Folks who love their steak or pork chops tend to run the other way when someone brings up vegan food. After all, "eating vegan" means excluding not just their favorite meat, but all animal products — no eggs, no cheese.
But three isle vegan chefs, renowned for their delicious fare, say there’s nothing to fear. With some solid tips, home cooks can have diners of all persuasions raising a fork to their vegan creations.
Here’s some advice to help with navigating a brave, new vegan world:
LET GO OF MISCONCEPTIONS
Vegan cooking can be as easy or hard as you want to make it, says chef Leslie Ashburn, who specializes in macrobiotic cooking. It’s possible to make a delicious vegan meal in 30 minutes or less. Even if you don’t cook, you can still create something vegan and flavorful: Open a can of beans, spread over a tortilla, top with salsa, tofu sour cream and tofu cheese. Wrap it and you’ve got a meal "without doing anything different from making any burrito."
"The belief system is that a vegan diet is one of deprivation, but people don’t realize there are so many ingredients available to make a flavorful, colorful, really, really tasty dish," she said. "The key is that it must be prepared well." This leads us to …
TECHNIQUE AND SKILL
Like anything else, if you have some base of knowledge, you will be more successful at creating a vegan dish than someone who’s picking up a pan for the first time, says Ashburn. Most styles of cooking require similar skills, whether it be chopping, boiling, braising or basting.
"There are basic cooking issues in any cuisine … so be open-minded," she said. "If something doesn’t taste good, it doesn’t mean vegan food is bad. It just may not have been prepared well."
Part of what makes any dish successful are combinations that contrast and complement flavors and textures, says chef Ori Ann Li, author of "Vegan Paradise," a cookbook.
Her pairings: light flavors with powerful sauces, soft with crunchy textures, and bitter and salty flavors.
One of Li’s favorite ways to season is with mushroom sauce, a vegan version of oyster sauce, sold in bottles usually right next to the oyster version. Li also uses a variety of sea salts — Himalayan pink tastes different from Hawaiian, she says. She suggests trying a few to find your favorites.
For broths and sauces, Li’s go-to is "Better than Bouillon" vegetarian flavor concentrate, a vegan product.
Other tips from Li: Cumin and turmeric work well with dark, bitter leafy greens. A pinch of asafetida, an herb root, offers umami flavor.
FRESH, FRESH, FRESH
In order to yield the most delicious vegan fare, get the freshest produce possible, both chefs say.
"Get the best quality you can," added Ashburn.
"I don’t believe in having all kinds of special ingredients or spices," said Li. "But if you can get fresh veggies, the flavor’s stronger and the bite is better."
Li prefers growing her own vegetables or purchasing organic produce if she can access it, saying the food tastes better and is healthier. If you purchase conventionally grown produce, meaning pesticides may have been used, she advises washing them with a veggie wash solution or giving them a lengthy soak in water.
She also suggests shopping at farmers markets, which supports local farms, or Chinatown, where the price is right. If your only option is the supermarket, however, that works, too.
"We all should be very flexible. The goal is to make vegan cooking accessible. We each need to make our own choices."
VARIETY
When switching to a vegan diet, some folks eliminate a huge chunk of the foods they used to eat but don’t add in enough new ones.
"Salads, tofu and rice aren’t enough," said Ashburn.
She rattles off a variety of foods that add diversity of color, texture, flavor and spice: grains, beans, nuts, seeds, sea vegetables, fruits and veggies, and naturally fermented foods such as kim chee, tsukemono and sauerkraut.
Another way to keep meals interesting is to cook ethnic dishes.
"There are so many possibilities," said Ashburn. "If you like Indian, replace chicken with garbanzos. There’s no skimping on flavors at all" because the cuisine employs so many spices.
Seitan (wheat gluten) and tempeh (soy) are good substitutes for Japanese, Greek and Mexican foods, she says.
"When you cook ethnic dishes, the seasoning’s all there."
CHANGE SUCESSFULLY
"Remember that everyone is in a different place on their (food) journey," said Ashburn. If someone is transitioning into a vegan diet, it helps to consider the kinds of foods they enjoy.
"What kind of foods do they like beside meat? Do they have a local palate? If so, maybe a vegan fried rice or noodle dish might be better to start with than quinoa," she said.
She also suggests adding lentils, garbanzo beans and tofu to the lineup — "items that provide protein and fiber." Add to those seitan and tempeh for a well-stocked vegan pantry.
Ashburn and Li say lentils are a staple because they cross ethnic cuisines.
"It’s about providing a feeling of fullness and satisfaction," Li said of cooking a vegan dish for meat-eaters.
Her secret: smoke flavoring and items that mimic the texture of meat, such as barbecue tempeh or vegan bacon bits. "The flavors are so similar you don’t have to do a special preparation."
BAKING VEGAN STYLE
How does a vegan baker cope without the use of eggs? Very well, according to chef Alyssa Moreau.
Moreau often substitutes with flax or chia seed, which she grinds and adds water to at a 1-to-2 ratio of seed to water. For 1 egg, use 1 tablespoon seed to 2 tablespoons water. After 5 minutes to let it gel, she adds it to the recipe. A bonus: These are great for digestion.
Other substitutes for 1 egg: 1/4 cup silken tofu, 1/4 cup applesauce, 1/2 mashed banana, 1/4 cup mashed yams or kabocha.
Moreau says heavier items such as banana and tofu are suited for denser products such as brownies. Applesauce, on the other hand, is good in muffins. Pumpkin is perfect for pumpkin muffins.
A tip for applesauce: Moreau buys them individually packed in the half-cup serving size. "Applesauce goes bad pretty quickly so this prevents waste."
Red Lentil Stew with Grilled Tofu Cutlets and Beet Salad
Ori Ann Li
1 block extra-firm tofu
6 white or brown mushrooms, halved
>> Marinade:
2 tablespoons liquid aminos
2 tablespoons vegan barbecue sauce (sold at health food stores)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1-1/2 teaspoons maple syrup
Juice of 1 lemon
Several drops Tabasco
Put tofu in dish or bowl on flat surface. Place heavy flat pan on top (Pyrex dish filled with water works well). Let stand 15 minutes, then drain excess water.
Mix marinade ingredients. Slice tofu into 4 1-inch steaks. Pour marinade over tofu and mushrooms and soak 30 minutes or more.
Remove tofu and mushrooms; reserve marinade.
Grill tofu steaks and mushrooms until browned.
Make dressing with marinade: Heat liquid about 10 minutes or until reduced. Set aside.
>> Red Lentil Stew:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 clove garlic, minced
6 to 8 pearl onions, minced
1 carrot, diced
2 whole dried red chili peppers or pinch chili flakes (optional)
1/2 cup red or other lentils
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1-1/2 cup vegetable broth, as needed
2 ounces veggie protein crumbles (optional; sold at Safeway and health food stores)
Dash red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
Heat cumin seeds in olive oil. Add garlic and pearl onions and saute a couple of minutes.
Add carrot, chili pepper, lentils and tomato and cook 5 minutes before adding broth. Cover, bring to boil, then lower heat and cook 20 minutes.
Mix in protein crumbles and dash red wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
>> Beet Salad:
1/2 firm tomato, thinly sliced
1 beet, steamed until tender (approximately 30 minutes) and thinly sliced
1/3 zucchini, sliced into thin sticks
8 whole cherry tomatoes
4 basil or beet stalks
To assemble: Layer slices of tomato, beet and 1 tofu steak. Top with 1/4 lentil stew, grilled mushrooms, zucchini sticks and 2 cherry tomatoes. Drizzle with 1/4 of marinade. Garnish with fresh basil or beet stalks. Repeat on 3 plates. Serves 4.
Approximate nutritional information, per serving (not including salt to taste): 400 calories, 16 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, no cholesterol, 800 mg sodium, 40 g carbohydrate, 10 g fiber, 12 g sugar, 29 g protein
PLANT-BASED COOKING CLASSES
ORI ANN LI
>> "Everyday Vegan": 7 to 8:30 p.m. first and third Wednesdays monthly; MOA Hawaii, 600 Queen St.; $25; call 952-6900
>> "Gourmet Vegan": 2 to 4 p.m. first and third Sundays, MOA, $35
>> "Vegan Nutrition 101: 1:30 to 3 p.m. fourth Saturday, MOA, $20
>> "Calabash & Cooks": Eight chefs prepare locally sourced food. Benefits Malama Learning Center. 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 2; Kapolei High School; $35 pre-sale, $20 keiki, $75 VIP; visit malamalearningcenter.org
>> "Vegan Paradise" book signing and cooking demos: 11 a.m. Nov. 2, Manoa Public Library; 10:30 a.m. Nov. 5, Waikiki Community Center, fee, call 923-1802;
6 p.m. Nov. 12, Kahuku Public and School Library
LESLIE ASHBURN
>> "Healthy Holiday Cooking": 4 to 6:30 p.m. Nov. 3; Toho no Hikari, 3510 Nuuanu Pali Drive; $50 through Oct. 31, $60 thereafter; visit macrobiotichawaii.com
ALYSSA MOREAU
>> "What’s Cooking Hawaii?" TV cooking show (7 p.m. Wednesdays, KFVE): Moreau prepares vegan dishes, today and Oct. 16. (See "What’s Cooking Hawaii" story)
>> "Sweet & Savory:•Recipes for Holiday Parties and Gifts": 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Nov. 6; Lyon Arboretum, 3860 Manoa Road; $25; call 988-0456
>> "Gourmet Vegetarian Holiday Feastival": 1 to 5 p.m. Nov. 9, Kapiolani Community College, $60, call 734-9211
>> "Winter Greens": 8 a.m. to noon Dec. 14, KCC, $50, call 734-9211
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>> Contact chef and cooking instructor Ashburn at macrobiotichawaii.com.
>> Contact chef and cooking instructor Moreau at divinecreationshawaii.com.
>> Contact cookbook author and cooking instructor Li at oriannli.com.
