Vegetarians, vegans and healthy eaters on a low budget can try Sunflower Natural Food Restaurant and Here’s the Scoop, where they can get food for less than $10.

Rebeckah Click, Sunflower Natural Food Restaurant owner, said vegetarian food has no meat products and vegan food has no dairy products, including eggs.

Sunflower Natural Food Restaurant, one of the places that cater to vegetarians and vegans, is located in Fair Oaks and has been serving locals for the past 32 years.

Click said vegetarian food did not have any flavor back in the 1970s, so she and her husband grew their own vegetables, seasoned their dishes and opened up their own restaurant.

“The vegetarian food used to taste like garbage and there was no reason for that,” Click said. “It’s about seasoning and spice.” Hannah Lenz from Auburn said she eats at Sunflower Natural Food at least once a month.

“The food is good and doesn’t make you feel sick like the way fast food does afterward,” Lenz said.

Click said the two most popular items on the menu are the nut taco and the nut burger.

“In the nut meat itself, there (are) almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds and carrot seasonings,” Clark said. “The burger comes with all the normal things like sauce, onions, pickle, tomatoes, lettuce, sprouts and cheese if you want it.”

Sunflower Natural Food uses wheat and vegan buns for its nut burgers and corn tortillas for its nut tacos.

“The patty (for the nut burger) is vegan,” Click said. “The nut taco is grilled with onions and bell pepper. It comes with melted cheese, tomatoes, the hot sauce the we make here, lettuce and sprouts.”

Aaron McVean from South Lake Tahoe said he stopped by Sunflower Natural Food to try the nut burger.

“I’ve tried organic food at Sprouts Restaurant in Lake Tahoe. They can’t make organic food taste as good as they do at Sunflower,” McVean said.

Nut tacos and nut burgers can be purchased for $5.69. The item may be turned into a meal by adding chips and salsa for an extra 60 cents.

“It’s a good budget for college students,” Click said. “If you eat out and you’re aware of what things cost, you’d know that you get a fair amount for your money here.”

Craig Dooley from Citrus Heights, who usually gets the nut burger, said he does not normally eat vegetarian or vegan food except when he is at Sunflower Natural Food. He thinks the food at Sunflower Natural Food is tasty.

“(The food) doesn’t taste like it’s a substitute,” Dooley said. “I love it here.”

For the winter season, Sunflower Natural Food is working on serving a vegan chili dog to its customers.

“Since it’s harder for people to find vegan food that is the norm, we decided that we’d try the vegan chili dog,” Click said.

Another place for vegetarians and vegans is Here’s The Scoop in Sacramento. Here’s The Scoop offers vegan and vegetarian-friendly items along with dairy items such as ice cream, milkshakes and sandwiches.

Melinda Rucker, co-owner of Here’s The Scoop, said she and her husband Ron Rucker started their shop about nine years ago to sell different types of food.

“Our tag line is ‘hooked on happiness’ because we sell coffee, sugar, and our theme is to have local old-fashioned favorites as much as we can,” Rucker said.

Rucker said she started selling soy cream when she noticed her customers wanted vegan ice cream.

“We’re very picky and we have to like what we’re selling so, that’s why, when my husband did research on (soy ice cream), he found Double Rainbow and it was just fabulous,” Rucker said. “They are all-natural, lactose-free, have no cholesterol or gluten and are kosher and vegan.”

At Here’s The Scoop, Double Rainbow soy cream can be bought for less than $3. The soy cream flavors include blueberry, butter pecan, dulce no leche, cinnamon caramel, mint chocolate chip, vanilla bean and very cherry chocolate chip.

“I love the soy cream. I do not care for soy I’ll be honest, but I got hooked on these,” Rucker said. “To me they’re lighter and the flavor comes through.”

Along with soy cream, Rucker said they also sell soy milkshakes. “I’ve had new customers come in and, seriously, this mom was tearing up because it was the first time her 8-year-old could have a milkshake,” Rucker said. “That was huge for us.”

The owners said they have a special sandwich deal, which include a sandwich, chips and a drink for $5.25.

“If you want a vegan or vegetarian sandwich, we’re going to include the avocado, whereas every place I go to, that’s extra,” Rucker said.

Rucker said Here’s The Scoop has one of the best prices in town.”This place is appealing to college students because our portions are huge,” Rucker said. “We’re big people too, so we like to eat a lot and give a lot.”

Jennifer Siopongco can be reached at [email protected]