Plant-based, vegan cooking – substitutions for milk, eggs and more

Plant-based, vegan cooking – substitutions for milk, eggs and more

by | Feb 20, 2015 | Plant-based, Vegan, WFPB, Whole food, plant-based

One of the fun adventures in transitioning to a whole food, plant-based (WFPB) vegan lifestyle is experimenting in the kitchen by learning how to modify recipes. Here are some suggestions to get you started.

Milk

  • Instead of using cow’s milk in recipes, simply substitute plant milk such as almond, coconut, hemp, or soy in a 1:1 ratio.
  • You can also make your own cashew milk by combining 1 cup cashews with 4 cups water in a high speed blender, such as a Vitamix. For best results, soak the cashews in water for 4 hours or overnight prior to blending.
  • You can use this same recipe for making almond milk, but you’ll definitely need to soak the almonds overnight and then strain through a nut bag.

Buttermilk

  • Add 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar to 1 cup non-dairy milk

Cream

  • Cashews also make a great cream substitute. Just use less water than when making milk.  Mix 1 cup cashews with 1/4 to 1/2 cup water and blend. Start with less water and add more until you get your desired consistancy.  You can add a sweetener such as maple syrup, a bit of sea salt and natural vanilla extract to add flavor and sweetness.

Sour cream

  • Use plain soy yogurt instead of sour cream

Butter

  • Use olive oil or coconut oil instead of butter, or buy a vegan butter such as Earth Balance. It uses organic (non-GMO) palm fruit, soybean, canola and olive oils.
  • You can also use almond butter instead of oil or butter when baking cookies.

Mayonnaise

  • Try vegan mayonnaise such as Hampton Creek’s Just Mayo which uses non-GMO expeller-pressed canola oil, lemon juice and white vinegar as key ingredients.
  • You can also use a mashed avocado or guacamole, hummus or baba ganoush on sandwiches instead of mayo.

Cheese

  • Use nutritional yeast flakes instead of cheese in recipes such as risotto.
  • Tofu is also a great substitute for ricotta cheese in lasagne. I like to blend soft tofu in the food processor with a bit of fresh spinach, garlic and onion powder plus salt and pepper for a tastey ricotta.
  • There are some fantastic vegan cheeses that are coming onto the market. Recently I tried Miyoko’s Creamery Double Cream Chive cheese which is made from organic, non-GMO cashews, coconut oil, chives, chickpea miso and other ingredients. It is wonderful as an appetizer served with crackers or a sliced baquette, grapes or apple slices.

Eggs

  • In baking, good egg substitutes include banana, applesauce, or soft tofu.
  • You can also use ground flax or chia seeds. Mix 1 Tablespoon ground seeds with 2 Tablespoons water and let sit for a bit.
  • You can also buy Ener-G Egg Replacer which is made from potato starch, tapioca flour and levening agents.
  • For making scrambled eggs, substitute tofu, such as in our tofu scramble recipe. You can also use tofu in quiches and custard and eggless “egg salad” sandwiches.

Gelatin

Stock / Broth 

  • For soups or making risotto, use a vegetable broth instead of chicken or beef stock

So have fun experimenting with your favorite recipes and let us know if you have other tips or suggestions for vegan substituions.

Processed foods: the good and the bad

Processed foods: the good and the bad

by | Feb 15, 2015 | grocery shopping, Nutrition, Plant-based, Whole food

Not all processed foods are unhealthy.

Not all processed foods are unhealthy.

When we hear the term “processed food” the first thing that comes to mind is the obvious, junk food. However, not all processed foods are bad for you.

What makes a food processed is that it has been prepared or treated by either a mechanical or chemical method that increases its shelf life (canning, dehydration, the addition of preservatives), changes it into something new (grains to flour to bread, transforming raw vegetables into soup), or improves its flavor, color and/or texture (adding sweeteners, artificial flavors, thickners). (more…)

Processed foods: the good and the bad

Transitioning to Vegan One Step at a Time

by | Feb 12, 2015 | Nutrition, Plant-based, Whole food

stepping stones

Take it one step at a time.

An acquaintance asked me the other day, “Don’t you miss eating normal food? I could never eat such a restrictive diet,” her expression filled with a mix of indignation and curiosity.

We all have our different reasons for why we eat what we eat. Some of us use food as a way to find comfort (fresh baked cookies to cure the blues), while others luxuriate in the physical pleasure of experiencing exotic flavors and textures. There are those that focus on what they can’t eat in order to avoid an allergic reaction or lose those unwanted extra pounds. Food choices are emotional decisions, a way to fill the void when we are feeling lonely or insecure, or as a reward to celebrate an accomplishment.

Just like all the different ways we choose what we eat, there are many ways to be vegan. The interpretations range in extremes from advocating animal rights, to eating imitation meat and dairy replacers in order to hold onto the familiar, to the exclusion of all but raw organic whole foods. For me, being vegan is about consciously choosing what I eat, focusing on foods rich in nutrients that will support my body and its healing process. (more…)

3 reasons you’ll LOVE going vegan for Valentine’s Day

3 reasons you’ll LOVE going vegan for Valentine’s Day

by | Feb 11, 2015 | Nutrition, Plant-based, Recipes, Vegan, WFPB, Whole food, plant-based

Here are three great reasons for cooking a whole food, plant-based meal for your special someone this Valentine’s Day.

  1. Heart-healthy
    Research has proven that a whole food, plant-based (WFPB) diet consisting of vegetables, fruits, grains and legumes can improve and even reverse heart disease. A study published in the July 2014 issue of The Journal of Family Practice, called “A Way to Reverse CAD” (Coronary Artery Disease), found that 81% of study participants improved their symptoms and 22% experienced a complete reversal of their condition. Since there is no cholesterol in plants and low saturated fat, people on a plant-based diet tend to have lower cholesterol numbers as well as lower blood pressure than those who consume meat and dairy products. Source: PCRM. So you can feel good about serving a meal that will help your heart, and your partner’s, beat longer and stronger.

(more…)

Processed foods: the good and the bad

Healing inflammation with food

by | Feb 10, 2015 | Nutrition, Plant-based, Whole food, plant-based

Your diet plays a critical role in helping your body to heal.

Your diet plays a critical role in helping your body heal.

Inflammation is part of our body’s natural immune response, the first line of defense in protecting our bodies from invading organisms that enter our system through wounds or by contact with viruses and bacteria. Inflammation tends to attack the weakest organ system first, depending on genetics and/or pre-existing health conditions.

When inflammation gets out of control and does not heal, it creates a constant irritant that can result in different types of health problems, such as diabetes and heart disease. Autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and polymyalgia rheumatic, are also associated with chronic inflammation. In addition, inflammation can damage the body’s immune system as it continues to mistakenly initiate an inflammatory response even when there is no apparent need, such as in asthma, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. It is not surprising that, according to the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, “Inflammation has long been associated with the development of cancer.”

Fortunately, there is something we can do to reduce inflammation and help support our body’s healing process that does not require expensive drugs or surgery. (more…)

Processed foods: the good and the bad

Being Vegan at College: Customizing the Dining Commons Menu

by | Feb 7, 2015 | Plant-based

By Angela Parnay

For many people, the daily feast at the UC Davis dining commons is an adventure. In addition to food staples like pasta, pizza, and burgers, there are at least two ethnic dishes on the menu, and theme nights are scheduled about once a month. The menu varies, not just weekly, but monthly as well. In 2014, UC Davis was ranked #18 among US colleges for best food by The Daily Meal.

However, my diet was slightly less varied and my experience less positive. Yes, the Blue Onion meal station always offered a vegan dish, and there was always salad and an Aggie Veggie Burger. Much of the produce was grown locally and dishes were cooked in-house, both of which I support wholeheartedly. My disapproval lies not with the number of options or the quality of ingredients, but with the final products.

Roasted vegetables glistened with oil and left puddles on the plates. The Veggie Burgers, though flavorful, had an odd chewy texture. Special vegan pasta dishes would often be presented – but made with egg noodles. There were multitudes of labeling errors as well – does their balsamic vinaigrette really have egg in it only half of the time? One time, I went to the pasta bar, the day’s most appealing option, and puzzled over the bowls of sauce. Apparently one was plain marinara, but they all looked identical! When I asked which was vegan, I was told both options were the same: filled with ground beef.

Needless to say, after my first year, I moved to an apartment with a kitchen.

However, despite these unfortunate mistakes, I always managed to find something to eat. How? By mixing and matching items from various stations.

For example, my personal favorite: bean and veggie tacos. This was only available on weekends at brunch, because some ingredients were offered as “breakfast” foods and others as “lunch” foods. Soft flour tortillas came from the breakfast burrito station, pinto beans from the soup station, stir fried vegetables and rice from the pasta station, and salsa from the salad bar. I then scooped all of the scavenged goodies into the tortillas and dug in.

Another winner was a burger salad. My friends and I would grab a black bean burger or an Aggie Veggie burger and build a salad with greens, carrots, bell peppers tomatoes, olives, and scoops of mild salsa to top. We would then chop the burger into bits and sprinkle it over the salad. Admittedly, black bean burgers far surpassed Aggie Veggie burgers in both flavor and consistency, and sometimes the salad bar would lack vital ingredients like olives. Still, this dish was a tasty and reliable backup.

My final advice: be creative with the options available. What may seem like a boring menu has the potential for a culinary masterpiece, or at least something satisfying to get you through the day.

IMG_2644 - Version 2

Angela Parnay is a second-year student at UC Davis and is happy to report that she no longer depends on the menu selection offered at the dining commons. Between her heavy school load and working in an on-campus computer lab, she enjoys creating her own vegan meals.