During this hot wave, many of us will be relying on cold drinks to cool down. Fortunately, kosher vegans have a wide variety of certified, plant-based brands available around the world. Many kosher, plant-based beverages are available by brands like Prigat, Spring, Fuze tea, Tapuzina and Sweezee (please note not all these brands are exclusively plant based so always check the label). However, many of us raised in non-vegan households may miss popular drinks we grew up with and relied on in the summertime. Here we explore some easy, quick plant-based recipes to recreate those classic tastes, in an ethical and sustainable way.
Shokolad or ‘Shoko’
There are a couple of popular brands which offer cool, chocolatey drinks very similar to Shoko. Alpro and Oatly are available in almost all supermarkets kosher or non-kosher. Alpro Chocolate Soya Drink is 100% Certified Vegan and Certified Kosher by Shomrei Hadas Antwerpen. Oatley’s Chocolate Oat Milk is also 100% Certified Vegan and Certified Kosher OU-DE Kosher. These options provide quick, ready made plant-based alternatives to traditional Shoko. For those of us who prefer to make our own alternative foods, OWYN Dark Chocolate Shakes and 1lb Powders are 100% Certified Vegan and Certified Kosher Pareve by the Orthodox Union; these can easily be dissolved into warm plant-based milk and then chilled to resemble the cool taste of Shoko. Additionally, making your own chocolate milk at home means you can choose which vegan milk base, and how chocolatey you like it- what could be better?
Iced Café (Blended iced coffee)
For many of us, an ‘iced café’ or blended, creamy iced coffee hits the spot when the weather gets warm. Unfortunately, this traditional shuk drink found in kosher cafes and restaurants are made in large quantities with cows’ milk, rendering this drink unethical and unsustainable. However, with a simple blender or food processor at home, we can recreate this tasty drink with household ingredients. Simply combine in your blender/processor 1-2 shots of coffee, plant-based milk and sugar to taste along with a handful of ice cubes. The result will be a vegan ‘iced café’ made precisely to your coffee preferences drink immediately before it melts in hot weather!