Tag: Vegan Food

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Chefs Dining Featured NYC Restaurants

The Future of Food is Plant-based, says Matthew Kenney

Renowned vegan chef launched the Future Food Institute, an online school specialized in plant-based cuisine, and is opening 15 new restaurants. 

I asked chef Matthew Kenney the question he must have heard a million times: How can a plate of vegan raw food compete with a juicy steak? He said, “It’s really easy if you put a brown steak, which is not very pretty, next to a raw vegan tomato lasagna, exploding with colors, first I think is more beautiful and flavorful. But most importantly, after eating a steak you want to go to sleep and after eating a vegan tomato lasagna you can run 10 miles because this food provides the energy you need”. Because of his belief in the power of food in our health and the planet, the chef changed completely his career in cooking and took the vegan term mainstream.

The Food Future Institute

Ten years ago, Matthew spoke in a TEDx Talk about the difficulty in associating the word “chef” with “healthy”. People want to eat better. But the truth is that the vegan option on the menu, with some grilled vegetables, will never catch their attention. Chefs need to know how to create masterpieces with plant-based ingredients and for that, they need to learn new techniques. 

That’s why since 2009, he has been teaching chefs from over 30 countries in a school specialized in plant-based cuisine. Blending his knowledge of classical French cuisine with new techniques. In May of this year, Matthew took a step further and launched the Food Future Institute, an online course with classes taught by several chefs specialized in vegan food. The FFI has more than 750 students enrolled and, at least, 500 hundred are international. The cost is $350 and the student has access to the platform for a whole year.

New plant-based restaurants in 2020

In addition to The Food Future Institute, the chef will open 15 new restaurants this year, even in the midst of the global crisis caused by coronavirus pandemic. In New York, he’s opening a new pasta concept on August 14th, called Sestina Pasta Bar, a rooftop restaurant at Alo Yoga Flatiron, called Sutra, and two new locations of Pizzeria Double Zero. 

According to Matthew, there’s a growing demand for plant-based food, even in countries that produce a lot of meat: “When we opened in Brazil, which is the largest meat exporter in the world, we had one thousand people dining in our restaurant for the first two days. We were so busy, we had to close for the next couple of days to readjust”. The chef explains that this happens in every place they open a new restaurant, because people are getting more conscious about what they eat and how their food affects the environment.

matthew_kenney

See more:

Matthew Kenney Q&A: Ladurée Going Vegan

The Food Movement is Growing (and Winning)

Vegan Recipes to Cook at Home During Quarantine

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Dining Featured Nutrition

Vegan Recipes to Cook at Home During Quarantine

Quarantiners were so excited to cook at home at the beginning of isolation – we saw many great recipes on social media. By now, most of you probably ran out of creativity and can’t wait to dine out.

But while our favorite restaurants remain closed, maybe these recipes from Parma will inspire you to continue to cook even more delicious meals. They are all vegan and made with their non-dairy parmesan cheese. A Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo? Yes, this is possible. You can still be in your food comfort zone while discovering new cuisines inside your own kitchen? 

Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo

Ingredients

  • Noodles or Zucchini Noodles*
  • 1 Cup Cashews (depending on how thick you want your sauce)
  • ½ Lemon to taste
  • 1 Cup Parma! (1 – 3.5oz bottle)
  • 1-2 Cups Water
  • Salt to taste
  • Basil or parsley as garnish

Directions

Cook your noodles as directed. Blend the dry cashews into a flour. Add 1/2 the Parma! then slowly blend in water. Add additional Parma! to desired consistency and taste; add salt to taste. Put a portion of noodles onto a plate or bowl, add a dollop of sauce on top. Garnish with Parma! and fresh herbs.

*Zucchini Noodles – 1 or 2 Zucchini – use a Spiral Slicer for angel hair pasta or a Spirooli Slicer for thicker noodles, or using a wide grater, make long thin strips.

If you are using wide zucchini strips, layout the strip put a dollop of cheese on top, and roll it up.

Parma! Poppers

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Saute peppers, onion, and mushrooms until soft.
  3. Mix all ingredients together. Stuff jalapenos. Sprinkle Parma! on top. Place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

Creamy Pesto Pasta

Ingredients 

  • 16ox box pasta (your favorite)
  • 8oz sliced mushrooms
  • 1 bunch asparagus, ends removed, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1/4 large red onion chopped
  • 2 cups fresh packed basil leaves
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 lemon (zest and juice)
  • 2/3 cup veggie or olive oil
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 2+ TBSP Parma Original

Directions

Preheat oven to 425. Begin cooking pasta in boiling water. While pasta is boiling, combine mushrooms, asparagus, onions, a little oil/salt/pepper, spread onto a baking sheet and bake 12-15 minutes. To make the Creamy Pesto Pasta sauce combine the basil, garlic, lemon zest + juice, oil, pine nuts, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper in a food processor or large personal blender and blend until creamy. When pasta is done, drain all but 1/4 cup water (a little pasta water helps the creaminess), combine pasta with mushrooms, asparagus, onions, and pesto, sprinkle generously with Parma and serve.

On Parma! website, you can see more recipes and check out their products.

 

See More:

Ice Cream Recipes by Vegan for Fit

Matthew Kenney Q&A: Ladurée Going Vegan

Fuel Your Body With These Treats Without Meat

Categories
Chefs Dining Restaurants

Wagamama Plant Based Dishes

Wagamama offers Plant Based Dishes
According to John Parker’s article in the Economist, he believed that 2019 would be the year of the Vegan. Especially among Millenials.  Yes, folks, even the Guardian and Forbes agree that veganism has gone mainstream.

In response to increasing demand for plant-based dishes –

Wagamama has once again collaborated with innovative UK vegan Chef Gaz Oakley to put his twist on his highly popular recipe for smoky, spicy and sticky seitan BBQ ribs.

 

The dish was adapted from the original seitan recipe, taking advantage of Oakley’s flavor profile but using Wagamama’s own cherry hoisin and sticky vegan sauces, and accompanying the dish with rice, caramelized lime and broccoli topped with chili for a more complete menu offering.

Wagamama offers Plant Based Dishes
Chef Gaz Oakley
Dan Metz our Associate Editor had the pleasure of tasting the Vegan dishes this past Monday. “Wagamama has a really good vegan/vegetarian menu filled with all kinds of delicious options that would help even a meat-eater like myself est more vegetarian. The ribs dish was tangy, crunchy on the outside, and definitely reminiscent of real ribs. It was an interesting direction but isn’t necessarily a standout compared to all of the other vegan and vegetarian options available.”

 

Wagamama offers Plant Based Dishes
Wagamama Vegan

 

More and more people are opting to consume less meat –

driven by concerns about health, the environment and the ethical treatment of animals. The additional upside is that eating a more plant-based diet has shown to support health, contributing to lower levels of cholesterol and blood pressure, and reduced risk of developing coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

 

 

 

Don’t worry if you are not based in the US, you can go to your nearest Wagamama’s as it features more than 29 vegan or vegetarian options diners and they will gladly customize other dishes to satisfy their dietary concerns.

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Dining

Healthy Options From 5 Of New York’s Top Chefs

Le Coq Rico's Vegetable Baeckaoffe
Le Coq Rico's Vegetable Baeckaoffe
Le Coq Rico’s Vegetable Baeckaoffe

As we are still in the first half of January 2017, many of us are still following the New Year’s resolutions which we had announced in late December 2016. For the Downtown readers still looking to dine out and be sociable, it may seem challenging to find healthy fare at great New York City restaurants.

However, five great New York chefs are helping to prove that food can be both fun and healthy when chosen correctly:

Le Coq Rico's Antoine Westermann
Le Coq Rico’s Antoine Westermann

Le Coq Rico – Chef Antoine Westermann

Chef Antoine Westermann’s signature Westermann’s Baeckeoffe and the Friday plat du jour Vegetable Baeckeoffe are two recommendations. Both dishes combine all-natural, ethically raised lean protein and fresh, flavorful vegetables for the ultimate cold weather comfort meals that still manage to respect your New Year’s food resolutions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJx0IT-RTso&t=7s

Left Bank – Chef Laurence Edelman

Some people may think that eating seasonally means eschewing their favorite salads during the colder months, but at Left Bank in the West Village, Chef Laurence Edelman has created a crisp and bright Winter Caesar that is seasonal, refreshing, and delicious. Over a base of endive leafs and razor-thin slices of kohlrabi, Chef Edelman using a healthy dressing of egg yolks, garlic, anchovies, lemon, and water to create a clean alternative to heavier winter indulgences.

Industry Kitchen – Chef Braulio Bunay

Although it’s known for its wood-fired pizzas, Industry Kitchen offers a healthy Winter Kale Salad — priced at $13 — that tastes just as indulgent. Do your body good with this delicious mix of quinoa, pomegranate, watermelon radish, pickled red onions, persimmons, feta, candied almonds and cider vinaigrette.

Flinders Lane – Chef Chris Rendell

Many of Flinders Lane’s modern Australian dishes draw inspiration from the bold flavors of Asian cuisines, including their Chicken San Choi Bau, a popular Aussie spin on lettuce wraps. Bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts give the light, yet satisfying dish a healthy dose of crunch while fresh ginger and Vietnamese mint add brightness. The San Choi Bau pairs perfectly with the restaurant’s Spiced Carrot Margarita, a smoky and delicious cocktail made with fresh Carrot Juice, Tequila, Mezcal, Chili, Cardamom, and Lime.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0Mv9MXDUlQ

Rider – Chef Patrick Connolly

The brainchild of James Beard Award-winning chef Patrick Connolly, Rider is a contemporary American bistro that serves sophisticated cuisine in the heart of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. From skate wing schnitzel to squash agnolotti to a hot fried chicken sandwich, Rider serves food that is simple and iconically American yet textured, dynamic and globally-inspired. The menu’s clean-eating stand out is surely the Vegan Gemelli Pasta made with mushroom bolognese, black truffle tofu, and gremolata. It’s satisfying, textured, and deceptively simple to make at home. It also happens to be vegan, though it’s rich enough that you’d never know.