Eat Fresh at Green Vegetarian Cuisine

Today’s fast food culture may have the tendency of trapping people in a “burger-rut.” However, Chris and Mike Behrend, co-owners of Green Vegetarian Cuisine, are working hard to provide fresh and flavorful options for people interested in healthy dining.

“We’re serving 100% vegetarian comfort food to assist people in pursuing healthy vegetarian lifestyles,” said Mike Behrend.  He explained that he and his brother are both vegetarians. They noticed a glaring lack of vegetarian-friendly restaurants in San Antonio, so they opened the city’s first 100% vegetarian restaurant in 2006. “We promote vegetarian dining for environmental and ethical reasons,” said Behrend. “Following a vegetarian-based lifestyle is better for the animals, the environment, and the people themselves.”  

Green Cuisine’s original downtown location enjoyed such success that they were able to open a new location at the Alon shopping center on N.W. Military Dr in 2011.

“Our new restaurant has been a great success,” said Behrend. “We’ve at least doubled our business.” Green Cuisine’s new location serves the same high-quality food as their restaurant downtown, and is located on the other side of town, where they can serve vegetarian food to a whole new demographic.  

Green cuisine serves vegetarian renditions of several classic American comfort foods, substituting textured vegetable protein (TVP) for meat, when appropriate.  I tried their signature “Neatloaf,” a novel recreation of the classic meatloaf, composed of TVP, breadcrumbs, onions, and bell peppers and topped with a tangy tomato sauce. The texture of the veggie-loaf is surprisingly similar to that of an actual meatloaf; it is dense and filling, and served next to a mound of mashed potatoes, it is a great dish to accompany a cool Fall evening. 

Be advised, however, that meat substitutes are not for everyone. Green Cuisine succeeds in building complex flavor profiles with their vegetable products, but one simply can’t recreate the flavor and unctuousness of real meat.  The “Neatloaf,” however, is savory in its own right: the dish is rich and nutty, the mixture of different vegetables lend a powerful sense of umami to the dish.  The dish’s only real downfall was an excessive use of tomato sauce, which had the tendency to mask the dishes subtler flavors. 

If you’re not a fan of meat substitutes, Green Cuisine offers a variety of other meatless alternatives, including grain salads, fruit salads, quesadillas, and several entrees featuring eggplant and mushrooms.  These foods are packed with essential vitamins, proteins and most importantly, flavor.  I sampled the Eggplant Parmesan, a delectable fried eggplant served over spaghetti with fresh tomato sauce and parmesan cheese. You truly won’t miss the meat in this dish. The huge slices of hearty eggplant are seasoned and pan-fried to perfection, and they work with a deep and zesty tomato sauce to create a perfect harmony of flavor. I’d recommend this dish to any first timers at Green Cuisine. 

I would not, however, recommend the Falafel Plate, which is an uninspiring dish to say the least. It’s a shame that Green Cuisine offers a rather bland and disappointing rendition of the classic fried chickpea patty which is a staple of vegetarian cuisine.  The falafel was seemingly unseasoned, and had no flavor, save that of the fried breading. I ordered their Raw Pecan Hummus along with the falafel, with which I was able to restore some flavor to the sad little chickpea patties. The hummus was complex and delicious. Though the hummus was still a bit underseasoned for my palate, raw pecans gave it a distinctive taste and texture. 

Green Vegetarian Cuisine offers a welcome change from monotonous, meat-based menus at affordable prices. Next time you feel like eating something fresh and flavorful, make your way out to one of their restaurants. The original Green Cuisine is located downtown, at 1017 N. Flores, and their new location is in the Alon shopping center, at 10003 N.W. Military. For menus or additional information visit their website at <http://greensanantonio.com/>.