Lately it seems like cold brew coffee concentrate is all the rage. Basically, it’s coarsely ground coffee that’s been brewed for 14 to 18 hours and is used as a base for iced coffee and beyond. Once you’ve made it, store in the fridge and use for hot or iced coffee, or other barista style drinks, like the Iced Coffee Latte Fizz. Coffee concentrate is stronger, more concentrated, than a classic brew. That’s why it’s diluted when served, usually 1:1 ratio, depending how strong you like your iced java!

Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate

1/2 cup course ground coffee
4 cups cold water

Pour water over coffee grounds in a pitcher or large French press. Stir until all grounds are well mixed. Allow to infuse for 14-18 hours in the fridge. When done, strain using cheesecloth, a fine-mesh strainer, or with your French press.

To make a beverage with the concentrate, try adding it 1:1 with cool water or your favorite plant milk over ice, or enjoy hot, diluted 1:1. Try our recipe below for a barista style drink.

Note: Don’t feel like making your own cold brew coffee concentrate? You can buy it in most major grocers from brands like Califia, Chameleon, Grady’s, Jovy, Starbucks, and Stok.

Iced Coffee Latte Fizz

1/3 cup cold brew coffee concentrate
1/3 cup cool water
1 splash raspberry syrup, or plain simple syrup, to taste
2-3 Tablespoons berry flavored or plain seltzer
1/3 cup chilled plant milk of choice

Fill a glass with ice. Layer the ingredients into the cup, coffee, water, raspberry syrup, and stir at this point. Then add the seltzer and pour the plant milk over the top evenly to create coffeehouse-style streams in the beverage. Drink immediately.

Mix it up by trying other flavored seltzer and fruit-flavored syrups, such as ginger, lemon, orange or coconut!

The Vegetarian Resource Group’s office is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and we’re happy to report that the number of vegan restaurants in our hometown continues to grow. In fact, the pace in which this is happening is unbelievable!

Recent new dining options include Double Zero (vegan pizza), Liora (vegan versions of Baltimore favorites including “crab” cakes and more), and Hue Café and Apothecary (located Northwest of the city in Owings Mills and offers a tea bar plus a vegan menu). There’s also a vegan Mexican food truck called Chihuahua Brothers. And wait, NuVegan will be opening up soon near Johns Hopkins University Homewood Campus (offers vegan soul food). If you live in Baltimore or are passing through, be sure to dine at one of the many vegan restaurants in town during Maryland Vegan Restaurant Week that actually runs for several weeks (August 6^th-29^th this year). See: https://www.mdveganeats.com/

Julia Comino gives her ideas for inexpensive vegan meals. Go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bQ50HTglrQ

The Vegetarian Resource Group maintains an online Guide to Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants in the USA and Canada. Here are some recent vegan restaurant additions. The entire guide can be found here: http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

To support the updating of this online restaurant guide, please donate at: www.vrg.org/donate

Here are some new additions to VRG’s guide (Note: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic many are doing take-out and/or delivery now):

Besina, 334 S. Water St., Providence, RI 02903

Totally vegan and palm-oil free, this restaurant serves unique meals and drinks inspired by Latin-American cuisine. With a view of the Providence river and skyline, Besina also has a bar serving up a large selection of tequila, wine, and unique cocktails. Try one of the many sharing plates, taco options, or delicious desserts. They also serve brunch on weekends, offering classic items like Bloody Mary cocktails and Huevos Rancheros.

Brew Street, 4610 N. Garfield St., Midland, TX 79705

Enjoy freshly baked cinnamon rolls, burger, sandwiches, salads, pizza, mac & cheese, pastries, as well as a kids’ menu. Mouth Watering Options include Street Tacos=Mexican street tacos with a vegan twist; Bossy Boots Burrito=savory vegan burrito any way YOU like it; and Mango Quinoa Salad.

Chef Kenny’s Vegan Dim Sum, 5570 W. Flamingo Rd., Las Vegas, NV 89103

They have a huge menu with appetizers, sushi, salads, soups, main dishes, and dessert including ice cream and cheese cake.

El Punto Vegano, 6 Calle Wilson, Cataño, PR 00962

From loaded vegan potatoes to tacos to burgers to vegetable soup with kimchi, El Punto Vegano offers a wide variety of dishes. Find them on Instagram to view their fusion menu and videos of many of their delicious vegan options.

Grass Fed, 980-982 Monroe Ave., Rochester, NY 14620

This totally-vegan butcher shop in Rochester, New York, recreates your favorite meat products without the animal! With a low-carb, high protein ingredient called vital wheat gluten, they make healthy, delicious vegan meat products that have similar texture and taste to the real thing! With everything from bacon, to brats, to chicken, to beef; Grass Fed has it all! Or order special-occasion products like the Holiday Roast or Thanksgiving Soy Curls in Gravy.

Hue Café & Apothecary, 10210 S. Dolfield Rd. Lower Level, Owings Mills, MD 21117

This plant Based café and tea bar’s menu includes entrées, sides, desserts, cold drinks, and lattes. They advertise “Baltimore’s Best Vegan Cheesesteak” and it sure looks like it. The Black Garlic Mac (and cheese) and Forbidden Black Rice both are not only unique, they sound delicious. Outdoor seating available.

Hungry Vegan, 2 E. Lathrop Ave. #1, Savannah, GA 31415

Offers a healthier twist on Southern favorites. Among menu items that include the Impossible Burger and fried cauliflower, the Mac & Cheese as well as the Big Vegan Soul Food Plate are the apparent stars. Portions are generous, and the customer service is consistent with true Southern hospitality. Don’t forget the sweet tea or the lemonade to accompany your meal, and leave room for the vegan chocolate chip cookie for dessert!

Liora, 414 Light St., Baltimore, MD 21202

Enjoy fine dining near Baltimore’s Harbor. Weekend brunch items include Hazelnut Waffles, Kimchi Scramble, Mac & Cheese, Cheesy Grits, Braised Greens, various desserts, and more. Dinner dishes include Old Bay Chips and Scallion Dip, “Crab” Cake, Raw Heirloom Tomato Lasagne, Plant Burger, Curried Cauliflower, and dessert items such as NY Cheesecake and Chocolate Caramel Crunch. Reservations suggested.

On Third Thought, 6 Markham St., Toronto, ON M6J 1E4 Canada

Enjoy Gelato & Wine Pairings… for real! Daily Flavor Menu features yumminess such as mint chip, cookies n’ cream & mango, and more. You can even try Prosecco Pour Over – any scoop of sorbet topped with prosecco.

Plant Based Heat, 669 S. Highland St., Memphis, TN 38111

Ralph Johnson, aka the radio personality RJ Groove, boasts he can make almost anything vegan. At his restaurant Plant Based Heat, just South West of the University of Memphis campus, he focuses on vegan versions of Southern-style comfort foods, like hot wings, corn dogs, Italian sausage sandwiches, Oyster Mushroom nuggets, and, burgers with Smoked Beyond Meat patties and vegan cheese and bacon. Whether you choose the more whole-food-based or more processed veggie meat and cheese options, you’ll be sure to get a flavor-packed, hearty meal.  Also does themed nights with special menus, like Vegan Seafood Boils, Taco Tuesdays, and Vegan Barbecue Spreads.

Sauce Co. Shoppette, 4300 S. Wayside Dr., Ste. 102, Houston, TX 77087

Located in Wayside Business Center in Gulfgate/Pine Valley, this black-owned all-vegan storefront sells refrigerated Grab N Go meals, snacks, specialty vegan items like agave sweetener and jackfruit, vegan merchandise, and items by local artisans.  Run by the company behind the Houston Sauce Kitchen food truck and Houston Sauce Pit BBQ Food Truck, its Grab N Go meals are similarly delicious comfort foods, and it stocks their full range of sauces, including several kinds of hot sauce and BBQ sauce, Asian Zang, trill sauce (remoulade), and more.

V Spot Express, 12 St. Marks Pl., New York, NY 10003

V Spot Express, operating out of the St. Marks Vegan Food Court, offers vegan Mexican dishes including burritos, empanadas, and more.

Be sure to follow The Vegetarian Resource Group on Instagram: @vegetarianresourcegroup

Get ready! Maryland Vegan Restaurant Week (actually weeks) is August 6^th through 29^th this year. What a terrific time to support local veggie restaurants! For details on all the restaurants participating and special events see: https://www.mdveganeats.com/

Are you looking for some creative ideas on how to prepare zucchini? If so, Hannah Kaminsky’s previous Vegetarian Journal article From A to Zucchini offers recipes for Greek Zucchini Carpaccio; Falafel-Stuffed Zucchini; Barbecue Zucchini Chips; Zucchini Pâté; and Zucchini Bread Thumbprints. Enjoy!

To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal in the USA, see: vrg.org/member

In order to produce eggs, laying hens are bred. The male chicks are culled (killed) as male layers do not lay eggs and aren’t the best for the production of meat. This Dutch study looked at knowledge about this practice and alternatives. Of course animal rights advocates and others would suggest just being vegan. See: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8248538/

University of Maryland Dietetic Intern Rachel Eldering created an info-graphic for vegan teen athletes. See: vrg.org/nutshell/Nutrition-for-Vegan-Teen-Athletes.pdf

For more on vegan teen athletes see: vrg.org/teen/#athletes

The contents of this posting, website, and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

Recent topics brought up include:

– An article about a student starting a community garden at her high school.

– How do we talk to our kids about the climate crisis?

– Someone posted about donating money so that vegan children’s books can be donated to schools in the United Kingdom.

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.