Veggies, Not Just For Vegetarians Anymore

 

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, veggies are taking the spotlight when it comes to our plates. Our meat-loving culture is waking up to the fact that there are plenty of delicious and original ways to make veggies the star of the breakfast, lunch and dinner show.

Part of this awakening is thanks to restaurants and chefs trying to be greener. The other part is a little more selfish; we just want our taste buds to enjoy themselves.
Let’s take a look at some key players in the healthy yet flavorful big leagues.

A NICE CUT OF VEGGIE

Today’s high-demand cuts of steak aren’t aged rib eyes; they’re nicely grilled cuts of cauliflower and carrot. At Noma in Copenhagen, carrots arrive to the table aged like prime beef, braised in goat’s milk butter and seared. And restaurants like Eleven Madison Park run the orange root through a meat grinder and serve it like steak tartare. But carrots aren’t the only ones getting the steak treatment. At Brooklyn’s Bar Corvo, cauliflower is crosscut, blanched, grilled and then drenched in garlic-anchovy sauce. Read more about cauliflower’s rise to fame here.

VEGIVORES

Lots of people are realizing that veggie dishes aren’t just for vegetarians anymore. So many people, in fact, that this group has a name now; they’re called vegivores – people who’ve got a lot of love for veggies but aren’t exclusively vegetarian. The vegivore loves a great veggie dish with a nuanced hint of meat to up the flavor and keep all the healthy stuff. Lots of chefs are supporting this trend, offering such popular dishes as Saltie’s romaine lettuce sandwich with a dash of anchovy and Momofuku’s roasted Brussels sprouts with kimchee puree and a spinkle of bacon.

MAKE YOUR OWN

You don’t have to go out to eat to make veggies the center of your meal. Try making you own seared cauliflower steak with tahini sauce. Or flex your vegivore muscle with your own take on Brussels sprouts with kimchee puree and bacon.
And if none of those float your veggie boat, try recipes here, here and here.

You can probably tell by now there’s no shortage of ways to make a veggie-heavy dish totally satisfying and delicious.