Sacramento chefs whip up vegan specialties in October

Published: Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011 – 12:00 am | Page 1D

Let’s just get the stereotype of vegan food out of the way. You’re probably thinking of raw vegetables and other kinds of rabbit food as an entree, maybe with a side of watery, bland tofu. Mmmm, just like Grandma used to make, right?

Sample some of the vegan eats from Raphael Kendall, a chef at downtown’s Capitol Garage, and you just might ask for seconds.

He lives a vegan lifestyle – no meat of any kind, and no dairy or other animal-derived ingredients – and on a recent afternoon he’s whipping up a batch of vegan Southwest barley risotto. While a hot dog grills nearby for a customer and another chef trims a hunk of meat, Kendall stirs a simmering pot of pearl barley and eyes a sauté pan filled with Swiss chard and other veggies.

The final dish, mixed in part with roasted sweet potatoes and a spicy kick of chili flakes, tastes like pure comfort food. For ingredients that have neither walked, swum nor come from an egg, this barley risotto goes down hearty and full of flavors that are at once fresh and tasty.

“I don’t feel like I have to cut many corners,” said Kendall. “I make jambalaya, pizza, chili. You have this idea that it’s bland food with veggies, but there’s exciting vegan food out there.”

Kendall and other Sacramento chefs – most of whom aren’t vegan – will show off their creations this month. Through Oct. 31, the Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge asks diners to try some special vegan dishes around town and then nominate their favourites.

At Aioli Bodega Española, you’ll find vegan paella, while 58 Degrees and Holding Co. serves Korean barbecue-style tofu. Sugar Plum Vegan Cafe, which was praised by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals as having one of the country’s best vegan sandwiches, offers its take on Southwestern enchiladas.

Over at midtown’s Kru, chef Billy Ngo substitutes shiitake mushroom for fish in his vegan take on nigiri sushi. He’s also offering a vegan roll that includes grilled yellow French beans, Granny Smith apple and microgreens topped with a kimchee ponzu sauce and miso mustard.

“I want to show people that vegans can come in, and we can do pretty much anything for them,” said Ngo. “We do have some vegan regulars. If you have all the right ingredients it’s fun and makes you more creative. You’re playing with textures and flavors to make it work for nigiri or a roll.”

Vegan cookbooks have been around for more than a century – Rupert H. Wheldon’s “No Animal Food” appeared in 1910 – and the term “vegan” was coined during the mid-1940s in England. The lifestyle might be followed for moral reasons and a showing of support for animal rights. Other vegans say following a meatless and dairyless diet simply makes them feel healthier.

“I went vegan for health reasons, but for moral reasons, too, especially when I was learning about how food is processed,” said Kendall, who dropped meat and dairy products seven years ago. “It gives me a lot more energy. You’re eating a lot of vegetables, but you have to make sure you get your iron and protein in there.”

Getting some good flavors in vegan food is also welcome, especially when you don’t have the benefit of using cheeses, dairy creams and the like. While it might seem like vegan ingredients don’t go beyond vegetables and soy-based goods, plenty of vegan food products have emerged, along with cooking techniques to keep everything tasty.

Kendall is a fan of Earth Balance, a vegan butterlike spread he uses for baking and other cooking applications. It can be found at most health food stores and costs about $5 for a 15-ounce tub.

“I actually like it better than butter,” said Kendall. “I find that it adds a cleaner taste.”

You’ll also find a slew of vegan recipes in a new book, “Spork-Fed” (St. Lynn’s Press, $19.95, 190 pages) by sisters Jenny Engel and Heather Goldberg. Thumb through the cookbook and it hardly looks like hippie food: Velvety carrot soup with mint oil, sweet potato biscuits and gravy, and even a chocolate peanut butter mousse, among others.
“There are so many easy tricks of the trade,” said Engel, who attended culinary school at the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City. “When you think about the foods you eat and what consistently produces flavor, that’s seasonings, vinegars and herbs. Even if it’s just tofu, it can be gussied up with sauces. Our main goal is to allow people to realize this lifestyle is easy to stick with and you can live healthfully for the long term.”

The sisters are especially fond of using brown rice syrup as a sweetener for its honeylike consistency and caramel overtones. Miso is also a go-to ingredient, especially as a substitute for cheesy flavours.

“We do a pistachio pesto, and because a lot of the time people are using Parmesan cheese we’re trying to emulate those flavors,” said Goldberg. “One of our secrets is miso. It has the creaminess of cheese and some of that saltiness and savory character that people love.”

Back at Capitol Garage, Kendall has a perfectly decadent touch to cap any vegan feast: Vegan chocolate chai coconut cake. Without eggs, you might expect this dessert to be a crumbly mess, but coconut milk and Earth Balance in the mix make this cake especially moist. Take a bite and it’s fragrant with spices and tastes kind of like rich gingerbread – you know, just like Grandma used to make.

“Without saying what it is, people might not realize it’s vegan,” Kendall said.

Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge

What: A monthlong celebration and competition of vegan cuisine with 10 local restaurants.
When: Through Oct. 31
Participants: Kru, 2516 J St.; Capitol Garage, 1500 K St.; Tower Bridge Bistro, 100 Capitol Mall; 58 Degrees and Holding Co., 1217 18th St.; Michelangelo’s, 1725 I St.; Hot Italian, 1627 16th St.; Cafe Capricho, 3269 Folsom Blvd.; Bombay Bar & Grill, 1315 21st St.; Aioli Bodega Española, 1800 L St.; Sugar Plum Vegan Cafe, 2315 K St.

How it works: Drop by the eateries listed above, sample their featured vegan dishes and vote for your favorite. Individual vegan items can be had for $7 to $10, while Tower Bridge Bistro offers a multicourse prix fixe meal for $27.

Information: www.californiaveganrestaurants.com