Stephen Dung enjoys vegan food but he is not a fanatic. “I encourage people to enjoy vegan food because it tastes good, not on principle,” he said.

Eight years ago the Nuuanu resident, a retired police detective who’s now a security consultant, took a vegan cooking class after his wife, Adelia, and daughter Erin requested more vegetables. Now he cooks a vegetarian dinner for his family at least once a week, and he has also taught vegan cooking classes.

He shared three of his favorite recipes — all free of animal products such as butter, meats, fish or eggs:

>> Black rice and polenta casserole: This is a stunning dish with its contrasting colors, textures and flavors. Instead of making a large casserole, Dung sometimes prepares smaller sushilike shapes, allowing diners to better appreciate the dish’s multiple hues.

>> Purple potato poke salad: Dung’s riff on Hari Kojima’s sweet potato poke is outstanding. It is full of ginger flavor and includes sea asparagus or, alternately, extra seaweed for crunch.

>> Onion gravy: This gravy goes nicely with the black rice-polenta dish. It also can be used to make a fun “vegan loco moco” — a base of cooked brown rice or quinoa topped with sauteed portobello mushroom and some tofu cooked in turmeric powder, all topped with gravy.

“The goal is to make good-tasting food, not to make it taste like meat,” Dung noted.

BLACK RICE POLENTA CASSEROLE

Adapted from a recipe by Mark Reinfeld

• 11 cups vegetable stock, divided
• 1-1/2 cups forbidden or sweet black rice
• 5 bell peppers (red, orange and yellow)
• 2 cups polenta
• 2 tablespoons coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/2 cup chopped Kalamata olives
• 2 tablespoons minced basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon minced oregano leaves
• 1 teaspoon minced sage leaves
• 1 teaspoon minced rosemary leaves
• Sea salt, to taste
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• Tamari or soy sauce, to taste
• Crushed red chili peppers, to taste
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

In stock pot, bring 5 cups of vegetable stock to a boil. Add rice and simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed, about 60 minutes. Set aside.

While rice is cooking, roast bell peppers over gas flame or in oven until skin is blackened. Seal in paper bag 5 minutes. Peel and seed peppers; cut into wide strips (or buy pre-roasted peppers). Set aside.

In pot, bring 6 cups stock to boil. Reduce to simmer and whisk in polenta, taking care that it does not boil over. Add coconut milk and oil; whisk until liquid is absorbed and polenta is smooth. Whisk 5 more minutes.

Add olives and herbs; mix well. Add salt, pepper, tamari and chili peppers. Cover; cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. After rice is done, season with salt and pepper and pour into a well-oiled 9-by-13-inch casserole. Allow rice to cool slightly, then cover with peppers. Pour polenta mixture on top. Bake until top is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature with hot vegan onion gravy (recipe follows) on the side. Serves 6 to 8.

Substitutions: zucchini or sun-dried tomatoes for bell peppers.Alternatively, form casserole into smaller shapes using a musubi mold or sushi molds, or use your hands.

ONION GRAVY

Adapted from a recipe by Mark Reinfeld

• 1/4 cup brown-rice flour
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
• 1-1/2 cups onion, sliced into half-moons
• 3/4 cup thinly sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
• 4 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1-1/2 cups vegetable stock made from Knorr’s vegetable bouillon
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dried sage
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• Sea salt, to taste

In small bowl, combine brown-rice flour and 1/4 cup oil and whisk together well.

Place remaining 1 tablespoon oil in sauce pan over medium-high. Add onion, mushrooms and garlic, and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add stock, nutritional yeast, tamari, sage and pepper, and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to simmer.

Add brown-rice flour mixture and stir constantly until sauce thickens. Add salt. Serve hot or warm. Makes about 4 cups.

>> Variations: Replace sage with minced fresh herbs like parsley, dill or basil. To add a darker color and richer flavor to the gravy, heat brown-rice flour and oil over high heat for a few minutes until the flour browns.

PURPLE POTATO POKE SALAD

Adapted from a recipe by Hari Kojima

• 2 pounds Okinawan sweet potato
• 4 ounces fresh seaweed (ogo or limu), divided
• 1/4 cup sea asparagus, roughly chopped
• 1-1/4 cups chopped green onions
• 1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds
• 5 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced or grated
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• Rock salt, to taste
• Lettuce or ti leaves for plating

Boil potatoes until tender yet firm, about 20 minutes. Chill. Peel (or you may keep the skins on) and cut into bite-size pieces.

Blanch seaweed in boiling water for less than 1 minute. Drain, chill and chop. Set aside a small amount for garnish.

Mix potatoes with seaweed, sea asparagus, green onions, sesame seeds, ginger, oils and salt. Place potatoes on a bed of lettuce or ti leaves. Garnish plate with chopped fresh seaweed. Serves 6 to 8 as a side dish.

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Nutritional information unavailable.

Lynette Lo Tom, author of “The Chinese Kitchen,” is fascinated by old-fashioned food. Contact her at 275-3004 or via instagram at brightlightcookery. Nutritional analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S.