skype Phone Number:
915-799-0349
Tune In! Local ACT Radio Show
Be sur e to listen to ACT, Anim al Concer ns of Texas, VSEP?s
ow n vegan or iented r adio show hosted by Liz Walsh, Gr eg
Law son and Tom Linney. ACT can be hear d on the second
and four th Sunday of each m onth on KTEP 88.5 FM at 7:30
PM M ountain Tim e or by going to ktep.or g at that tim e. Past
show s can be hear d online by going to:
ktep.or g/pr ogr ams/act-r adio
VegNews Updat e
The vegan or iented m agazine VegNew s has been an
im por tant benefit of m em ber ship in VSEP. VegNew s is
cur r ently not being published due to legal pr oblem s. We
hope that the m agazine w ill r esum e publishing in the near
futur e. In the m eantim e VSEP boar d m em ber s ar e sear ching
to acquir e new benefits of m em ber ship and w e w ill be
shar ing the r esults of our sear ch w ith you soon.
New hot bar @t he Co-op!
The M ountain View M ar ket Co-op in
Las Cr uces has added a hot bar to
their stor e w ith plenty of vegan
options. Visit their w ebsite to view the
m onthly m enu. Offer ings change
m onthly w ith differ ent daily m enus.
Weekend br unch item s include tofu
scr am ble, vegan sausage, and m or e!
Free Vegan Cooking Classes
Eduar do Bouche teaches bilingual vegan cooking
classes ever y 1st and 3r d Sunday at 5 pm at
Pr oper Pr intshop (800 M ontana) w ith a potluck
after w ar ds. Weekly potlucks take place at 7 pm .
For m or e info, visit epvegan.com.
Email Address:
[email protected]
Mailing Addresses:
4903 Love Rd.
El Paso, TX 79922
Have you been using your Albert sons Communit y Key Tag?
For membership
& renewals:
6757 Gato Rd.
El Paso, TX 79932
Ever y tim e you shop at Alber tsons, you can help r aise funds for VSEP! Just
pr esent your key tag to the cashier to get scanned, and Alber tsons w ill donate
1% of your pur chase totals to VSEP. If you?ve lost or m isplaced your key tag,
contact Liz Walsh and she?ll get you a r eplacem ent. Call her at 915-342-7630 or
em ail liz.w alsh.r otifer @gm ail.com .
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SATURDAY, M ARCH 14
Rest aurant Hopper @Nour M edit erranean Cafe
3800 N. M esa, 915-351-9757 (price: $14-16)
-
6 pm m eet and gr eet, or der dinner at 6:30 pm
Reser vations: Please call M ike at 915-799-0244, or em ail veghopper s@gm ail.com
Deadline: No later than 5:30 pm on Thur sday, M ar ch 12.
We can no longer accept late r eser vations under any cir cum stances. If you have r eser ved & cannot m ake it,
please call no later than noon on that day of the Hopper so w e can call the r estaur ant.
- Please r efer to the guidelines on page 5.
THURSDAY, M ARCH 26
"All You Can Eat " Art Exhibit Opening Recept ion
@Hal M arcus Gallery
1308 N. Oregon, 915-533-9090
- 5-7 pm
- The Hal M ar cus Galler y and the Vegetar ian Society of El
Paso pr esent the opening r eception for the "All You Can
Eat" ar t exhibit.
- Ther e w ill also be an Ar t Talk on Thur sday, Apr il 30 fr om
5-7 pm .
- The vegetar ian-them ed ar t exhibit w ill be on display until
M ay 22.
SATURDAY, APRIL 4
Eart h Day Vegan Bake Sale
M emorial Park Reserve, 3100 Copper Ave.
- 10 am - 2 pm
- Please suppor t the Vegetar ian Society by baking som ething for us to sell, helping staff the table, or sim ply
stopping by to pur cahase som ething delicious.
- Baked goods need to be individually w r apped w ith the ingr edients clear ly labeled on an index car d (or
som ething sim ilar ), and m ust be com pletely vegan (no honey, eggs, m ilk , etc.). You can donate an entir e cake
or loaf of br ead, or you can choose to donate individually w r apped slices, cookies, or cupcakes. We w ould like
to have a w ide var iety of item s for people to choose fr om . Based on feedback fr om the last bake sale, people
w ould like to see som e m or e healthy options, such as sugar -fr ee desser ts and gluten-fr ee item s.
- We r eally need your help to m ake this the super successful (and tasty) outr each event that w e know it can be!
If you w ant to help, or if you have any questions, please send an em ail to Liz (vsep.r eser ve@gm ail.com ).
- Pr oceeds w ill be used to pr om ote our Best of Veg El Paso aw ar ds.
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SATURDAY, APRIL 11
Rest aurant Hopper @Ardovino's Desert Crossing
1 Ardovinos Dr. (Sunland Park, NM ), 575-589-0653 (price: $16)
-
6 pm m eet and gr eet, or der dinner at 6:30 pm
Reser vations: Please call M ike at 915-799-0244, or em ail veghopper s@gm ail.com
Deadline: No later than 5:30 pm on Thur sday, Apr il 9.
We can no longer accept late r eser vations under any cir cum stances. If you have r eser ved & cannot m ake it,
please call no later than noon on that day of the Hopper so w e can call the r estaur ant.
- Please r efer to the guidelines on page 5.
SUNDAY, APRIL 26
Comida M exicana Vegan Pot luck & Cooking Demonst rat ion
Richard & Sukie's Home @6757 Gat o Rd.
- 5-9 pm
- Jennifer Wr ight w ill dem onstr ate how to m ake seitan fajitas at 5 pm .
- The them e is vegan M exican food. We w ould like to have a build-your -ow n taco bar, so dish ideas can include
salsas, fr ijoles, guacam ole, chipotle 'cr em a', r ice, potatoes, cor n or flour tor tillas, chips, etc.
- Hosts w ill pr ovide non-alcoholic bever ages, r ecyclable plates, utensils, and cups. You m ay br ing your ow n if
you pr efer. Please br ing your favor ite appetizer, m ain dish, side dish, or desser t, enough for 8.
- Please RSVP befor e noon on Fr iday, Apr il 24 by calling (915) 877-3034 or send an em ail to
vsep.r eser ve@gm ail.com
- All food m ust be VEGAN (see page 5 for guidelines), and please br ing a copy of your r ecipe to place alongside
your dish. Please also avoid palm oil and tr ans fats, w hich ar e ingr edients in m any substitute foods and ar e
har m ful to the envir onm ent and our bodies.
SATURDAY, M AY 23
Spring Dinner wit h Guest Speaker David Robinson Simon
Holiday Inn, 900 Sunland Park Dr.
- The title of his talk is ?Undue Influence in Anim al Food Pr oduction and
M ar keting: How the Am er ican Gover nm ent and Food Industr y M anipulate
Consum er s to Buy M or e M eat, Eggs and Dair y.?
- 6 pm m eet and gr eet, eat at 6:30 pm
- Cost: $18 m em ber s & students w /ID; $20 nonm em ber s; $10 childr en under
12 year s of age.
- Paid r eser vations ar e due Tuesday, M ay 19.
- Reser ve your space & pay online w ith a cr edit car d or PayPal w w w.vsep.or g OR em ail
vsep.r eser ve@gm ail.com OR call 915-799-0349. M ake check or m oney or der s payable to VSEP & m ail to:
VSEP, 6757 Gato Rd., El Paso, TX 79932
David is a law yer & advocate for sustainable consum ption. He w or ks as gener al counsel for a healthcar e
com pany & is the author of the book M eatonomics: How the Rigged Economics of M eat and Dair y M ake You
Consume Too M uch, & How to Eat Better, Live Longer, & Spend Smar ter . Am ong other things, M eatonomics looks at
the effects on consum er s of ag-gag law s & other aggr essive legal pr otections that anim al food pr oducer s have put
in place over the past sever al decades. Dave r eceived his under gr aduate degr ee fr om U.C. Ber keley & his law
degr ee fr om the Univer sity of Souther n Califor nia.
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VSEP Event Guidelines
W hy VSEP Event s are Vegan
The Lone Star Vegetar ian Netw or k , a loosely-knit gr oup of Texas vegetar ian societies, w as for m ed in 1989. Ther e
w er e 4 m em ber s that fir st year : Austin, Houston, San Antonio and South Texas (Br azor ia County). Ther e ar e now
10 gr oups fr om ar ound the state. Contact am ong the gr oups is im por tant and, w hile each gr oup m aintains full
autonomy, it is agr eed that all vegetar ian events hosted by Netw or k m em ber societies w ill be vegan (m eaning, of
cour se, that no anim al pr oducts, including dair y and eggs) w ill be ser ved. Society m em ber s ar e not r equir ed to be
vegan, but it has been agr eed that it is not unr easonable to expect m em ber s to enjoy vegan food only at such
events.
This r ule has occasionally been questioned by lacto-ovo-vegetar ians. How ever, this r ule is im por tant for all the
ver y sam e r easons w e don?t eat m eat. We all know how fr ustr ating it is to have to ask , ?Is ther e lar d/m eat
stock/etc.? The decision has been m ade to allow our gr ow ing vegan m em ber ship the oppor tunity not to have to
w or r y about dair y or egg pr oducts in the food at Netw or k events. Vegan events ar e both suppor tive and
educational, and vegetar ian or ganizations need to be on the cutting edge. Thank you for your suppor t!
~ Shir ley W ilkes-Johnson,
Co-Founder, LSVNw w w.lsvn.or g
Hopper Rules in a Nut shell:
-
Please or der only vegan item s.
Please m ake a r eser vation by the deadline if you w ould like to be seated w ith the gr oup.
If you m ake a r eser vation, please be ther e and please show up on tim e.
If you ar e r eser ving on the day of the deadline, or canceling the day of the hopper, please call M ike.
Do not for get to leave an adequate gr atuity, w e alw ays w ant to be w elcom ed back .
If you ar e happy w ith the r estaur ant, let the r estaur ant know. If you ar e not happy, please let M ike know.
Last but not least: Enjoy!!
* * Hopper Cour tesy Rem inder * *
PLEASE call M ike by noon the day of the hopper if you have r eser ved and then cannot m ake it. His num ber is
915-799-0244. The r estaur ants set up a table for us w hich leaves less space to accom m odate other custom er s and
Satur day is a busy night for m ost r estaur ants. Som e r estaur ants even m ake a special m enu for us and or der
ingr edients based on the num ber of people in the r eser vation. We need to be sur e w e do not inconvenience them
or any other custom er s by taking aw ay tables and chair s that ar e not needed.
Guidelines for Pot lucks:
All dishes m ust be com pletely vegan ? no exceptions. Food m ust not contain any flesh (fish, fow l or beast), eggs,
dair y pr oducts or honey. This r ule guar antees that ever yone can eat ever ything (aller gies & pr efer ences aside).
Please w atch out for hidden m ilk pr oducts, such as w hey in cookies, cr acker s, br ead and m ar gar ine, and casein
or caseinate in ?non-dair y? soy cheeses and w hipped toppings. Som e m ar gar ines contain gelatin. Also, be aler t
for eggs in baked goods, m ayonnaise in salad dr essings, and honey in br eads, pastr ies and pr eser ves.
Please pr epar e a 4x6 car d w ith: Your nam e, nam e of the dish, a list of all the ingr edients, and the r ecipe on the
back , indicating w her e the r ecipe cam e fr om (or if it is or iginal).
-
Pr epar e enough to ser ve eight (8) people.
Please br ing your ow n table setting as w ell as a ser ving utensil.
If you don?t feel like cooking, you m ay br ing a gr een salad, chips & salsa, fr uit, or another vegan m unchie.
Your host w ill pr ovide dr inks.
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