You don't have to be vegan to enjoy these food and drinks! Find many of them in local farmers markets. And get tickets now for the Seed Food and Wine Festival Nov. 7-10 in Wynwood and throughout South Florida, where organizers have rounded up the best in plant-based food and drink.
Chris Caplan’s playful modern hot dog eatery is inspired by pølsevogn – sausage wagons – that sell Danish-style hot dogs and sausages topped with crunchy fried onions, pickles, mustard and an array of sauces. “There’s a gap between fine dining and street food,” says Caplan, who worked in Denmark and now brings his vision to his cart at farmers markets and events. Among his offerings is a vegan dog, the smoky carrot. It been whittled to resemble a frank, then smoked, blanched, marinated and grilled just until a casing of sorts has formed, ready to be served on a sweet Hawaiian bun with dilled cucumbers, pickled mustard seeds, purple sauerkraut and fried crispy onions. With smoky carrots, “parents get kids to eat their veggies,” he says. They’re so tasty, they sell out before the markets close.
WHERE TO BUY IT: Legion Park farmers market (Sat.), street fairs and events in Miami Shores.
FIND OUT MORE: alchemydogsmiami.com
The idea is simple – natural almonds, ground fine, that you blend with water to make creamy nut milk. “The majority of the stuff you get in the store contains less than 2% almond content,” says CEO Hector Gutierrez. Unlike the boxed stuff, our product is just one ingredient – almonds. No gums, binders or ingredients you can’t pronounce.” Founded by Izzy Shu, Dave Korstad and Tony Jimenez, the Miami-based, plant-driven company supplies many of South Florida’s local coffee and smoothie shops, including Vice City Bean, Small Tea Company, Threefold Cafe, Mendez Fuel, Per’La and Panther Coffee. “Cafes have become loyal customers because they have realized that JOI froths better than any other plant milk,” Gutierrez says. Each wholesale pail of JOI makes up to 60 quarts of nut milk, saving precious fridge space, since cafes can just what they need.
WHERE TO BUY IT: On their website.
FIND OUT MORE: addjoi.co
Water lentils, a common name given to the world’s smallest flowering leafy plant that grows above fresh water, are as nutrient-dense as kale and spinach, rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, micronutrients and plant protein. Also known as duckweed, water lentils are typically turned into a powder to add to shakes, protein bars, baked goods and pasta. The taste is mild and sweet, similar to matcha, says Bethany Kilmon of Parabel, the company that grows and sells water lentil protein powder called Lentein. “Our farms are here in Florida and we have a great sustainability story: we grow on nonarable land where citrus could no longer grow, we have a low CO2 footprint and we reuse 98% of our water,” she says. “Also, water lentils can be harvested every single day, which is a huge story compared to most other agricultural products.”
WHERE TO BUY IT: Lentein is used in Real Source nutritional shakes available at Living Green, Nutritional Power Center and online.
FIND OUT MORE: realsourcefoods.com
Kava bars have been around South Florida for a few years, but finding grab-and-go bottles of the earthy, relaxing beverage was a different story until Big Kahuna came onto the scene. Jonny Montoya started his business after he and his wife took a family trip to Hawai’i. “We fell in love with the way Kava made us feel and how it takes your stress away,” he says. Native to the Pacific Islands, kava root (Piper methysticum, in the pepper family) has been used for thousands of years in religious and cultural ceremonies and for medicinal purposes to relieve anxiety and stress and promote relaxation. The ground root has a decidedly earthy taste that’s acquired, says Montoya, but their pineapple and coconut water flavors make it easier on the palate. “Our kava is specially blended and brewed the traditional way while maintaining its effectiveness.” Most kava drinkers consume it for its calming benefits, he says. “A little numbing of the tongue and throat is normal and only temporary. You feel a state of total relaxation of the mind and body.”
WHERE TO BUY IT: Farmers markets: Brickell City Centre (Sat.), Pinecrest Gardens (Sun.), Love Life Cafe, Wynwood; V Shops, Coconut Grove
FIND OUT MORE: bigkahunakava.com
Three new vegan rolls make up the Kenko Roll Collection at Sushi Maki: the 24 Carrot roll, made with carrot mix, cucumber, avocado, wasabi mayo and multi-grain rice; the Sweet Tato, with purple rice, mango, avocado, cucumber, sweet potato puree and wasabi mayo; and the Mighty Shroom, filled with spinach, shiitake mushroom teriyaki, avocado, radish sprouts, sriracha mayo and topped with purple rice. “We developed these recipes to provide delicious, healthy, plant-strong options,” says Sushi Maki founder Abe Ng. The line is called Kenko, which means “health” in Japanese, and is dairy-free and gluten-free, too.
WHERE TO BUY IT: At all Sushi Maki locations, including South Miami, Palmetto Bay, Kendall, University of Miami, FIU, Whole Foods Markets and Miami International Airport
FIND OUT MORE: sushimaki.com
Four bucks doesn’t even get you a Whopper these days, to say nothing of all the calories, fat and sodium inside. For the same price, Baptist Health dining rooms offer a tasty, vegan meal plus spring water, part of their healthy eating initiative, says Natalie Castro, chief wellness dietitian at Baptist Health South Florida. “Our mission is to make healthy affordable,” she says. “Vegetables are at the center of the plate – no animal products.” Popular items include their fajita bowl, a falafel bowl with hummus and tabbouleh, rice noodles with cilantro lime, and locally sourced ingredients, like the lentil-based protein Adashah, when possible. The recipes come about through a committee of their chefs and dietitians. Anyone can dine at their dining rooms. Food delivery service is in the works.
WHERE TO BUY IT: Baptist Health dining rooms at Mariners Hospital, Homestead Hospital, West Kendall, Baptist, South Miami, Doctors and Miami Cancer Institute.
FIND OUT MORE: baptisthealth.net
Like tofu, tempeh is a popular soy-based product in Southeast Asia that takes on the flavors of accompanying sauces, soups or stews. Highly nutritious and versatile, tempeh is widespread throughout Indonesia, but little-known in South Florida. This caught the attention of Rohan Templeman, who moved to Miami with his partner, Ariana, whom he met when she was visiting his native Australia. “She was vegan and I was mostly plant-based,” he says. “Let’s learn how to make it.” The quest became an obsession and Templeman started experimenting until he came up with a flavorful formula. Instead of soy beans, he used yellow split peas, adzuki beans, green lentils and black beans. The process involves soaking the dried beans, draining and washing them, then cooking until the beans soften just enough to be inoculated with mycelium (Rhizopos oligosporus), the fungus that’s the starter culture. The beans are packed into biodegradable bags, flattened and incubated. Now in its second year, his business, Be Cultured Tempeh, sells to the public and to chefs like Drigo Richardson, who smokes and sears tempeh like bacon, and also makes it part of a local breakfast sandwich. Templeman sees himself as a craft person, not a salesperson, creating a product that “represents what Miami truly is – a fermenting, flavorsome mix of cultures growing together.”
WHERE TO BUY IT: Buy Be Cultured tempeh at Legion Park farmers market (Sat.), Angry Booch taproom in Palmetto Bay, Mima Market in Miami Shores, and various events.
FIND OUT MORE: beculturedtempeh.com
Cold-pressed juice isn’t new, but serving it in reusable or biodegradable wares instead of single-use plastic is. Darren Laszlo, the chef behind now-closed Jugofresh, is the head chef at Palma Juice Co. at The Citadel. “To be frank, the mediocre options available to the consumer, served mostly in single-use plastic,” he says. Choices include juices like Leche de Tigre and Throat Candy, a shot containing orange, lemon, lime, ginger, turmeric, cayenne and echinacea root.
WHERE TO BUY IT: The Citadel, Little River
FIND OUT MORE: palmajuice.com
As plant-based eating goes more mainstream – just look at the popularity of the Impossible Whopper at Burger King...
If you were at SEED Food and Wine Festival's Taco Tailgate, you may have tasted Taquiza's Impossible Chorizo Taco. It...
Copyright ©2024 Edible South Florida. All rights reserved
