Eating a plant-based diet is easy when the foods are as delicious as these.
Savory spreads
Aman Blana started Atlanta-based Growee Foods in March 2022. At the time, he was changing his diet to include more animal-free foods, and he wasn’t satisfied with what was available. After experimenting with recipes in his kitchen, he came up with three spreads he thought were good enough to share: spiced mango, curry zucchini and three-pepper. We put these to the taste test with nearly a dozen friends. The consensus was that the zucchini spread, with its chunky texture and just-right amount of curry, was delicious with grilled vegetables. The pepper spread reminded people of pepper jelly, but without all the over-the-top sweetness, and they loved it with cheeses on a charcuterie plate. And, the mango spread was the one that appealed to those who wanted more heat. Recipes on the company website provide ideas for using the spreads to dress up salads, sandwiches and more.
$8.99 per 9-ounce jar. Available at Nuts ’n Berries, Grant Park Market, Oakhurst Market, Nature’s Pick in Marietta, Fairview Market in Madison and at Amazon, freshharvest.com and groweefoods.com.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Cinnamon sugar chickpeas
Chickpeas are a great source of protein and fiber. They have a buttery, nutty flavor and creamy texture, and we eat them in everything from hummus to soups and salads. The chefs at Recess have one more way for you to enjoy chickpeas. They created a fun walking-around snack by roasting chickpeas in a cinnamon sugar syrup that crystallizes as it cools. Think cinnamon-sugar popcorn, but with a more substantial bite. They’re packaged in small bags that are sold at the counter. The restaurant staff works hard to keep a supply on hand, and every bag is individually labeled, with a fun message to brighten your day. CEO Erik Goranson said they were created to provide a sweet treat at the end of a meal that is aligned with the company’s food-that-makes-you-feel-good mantra. “Our culinary director, Whitney Wood, made these for us one day, to try,” Goranson said, “and it was a no-brainer — they’re health-minded, simple and satisfying.”
$1.99 per 2-ounce package. Available at Recess, located at 99 Krog St. and 3150 Roswell Road in Atlanta. Information: eatrecess.com
Credit: handout
Credit: handout
Plant-based cheese
For many people, dairy is one of the hardest things to give up when switching to a plant-based diet. That was the case for us, too, but then we were introduced to Spero, a plant-based dairy company out of California. They make cream cheese and cheese spreads out of organic sunflower seeds, water, coconut oil, salt, spices and probiotic cultures. We invited a half-dozen taste testers to try seven different flavors: original, herb, smoked salmon, strawberry, smoked, cheddar and alternative goat. Everyone agreed that these were some of the best plant-based cheeses they had tried, and several, who never even had considered plant-based cheese, became converts. There are recipes on the company website for such dishes as a strawberry cheesecake smoothie bowl and tikka masala, but we admit to eating all of our cheeses on toast. Two flavors are available in the Atlanta area: the herb sunflower cream cheese and alternative goat cheese.
$4.99 per 6.5-ounce package. Available at the Fresh Market. Information: sperofoods.co
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