HARLEM, ON THE PLANT-BASED SIDE
The Soul of the City, One Green at a Time
There is a particular sound that belongs to a Sunday afternoon in a Black household.
The kitchen is busy. Somebody is washing greens. A pot is simmering. Music is playing somewhere in the background. People are asking when dinner will be ready, even though everybody knows it will be ready when it is ready.
And then there is the smell.
Onions. Garlic. Peppers. Seasoning. Greens slowly cooking down into something tender, rich and deeply familiar.
For generations, soul food has been about more than what goes on the plate. It is about family, survival, celebration, resourcefulness and the extraordinary ability to turn humble ingredients into a feast.
But what happens when the tradition evolves?
What happens when the collard greens are still on the table, the seasoning is still serious, and the flavor still brings everybody home, but the meat is missing?
Welcome to Harlem’s plant-based kitchen.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF FOOD REVOLUTION
The story of Black food and plant-based living is not a new one.
Across African and Caribbean food traditions, vegetables, beans, grains, fruits, herbs and spices have always played important roles. Long before veganism became a lifestyle category or a fashionable restaurant concept, communities were building extraordinary meals around the ingredients available to them.
In Harlem, that tradition has found a contemporary expression.
Consider Uptown Veg, a family-owned East Harlem business founded by Davie Simmons in 1994. When the restaurant opened, vegan dining was far less familiar to many neighborhood residents. Its Caribbean-inspired plant-based cooking helped introduce a different way of thinking about comfort food. https://www.saveur.com/culture/vegan-restaurants-harlem/
That is not just a restaurant story.
That is entrepreneurship. That is community. That is a business betting on an idea before the market fully understood it.
And the neighborhood has continued to develop its own plant-based culinary personality.
VeganHood has brought Southern and Caribbean comfort-food inspiration into plant-based dishes, including creative interpretations of familiar favorites. https://vegoutmag.com/food-and-drink/black-owned-vegan-restaurants-to-support-in-nyc/
At Tsion Cafe, Ethiopian and Israeli influences meet in a fully vegan dining experience. Its menu includes traditional Ethiopian dishes such as gomen and shiro wat, alongside other global flavors. https://www.jta.org/2024/02/12/ny/a-unique-ethiopian-israeli-cafe-in-harlem-becomes-certified-kosher-and-vegan
Different kitchens. Different histories. One shared idea: plant-based food can have culture, character and plenty of flavor.
THE DISH: COLLARD GREENS THAT HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY
Let’s talk about collard greens.
In the American South, collards became a staple of Black cooking, shaped by African food knowledge, local agriculture, hardship and generations of culinary creativity.
They were affordable, nourishing and capable of feeding a family. Cooks learned how to transform tough leaves into tender, deeply seasoned greens through patience and technique.
Traditionally, many recipes relied on smoked meat for richness and flavor.
But the secret to a memorable pot of greens was never simply the meat.
It was the layering.
Onions. Garlic. Peppers. A little heat. Acid. Seasoning. Time.
Our version takes that old Sunday-table spirit and gives it a plant-based interpretation. Butter beans add substance, mushrooms bring savory depth, smoked paprika provides warmth, and apple cider vinegar wakes everything up.
The result is a pot of greens that does not need an apology or an explanation.
It belongs at the table.
THE HOMEGROWN RECIPE
Smoky Vegan Collard Greens with Butter Beans
Serves: 6
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking: 45 to 60 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 2 large bunches fresh collard greens
- 1 can butter beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup, optional
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
LET’S GET COOKING
STEP ONE: Prepare the greens.
Wash the collards thoroughly. Remove the tough center stems and stack the leaves. Roll them together and slice into ribbons.
Take your time. Good greens deserve a proper wash.
STEP TWO: Build the flavor.
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
Add the mushrooms and cook until they release their moisture and begin to brown.
Add the onion and bell pepper. Cook until softened.
Stir in the garlic, smoked paprika, thyme and red pepper flakes.
Your kitchen should already be smelling wonderful.
STEP THREE: Let the greens meet the pot.
Add the collards in batches, stirring as they begin to wilt.
Pour in the vegetable broth.
Add the apple cider vinegar, maple syrup if using, and a generous amount of black pepper.
Bring everything to a gentle simmer.
STEP FOUR: Give it time.
Cover the pot and cook over low heat for approximately 35 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the greens are tender.
Add a little more broth if necessary.
STEP FIVE: Bring in the butter beans.
Stir in the butter beans during the final 10 to 15 minutes of cooking.
They will absorb the seasoned broth while adding a creamy texture and satisfying protein.
Taste and adjust the salt, pepper and vinegar.
Finish with lemon juice.
THE FINISHING TOUCH
Serve these greens with:
- Southern-style vegan cornbread
- Rice or brown rice
- Roasted sweet potatoes
- Fried plantains
- A little hot sauce
And please, do not throw away that pot liquor.
That seasoned broth at the bottom of the pot is part of the experience. Spoon it over your rice or use your cornbread to catch every last bit.
WHERE TO EXPLORE HARLEM’S PLANT-BASED TABLE
If this recipe has you curious, Harlem has kitchens worth discovering.
Uptown Veg
A longtime East Harlem plant-based business known for Caribbean-inspired food, juices and vegan comfort dishes. Its story reaches back to 1994.
Tsion Cafe
A Harlem dining experience bringing Ethiopian and Israeli culinary influences together through a fully vegan menu.
VeganHood
Known for plant-based interpretations of Southern and Caribbean comfort food, including familiar favorites reimagined without animal products.
Menus and business hours can change, so check directly before visiting.
THE BIGGER STORY
There is something powerful happening when a neighborhood can honor its culinary past while creating room for new possibilities.
A young person discovering that vegetables can be the star of the plate.
A family finding a restaurant where everybody can eat together.
An entrepreneur building a business around a vision.
A longtime resident recognizing the flavors of home in a dish prepared a little differently.
That is what Homegrown is about.
We are not asking Harlem to abandon its traditions. We are celebrating the people who are finding new ways to carry those traditions forward.
Because culture is not frozen in time.
It grows. It adapts. It gets passed down.
And sometimes, it comes in a beautiful bowl of collard greens.
QUESTION OF THE DAY
Could you give up the smoked turkey or ham hock in your collard greens if the vegan version brought all the flavor? Or is that one family tradition you refuse to change?
STAY IN THE MOOD
From the garden to the kitchen, from the corner restaurant to the Sunday dinner table, Harlem has always known how to make something extraordinary out of what the earth provides.
Pull up a chair. There’s room for everybody.
HOMEGROWN. Rooted in Harlem. Growing toward the future.
