Vegan food is in increasing demand around central Ohio and right here in Westerville. A number of local restaurants have long offered vegetarian and vegan options, but the recent opening of Can’t Believe It’s Vegan on Shrock Road and Zammy’s Vegan Kitchen just past Sharon Wood Metro Park in Worthington mean more options and more variety; and eating vegan in 2022 is a far cry from a plate of raw veggies.
There’s a wide variety of reasons for choosing vegan food, from avoiding animal products to looking for healthier food choices. Some just like the taste – you certainly don’t have to be vegan or vegetarian to enjoy the food.
But being vegan isn’t just good for the body and soul; it’s good for the planet, too. According to Human Society International, a meat-free diet can reduce our water footprint by up to 55 percent, and many Westervillians are adopting a greener lifestyle.
Clayton Freeman, owner and chef at Can’t Believe It’s Vegan, points to local initiatives such as a recycling program and household hazardous waste drop-off location for used cooking oil as evidence of shifting values in Westerville.
“Westerville is definitely ready to push forward with greener initiatives,” he says.
He hopes that opening the storefront for his restaurant, previously active as a ghost kitchen, will encourage conversations about a vegan lifestyle without judgment. Freeman says that a vegan diet can help people take steps toward a more conscientious lifestyle and healthier eating habits.
Switching to a more plant-heavy diet doesn’t have to be difficult, and it doesn’t have to be boring. Freeman offers a vegan taco recipe – replacing meat and cheese with vegan alternatives – that he says anyone can recreate quickly and easily at home with ingredients found at any grocery store.
Making recipes on your own or trying a vegan dish from a restaurant or friend is a great entry to vegan cuisine, Freeman says.
“Good food is good food,” he says. “We want to beat the stigma that vegan food can’t taste good.”
Vegan Taco Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 package of Beyond Meat crumbles or store brand crumbles (use Beyond if soy and/or gluten-free is desired)
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 1 green, yellow or orange pepper, chopped
- 1 tbsp. of taco seasoning
- 1 tsp. of sea salt
- 1 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 avocado, large section chopped
- 7 oz. of vegan cheddar or Mexican cheese
- 2 limes, cut into slices
- ¾ cup water
- 6 wheat or corn tortillas (corn if gluten-free is desired)
- ¼ cup oil (vegetable, grapeseed or avocado)
- Salsa
Instructions
- On medium heat, add oil to skillet. Add meat crumbles and taco seasoning and cook for 5 to 8 minutes until lightly brown, adding small amounts of water as needed. Set aside in a medium bowl.
- Add onions, peppers, salt and pepper to skillet and cook on medium heat for 4 minutes (note: do not clean out oil from skillet after cooking crumbles). Add a small amount of water if needed. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Set out tortillas and put in a small amount of vegan cheese (by putting it in first, the cheese can melt with the heat from the crumbles), crumbles, onion/pepper mix, avocados and fold tortilla over.
- Add a spoonful of salsa to top of filling. Squeeze one lime slice onto each taco. Enjoy.
Tyler Kirkendall is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
