Kicked off on July 3, the effort attracted customers who’d never been to the store before. The plan is to continue for at least a few months and see where things lead. It may then extend to other stores with full delis. The idea translates well for any retailer who wants to add a special event schedule into their regular diet.
Vegan customers who read the company’s social media posts on Facebook have been asking for more vegan meals. Since the store’s newest cook River Lindsay is vegan, it made sense to have someone who cooks vegan every night for his six children try out some recipes for the customers.
Food manager Keesha Briggs has wanted to start thematic Mondays and bought into the idea immediately when Lindsay came onboard. CEO Barb Hoffman jumped on it.
GreenAcres-Bradley Fair has developed a reputation during the last 24 years for accommodating specific diets such as Paleo, RAW, gluten-free, etc. Lindsay posted his menu after the kickoff on a vegan website.
The first menu included BBQ jackfruit, spicy buffalo cauliflower, creamy coconut kale,mashed potatoes and mushroom gravyand abaked veggie casseroleconsisting of shredded veggie combinations with sprinkled panko on top.
Here's a Back-to-School lunch recipe from River Lindsay just for our readers.
Rainbow Wraps
Start with Eggless TofuIngredients:
4 boxes of Tofu
½ cup Tofu Buddy
½ cup Cider Vinegar
1-1/2 cup Celery, minced fine
1-1/2 cup Red Onion, minced fine
6 Tbls. Sweet Relish
1-1/2 tsp. Turmeric
1 cup Venenaise
2 tsp. Salt
1 bottle Salt-Free Spike
1 Tbls. Onion Powder
½ tsp. Dry Mustard
Directions:
Press tofu overnight to drain excess liquid
Mash tofu with hands until well mixed.
Add rest of ingredients and mix well.
To make the wraps:
Use any vegan wrap that appeals
Chop up sweet pickles to a fine mince
Chop up red cabbage to a fine mince
Chop up baby spinach to a fine mince
Incorporate all into the Eggless Tofu. Mix well and begin to wrap.
Cut into pinwheel portions and add seasonal fruit—in this case pineapple and strawberries cut and sliced into heart shapes.
Here's a newVegan Summer Quinoa Saladfrom GreenAcres Market's lead cook, Donna Cesna:
5 ripe mangos, peeled and cut into small chunks
5 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
5 cups scallions, chopped
5 cups Fresh cilantro to taste, chopped
10 tbsp. red wine vinegar
10 tbsp. EVOO
Salt to taste
10 cups quinoa, cooked
1 can coconut milk
½ cup curry powder
Mix all ingredients and chill.
Published in WholeFoods Magazine August 2017
