Simple Substitutions for a Vegan Diet Plan
While society is catching up, recipes aren’t exactly geared toward vegan diets. Some of your favorite foods are suddenly off limits and cooking can be a headache. However, there are ways to veganize common ingredients to allow you to create a wide range of dishes. Expand your culinary options when on a vegan diet plan with a few quick fixes. Use these substitutes in equal measurements to what is called for in recipes.
Parmesan Cheese:
Not only is this faux parmesan cheese great for recipes and as a topping, it is full of omega-3s and other important nutrients vital to any vegan diet plan for weight loss. You will need 1 cup of walnuts or pine nuts depending on your tastes, ½ cup of nutritional yeast, and a pinch of sea salt.
Grind walnuts or pine nuts, preferably in a coffee grinder. Grind until fine. Mix ground nuts with nutritional yeast. Sprinkle in sea salt to taste.
Cream Cheese:
Using nutritional yeast in recipes supplies those on vegan diets with hard to get vitamin B12. This is a hearty and healthy alternative to cream cheese, perfect for recipes or spreading on whole wheat toast. You will need 1 cup of raw cashews, ¼ cup of water, ¼ tsp of salt, ½ tsp of nutritional yeast, and 1 ½ tbsp of lemon juice.
Soak the cashews in water for approximately 3 hours. Add ¼ cup of water, nutritional yeast, salt, lemon, and cashews to a blender. Blend until creamy.
Buttermilk:
Buttermilk has a unique flavor. It’s best to avoid substituting plain soy milk for buttermilk if you don’t want to forgo the taste. You will need reduced-fat soy milk and 1 tbsp of vinegar. Use the equivalent amount of soy milk as the buttermilk called for in the recipe.
Mix the soy milk with the vinegar and allow it to sit for about one hour before mixing it into the recipe.
Sour Cream:
This vegan sour cream recipe tastes remarkably similar to standard sour cream. As an added bonus, it has less calories and fat, perfect for a vegan diet plan for weight loss. You will need 1 package of reduced-fat silken firm tofu (12 ounces), ¼ cup of lemon juice, ½ tsp rice vinegar, and ¼ tsp of salt. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. For a faster option, use strained nonfat, plain soy yogurt.
Eggs:
For cooking there are a vast array of egg substitutes for vegan diets. For baking, there are several ways to replace eggs. Use 1 mashed banana or ¼ cup of applesauce per egg called for in baked goods. In place of one egg white whisk 1 tbsp of agar flakes with 1 tbsp of water. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for 5 minutes.
Mayonnaise:
There are a variety of vegan mayonnaise products available, however this recipe tastes even better than the real thing. You will need 2 ¼ cups of safflower oil, 1 cup of reduced-fat soy milk, 1 tbsp agave nectar, ¾ tsp sea salt, 2 ½ tsp apple cider vinegar, and ½ tsp Dijon mustard.
Blend all of the ingredients except for vinegar in a blender until smooth. Add vinegar slowly until the mixture thickens.
Other simple substitutions include equivalent amounts of:
Meat: Firm tofu, beans, vegetarian bacon, vegan soy crumbles, veggie burgers, tempeh, and other soy “meat” products.
Milk: Soy milk, almond milk, rice milk, or oat milk.
Ricotta Cheese: Crumbled tofu (keep in mind it doesn’t melt like non-vegan ricotta cheese) or vegan soy cheese.
Chicken and Beef Stock: Vegetable stock or vegetable bullion cubes.
Butter: Clarified butter, vegan margarine, corn oil, canola oil, olive oil, and sunflower oil.
Gelatin: Agar-agar flakes, powders, or bars or most kosher gelatins (read label).
Honey: Agave nectar, maple syrup, and blackstrap molasses.
Sugar: Organic sugar, beet sugar, date sugar, maple crystals, and unbleached cane sugar.
White Sauce: Pureed white beans.
Creamy Sauces or Soups: Pureed rice cooked in vegetable soup, pureed roasted vegetables, fat-free strained plain soy yogurt.
Chocolate: Carob or vegan chocolate.
There are a wealth of other substitutions available. Be creative and try using ingredients in different proportions until you perfect recipes for your vegan diet plan. Nearly any ingredient has an equivalent alternative to allow you to continue to enjoy your favorite entrees and baked goods.
