MEATLESS, MIRACULOUS Chefs’ Perspectives on Vegan fare By Elyse Glickman
Forget everything you think you know about meat-free fare... kosher or otherwise. What you may know as “vegan” and “vegetarian” is now “plant-based” as well as savory, satisfying and surprising.
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JoyofKosher.com | PURIM WINTER 2014
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etween the proliferation of upscale vegetarian and vegan restaurants and mainstream restaurants expanding meatless offerings beyond steamed and stir-fried vegetables and tofu, the myth of “healthy” being equated to “flavorless,” “bland” and “boring” is fading into history. In supermarkets, a vegetarian can buy a kosher product labeled “pareve” and be confident that it contains no trace of milk or meat, thanks to the exacting standards of kosher certifying agencies such as the OK. According to vegan chef Ariane Resnick (whose clientele includes Gwyneth Paltrow and Agustina Picasso), and The Conscious Cook author/ chef/restaurateur Tal Ronnen, (Alicia Silverstone, Oprah Winfrey and Arianna Huffington are fans), “plantbased” cooking has something to offer everybody, from meat eaters needing to bring more vegetables into their diets, to those interested in weight loss, addressing food allergies and, yes, keeping kosher. “The laws of kashrut are very much related to the beef, poultry and seafood that is consumed, and is highly focused on nourishing the soul,” concurs Kelly Boyer, chef and founder of the Los Angeles-based food delivery service Paleta. “A vegan lifestyle is by definition kosher, as all plants and grains are kosher. If animal proteins are removed from the equation, challenges and stringencies are more manageable. Your soul will still be nourished and you’ll be encouraged to explore the overwhelming variety of plant-based foods.” When advising her clients in their own cooking pursuits, Resnick suggests that when looking for a dinner entree, find a favorite side dish and think about how to bulk it up into a main dish. For example, kasha varnishkas, which already has buckwheat and a good amount of protein, can be enlivened with vegetables, nuts or beans. She also advises looking into vegetable-based recipes and ingredients outside of the standard Shabbat lexicon, such as a lentil-based loaf or stew. In winter, you can brighten a lentil-based stew with dried apricots, cranberries and other fruits.