How to Eat Vegan at TGI Fridays: The Ultimate Dining Guide

From vegnews.com

Just how possible is it to eat plant-based at TGI Fridays? VegNews editors taste-test all of the dishes

TGI Fridays has flirted with vegan options many times over the years. In fact, the chain once launched a limited-time watermelon steak entrée, complete with avocado sauce, Fridays Legendary Glaze, fries, and roasted vegetables.

But that wasn’t in the US: it was in the UK, and it was only in honour of Veganuary. Still, when seated at a red-and-white-striped booth and surrounded by eclectic decor in America, those looking for plant-based food at TGI Fridays can find a few dishes to eat. 

From burgers to sides, here are some of the best vegan options to try at the popular chain.

TGI Fridays

Start with the classic: Chips and salsa 

Beginning with the most basic: the warm chips with fire-roasted salsa are a solid start to any meal. Pro tip: if you sign up for Fridays rewards, you can get this option for free.

TGI Fridays

Don’t skip out on the salads

You can opt for a side salad at TGI Fridays, but you’ll need to ask for some alterations. For the most minimal modification, ask for the house side salad with no cheese, croutons, or breadsticks. You’re left with a bowl of mixed greens, diced tomatoes, sliced carrots, cabbage, and cucumbers.

The Million Dollar Cobb requires a heavier set of modifications, but it can be done. To veganize this entrée salad, ask for no chicken, egg, bacon, cheese, or ranch. This will leave you with mixed greens, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and avocado. Bulk it up by adding a Beyond Meat patty or go fruity and request a side of mango pico salsa.

Vegan-friendly dressings include balsamic vinaigrette and sesame citrus. Honestly, that mango pico would be a stellar flavour enhancer as well. 

TGI Fridays

With a few simple changes, the Beyond Meat Cheeseburger is vegan

The original Fridays Vegan Burger has evolved into a vegetarian handhold since its introduction in 2018. Now coined The Beyond Meat Cheeseburger, this item comes with dairy-based cheese and Fridays Sauce. To revert to the original vegan option, simply omit those two ingredients.

And note that the standard challah-style bun is vegan, but the gluten-free bun is not. The sandwich comes with lettuce, tomato, red onions, and pickles, but to add more substance, ask for sliced avocado. 

For a simple-but-filling option, try the fettuccine pasta

Not into something between two buns? Customize a pasta dish. Ask for fettuccine pasta with marinara sauce and steamed broccoli, hold the breadstick (it contains egg and dairy). This meal is basic but filling. 

TGI Fridays

Feast on fries, with a side of broccoli

Several sides at Fridays can be served vegan with slight modifications. For something fresh and green to go with that juicy Beyond burger, order the Garlic-Butter Broccoli without the parmesan butter. You’ll receive a bowl of steamed broccoli with a wedge of lemon. 

With regard to fries, the chain is cautious and states that the seasoned and sweet potato fries are not vegan due to potential cross-contamination; however, if you are not concerned about shared frying oils, go ahead and order the spuds. The jasmine rice with onions, garlic, and diced red peppers is also free of any animal ingredients. 

Unfortunately, you’ll have to seek dessert elsewhere—Fridays has yet to enter the plant-based sweets space. Perhaps one day, the Brownie Obsession will see a vegan iteration.

https://vegnews.com/vegan-guide-tgi-fridays

What Happens To Your DNA After Just One Month Of Eating Vegan

From studyfinds.com

Vegan Diet May Shift Biological Aging Signals, Study Finds

In A Nutshell

• A one-month vegan diet was linked to a statistically significant 1.7-year drop on one biological aging clock, though the direct comparison to the meat-rich group didn’t reach significance.
• Genome-wide DNA changes tied to cancer-related pathways and inflammation looked promising but didn’t survive statistical correction, so they remain preliminary.
• Predicted immune cell shifts, including lower neutrophils and higher CD4+ T cells in the vegan group, closely tracked real blood test results and were statistically significant.
• With only 24 people per diet group and just one month of tracking, researchers call the results a starting point that needs a larger, longer follow-up study.

A month of skipping meat and dairy might do more than change what’s on the menu. It may leave a lasting impression on the body’s DNA. A new study in the journal MedComm found that after four weeks on a vegan diet, healthy adults showed measurable shifts in the switches that control how genes behave, changes that lined up with slower biological aging on one widely used aging test. Other patterns, including hints of protective activity in cancer-related genes, were intriguing but too preliminary to call solid.

Most nutrition studies stick to the basics: blood pressure, blood sugar, the number on the scale. This one dug deeper, into a process called DNA methylation, where tiny chemical tags attach to DNA and act like light switches for genes, turning them up or down without rewriting the genetic code itself. Researchers scanned more than 800,000 of these switches and found that going vegan flipped a distinct set of them, in a pattern that looked different from what happened in people eating a meat-heavy diet over the same month.

Forty-Eight Adults Swapped Diets for One Month

Researchers recruited 48 healthy adults, none already eating plant-based, and started everyone on the same standardized diet for a week to create a level playing field. From there, 24 were randomly assigned to a strict vegan diet and 24 to a meat-rich diet, each for one month, with calories held steady between 1,800 and 2,000 a day so weight loss wouldn’t muddy the results. Blood was drawn at the start and end, and researchers combed through the DNA for signs of change.

They found plenty of differences in which genes were switched on or off between the two groups. But with over 800,000 spots checked at once, some differences are bound to show up by chance, and once researchers accounted for that, most of these gene-switch findings didn’t hold up as rock-solid proof. They’re best read as promising leads rather than settled science.

A month of eating vegan was linked to a real drop on one biological aging clock, plus early signs in cancer-related genes. (© Mustafa – stock.adobe.com)

Cancer-Linked Genes Showed Signs of Quieting Down

One eye-catching pattern involved genes tied to cell growth. In the vegan group, some genetic switches that, when stuck “on,” are linked to cancer got dialled down. It’s a tempting headline, but this signal didn’t clear the statistical bar, so it shouldn’t be read as proof the diet lowers cancer risk. Researchers see it as worth a closer look, not something to count on.

Other patterns fit together more sensibly. Genes tied to processing fat quieted down in the vegan group, tracking with how low-fat plant-based eating tends to be, while genes connected to longevity, cell repair, and stress management ramped up. Immune cells shifted too, and this part is easier to trust because the estimates closely tracked real blood test results from an earlier trial with the same participants. Neutrophils, a white blood cell that rises with inflammation, were significantly lower in the vegan group than the meat-rich group by month’s end. CD4+ T cells, a different type of white blood cell that helps the immune system stay balanced instead of overreacting, were significantly higher.

One Aging Clock Found a Significant 1.7-Year Drop

This is where the study gets its biggest headline. Scientists have built tools called biological age clocks that estimate how old a body seems at the cellular level, based on its DNA. Someone whose biological age outpaces their birthday faces higher disease risk down the road, part of why these clocks are such a hot area of research.

Researchers ran the DNA through ten different clocks, focusing on two built to flag health risk rather than track the calendar. The results here were more convincing. On one, called PhenoAge, the vegan group’s estimated biological age dropped by about 1.7 years, a shift researchers determined was statistically real, while the meat-rich group’s estimated age crept upward. A second clock, GrimAge, showed a similar half-year dip in the vegan group alone, though that result was a shade too small to call statistically certain.

Then comes the plot twist. A third clock, built to track chronological age rather than health, showed the opposite pattern, with the vegan group’s predicted age ticking up slightly. Researchers explain that different clocks catch different things, some tuned to flag health risk, others to mirror the calendar, and the mismatch likely comes down to which signal each tool picks up.

A Small Sample Size Limits How Far the Results Reach

With only 24 people per group, this study was never the final word. Small samples make it hard to separate a real effect from noise, especially when scanning hundreds of thousands of genetic sites at once. The vegan diet used here also wasn’t designed as a picture of ideal eating; participants could eat processed vegan snacks, including granola bars, just to hit calorie targets, so a cleaner, whole-foods version might produce different results. A longer follow-up is already in the works.

Even with those caveats, this study offers something the field has struggled to pin down: an early look at how plant-based eating might reshape the body at the molecular level in as little as a month. One aging clock backed that idea with real statistical weight. The rest, from cancer-related genes to inflammation markers, point in a hopeful direction without proving anything yet, which is why researchers are already planning the next, longer study.

Disclaimer: This article is based on findings from a small, secondary analysis of a one-month clinical trial. The results are preliminary and should not be interpreted as medical advice or evidence that a vegan diet treats, prevents, or reduces the risk of any disease. Anyone considering a significant diet change should speak with a doctor or registered dietitian.

https://studyfinds.com/dna-month-eating-vegan/

How Timothy Pakron Gives Southern Cooking a Plant-Forward Twist

From gardenandgun.com

By Anna Williams

In a new cookbook, the “Mississippi Vegan” turns to his garden to reimagine regional cuisine

Timothy Pakron’s love of cooking began in Mississippi, where he learned to make Southern staples like gumbo from his mother and spent hours watching the Food Network. After moving to Charleston, South Carolina, for college, he adopted a vegan lifestyle, a shift that challenged him to recreate the comforting flavours he grew up with using fresh vegetables, herbs, and plant-based ingredients.

That passion eventually led to Mississippi Vegan, which started as an Instagram account and became his debut cookbook in 2018. A move to New Orleans would inspire a secondary passion—and a second cookbook, out September 1—as he discovered the joys of gardening.  Garden Variety features more than 130 colourful, plant-forward recipes that celebrate the exquisiteness of the garden while honouring Southern flavours. Pakron chatted with G&G about the new book and shared two staples from its pages, Curried Cauliflower and Fried Squash. 

How did you come up with the name Garden Variety?
I was driving through Alabama listening to a song by Van Dyke Parks. It said, “Not your run-of-the-mill, garden-variety Alabama country fare.” At that moment it just clicked in my brain. [Garden variety] really means boring and plain, but I love to play on words.

After moving to New Orleans, you started your own garden. Have you always had a green thumb?

I do consider myself to have a green thumb, but I’m always still learning. When I first started in 2019, I really didn’t know what I was doing. One thing I’ve learned is that if you’re interested in growing something, you try it, and you may not do well. But you can always try it again. You can always buy more seeds!

                                                                                                    Photo: Timothy Pakron

How would you describe your approach to Southern vegan cooking?
With Southern recipes, I find there’s always an undercurrent of veganism that already exists within the recipe. I like to capture the essence of the original recipe and make the vegan translation. For example, with the étouffée in the book, I kept the base the same as the classic dish but then added ingredients like roasted eggplant, okra, and some lima beans for a little bit of texture and protein. This celebrates the dish while still honouring Southern ingredients, but it also combines them in a way that makes them satisfying.

In Garden Variety, you wrote that if you had to pick one recipe you wished everyone would cook, it would be the curried cauliflower. What makes that such a special recipe?

I love when you can take just one ingredient, like a head of cauliflower, and really maximize its flavour and kind of transform it into something that is an explosion. You roast the cauliflower with a lot of seasonings until it has caramelized and has a crispy texture, then it has the sweetness from golden raisins and a contrast of fresh mint with the spiciness from the curry. It has everything—sweet, sour, salty, crispiness. It’s beautifully satisfying.

What makes your version of fried squash stand out?
I think the simplicity. I think people, when they think of a fried vegetable, think, “Oh, I need dairy, I need eggs.” You really don’t even need all of that. And it’s great by itself, you don’t even need a dipping sauce, which is wild.

What’s one Southern ingredient you can’t imagine cooking without?
Probably okra. I think a lot of people have a weird relationship with okra just because it’s kind of slimy, but I embrace it. I love it.

What’s one food that instantly transports you back to your childhood?
Probably gumbo. My mom would make it on the weekends and I remember waking up to the smell of her cooking the trinity and the hot roux.

A few more rapid-fire questions. What is your favorite vegetable?
I can’t say cherry tomatoes because that’s technically a fruit…but if I’m being completely honest, potatoes.

Summer produce or fall produce?
Probably summer.

What is your ultimate comfort meal?
Mashed potatoes and gravy.

https://gardenandgun.com/mississippi-vegan-cookbook 

Pack in the pulses: The fuss-free way to add more protein and fibre to your meals

From veganfoodandliving.com

Want to increase your protein and fibre intake without the hassle? Tilda’s new range of ready-to-eat pulse pouches makes it easier than ever

Lentils, chickpeas, beans… pulses are an essential part of a plant-based diet and they’re super versatile, too. Whether it’s a lentil dahl, chickpea ‘tuna’ or a bean chilli, there’s so much you can do to turn them into meals that taste great and keep you full for hours.

“I always encourage people to think about what they can add to their plate, rather than what they should remove,” says Jenna Hope, Registered Nutritionist and Author.

“It’s a mindset that’s becoming more popular as people look for simple ways to eat well, whether that’s increasing the diversity of plants they eat or finding easy ways to get more goodness into their diet. Pulses are a perfect example of that. They’re naturally rich in fibre and protein, incredibly versatile and make meals more satisfying without adding lots of extra effort.”

So easy! It doesn’t need to be difficult or bland – in fact, including them in your daily meals is easier than ever thanks to Tilda’s new range of pre-cooked pulses, all of which are a brilliant source of protein and fibre.

                                                                                                                                                        Photo © Tilda

Delicious and convenient, there’s no need to drain them and they’re ready to eat straight from the pouch (or warm in 45 seconds) – ideal for speedy lunches, fuss-free dinners or even a healthy addition to your camping or festival food stash.

“I love keeping ready-to-eat pulses in the cupboard because they’re such an easy shortcut for busy days,” continues Jenna. “I’ll stir lentils through a pasta sauce, toss cannellini beans into a salad or add chickpeas to a grain bowl for extra texture and flavour. Having convenient options like Tilda Pulses makes those small, positive habits much easier to stick to.”

The new range includes Beluga Lentils, Mixed Lentils, Tomato & Red Pepper Lentils, Cannellini Beans, Lemon and Basil Beans and Smoked Paprika Chickpeas, so stock up your cupboards now!

Discover Tilda’s new range of ready-to-eat pulse pouches, available now at Sainsbury’s stores and tilda.com, and start adding more plant-based protein and fibre to your favourite meals.

https://www.veganfoodandliving.com/products/tilda-pulse-recipes/ 

Broth, tart and salad: Kirk Haworth’s vegan tomato recipes for summer

From theguardian.com/food

A smoky tomato broth, a grilled peach, tomato and almond ‘ricotta’ salad scattered with roast almonds, and a sparky tomato tarte tatin 

August is peak tomato season. This most versatile of fruits can be put to just about any use, from raw to slow-cooked and from oven- or sun-dried to desserts (believe it or not, they go incredibly well with summer berries, especially strawberries and raspberries). Not only that, but tomatoes have high glutamate levels that rise even further as they ripen, which gives them an umami kick. However you prepare them, though, the key thing is never to keep tomatoes in the fridge: the chill breaks down their cell structure and, even more importantly, affects their flavour in an alarming way.

Tomato tarte tatin

Photograph: Matthew Hague/The Guardian. Food and prop styling: Florence Blair. Food styling assistant: Phoebe Altman.

Prep 5 min
Cook 45 min
Serves 4

500g cherry tomatoes
20ml balsamic vinegar
50ml extra-virgin olive oil
10g maple syrup
Flaky sea salt
Plain flour, for dusting
250g vegan puff pastry
15g harissa
10ml lemon juice
½ tsp dijon mustard
100g mixed salad leaves
Basil leaves

Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6, and put the whole cherry tomatoes in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk the balsamic vinegar with 30ml of the oil, the maple syrup and a good pinch of salt, then pour over the tomatoes and toss to coat.

Dust a work surface with flour, then roll out the pastry to a 30cm circle. Leaving a border all around the edge, spread out the harissa in a 24cm circle over the centre of the pastry.

Spoon the tomatoes and their dressing into a 24cm oven-safe frying pan, lay the pastry harissa-side down on top, then tuck it in all around the edge of the tomatoes. Bake for half an hour, until the pastry is cooked through and golden.

Once the pastry’s cooked, remove the pan and leave it to cool for a few minutes. Meanwhile, make a dressing by whisking the remaining extra-virgin oil with the lemon juice and mustard.

To serve, carefully invert the tarte tatin on to a large plate or board. Dress the salad leaves and basil lightly, season with salt, and serve alongside.

Barbecue tomato broth

                                                                           Kirk Hayworth’s barbecue tomato broth

Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr 45 min
Serves 4

1 whole garlic head
4 shallots, peeled and sliced (300g net)
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
1kg cherry tomatoes
½ tsp smoked paprika
2 heaped tbsp white miso paste
5g kombu (roughly 1 sheet)
2 vegetable stock cubes

Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Wrap the garlic bulb in foil and roast for 45-60 minutes, until soft (while you’re at it, and seeing as the oven’s on anyway, you might as well roast a few more, because you can never have too much roast garlic in the fridge). Remove, leave to cool, then squeeze out the flesh from the papery skins.

Light the barbecue and, while it’s getting hot, put a large saucepan on a medium heat and gently sweat the shallots in the oil with a healthy pinch of salt for about 10 minutes, until soft but not coloured. Stir in the roast garlic flesh and paprika, and take off the heat.

Barbecue the tomatoes on only one side until blackened, then tip them into the shallot pan. Stir in the miso and kombu, crumble in the stock cubes, then add three litres of water and bring to a boil. Turn down to a steady simmer and cook for about half an hour, until reduced by a third.

Leave to cool, then pass through a sieve and season with more salt to taste. Serve chilled or reheat gently, and finish with a drizzle of good olive oil.

Grilled peach, tomato, almond ‘ricotta’ and roast almond salad

                                   Kirk Hayworth’s grilled peach, acidulated tomato, almond ‘ricotta’ and roast almond salad

Prep 10 min
Soak 4 hr+
Cook 30 min
Chill 2 hr+
Serves 4

For the almond ‘ricotta’
200g blanched almonds, soaked for at least 4 hours and up to overnight
30ml lemon juice, plus extra to taste
Salt

For the salad
4 ripe peaches
Neutral oil, for grilling
Extra-virgin olive oil
Flaky sea salt
50g blanched almonds
300g mixed tomatoes
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
Basil leaves, to serve

Drain and rinse the soaked almonds, then put them in the jug of a blender with 600ml cold water and blend smooth. Fine strain through muslin or a nut milk bag (or your thinnest tea towel at a pinch!), and really squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Pour the resulting nut milk into a saucepan, put it on a medium heat and slowly bring up to 85C, stirring occasionally. Once the milk is up to temperature, take the pan off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and leave to cool. Once cooled, strain the milk through a muslin-lined sieve into a bowl or container, cover and chill for at least two hours, and preferably overnight, during which time the “milk” will separate into curds and whey. Taste the almond “ricotta” and season with salt and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste.

Light the barbecue or put a griddle pan on a high heat. Cut the peaches in half, remove and discard the stones, then cut each half in half again and brush the cut sides with neutral oil. Grill the peaches flesh-side down, flipping as necessary until all the flesh sides are nicely charred and slightly softened, then brush the flesh with extra-virgin olive oil and season with a pinch of sea salt.

Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4, put the blanched almonds on a baking tray and roast for 10 minutes, giving them a shake halfway through. Remove, leave to cool, then roughly chop.

Depending on the size of your tomatoes, cut them in half, quarters or leave them whole, and put them in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the sherry vinegar, lemon juice and a tablespoon of olive oil until emulsified, then pour the dressing over the tomatoes.

To serve, dot a few spoonfuls of almond ricotta across four plates, then arrange the peaches and tomatoes in between. Tear the basil over the top, scatter on the almonds and serve.

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• Kirk Haworth is chef/owner of Plates, London EC1

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2026/aug/10/vegan-tomato-recipes-for-summer-broth-tart-salad-kirk-haworth