NewsBreak Original

A new health food restaurant is now open.jack shingai/Unsplash. For those around greater Phoenix who enjoy eating at vegan and vegetarian-based restaurants, there isn’t exactly an abundance of options out there. While one might come and go every so often, plant-based eaters will find a rather limited selection in the Valley. Thankfully, local restaurant owners who have already launched one successful plant-based restaurant are at it again and are opening a second vegan and mocktail bar right in Phoenix.

*This is a work of nonfiction based on an actual event told to me by my father, who had experienced this first hand; used with permission. Just imagine that you have an arranged marriage and after you come to know that your wife is a pure vegetarian. What would you do if you had to give up eating your favorite chicken?

This upcoming weekend, it is time for the 6th annual Lancaster VegFest. The two-day festival is held at Buchanan Park in Lancaster City and is all about celebrating the plant-based lifestyle. The event is organized by Lancaster Farm Sanctuary, whose mission is to provide information about the benefits of a plant-based diet for health and the benefit to animals.

Sambar Rice: Sambar rice is a dish made with lentils, rice, mixed vegetables, spices and herbs. Sambar is widely eaten as a part of a healthy protein rich diet in South India. Sambar rice is best served with poppadum. I’m using ghee for this recipe, if you are a vegan, please use oil instead. I've also started writing my recipes for a NewsBreak blog very recently, & my channel name is "My Passion My Cooking by Sofia" in case you are looking for a written version. You may not find this recipe now but some of my recipes I’ve already posted. Please follow me on both for more tasty & easy recipes. Thank You!

Venn Pongal: Pongal is a Tamil harvest festival. It usually falls on the 14th or 15th of January each year. Venn (the Tamil word for “white”) Pongal is a popular savory dish in Tami Nadu and other South Indian homes and is typically served as a special breakfast. It is usually served with sambar and coconut chutney. Traditionally Pongal is made with newly harvested rice & moong dal as they give the best gooey texture to the dish. There are two versions of Pongal, sweet or savory. Today I’m sharing the savory version with you. The savory version is a comfort food for many South Indians as it is light on the stomach & easy to prepare. It uses just rice, split yellow moong dal, peppercorn, cumin seeds & ghee (clarified butter).

New restaurant is opening without all the meat.Eaters Collective/Unsplash. When it comes to sitting down and enjoying a meal, doing so in a former funeral home might not be at the top of everyone’s list. But don’t worry, a new restaurant that is opening up in an old funeral home is meat-free, and one can only hope the menu is to die for.

Vegetarian cuisine has been moving more into the mainstream over the past few decades. When it comes to fresh flavors and healthy ingredients, you cannot go wrong with vegetarian dishes. Sacramento, California has a popular farm to fork movement, with many local farmers contributing to it. The restaurants in Sacramento have also been willing to adapt the farm to fork movement to their menu options.

This meatless option has been making its way into the food space at various establishments for months now. Be it fast food or other various chains but how does the meatless option for these wings taste?

By force or by choice, if you are on the vegan train it can be hard to keep up with all the new products that flood the market every few weeks. A Bloomberg Intelligence report predicted that the global market for plant-based food alternatives may reach USD 162 billion by 2030. And that’s just the plant-based ‘food’ segment. Don’t forget the plant-based cosmetics, vegan leather, vegan toothpaste and so on.