Being a vegan means cutting meat, dairy, and all other animal products out of your diet. Some vegans don’t even eat honey; they leave that for the bees. So what do you do when, like Keegan Moonpie, you want to eat some of your old favorites but you don’t want to compromise your newfound veganism? Here are some magical vegan substitutes:
image via Minimalist Baker
EGGS
Nothing will replace two perfect sunny side up eggs, but try a tofu scramble instead of your favorite omelette. This recipe is a good place to start.
If you are baking a cake or some cookies, you have a few different options: try applesauce, mashed bananas, or a “flax egg” (blend flax seed meal with water).
BUTTER
A lot of people like Earth Balance as a natural butter substitute, but there are other options as well. Depending on the recipe, different oils will do the trick. Try coconut oil, olive oil, or sesame oil.
image via Wired
CHEESE
We live in a magical world where scientific discoveries make it easier and easier to be a vegan. Only recently did a group of scientists discover a way to make all-natural cheese using yeast proteins instead of milk proteins. This vegan cheese is revolutionary. More information about the project is here.
Until this cheese officially hits the market, I recommend nutritional yeast, tofu, or some of the vegan cheeses you can find in the grocery store.
image via 1010 Cookbooks
BACON
For the delicious salty, crunch bacon adds, try using nuts or tempe. This tempe BLT recipe proves just how yummy that soy-based meat substitute can be.
image via The Kitchn
MILK
It’s a great time to be alive if you are looking to sub out milk. Walk into almost any grocery store and you can find a large variety of nut milks to choose from. Making your own nut milk is surprisingly easy, just blend nuts and water and strain the pulp. Try it with an unexpected nut like pistachios or cashews.
image via Love & Lemons
BURGERS
If you want a burger or a good, hearty sandwich, don’t fret. There are plenty of options. Making your own bean or lentil patties at home is fun and easy, or try falafel instead. Yum!
I hope this helps! Even if you aren’t a full time vegan, it can be fun to try new recipes and play with different ingredients. I hope you enjoyed our mac & ‘cheese’. What kind of vegan recipes do you like to make?
Further resources available at Vegkitchen.com and Greatest.com.
