Celebrating the Plant-Based Option at the Umani Thanksgiving Dinner in Granville Cafe

The challenge of turning vegetables into something fit for meaty cravings has long been an elusive and almost impossible dream. Until now. Going meatless with plant-based options is fast gaining traction and is now finding a place in the local culinary scene. No longer just another food trend, it's a growing movement with numerous options now available in the metro. Umani recently hosted a thanksgiving dinner at Granville Cafe in San Juan with trade partners and influencers in celebration of a vision and promising prospects for the future. And the future looks good...  

I love my beef burgers and pork sausages. But I have to admit, the R&D team behind Umani and WTH Foods may have cracked the code for savory products with that meat-like flavor, mouthfeel and texture but totally meatless and plant-based. One bite of the ham, sausages and ground meat by Umani and WTH Foods is enough to make you take a second much closer look at their plant-based offerings (for more on Eat Umani and WTH Foods, see my earlier posts, Let The #UmaniFlavorCookOff Begin with Plant-Based Sausages by Umani and #CraveGoodFood: It's Always Worth The Health with the Plant-Based Offerings of WRH Foods). It's good to see products like this work, and that's good for you and the planet.

Inside Granville Cafe, the final touches to the evening's casual set-up were laid out and finalized...

...as guests started to arrive. The participants and winners of the #UmaniFlavorCookOff also added a whole set of unique perspectives to the evening's affair. But one common theme threaded all these different perspectives, and that's the versatility of the plant-based product line by Umani... 

...showcased in a variety of tasty dishes by the kitchen of Granville Cafe. That evening, Umani and Granville Cafe prepared a sumptuous spread with hefty Burgers...

...savory Meatballs on Rice... 

...and a spicy Sausage Pasta, all using the plant-based products of Umani. The texture and flavors comes through, just like the first time I tried the plant-based products from WTH Foods. And it's still hard to believe none of the meaty dishes contain any meat at all. 

It's the flavor and the bite that makes the difference. Plant-based alternatives have come a long way from what we're used to. And Umani is one of those brand that's leading the way for real meatless and plant-based options. It's pleasant surprises like this that clearly make the case for the plant-based movement. 

And like they say, the possibilities are endless with the plant-based product line of Umani. After all, plant-based options are for everyone, not just vegans. You can start with Meatless Monday and take it from there. And that's one small yet decisive step taking us all closer to an environmental sustainability driven planet.  

Now that calls for a cold beer, don't you think?

Nipa Brew Craft Beer takes you on an adventurous journey of flavors with its range of artisan craft beers led by its pioneer label, Tropic Haze, a bold wheat ale with mild fruity hints. It's an adventure that began as a serious home brewing operation and has since grown as one of the metro's premier artisan brewers with its extensive selection of craft beers. 

The collection now includes refreshing brews like Sun Stoked, a soothing Blonde Ale with a fresh citrus zest finish; Dropzone, an India Brown Ale with bitter dark chocolate notes and Fizzo, a non-alcoholic Calamansi Jasmine Tea Soda. Beer and sausages? Make that artisan craft brews with plant-based sausages.

The Expedition Series by Nipa Brew Craft Beer takes you deeper into your own artisan beer journey with inventive expressions like the Exsqueeze Me I'm Human, a juicy IPA with citrus and tropical fruits and the Release Me From Lockdown, an American style wheat IPA. And the collection continues to grow with innovative brews like Expecto Petroleum Dunkelweizen and 199X Belgian Tripel (for more on Nipa Brew Craft Beer, visit their website at https://www.nipabrew.com/).

An engaging discussion on the plant-based lifestyle soon followed after dinner...

...capped by several more rounds of beer from Nipa Brew Craft Beer. Making real change rarely takes one bold and swift move. It's about little steps, with each step forward slowly reaffirming an advocacy. That evening at Granville Cafe opened up a new world of possibilities with the plant-based vision of Umani, promising even more surprising and tasty innovations yet to come...