I love meat. It’s a selfish thing to consume, and I don’t require animal flesh to survive. My refusal to stick to veggies causes all sorts of queasy moral, physical and environmental problems. At the Green Barn in Milpitas, owner Jenny Phan wants customers to reconsider such grub-based prejudices.

“I found Tao Buddhism nine years ago and I decided to [become vegetarian] to help this world,” she says. “By eating veggies, we can cut out a lot of the polluting of the environment, [improve] our health and [show] compassion to animals.”

Ethical considerations will only go so far for some, though. The menu’s diverse fusion of Asian American cuisine renders meat obsolete. The Green Barn serves everything from mozzarella sticks ($6.95) and Kung Pao stir fry ($9.95) to fresh-blended avocado smoothies ($4.50). Most of the dishes are built from local produce and 90 percent of them are certified vegan.

When I visited, the food came out lickety-split in a vibrant array of greens, reds and yellows. I ate a crisp, spicy-sweet-and-sour salad of shredded young papaya covered in peanuts, cilantro sprigs and carrot strands ($8.95). It was incredible. I considered if all salads should be papaya-based.

I moved on to the coconut-creamy, full-bodied Thai curry ($11.95) featuring soft, nutty garbanzo beans, tasty rounds of okra and savory tofu pillows. I also bit into the thick, marinated portobello burger ($9.50) topped with caramelized onions and wilted spinach. And I sampled some forkfuls of chow mein ($9.95) with bok choy, al dente zucchini and an assertive garlic sauce. I wolfed until I was stuffed—so stuffed I couldn’t bring myself to order dessert, even though they serve delicious-looking fried banana ($6.00).

“The people who come in my restaurant are mostly meat-eaters,” Phan says. “They see it’s vegetarian and they want to leave, because they say they’re really hungry. So I say, ‘Just go ahead and eat it, and if you are not filling up, then you don’t have to pay me.’” They end up paying, happily.

Phan knows her customers won’t just switch from sizzling, sumptuous meats to bland, boiled plants. But her cuisine closes the flavor gap. Plus, it’s affordable, nutritious and available in delivery.

“I want to change people’s image of vegetarian food,” Phan says. “It’s not all tofu and steamed vegetables. No, we can eat really good and flavorful food. We can eat veggies and it’s just as good as eating meat.”

Green Barn 190 Ranch Dr, Milpitas. 408.263.8098.