Abuelas chop, cook and bake international vegan food at this Little River deli

Grandmas from Argentina, Cuba and Colombia are in the kitchen at the Plantisserie, which bills itself as a plant-based deli. They chop 150 pounds of onions every few days and cook delicious vegan food. Most ingredients are organic. This charming space has a blue and while tiled counter where dishes are laid out on a steam table. A wood cabinet holds local jarred artisanal products, such as powdered vegan Parmesan with smoked paprika.

Owner Maria Laura Alemann is from Buenos Aries and came to Weston with her family at 18, studied hospitality at Florida International and worked in restaurants. She also was the drummer in a local band her now-husband came to see. Luciano Gatti helps out when not importing wines for Graziano’s Argentine restaurant.

Eat These Here

Try a jackfruit, artichoke, mushroom or eggplant empanada hot out of the oven with housemade pistachio pesto or chimichurri. The pastry is thin, crisp, and browned on the edges.

Or get a quiche made with ground flax seeds to bind the contents. There’s butternut squash puree with onion and corn topped in cashew mozzarella and spinach and artichoke. Soup of the day could be Indian-spiced sweet potato or broccoli spinach with a bit of olive oil, thyme, onion and Himalayan pink salt.

Craving raw? Try their “ceviche:” heart of palm, avocado, red onion and cilantro with a hit of jalapeno in citrus juices. Quinoa, kale and black bean salad gets brightened with vegan mayo-chipotle sauce. All these can be packed to go in biodegradable containers.

Get These To Go

Main dishes are sold by the pound. Lasagna is made sans pasta and almond ricotta is layered with tomatoes, sliced vegetables, capers and Kalamata olives.

Shepherd’s pie combines Beyond Meat crumbles with red peppers, onions, raisins, olives, garlic and almond milk. It is topped in a bronzed drift of mashed potato and served a side of roasted vegetables. A special is Asian goulash with a lentil-based protein created in Miami by Taylor Cohen. It soaks up flavors like tofu.

In the freezer case find pizzas, soups, veggie burgers and bowls to go. Maria provides fresh food for vegans, those in transition and those who want to eat healthier. Or look at it like a good meal cooked by an abuela.

Desserts To Try

Alfajores by Home Sweet Earth Bakery sandwich a caramel-date filling, and they are rolled in shredded coconut. Housemade cacao-chia pudding is another sweet ending.

If You Go

Place: The Plantisserie

Address: 7316 NE 2nd Ave., Little River, Miami

Contact: 786-502-3363, theplantisserie.com

Hours: Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m., Saturday 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Prices: Small bites $4-$8 each, soups $7-$9, salads $7-$12, mains by the pound $12-$13