DISCOVER VEGAN VARIETY

“Bruh, you’re vegan? What do you eat?”  Yes, this is an actual comment/question I’ve regularly gotten from a co-worker, who has known me to be vegan in the 14 years he has worked with me. For the record, I became vegan back in 1988. Plant-based wasn’t even a term then. All of my coworkers have ONLY known me to be vegan. Some who I’ve worked with for over 20 years have eaten my “personal” food and a couple brought their families to eat at one of the vegan restaurants I cooked for way back when. I helped them discover vegan variety.

It’s 2025 now and unbelievably, that question can still be a precursor to the famous answer, “Rabbit food?”  No, no, no! A thousand times no! It’s time for you to discover vegan variety.

Looking Back

Vegan/plant-based dining has exploded in the last 10 years. I know, I’ve seen it. But it wasn’t always this way. The last 30 years, my work travels have taken me all over the U.S. touching both coasts and borders and even to the Midwest.

I’ve also been blessed to travel to nine countries and three territories. Back in the 80’s and 90’s, finding suitable vegan/plant-based food on the road could be an adventure in itself.  In those days you had to know where to look once you arrived at the work destination. If it wasn’t a major city, you might suffer unless you could find something close to a university or college. 

Co-ops, usually near the universities or in the “artsy/earthy crunchy” part of town were veritable culinary lights of salvation. There, you could usually find some tasty, locally made vegan fare. As a last resort, you could find some sort of Indian or Southeast Asian restaurant that would bang out a good curry or a stir-fry with some veggies and tofu for you. You might have to be conscious enough to remind them to thoroughly wash the cooking utensils and their hands, and many times banish the MSG. But you could get by. Grocery stores that were mainstream might have a “natural food section,” – maybe a shelf or two of prepackaged foodstuffs. 

Food Everywhere (Plant-based that Is)

Nowadays even the most casual social media search for plant-based or vegan recipes can net you thousands of results!  And because so many more people are “culinarily curious” the variety of offerings expands daily. In the last decade, it’s become almost commonplace to find “veganized” versions of regular dishes. Comfort food was one of the first landing spots, making it easier to find quality vegan pizzas, burgers, tacos, subs, and breakfast/brunch foods (who doesn’t love breakfast or brunch?). In the early days, if we wanted vegan mac-n-cheese, we had to make it ourselves, starting first with homemade cheese. Now you can find easily a half dozen varieties, ready-to-go in many stores. 

And dining at new restaurants, alongside more established venues, you have a much greater chance of being able to order a thoughtfully and deliciously prepared vegan dish. It’s simply much closer to the norm now, as people are becoming more motivated by the flavor possibilities the meatless, whole-plant meal can offer.

New Diet New Tastes

Newer adherents as well as some vegan veterans are taking advantage of the opportunity to create new, fusion palates by experimenting with different spices and herbs, fruits, and vegetables. Global awareness of the healthy aspects of plant-based, whole-food eating has brought a greater spotlight to the many cultures that have always had plant-based dishes.

Yes, you can still find brown rice and tofu, but why stop there? Tofu? Don’t like soy? Try black bean, lentil, or chickpea tofu/Burmese tofu – which is a traditional food from Myanmar. Craving a “fish” fry, but want to make it vegan, look up banana blossoms/flowers and watch the recipes roll in.

Eating Around the Globe

Banana blossoms are not new, they’ve been a dietary fixture all over southeast Asia, India, and Sri Lanka for example, for centuries. But they’ve acquired new fame in the last several years as people are looking to transition from animal-based foods to healthier vegan dishes but still want that familiar taste, texture, and mouth feel. You don’t have to miss that “fish and chips” because you can make it now with plants. You can look up traditional ways banana blossoms have been eaten for centuries, or branch off into new areas, fusing the traditional with your own preferences.

Jackfruit, another ancient staple from the Indian subcontinent is amazing in its versatility and promise for vegans and those who don’t want to consume animal products. Jackfruit packs a double punch because its flesh is luscious and sweet while the seeds, once cooked can be made to mimic the texture and flavor of many meat products.

Jackfruit is the culinary chameleon when it comes to mimicking meat textures. You can literally almost make it taste like anything. And like banana blossoms, you can start with preparing it in one of the many ways it’s been traditionally eaten, or branch off into the unknown starting with herbs, spices, and other ingredients that you’re more familiar with.

Grains Make the World go Round

Like grains but grown tired of rice, quinoa, and couscous? Try fonio, a nutrition-packed ancient cereal grain native to West Africa. Fonio has a texture like couscous when dry but when it’s cooked it gets light and fluffy with a nutty flavor. It cooks up quickly and easily.  I’ve cooked it and eaten it savory with caramelized Brussels sprouts, seared crispy oyster mushrooms and sauteed red onions. Decidedly NOT West African but tasty all the same!  I’ve also done it as a breakfast porridge with coconut milk, a bit of agave nectar or maple syrup and some seasonal berries.

Teff is another ancient grain from the African continent that made its way from the Horn of Africa. Anyone who has eaten in an Ethiopian restaurant has tasted it in the wonderfully sour, spongy, fermented flatbread called injera. Teff flour is the principal ingredient but by itself it doesn’t have that sour taste, which is due to the fermentation process. Its flavor alone can vary from slightly nutty and mild (white or ivory teff) to more complex and richer like the darker versions. More people are experimenting with it as a cereal/porridge as well as adding it to baked goods, both sweet and savory.

A plant-based diet allows you to explore and be creative with your cuisine. Plenty of people have eaten a steak from meat. Try redefining a steak using cauliflower or eggplant instead. Take that familiar canvas and seize the power to define by being curious and creatively using a plant-based pallet and see what you can come up with!

You can stick to creating plant-based counterparts to familiar dishes you might have grown up with, or you can branch out and create new flavor profiles by experimenting with different grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, fruits,and vegetables. Expanding your palate with newer, healthier, fresh plant-based options will reward your mind, body, and soul!

The vegan/plant-based diet draws people for a wide range of reasons, from the health-minded, and more ethically driven, to those simply looking for something new, different, and hopefully tasty to eat. Infusing your plant-based food journey with a sense of adventurousness and curiosity can help you improve your diet and get the nutrition and satisfaction you need.

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