Culinology - March 2020 - 22

MENU trends

in macrobiotics and
raw veganism to create the fast-casual
vegan restaurant's
burger, which is a
house-made blend
of grains, beans,
vegetables, walnuts
and spices. It's
not designed to
mimic beef, rather
the patty allows
the diner to enjoy
plants in a convenient format.
It's rich, satiating and crumbly,
according to Ms.
Lane. Housemade plantbased toppings
add additional layers of flavor. This includes
vegan cheese and mayo, as well as pickled poblanos, tamarind chutney and pepita
pesto.
She makes artichoke the star of bay cakes,
a vegan take on crab cakes. The meaty, firm
and moist texture of artichoke hearts resembles that of crabmeat. When combined
with red dulse, a sea vegetable that has a
slight bacon taste, the breaded and fried cake
tastes like it's made with crustacean.
Jackfruit carnitas are featured in many
dishes developed by Wendy Garcia, owner
and chef of Tumerico. While the menu at
the Tucson-based scratch kitchen is mostly
Mexican, Ms. Garcia's ethnicity, the vegan
entrees she creates daily without following
any recipes - flavor profiles may change
from day to day - often draw inspiration from
Asian and other Hispanic cuisines.
Ms. Garcia appreciates the texture of
jackfruit, which is similar to pulled pork and
shredded chicken. Its unique consistency and
neutral profile allow it to absorb the flavors of
seasonings and sauces to closely mimic the
appearance, mouthfeel and taste of meat.
She cooks the carnitas with mushrooms
and poblano peppers to make vegan ropa
vieja, a Cuban dish typically made with flank
steak. The carnitas are also included in the
nopalitos, a dish made with diced nopales,
the flat stems (pads) of prickly pear cactus.
"Prickly pear cactus grows readily and is

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Culinology | MARCH 2020

available fresh all year round," she said. "The
pads have an earthy flavor that works well
with everything from sweet to spicy."
The fruits of the cactus are bland with
some sweet notes. They may be eaten whole,
usually boiled or grilled. They may also be
juiced and used to create beverages, jams
and syrups.
At the Tasteful Kitchen, Ms. Thompson also
focuses on using locally grown plants. One
of her farm-to-table specialties is sunflower
street tacos, a raw cuisine dish.
"Raw cuisine is fun and inspires imagination by transforming traditional cooked dishes
into raw, plant-based fare," she said. "Jicama
is thinly sliced on a mandolin, which is used
in place of a traditional tortilla. Raw sunflower
seeds are soaked then chopped in a food
processor with chili, cilantro, cumin and lime.
The mix resembles ground beef."
Ms. Thompson likes working with cauliflower steaks. They work well for the company's
meal-to-go-program, which allows the community to purchase prepared meals for enjoyment in their own homes.
"I like to cut the cauliflower about an inch to
an inch and half thick. They can be cut thinner but I think a thicker piece is more impressive," she said. "Over the years I have cooked
cauliflower every way imaginable. In my experience, the best way is to par cook them."
She suggests baking them at 350 degrees
for 7 to 10 minutes. After cooling, coat them
in a light rice flour batter, followed by a dusting with some type of crumb. Then the cauliflower steak is roasted at 400 degrees for
another 10 minutes.
"Currently I'm using crushed tortilla chip
crumbs," she said.
Culinary professionals have become comfortable working with cauliflower. It's being
riced, mashed and even turned into pizza
crust.
RollinGreens, Boulder, Colo., has introduced crispy, breaded florets designed
to resemble chicken wings. "Cauliflower
Wings. Finger Lickin' No Chicken" join the
frozen plant-based finger food company's
organic millet tots, which are vegan and free
from the top-eight allergens.
"We use the whole floret to make our
wings," said Lindsey Cunningham, co-founder and chief executive officer. "Think tempura
cauliflower tossed in one of three sauces: teri-

Culinology - March 2020

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