Hunter Fieri Shares Guy's Opinions On Plant-Based Food - Exclusive

Guy Fieri is no vegetarian, nor does he play one on TV. If anything, the Food Network icon, who stars in both "Guy's Grocery Games" and "Diners, Drive-Throughs and Dives," is a treasure trove of carnivore-friendly cooking tips. If you want to learn how to make the perfect steak, how to best serve bacon, or tricks for improving your cheeseburger game, Guy is your guy.

If your assumption is that Fieri isn't a fan of plant-based fare, though, his oldest son, Hunter Fieri, can assure you that on the contrary, the culinary celebrity is a huge advocate for vegetarian cuisine. In an exclusive interview with Mashed, Hunter Fieri, who has partnered with the plant-based pasta brand ZENB on a mini-documentary called "What Plants Can Do," explained how his dad is able to be enthusiastic about both meatless and meat-centric meals. 

"We're not fully plant-based," Hunter Fieri said. "We like to go and have a lot of fun. We'll eat burgers and we'll do tacos and nachos, big trashcan nachos or onion rings, whatever. We will indulge ourselves in the worst foods possible that you can put in your body, but we also to eat salad, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts –- we're super-big on that." 

The key is moderation, he added. "So, it's just like you eat some of this, you eat some of that. You have that, you have some good food, it will balance itself out, really. We don't plan it, it's just what we like to eat. Both rules," Fieri said.

Guy Fieri's sister, Morgan, died in 2011 from cancer, and he continues to honor her memory by cooking and eating vegetarian foods, according to Hunter Fieri. "In our family, my aunt, my dad's sister, she was super-vegetarian, kind of vegan, but super into plant-based, was very spiritual," he explained. "But that started a trend for my dad to get into this vegetarian style and this really healthy food style." When Guy Fieri found out that Hunter would be collaborating with ZENB, he was "super stoked," he added.

Indeed, "Food & Wine" labeled Guy Fieri a "Stealth Vegan Master," who makes veggie burgers out of quinoa, has a trick to substitute eggs with flaxseed, and uses cashews as a substitute for cheese. Fieri also sometimes spotlights plant-based cooking on his shows, including an episode of "Guy's Grocery Games" entitled "Clash of the Vegetarians!" (per Food Network). Plus, this summer, Fieri granted $25,000 to a vegan food truck as part of the Guy's Restaurant Reboot giveaway sponsored by Lending Tree (per Pacific San Diego).

Watch Hunter Fieri's mini documentary, "What Plants Can Do," and be sure to check out ZENB's yellow pea pasta products online.