Vegan dishes need not be bland with a little added seasoning

Grace Beahm
The Post and Courier

Dishes such as Soul Vegetarian's garden salad, split pea soup, seasoned seaweed and a protein wrap provide lots of nutrients that may help prevent cancer.

There's a common misconception that if food is vegan, it must be bland. But Eliyahav Amiel, general manager of Soul Vegetarian Catering, has a ready response: "If you cooked a piece of chicken and didn't put any seasoning on it, it would be bland. You wouldn't eat it." The same logic applies to cooking vegan dishes, he says.

"We've been doing this for over 40 years. We have become skilled in using the right combination of seasonings in the food," says Amiel. "When we cook a pot of collard greens, we don't put ham hock or pig feet in there, but we focus on the synergy of the seasonings."

Amiel says he used to eat fried chicken and beef, but found the strength, through his faith, to cleanse his body of animal flesh. In cooking vegan food, he has found ways to get around using meat products so that the food doesn't lose any flavor.

"We use a substitute for scrambled eggs: We use scrambled tofu. For ground beef, we substitute textured vegetable protein. You would think it is actual ground beef, but it's not," says Amiel. "You can also use almond, soy or rice milk instead of what comes from cows."

Ahliellah Israel, nutritionist at Soul Vegetarian Catering, says being vegan is a lifestyle for him. "It's healthier to incorporate more vegetable and fruits in your diet. You need to have fiber and whole grains."

Amiel says it takes most people a while to wean themselves off meat, whether they're simply reducing their intake or eliminating it from their diet entirely. "It's healthy to first get a vegetarian mind-set. You can't go cold turkey," he says.

"(People) can easily consult us, and we have a book called 'The Transition Diet.' We offer our vegan catering services, of course, but we also do cooking classes and nutritional classes and can come to people's homes."