Milk. It’s
very easy to substitute for cow’s milk in a recipe. You can use soymilk, rice
milk, oat milk, or nut milk measure for measure. To make buttermilk, put 1
tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice in your measuring cup and then add your
soymilk to the amount specified in the recipe.
Cheese. Be
sure to read the label as some vegetarian cheeses contain casein, which is not
vegan. If you can find a great vegan cheese that you like, use it in your
recipes in the same manner that you would use dairy cheese.
In place
of cottage or ricotta cheese, you can use crumbled tofu, but remember that it
won’t melt or have the same creamy consistency you’d expect from cottage or
ricotta cheese. You may need to spice it up with herbs and add some salt to
make it work in your recipe.
Eggs. A
great substitute for scrambled eggs is tofu scramble. You can either use a
recipe from a cookbook or simply buy a box of Tofu Scrambler in the store that
you then mix with crumbled tofu and heat in a frying pan. Kids generally like
tofu scramble, especially kids who have been vegan their entire lives. You can
spice it up with tomatoes, peppers, onions, or even potatoes and vegan bacon
bits.
In baked
goods, good substitutions for eggs include applesauce, pureed soft tofu, Ener-G
egg replacer, a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax seeds plus 3 tablespoons
water or other liquid, blended), or mashed bananas. You’ll have to experiment
with your recipe to see what works best for you.
In dishes
where eggs are usually used for binding (such as meatloaf) you can use oat or
soy flour, rolled oats, cooked oatmeal, bread crumbs, instant potato flakes,
nut butters, tomato paste, or cornstarch. For glazing pie crust or phyllo dough
with egg wash, just use soymilk instead.
Beef
or chicken stock. Replace beef or chicken stock with water or vegetable broth.
Or use vegetable bouillon cubes.
Butter. There
are vegan margarines on the market that work well in substituting for butter.
Be sure to read the labels because not all margarines are vegan. You may also
want to consider using oils like canola, sunflower, olive or corn instead of
butter or margarine. One of the best is Earth Balance.
Yogurt. Several
companies make soy or coconut yogurts that will substitute well in your
recipes. You can find them in fruit flavors and also plain for cooking and
baking.
Sour
Cream. Try plain soy yogurt, especially if used in making dips.
There are also a few commercially available vegan sour creams on the market. In
addition, there are several vegan cookbooks that have excellent recipes for
vegan sour cream in them.
Mayonnaise. There
are a few vegan mayonnaise products on the market. You can use vegan mayonnaise
exactly the way you’d use the non-vegan mayonnaise. Vegan cookbooks often
contain a recipe for vegan mayonnaise as well; I’ve made at least two recipes
from cookbooks that came out better than the real thing!
Gelatin. If
you need to substitute for gelatin in a recipe, use agar flakes or powder. It
will thicken as it is heated. Also, there are a couple of companies that make a
vegan fruit gelatin product that you should be able to find at your local
health food market.
Sugar. Many vegans do not eat sugar since some sugar is refined
using bone char from animals. Others object to using sugar simply because it
isn’t as healthy as other sweeteners, it’s often full of pesticides, and the
sugar plantation workers aren’t always treated very well. If you want to
replace crystalline sugar in a recipe, here are some alternatives: beet sugar,
fructose, organic sugar, unbleached cane sugar, turbinado sugar, date sugar,
maple crystals, and granulated FruitSource. Some of these sugars dissolve
better than others, so again, you’ll have to experiment.
Meat. If
you want your foods to have a similar taste and texture to meat, you’re in
luck, because never before have so many companies manufactured products just
for us. Among the products on the market now that will substitute for meat are:
veggie deli slices (bologna, ham, turkey, and other flavors), veggie burgers,
veggie meatballs, veggie sausage links and patties, veggie bacon, veggie ground
“beef,” soy chicken patties and nuggets, veggie meatloaf and Salisbury steak,
veggie jerky, and whole “turkeys” for Thanksgiving or other holidays.
Check
your vegan cookbooks for recipes for foods like “neatloaf,” nut roasts,
lentil-walnut pates, and other old favorites that traditionally contained
animal flesh.
Ice
Cream. Along with the proliferation of meat analogues, your health
food store is now probably well stocked with vegan ice cream. This industry has
grown tremendously from the day I first went vegan. There are vegan ice creams
with a soy base, rice base, or nut base, and they’re all delicious. Some are
high in fat and some are fat-free. Some are fruity like sorbet, while others
are sinfully decadent like butter pecan, peanut butter zig-zag, or peanut
caramel. You can also buy vegan ice cream sandwiches, mud pies, and ice cream
bars. I’ve made some great shakes, floats, and malts using vegan ice cream
products. Your kids will love them too!
Shelly Schultz Arizona Softball
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