The Vegetarian Resource Group is a vegan activist non-profit organization that does outreach all-year-long. For example, VRG has been participating in numerous virtual events throughout the USA by providing speakers on a wide variety of vegan topics. We also send literature free of charge to other groups/individuals doing educational activities in schools, hospitals, camps, restaurants, libraries, offices, etc. Our ability to continue doing this depends on people like you! Your donations allow us to promote the vegan message whenever we’re called upon for assistance. Please consider becoming a monthly, quarterly, or single-time donor to The Vegetarian Resource Group.

Thanks so much for your support. You can make a donation online here: vrg.org/donate    

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):

Chihuahua Brothers, 863 North Howard St., Baltimore, MD 21201

Mexican vegan food truck that specializes in tasty, authentic Mexican street cuisine. They offer tacos and hot dogs (both a spicy Sonoran Dog and a ‘gringo’ or stadium style dog), as well as chips and beverages such as Jarritos. Their food comes with various sides and extras such as peppers and sauces that give it a rich and full combination of flavors. Can be found in the elegant, artsy Mount Vernon neighborhood, right opposite the UMMC Midtown Campus, or around the city, depending on the day – follow them on social media to see their schedule, or you can book them to travel to your event.

ConGreka, Ave. Main 3140 Santa Rosa, Bayamon, PR 00959

Enjoy pancakes, oatmeal and fruit, veggie burgers, tacos, and more.

Earthly Café, 746 Shore Rd., Somers Point, NJ 08244

The breakfast menu includes classics such as buttermilk pancakes and waffles with options to add on including chocolate chips, blueberries, or whipped topping. Favorites on the lunch menu include pulled barbeque jackfruit on a Pugliese roll and a sesame orange salad with tofu chicken. Acai bowls and smoothies are also available. Their menu changes every few months to accommodate what produce is in season and they strive to source local and organic produce when possible. A kid’s menu is also available.

Obon Shokudo, 720 SE Grand Ave., Portland, OR 97214

They serve a myriad of different classic Japanese favorites made vegan! You can find them at this street location or at the PSU Portland Farmer’s Market on Saturday. Try one of their many flavors of ‘onigiri’, a kind of Japanese rice ball. They even give free ‘dog sushi’ for customers with canine companions!

Plantology, 931 SW 2nd Ave., Gainesville, FL 32601

Enjoy burgers, chick’n sandwiches, mac bowls, and loaded fries.

Soda Club, 155 Ave. B, New York, NY 10009

Here you can select from more than 200 natural and organic wines curated from around the world, pairing them with fare from the “Snacks” menu, which features fresh vegan pasta, focaccia, and a date cake served with vanilla ice cream. Non-wine-drinkers need not go thirsty, as beer and chic sodas (such as the Blood & Roses, containing blood orange and rosemary) are also served. The swanky décor and the easily-shared plates of food seem well-suited for an after-work dinner with friends or a casual weekend date night.

The Littlest Bake Shop, 645 E. 59th St., Kansas City, MO 64110

Come taste their delicious housemade bakes like their Churro Cake, a decadent vanilla-cinnamon cake topped with vanilla frosting and a dusting of cinnamon sugar, or their array of baked goods that change every day of the week. For a special treat, come enjoy your weekends at their not-so-little brunch with your choice of The Texan (Jalapeno Cheeze Tofu Scramble with Herbed Potatoes), The Midwest (Biscuits and Mushroom gravy), or The New Yorker (Tofu Scramble with Herbed Potatoes)!

Vegan 15, 3003 English Creek Ave. #201, Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08234 and 2001 Market St., Dujour Café, Philadelphia, PA 19103

Vegan 15 is an all-vegan restaurant founded on ideals of ethics, health, and the planet. At the restaurant you’ll find healthy, plant-based meals that are delicious and wholesome. They offer many options, inspired by various different cultures, so there’s something for everyone. Find Italian-inspired pasta dishes, American-style burgers, Thai rice bowls, and even Mediterranean falafel. Complete your meal with a dessert like their refreshing coconut sorbet!

Veg’d, 280 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Committed to serving delicious, sustainably-sourced meals, this café serves a wide selection of all-vegan foods including smoothies, burgers, sandwiches, and bowls that suit all different preferences and tastes. With a Michelin-star-rated head chef, and lots of positive reviews, everyone is sure to find something they enjoy. Try their Veg’d green Forest Smoothie for a quick breakfast. 50% of the profit will go towards one of three sustainability projects in Sumatra and Borneo!

Zest Plant-Based Kitchen, 439 E. Front St., Traverse City, MI 49686

This quaint Traverse City café is the perfect spot for a breakfast, lunch, or an on-the-go snack. Here you can find smoothies, acai bowls, salads, and bowls. Their goal is to serve up healthy and delicious plant-based food that anyone can enjoy. They also serve up a unique ‘Indian Dish of the Week’ that changes.

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/

Too hot to cook? Be sure to try these raw dishes: Creamy Avocado and Corn Soup; Spicy Jicama Sticks; Sunflower Seed Tacos; Food Processor Salsa; Blender Jalapeño ‘Cheese’ Sauce; Red Coleslaw; and Easy Mexican Chocolate Sauce.

Read the entire article here: vrg.org/journal/vj2009issue2/2009_issue2_raw_southern.php

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

In addition to The Vegetarian Resource Group’s quarterly vegan magazine (Vegetarian Journal), VRG publishes a national email newsletter called VRG-News each month. Vegan news is so vast these days that we saw the need to publish more than can fit in our quarterly magazine.

Sign up for our national email newsletter here: https://lists.vrg.org/mailman/listinfo/vrg-news_lists.vrg.org

Are you in the mood for a creative non-alcoholic beverage? A previous issue of Vegetarian Journal featured an article titled “Non-Alcholic Thirst Quenchers,” by Mikiel Peratino. Mikiel is a former assistant manager and bartender at Great Sage vegan restaurant in Maryland. Enjoy recipes for Strawberry Fauxjito; Virgin Piña Colada; Warm Golden Pumpkin; Black Rose Mule; Watermelon Cooler; S’mores Mudslide; Virgin Cucumber Basil Gimlet; and Butterfly Margarita. These drinks look absolutely gorgeous and will bring a smile to your face!

Read the entire article here: vrg.org/journal/vj2020issue3/2020_issue3_thirst_quenchers.php

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

A VRG member shared this note:

“The last three packages I bought of Lightlife Smart Ground Original had a smokey aroma and a smokey taste, which was positively awful in the lasagna I made with it. I’m afraid I will have to stop using the product if this is the new version.” –Barbara

What are other readers’ experiences with this reformulated product? Let us know at [email protected]

By Gene Sager

As a college professor at Palomar College in California, I have had a large “captive” sample for polling the views of American college students. Early in the semester, I asked students in my classes on contemporary issues to fill out anonymous surveys dealing with problems and solutions. I included questions about how solutions complement one another. The results helped me structure the class to dispel myths and supply information and analysis as needed. Although anonymous, the surveys did require each responder to state their age, and this helped me understand generational changes in knowledge and opinions. My students ranged widely in age; the average age was 26.

     A few questions asked for written answers, and the responses were especially informative concerning veganism. Some older students expressed the concern that the vegan diet does not supply a sufficiency of essential nutrients, especially protein.  Scientific studies have shown that the vegan diet is nutritionally adequate. However, despite the science, concerns and criticisms of diets and other practices often become part of a stereotype of the diet or practice and linger on as myths in the minds of the generation who first heard them.

     The younger students were generally more open to veganism, but they, like their older peers, did not show an understanding of the variety of benefits of veganism. I discovered that almost all of my students saw veganism as a dietary pattern unrelated to other proposed solutions to our social issues today. I was surprised that most of the students saw no connection between veganism and the practice of simplicity. Simplicity means minimizing consumption and conserving natural resources. It also reduces hassle and stress, and it declutters both the household and the mind. Most of my students saw no kinship between simplicity and veganism, but my research and personal practice reveals a strong connection.

     Since veganism can improve health, it reduces or avoids the complications of ill health. It can mean fewer medications, less visits to doctors’ offices, less tests, less treatments, less surgeries, etc. It makes for a simpler life.

     In my family, we have found that the vegan diet also makes life simpler in the kitchen. Preparing and cooking meat leaves the pans, dishes, utensils, and dish water and sink greasy. Grease from cheese and meat calls for elbow grease. Such complicated cleanup in the kitchen and at the BBQ grill is avoided by the vegan diet. Life is simpler in the vegan kitchen.

     To their credit, some of my students were aware that the vegan diet is a green diet. It reduces environmental problems like overuse of natural resources, and it reduces emissions from vehicles and the industries required to produce food from animals. From the fossil fuels for running the tractors to produce grains to feed cattle, to the slaughter houses which require massive amounts of water and energy, to all the power needed to refrigerate or freeze beef – the production of a hamburger is highly inefficient. It is a complicated, messy business. It complicates life for all of us. A veggie burger is a vastly simpler lunch.

     Vegan ethics is based on simple, indisputable principles, such as, It is wrong to inflict unnecessary harm or death on animals. It is a clean break with predation. One of my older students wrote this one year after becoming vegan: “With no blood on my hands, I have less weight on my mind.” The simplicity of veganism is evident not only outwardly in the kitchen pots and the resources and atmosphere of the planet, but also inwardly in important ways. As a non-predator, I am at peace with the animals and the planet, and this peace is mirrored inwardly. The simplicity of vegan ethics yields peace of mind.  

     Who knew that veganism is a form of simplicity? My students did not know this at the beginning of the semester. Veganism simplifies our lives on many different levels. The more research we do, and the more experience we gather, the better we understand the multiple benefits of the vegan way of life.

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/