Meatless merchant offers ‘pay it forward’ plan

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What began as a food truck in the fall of 2016, One Grub Community provides access to healthy, plant-based foods through the vegan meals and grocery items it sells at the Downtown Art and Farmers Market every Saturday. By providing access to healthy and tasty foods, “El Paso’s first pay-it-forward meatless merchant” is joining some other local vegan eateries in winning over El Pasoans’ hearts – one vegan delicacy at a time. “I think the community knows that some authentic, good stuff is happening,” owner Roman Wilcox, 36, says. “We get really positive feedback on all our stuff; we’re really blessed.”

According to Wilcox, the company’s most highly-requested menu items are its “Natcho Queso”, a cashew-based chile con “queso”, and seitan jerky, protein made of wheat gluten and red lentils. One Grub also offers prepared meals, including breakfast tofu scrambles and seitan-stuffed peppers.

Beyond Mexican food El Paso restaurants also offer a variety of cuisine from around the globe

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In any given area in El Paso you’re almost guaranteed to be near at least one Mexican restaurant at all times. With the city’s proximity to Mexico, it’s not surprising that Mexican cuisine is such an essential part of El Paso’s one-of-a-kind culture. (Not to mention the fact that enchiladas, burritos, and any other queso-laden Mexican dishes are the bomb, amirite?)

However, while Mexican restaurants are the most popular in this town, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for cuisine from other countries and cultures. El Pasoans may not realize that our city is also home to restaurants with food inspired by more than 15 countries. Next time you’re out and hungry, consider checking out the following restaurants for tasty, unique dining experiences that’ll transport you to different parts of the world.

Cultural center provides taste of Turkey in El Paso

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For many local Turkish-Americans, El Paso’s Raindrop House signifies a place to gather with friends and visitors. A place where they can socialize, cook and eat together. “We serve Turkish-Americans, but also introduce Turkish culture to our American friends,” says Sabri Agachan, director of the El Paso branch of the Raindrop Turkish House. “We open our doors and our hearts to every individual in El Paso.”

The local cultural center is part of the Raindrop Foundation, a non-profit, non-political organization whose stated mission is to “cultivate friendship and promote understanding of diverse cultures, the foundation says on its website. “One of the most important goals of our organization is to bring people together from different backgrounds who may have different nationalities, religions, or ethnic groups,” Agachan says.

El Paso Animal Services shows sharp decline in euthanasia rates

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Dogs and cats are locked in small enclosures, expressing confusion and fright. They look out a thick layer of glass, presumably hoping a passerby will take them to a new home. For most, their fate was to go into a room and receive an injection and everything goes black. That was the prognosis for some 75 percent of the animals impounded at El Paso Animal Services in 2012. More than 25,000 of the 33,000 animals impounded that year were were euthanized, according to shelter documents.

Meal replacement shakes no substitute for healthy diet, fitness experts say

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Sarah Onofrey is one among millions around the world who rely on some sort of dietary supplement to lose weight and improve their overall health. “I had always used diet pills and I always felt sick, groggy, dehydrated, and dizzy,” Onofrey said recently as she waited for an Herbalife shake at a Nutrition Club in northeast El Paso. “But with (Herbalife shakes), I don’t feel like I’m going without anything. I feel a lot healthier.”

As a matter of fact, according to a 2011 study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than half of all American adults use one or more of these types of products believing it improves their health. In an age when trendy health and fitness-related terms like “#gainz” and “fit fam” are seen everywhere from bumper stickers to Instagram bios, it’s no surprise that meal replacement shakes have been in such high demand in recent years.

Volunteers serve compassion at El Paso church food pantry

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Parishioners of El Paso’s Holy Trinity Church, 10000 Pheasant Rd, work together to keep their food pantry shelves stocked for families in need. Many drop off donations of needed supplies at the church and then volunteers sort and stock the donations and prepare baskets each week for families that don’t have enough to eat. UT El Paso multimedia journalism student Kayla Melson reports on the operation and how those in need of help can contact the food pantry.