No Bull: TRIBE VEGAN packs in Flavor and Nutrition

This blog series is sponsored by TRIBE Organic Restaurant, Beijing's best option for fresh, healthy, organic and vegetarian-friendly dining. 

From selecting the right ingredients that provide your needed nutrients, to finding restaurants that truly understand how to serve up such healthy, sustainable eats, going vegan can seem like a brutally complex process – especially here in Beijing, where most people’s idea of “vegetarian” consists of greasy “mock meat” made from tofu, or oily, egg-laden stir-fries. 

Fortunately TRIBE offers organic fare that not only features creatively delicious vegan options, but also a home delivery meal service that makes sticking with your diet refreshingly simple.

"We try to keep our cooking methods as simple as possible in order to preserve as much nutritional value as possible," TRIBE executive chef Brandon Trowbridge says of the no-frills, straightforwardly delicious Roast Pumpkin and Mushroom Madeira with Squash Spaghetti that he prepares as one of the dishes for TRIBE Nutrition's VEGAN delivery options. 
 

Trowbridge explains that the key to this wholesome dish's success is a simple swap of ingredients. "With this madeira we have tossed out the pasta that would typically contain egg and replaced it with raw summer squash ribbons. We have also taken out the chicken and replaced it with roasted pumpkin and a rich mushroom and madeira sauce that would satisfy vegans and non-vegans alike."

This dish is highly beneficial for vegans thanks to the abundance of Vitamin A, beta-carotene, and fiber stemming from its pumpkins. Essential minerals and protein can also be found in the mushrooms, which make it the perfect meat substitute, he adds. 

TRIBE Nutrition's VEGAN meal plan also features selections like the Blueberry Smoothie Bowl with Coconut Pancakes, which contains a unique ingredient that will stave off your dairy cravings. "We removed the yogurt from our typical smoothie bowl and replaced it with an in-house cultured coconut yogurt – this allows vegans to get some of the flavor and probiotic benefits of yogurt while sticking to their diets," says Trowbridge.
 

Another signature TRIBE Nutrition VEGAN dish is the Soba Bowl with Smoked Tofu, Spinach, and Shiitake Dashi. Trowbridge says this dish was inspired, once again, by a straightforward solution to a common vegan dilemma. "One of the most annoying things about being a vegan is going out for staple food such as soba, only to be informed there is no vegan options for such a simple dish. Since most dashi is made using some form of dried fish, we have made traditional dashi using kombu and dried shiitake mushrooms." 

While more and more Beijing restaurants are offering vegetarian items, few have truly vegan dishes – TRIBE is one of the few establishments that can properly accommodate vegans with dishes that are as tasty as they are nutritious. Trowbridge says he pays particular attention ensuring that all of TRIBE's VEGAN items contain "an average of 1,500 calories and no saturated fat, giving the customer an abundance of nutrients without the saturated fat from animal products."